List of Caribbean music genres

Some of the styles to gain wide popularity outside the Caribbean include, bachata, merengue, palo, mambo, baithak gana, bouyon, cadence-lypso, calypso, soca, chutney, chutney-soca, compas, dancehall, jing ping, parang, pichakaree, punta, ragga, reggae, dembow, reggaeton, salsa, and zouk.

This claim was met with dissatisfaction from both the natives and Spain's neighbors in Europe; within a few years, bloody battles between the European powers raged across the region.

Native cultures were further eroded when the Europeans imported African slaves to work the sugar and coffee plantations on their island colonies.

In the late 20th century, many Caribbean islands gained independence from colonial rule but the European influences can still be heard in the music of each subtly different culture.

[3] Elements of calypso have come to be used in mento, and vice versa, while their origins lie in the Caribbean culture, each uniquely characterized by influences from the Shango and Shouters religions of Trinidad and the Kumina spiritual tradition of Jamaica.

By the mid-20th century Antigua and Barbuda boasted lively calypso and steelpan scenes as part of its annual Carnival celebration.

[8] Other genres include: soca music Bari is a festival, dance, drum and song type from the Dutch Antillean island of Bonaire.

[14] Evolving in Haiti during the mid-1800s, the Haitian méringue (known as the mereng in creole) is regarded as the oldest surviving form of its kind performed today and is its national symbol.

According to Jean Fouchard, mereng evolved from the fusion of slave music genres (such as the chica and calenda) with ballroom forms related to the French-Haitian contredanse (kontradans in creole).

That few Malagasies came to the Americas casts doubt on this etymology, but it is significant because it emphasizes what Fouchard (and most Haitians) consider the African-derived nature of their music and national identity.

Starting in the late 1970s (with discontent surrounding the increasing opulence of the Duvalier dictatorship), youth from Port-au-Prince (and to a lesser extent Cap-Haïtien and other urban areas) began experimenting with new types of life.

They dressed in the traditional blue denim (karoko) of peasants, eschewed the commercialized and processed life offered by global capitalism, and celebrated the values of communal living.

Later, they adopted matted hair which resembled dreadlocks, but identified the style as something which existed in Haiti with the term cheve simbi, referring to water spirits.

[15] It is in some ways similar to Son Cubano from Cuba as a result of Haitian migrant laborers who went to work on Cuban sugar plantations at the turn of the century[clarification needed].

It is a lively, acoustic form of music that blends African rhythms with European folk melodies, reflecting the island's cultural hybridity.

Known for its upbeat tempo, offbeat guitar strumming, and prominent brass sections, ska became a symbol of national pride in post-independence Jamaica.

Rocksteady was short-lived as a dominant genre but played a crucial role in shaping reggae, with many iconic Jamaican artists beginning their careers in this style.

It is characterized by its slow tempo, offbeat rhythm, and socially conscious lyrics that address issues such as poverty, oppression, spirituality, and resistance.

Bob Marley, one of the genre's pioneers, brought reggae to international prominence, making it a symbol of Jamaican identity and cultural influence worldwide.

The genre gave rise to iconic artists like Shabba Ranks, Beenie Man, and Sean Paul, who helped popularize it internationally.

Artists like Shaggy, Sean Paul, and Rihanna have incorporated reggae fusion into their music, continuing Jamaica's legacy of cultural influence on the world stage.

Genres: Jwé is a kind of rural music from Saint Lucia, performed informally at wakes, beach parties, full moon gatherings and other events, including débòt dances.

Jwé uses raunchy lyrics and innuendos to show off verbal skills, and to express political and comedic commentaries on current events and well-known individuals.

Satirical and political lyrics are common, performed by a female singer called a chantwell and accompanied by colorfully costumed dancers.

The term Kaseko is probably derived from the French expression casser le corps (break the body), which was used during slavery to indicate a very swift dance.

Songs are often improvised and humorous, with sexual innuendo, political and social commentary, and picong, a style of lyricism that teases people in a light-hearted way.

It is lyrically topical, and frequently sarcastic or mocking in the picong tradition, and is sung primarily in French creole by singers called chantwells.

Quelbe is a form of Virgin Islander folk music that originated on St. Croix, now most commonly performed by groups called scratch bands.