Caribbean music is warm, lively and often filled with deep roots and messages, but the main point is that it is a lot of fun and is for dance. The surprising thing is the wide range of genres that are offered over the entire Caribbean.
Caribbean community spreads over a large area from Cuba, near to the coast of North America a downward, across the Atlantic to the north coast of South America.
Spanish influence is strong on the Caribbean island Cuba, which manifests itself in the form of Salsa, Mambo and Rumba together with a number of other music gendres including Cuban Jazz.
Jamaica has both Spanish and British colony influences and is known all over the world as the major Caribbean sound that has become popular all over the world. Reggae is uplifting and is among the most well-known because of mega-stars such as Peter Tosh, Third world and the "prophet" Bob Marley.
In the southern of large islands the Republic of Haiti and Dominitian Republic, both French colonies and strongly influenced by France. Compos is recognized as the national music of Haiti and is often heard at festivals, where you also hear a blend of Haitian hip-hop, Zouk and Rara. Bachata is a romantic and often sad music, indigenous to the people of the Dominican Republic, also includes Salsa and Personal.
The Islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe have a French influence, Zouk is popular with which Kassav has had considerable success. Ragga is also popular, and here you will also find Bele Bele. from the island of Dominica, said to be the oldest of Creole dances.
The colonial past brought so much rhythm from the various nations in Africa, which often expressed its protest through music, has a strong impact on Caribbean music to this day. An early example in popular culture was when Andrew sisters brought out the legendry track Rum and Coca Cola, a calypso song about alcohol and prostitution in Trinidad, which sounds as sweet as pie, but has a strong message.
The African beat, and tendency to dance carries many of genres of the Caribbean and the blend of French, Spanish and English together with several other languages creates a magical mix not found elsewhere.
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