The Influence of Caribbean Music on Other Genres
It may surprise you to know that Caribbean music has a wide range. Even if you don’t think you’ve heard much about this kind of music, you’ve probably heard the Caribbean influence on popular music before.
Read on to find out the influence of Caribbean music on other genres of music.
The Basics of Caribbean Music
Caribbean music in and of itself blends a wide variety of musical styles from across the Caribbean nations. Because there are lots of different cultures and societies throughout the region, Caribbean music isn’t a monolith.
Some of the different Caribbean nations with strong musical cultures include Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas, and Cuba. Lots of different genres were created in these nations, too, like Latin jazz, merengue, twoubadou, and many others.
Music genres from different nations may use vastly different instruments, beats, rhythms, and tones. So, when you’re examining the influence of Caribbean music, it’s important to pay attention to how vast its reach actually is.
However, they all have the same general throughlines. Much of Caribbean music is influenced by African music, because of the forced importation of slaves from Africa to the region.
The Influence of Caribbean Music
The beats and rhythm of Caribbean music have impacted different musical genres throughout the world. This is in part because of how much of the Caribbean’s economy is supported by tourism — the more people who hear Caribbean music, the more people who can be influenced by it.
Immigration of Caribbean people to other countries also plays a huge role in the spread of Caribbean musical influence. For example, hip-hop evolved out of Caribbean music, after Caribbean people immigrated to the United States and influenced the music scene in places like the Bronx.
Caribbean music also influenced the United Kingdom’s music scene. When people from the Caribbean arrived in neighborhoods like Brixton and Tottenham, they helped influence genres such as reggae music and ska and helped these types of music to build a wider audience than they had previously.
Caribbean music even played a role in the evolution of the British punk scene. Punk music addressed some of the themes of Caribbean immigrant culture, particularly from bands such as The Clash.
Many popular mainstream musicians are from the Caribbean or of Caribbean descent. These include Sean Kingston, Wyclef Jean, Grandmaster Flash, Rihanna, Bob Marley, and many others.
Caribbean Music: Get Listening
If you’re a musician who hasn’t previously paid a lot of attention to Caribbean music before, there’s no excuse. Start deep diving into this category ASAP.
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