Ragga jungle

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ragga jungle is the name given to a substyle of Jungle that emerged circa 1991-1992, with artists such as the Ragga Twins, Rebel MC, and Genaside II, and has heavy influences from ragga, roots reggae and dancehall.

This style is credited with engaging the black community within the jungle scene, and contributed to the 'bad boy' or 'rude boy' subculture within the UK. Ragga jungle's popularity waned significantly since 1995 in the UK, in part because the more popular DJs have avoided giving the sound airtime. Ragga jungle is now a niche sound, with a small number of labels releasing music that can be categorised in this manner.

Recently, (2001-present) Canadian and American producers have been gaining popularity with their updated version of the sub-genre largely through online networks, sparking a small, yet international renaissance. Prominent produers of this new-school sound are continuing to build bridges; often revoicing classic reggae singers to produce new works for exclusive use ( as "dubplates") and retail sale as 12" vinyl singles and downloadable mp3's.

This renaissance has sparked the return of many oldschool fans and producers alike; who faded from the scene or reinvented themselves when the raves thinned and the music shed its soundsystem roots. A veritable dark ages followed for ragga junglists when club djs opted to support the more technical and less vocal-oriented Drum and bass productions. Dubwise junglists have welcomed the return of the rub-a-dub sound, and ragga vocals have gradually regained favour, no doubt helped by the crossover of big brother Dancehall.