Roots Reggae
A grounded, spiritually minded reggae style that emerged in Jamaica in the early 1970s and helped define the genre’s most socially conscious side.
Origins and context
Roots reggae took shape in Jamaica’s early-1970s reggae scene, drawing on earlier ska and rocksteady while centering Rastafari spirituality and social commentary.
How to listen
Mood
- Meditative
- Resistant
- Spiritual
History
Roots reggae emerged in Jamaica in the early 1970s, following the development of rocksteady and the broader shift from ska into slower reggae forms. AllMusic describes it as a roots-and-rasta-centered style that became prominent in the early 1970s, while artist bios for groups like Culture and The Abyssinians show how the sound crystallized around spiritually charged, socially conscious writing in Kingston’s reggae culture. The genre’s story is inseparable from Rastafari. In practice, roots reggae became the place where Jamaican musicians fused heavy bass lines, meditative grooves, and messages about oppression, repatriation, and Black pride; recordings such as Burning Spear’s "Marcus Garvey," Peter Tosh’s "Legalize It," and Culture’s "Two Sevens Clash" are widely documented landmarks in that tradition.
Notable artists
- BSBurning Spear
- PTPeter Tosh
- CCulture
- TAThe Abyssinians
- BMBob Marley & The Wailers
Essential listening
- 1
- 2
- 3
Explore connected genres
Sources and further reading
- Roots Reggae genre overview
- Culture biography
- allmusic.com
The Abyssinians are documented as a late-1960s Jamaican group whose harmonies and Rastafarian themes helped define roots reggae.
- Spotify
Burning Spear's 'Marcus Garvey' is a documented roots reggae recording.
- Spotify
Peter Tosh's 'Legalize It' is a documented recording from his 1976 album of the same name.
- Spotify
Culture's 'Two Sevens Clash' is a documented roots reggae landmark recording/album.
- Burning Spear
- Bob Marley