Jamaican culture holds importance to music.  The most popular genres in Jamaica are reggae, dancehall, calypso, and rocksteady.  Reggae music has influence from blues and jazz music, but mostly from the tribal music in Africa.  Rocksteady is a romantic sort of jazz music, and dancehall is just about the opposite of it.  Dancehall is very loud, and there are clubs dedicated to only dancehall.

The men shown above are in Jamaica at the Sunsplash Festival - an annually held reggae festival in Montego Bay.  

Bob Marley was very politically aware, and at the Jamaican One Love peace concert he forced Michael Manley, the Jamaican prime minister, and Edward Seaga, the opposition leader, to shake hands in front of the cwrowd.

One of the most famous reggae artists in the entire world is Bob Marley.  Marley, born in 1945, was a pivotal figure in Jamaica.  He was as passionate about politics as the music he created.  He was an advocate for equality and many other thing.  Sadly, Bob Marley died in 1981, at age 36, due to lung cancer and a brain tumor. 

Dancehall music (hip - hop tinged reggae) is relatively new to the United States.  Sean Paul, age 30, released 2 singles in 2003 (Gimme the Light, Get Busy) and won a Grammy in February for the Best Reggae album. 

Dancehall music has much dance accompany it, as the name suggests.  The dances can be very, very difficult, and can involve many people.  Sean Paul has collaborated with many big - name artists, including Beyonce, Mya, Sasha, Jay - Z, and Busta Rhymes.  His collaboration with Beyonce on her song  "Baby Boy" was at the top ten for MTV for quite a long time.  It was also, at one time, on the Billboard Top 10.  

 The picture above is another picture of Sean Paul, but in color (obviously).  When he was a teenager in Jamaica, he performed frequently at local bars and he also made many demo tapes to send to record producers. 

Sean Paul is so popular that Teen People magazine and their readers liked him so   much that they voted him "Dancehall King" in the December 2003/ January 2004 double issue.  This issue dealt with the many  famous artists from 2003, and who might be popular in 2004.