# Why is reggae so top heavy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 20, 2007, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reggae-so-top-heavy/392956 "2007-02-20T13:51:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Subterraneanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Subterraneanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subterraneanus)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reggae-so-top-heavy/392956/41 "2007-02-22T08:17:45Z")
[\*Shakes head and wanders away from thread … \*] ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reggae-so-top-heavy/392956/42 "2007-02-22T13:10:18Z")
[QUOTE=Subterraneanus] [\*Shakes head and wanders away from thread … \*] [/QUOTE] The problem is that you’re exactly who this thread is not intended for. If you asked me, “why is US cycling so Lance Armstrong Heavy”, I’d try to give you a reasoned response, and not go into a discussion of George Hincapie, and Tom Danielson and Levi Leipheimer and try to convince you that you’re wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Boo\_Boo\_Foo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@Boo\_Boo\_Foo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boo_Boo_Foo)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reggae-so-top-heavy/392956/43 "2007-02-22T23:03:18Z")
[QUOTE=Subterraneanus] [\*Shakes head and wanders away from thread … \*] [/QUOTE] I love this moment in music threads. I know everything! I know everything! I know everything! I know everything! I know everything! When enough people KEEP disagreeing their explodes. Always funny. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reggae-so-top-heavy/392956/44 "2007-02-22T23:06:36Z")
[QUOTE=Eleusis] Yeah, he pretty much INVENTED it, and then before hardly any “influencees” (Tosh notwithstanding)/copycats had a chance to come along, he died. Since then, the genre has basically split in two: The groups you don’t want us to mention are now classified as “[Roots Reggae](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roots_reggae)”. I think [Steel Pulse](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel_Pulse) and [Luciano](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luciano) (side story: My wife and I met him and his band on a plane in first class on an Air Jamaica flight from Kingston to Chicago, and they were awesomely cool and were happy to sign his tape, that a Jamaican friend had just given us… we then went to see him at House of Blues and were slightly taken aback at how religious the whole show was) are prime examples. The other segment is [Dance Hall](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancehall), which isn’t technically [reggae](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggae) any more. More Americanized rap ghetto style IMHO. [/QUOTE] Wait. Marley invented reggae? What about Lee Perry and Toots Hibbert? They both predated Marley’s reggae, and Perry was really the first one to employ the consistent, upstroke-guitar beat that became the hallmark of the reggae sound. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reggae-so-top-heavy/392956/45 "2007-02-24T06:46:33Z")
[QUOTE=Ogre] Wait. Marley invented reggae? What about Lee Perry and Toots Hibbert? They both predated Marley’s reggae, and Perry was really the first one to employ the consistent, upstroke-guitar beat that became the hallmark of the reggae sound. [/QUOTE] Fucking A. I’m very open to these guys, and truth be told, I’d never heard of them. So yeah, I guess I just (sometimes) do have a meager opinion, which is subject to change. I’m very curious why I received anger and disregard for that. I did say, “Pretty much”… so if that’s wrong, then educate me, don’t go storming off like some holier then thou A-hole (not you, **Ogre** ). Right? ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reggae-so-top-heavy/392956/46 "2007-02-24T09:31:27Z")
[QUOTE=Trunk] sing along to a few rap tuns. [/QUOTE] :dubious: That would be difficult… ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reggae-so-top-heavy/392956/47 "2007-02-24T17:12:23Z")
> [@](#): > > But, really, even people who don’t follow country music or rap or pop or rock or blues or jazz could rattle off 5-10 people in any of those genres. I disagree that the terms of the OP are accurate. I can tell you “Garth Somebody.” If you said “The Dixie Chicks” I’d say, “Oh, yeah. Are they ‘country’?” I couldn’t tell you contemporary pop, rap, blues or jazz without prompting–that’s all passive knowledge for me. If I were on Jeopardy! and had to generate a guess in these categories, I’d say Johnny Cash, that guy with the song about big butts, what’-her-name uh Gloria Estevan?, Bush–is that considered rock?, uh Eric Clapton, Thelonious Monk. ---
**Author:** ![Subterraneanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Subterraneanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subterraneanus)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reggae-so-top-heavy/392956/48 "2007-02-24T20:44:21Z")
[QUOTE=Eleusis] Fucking A. I’m very open to these guys, and truth be told, I’d never heard of them. So yeah, I guess I just (sometimes) do have a meager opinion, which is subject to change. I’m very curious why I received anger and disregard for that. I did say, “Pretty much”… so if that’s wrong, then educate me, don’t go storming off like some holier then thou A-hole (not you, **Ogre** ). Right? [/QUOTE] If you want a response, you’re going to have to edit that reply again. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reggae-so-top-heavy/392956/49 "2007-02-25T07:15:37Z")
[QUOTE=Subterraneanus] [\*Shakes head and wanders away from thread … \*] [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Subterraneanus] If you want a response, you’re going to have to edit that reply again. [/QUOTE] Hmmm let me think. Naw, screw it. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reggae-so-top-heavy/392956/50 "2007-02-25T12:57:19Z")
> [@Eleusis](#): > > …don’t go storming off like some holier then thou A-hole **Eleusis** : This kind of personal insult is not appropriate in this forum, as you well know. “Screw it”? I refrain from the obvious. This is an Official Warning: you will cool it. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reggae-so-top-heavy/392956/51 "2007-02-27T07:18:29Z")
[QUOTE=C K Dexter Haven] **Eleusis** : This kind of personal insult is not appropriate in this forum, as you well know. “Screw it”? I refrain from the obvious. This is an Official Warning: you will cool it. [/QUOTE] I tend to think that I already had “cooled it”. But, yeah, fine, OK. You’s the boss. However, in my own defense, I do tend to think that: > [@Eleusis](#): > > I did say, “Pretty much”… so if that’s wrong, then educate me, don’t go storming off like some holier then thou A-hole … showed my own personal humility, used a simile (I didn’t call _anybody anything_, and considering that I _didn’t even name anyone in the first place_ is a pretty trivial reason for the **“OFFICIAL MODERATOR WARNING”** , which supposedly shoves me one step closer to the **BAN STICK OF DOOM**. And I don’t even understand what you mean by “‘Screw it?’ I refrain from the obvious.'” ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reggae-so-top-heavy/392956/52 "2007-02-27T07:32:35Z")
[QUOTE=C K Dexter Haven] **Eleusis** : This kind of personal insult is not appropriate in this forum, as you well know. “Screw it”? I refrain from the obvious. This is an Official Warning: you will cool it. [/QUOTE] p.s. _[shakes head and wanders away from thread]_ Is that not an insult in and of itself? I, in fact, offered my own honest opinion, given not insignificant history and experience, including several trips to Jamaica, and dozens upon dozens of conversations with “Real Jamaicans”. So, yes, that was an insult. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reggae-so-top-heavy/392956/53 "2007-02-27T10:30:05Z")
…and on the “tri-post”, am I even allowed to respond to “ **Subterraneanus** ” after that? He sure did pretend to be the one-all-be-all afficianado of reggae… I doubt he ever met Luciano. His disregard for my legitimate opinions, and his rude responses make me not even want to try to engage in dialogue, and therefore dismiss him. But now what? ---
**Author:** ![Boo\_Boo\_Foo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@Boo\_Boo\_Foo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boo_Boo_Foo)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2007, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reggae-so-top-heavy/392956/54 "2007-02-28T11:45:53Z")
Eleusis, hey don’t despair. Before your warning, I wanted to add a few comments myself regarding the attitude of Subterraneous - that is, unless we deitified him as some sort of Musical Imam - we somehow were buffoons who didn’t have a legitimate scrap of musical knowledge. Man, in my vinyl collection, I’ve got a Black Uluru album from 1981 or thereabouts. So what? So I’ve got a Jamaican reggae album from 1981? So I know of a reggae artist other than Bob Marley and the Wailers? When I mentioned “D’ya Maker” by Led Zeppelin, Subterraneous still pooped on us like we didn’t have a clue. I, for one, think your warning was uncalled for - especially given that it was Subterraneous who left the thread in a sulking huff, but nonetheless came back to taunt you in the manner he did. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reggae-so-top-heavy/392956/55 "2007-03-01T05:49:56Z")
Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reggae-so-top-heavy/392956/56 "2007-03-01T16:28:46Z")
[QUOTE=Boo Boo Foo] Eleusis, hey don’t despair. [/QUOTE] I’ll second that. Having been to Jamaica and visited the Robert Nesta Marley Museum in Kingston I find that the whole idea of bickering about the music is contrary to the general feeling the music evokes. Can’t we all just get along? 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-reggae-so-top-heavy/392956.md?page=2)