| Perhaps no other message has permeated through Japanese society the way Bob Marley's has with his music. His message of love, community and support struck a strong chord in Japan and it's younger generation. The development of Japanese reggae is a testament to this. Like hip-hop, reggae has been popular in japan for some time. Many reggae influenced musicans began producing their own style of music in the 80's and 90's. However, until recently they had never been able to find their mark in the mainstream world of J-Pop. This all changed with the explosion of Hip-hop in the late 90's. Since Hip-Hop and Reggae have always shared a place in the music world. It was inevitable for many breakout Japanese hip-hop artists to collaborate with reggae artists on music releases. Many a hip-hop CD in Japan can be found featuring tracks with Japanese reggae artists. This was an important step and more was yet to come. J-reggae was making strides in the music world and grudgingly gaining more respect, but there had yet to be any major breakouts on the level of what Dragon Ash did for hip-hop.That is until the summer of 2001 with the release of "Lifetime Respect" by Mikidozan. This low-key song became an instant success and a number one seller on the charts. And (in my opinion) literally opened doors for more stand alone artists to cross-over into the mainstream. All of a sudden artists like Moomin, Pushim and others who had always been around were gaining more visibility on video channels like MTV. This trend has continued on to this day. One of the most interesting things that goes on in J-reggae is the musicianship. Artists within the J-reggae world have developed their own little community. Or it may be that it was always there and is now just easier to see. In either case the musicians seem to support each other more than any other genre in the J-pop world. They tend to collaborate with each other on CD releases and live events quite often. In fact almost everyone on this list has worked with one another at some point in their careers. Again showing how much Japanese reggae stars have taken the message of Bob Marley and reggae itself to heart. If there is anyone whom you would like to see on the list please contact me with the info and I will get up as soon as possible. Respect! Jazzman |
| Boogie Man Boxer Kid Corn Head Fire Ball H-Man Home Grown Mikidozan |
| *Minmi Moomin Nanjaman Papa U-Gee Papa-B Pushim Ryo the Skywalker |
| J-Reggae |
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