Reggae » Reggae-Pop

Reggae-Pop has its foundation in reggae, but the music is tempered with strong, melodic hooks, commercial production, and a crossover sensibility. Sometimes, reggae-pop is performed by pop bands seeking to diversify their sounds, but more often it's played by reggae artists with a fondness for pop. During the '70s, such diverse rockers as Eric Clapton and the Clash experimented with reggae, and the entire 2-Tone ska revival movement of the early '80s was closely aligned with reggae. Nevertheless, it wasn't until the '80s -- when artists like UB40, Eddy Grant, and Maxi Priest all established a place for it on the charts -- that reggae-pop became part of the mass consciousness. Reggae-pop first surfaced in the mid-'80s, and flourished toward the end of the decade, as those previously mentioned artists had crossover hits. During the '90s, the style remained strong, even if there weren't as many crossover hits as there were in the late '80s and early '90s.