Reggae music took Rastafari to the world mainly through one of the world’s most famous musicians, Bob Marley. known as the King of Reggae, he is Rastafari’s most popular symbol. But before Bob Marley, there was Nyabinghi, the most integral form of Rastafarian music. It is played at groundations, or worship ceremonies, and includes drumming, chanting, dancing, prayer, and the smoking of ganja.
The name Nyabinghi came from an East African movement opposed to European imperialism that lasted from the 1850s-1950s. It was centered around a Ugandan healing woman named Muhumusa who led resistance against German colonists. The British in Africa soon led efforts against Nyabinghi claiming it was witchcraft.
In Jamaica, Nyabinghi was used for the same purpose as it was in Africa: a means to oppose imperialism. It is also often used to invoke the power of God, or Jah, against oppressors. African influence is alive in Nyabinghi music mainly through drums. They are a symbol of the African influence in Rastafari and some believe that Jah’s spirit, or divine, energy, is present in the instrument. From Nyabnghi arose Afro-Caribbean music that included influences from the native peoples of Jamaica and European slave owners who encouraged the music as a means of keeping morale high.
Burru drumming, another style of Rastafariam music, was first played in the Jamaican Parish of Clarendon. It was later introduced to the growing Rasta community in Kingston. It is believed that burru has its roots in Ghana, and that Rastas followed burru in its application of something that was purely African, untouched by Western influences. Communities of escaped slaves, called Maroons, kept purer African musical traditions alive in central Jamaica, and also contributed to the founding of Rastafari.
Reggae music was born in Trenchtown, Jamaica. Many of the people in Trenchtown listened to music from the United States. Soon Rastas began blending traditional Jamaican folk music, American R&B, and Jazz into ska. This later developed into reggae under the influence of soul music. In the 1970s Reggae began to enter the international stage. And with the popularity of Bob Marley, the music ballooned. Bob Marley incorporated Nyabinghi and Rastafri chanting into his music, and Reggae began to be seen as closely intertwined with Rastafri around the world. Roots is the name given specifically to Rastafarian Reggae. It is spiritually based and it’s lyrics predominately praise Jah. The messages in Reggae speak to many of the same people that the Rastrafari religion spoke to at its conception: those who are oppressed and enslaved. These groups of people are able to especially identify with lyrics that speak of the day-to-day life of the poor.
