Reggae is an amalgamation of many musical genres; the most prominent of which are African music and American rhythm and blues. Reggae also took influence from early ska, which in itself is an adaptation and evolution of traditional Jamaican folk music called mento.
Reggae's trademark sound is from its use of off-beats and syncopated rhythms. In layman's terms this means that reggae music frequently puts the accent on beats that are not typically accented. This gives reggae its swinging rhythm sound. Most reggae music is centered around its beat.
Early reggae music was typically political in nature, and songs about social change, race relations and other political topics are still very common in the genre. Reggae is frequently tied to the Rastafarian movement, which is a religious ideology that supports and promotes the use of cannabis (marijuana). Because of this many reggae songs have strong drug themes.
Since its inception in the 60s reggae has split off into many sub-genres, the most prominent of which include:
Roots reggae, which is the political/spiritual form of reggae made popular by Bob Marley.
Lover's Rock, a romantic form of reggae which took influence from American soul music.
Dub music, a mostly instrumental version of reggae that relies on remixing and and is very drum and bass driven.
Ragga, or electronic reggae, which uses synthetic instruments such keyboards and drum machines.
Reggaeton, a dance music that is influenced by a wide variety of genres, including reggae, salsa, Latin pop and hip hop.
Reggae is still primarily a Jamaican genre of music, with the most famous of reggae musicians coming from that country. Notable reggae musicians include Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff and Third World. However, reggae has taken root outside of its native country with artists from countries as diverse as Sweden, Nigeria and even the Philippines adopting the music.
Reggae's influence has spread to other genres as well as other counries. Genres as diverse as electronic, hip hop and punk rock all draw influence from reggae's unique beat and lyrical content while artists in Jamaica still perform and record traditional reggae songs.