Music In The Rastafarian Community
Though Reggae is the most recognizable, there are other aspects to Rastafarian music...
Music is often regarded as another part of a people’s customs, because it is also a form of art and entertainment. In many cultures, music and art are considered to be very important, as they are ways of preserving the essence of that culture. Though it is well known that reggae music is associated with the Rastafarians, many people are not aware of the other music that Rastafarians create, listen to, and praise with. In the Rastafarian community Nyabinghi is the traditional style of music (BBC, 2014b).
Nyabinghi
Members of the Nyabinghi Rasta movement during a ceremony.
Nyabinghi can actually be defined broadly: sometimes being referred to as the weekly reasoning sessions, or even as the dance-drumming-style music (often mixed in with gospel music) that is chanted to during these sessions (Smithsonian Institution, n.d.). In the Rastafarian community, "Bongo", which is commonly known to be a small drum, is used when describing someone with African Cultural Traits (Barrow, Dalton, & Buckley, 1997).
Gospel Music
Oakland Interfaith Gospel Ensemble of 2012
Another form of music that has a heavy influence on this culture is the gospel music of the 1990s (BBC, 2014), which is where the roots of contemporary gospel music fcame from (History of Gospel Music, n.d.), so although it is not unique to the Rastafarian culture, it is indeed a part of it (BBC, 2014b).
Another form of music that has a heavy influence on this culture is the gospel music of the 1990s (BBC, 2014), which is where the roots of contemporary gospel music fcame from (History of Gospel Music, n.d.), so although it is not unique to the Rastafarian culture, it is indeed a part of it (BBC, 2014b).
Reggae
Iconic Reggae Artist, Bob Marley
The music most recognized as "Rastafarian" is reggae, a music that has actually only become associated with the religion within the last thirty to forty years (Sherman, n.d.). This music generally consists of a lot of the rhythms of Nyabinghi, as well as some other forms of African music (Smithsonian Institution, n.d.). Reggae is a form of music that, through the famous Rastafarian Bob Marley, raised awareness of the religion and culture of the Jamaican Rastafarian people (Sherman, n.d.).