Caribbean Heat: The Rise Of Reggae Fusion

Shaggy, Diana King and Rihanna.

Reggae music has become a global phenomenon and a billion dollar sector of the music industry but that would have been impossible if it wasn’t for the work of a particular group of artists. Undoubtedly, the Reggae Fusion performers of the 1990s and 2000s helped to catapult West Indian culture to new heights.

Shaggy, Diana King, Maxi Priest and Patra were among the West Indians who helped to broaden the reach of music from the Caribbean. Of course, their work has since been continued by younger acts, such as Sean Kingston and Rihanna, who have mixed the sounds of Reggae with Pop and R&B.

Watch the videos for some of the most popular Reggae Fusion hits below:

Diana King – ‘Shy Guy’

Maxi Priest – ‘Just a Little Bit Longer’

No Doubt – ‘Hey Baby (Ft. Bounty Killer)’

Patra – ‘Worker Man’

Rihanna – ‘What’s My Name? (Ft. Drake)’

Sean Kingston – ‘Letting Go (Dutty Love) (Ft. Nicki Minaj)’

Sean Paul – ‘Give It Up to Me (Ft. Keyshia Cole)’

Shaggy – ‘Angel (Ft. Rayvon)’

Many people insult Reggae Fusion artists because of their supposed diluting of Reggae music. Yet, there is no denying the impact of such acts in the propulsion of Caribbean culture to new plateaus. Even the most celebrated Reggae performers – Damian Marley and Buju Banton – often included Pop and R&B into their music as their careers progressed.

For any genre of music to grow and remain viable, artists need to continuously adapt and modernise their music. Hence, the Reggae Fusion artists should be praised for keeping the foreign public’s interest in West Indian culture alive.

Thoughts?