Reggae music originated in Jamaica. It was developed in the 1960s and evolved after the Ska and Rocksteady started a change in the direction of the country's music. Reggae is generally associated with the Rastafari movement, maybe because of the fact that many of the early reggae musicians was Rastas. The subject of the lyrics are very broad based, they deal with love, sexuality, relationships, poverty, injustice, religon and social issues.

The late Bob Marley was responsible for establishing Reggae as a musical genre internationally. Individuals like Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff, Shabba Ranks, Sean Paul, Morgan Heritage,Third world  and many others have kept the Reggae and Dance hall style on the international music top 20 charts. The music have spread across the world with many artistes from other Caribbean islands making a name for themselves both regionally and internationally. Groups like UB40 from England, Marlon Asher from Trinidad and many others  have had top 10 hits on the American,British, European and world charts.