My family comes from a small country off the coast of South America called Guyana. Guyana is considered part of the West Indies. As a result of being right next to the Caribbean and having the same cultural traditions, people from Guyana are also often considered Caribbean. Some geographers consider the West Indies a part of the Caribbean. The Caribbean consists of a mixture of races and cultures including black, hispanic, and indian. People of indian descent that reside in the Caribbean are called Indo-Caribbean. My family is Indo-Caribbean. It’s hard to distinguish a specific ethnicity with the extreme diffusion of cultures that is present; Therefore when presented with the task of describing a type of music associated with my culture, customs, values or beliefs, the first type of music that came to mind is Reggae. While originating in Jamaica in the 1960s, reggae is listened to throughout the Caribbean and is something that I grew up around. Growing up, I would listen to a lot of the old reggae classics whether it be at parties or just at home on a weekend.

Reggae music has become popular music among countries outside the Caribbean. Everyone knows about Bob Marley, a famous reggae artist that contributed to the growing popularity of the genre. Reggae music talks about love and social commentary. It’s a great genre to listen to when you’re in a relaxing mood. Drums and percussion are especially important to reggae, giving it a smooth relaxing temp. Other instruments used include the guitar, piano, and bass guitar. Reggae music has evolved from the times of Bob Marley and is still tied to my ethnicity. I commonly find myself feeling like listening to this genre of music, not only because of the nostalgic feeling I get but because it’s great for calming one down. Linked below is one of my favorite reggae songs. This song has a very strong social commentary about being true to oneself and not caring for the opinions or likes of others.