Dub poetry
Dub Poetry is a form of reggae music that consists of spoken word performances over a reggae backing.Unlike Dee_jaying (also known as Toasting or Chatting) which also features the use of the spoken word, the Dub Poet's performace is normally pre-prepared, rather than the extemporised chat of the Dancehall Dee Jay, and in many cases the Dub Poet will appear on stage with a band performing music specifically written to accompany their poems, rather than simply perform over the top of dub plates in the Dancehall fashion.
Dub poetry is mostly of an overtly political nature, with none of the braggadocio often associated with the dancehall. The odd love-song or elegy appears, but dub poetry is predominantly concerned with politics and social justice, commonly voiced through a commentary on current events (and in this it does share much with Dancehall and any other form of 'conscious' reggae music).
The style originated in the late 1970s', with Linton Kwesi Johnson (LKJ)'s album Dread, Beat an' Blood first appearing in 1977, Oku Onuora's Reflection In Red in 1979, Benjamin Zephaniah's Rasta, and many others following in the early 1980's onwards. Although the genre had its heyday in the 1980's and 1990's, many of the poets are still active today.
LKJ still runs LKJ records in the UK, a label which publishes both his own books and music, and also that of other musicians and poets.
Zephaniah continues to publish in the UK. He has written novels as well as poetry. He was put forward for the post of Oxford Professor of Poetry in 1989 and UK Poet Laureate in 1999, and was also offered an OBE in 2003, which he declined.
Many of the Dub Poets have published their work as volumes of written poetry as well as albums of poetry with music.
Notable Dub Poets
| Reggae |
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| Reggae genres |
| Mento - Rocksteady - Ska |
| Roots rock reggae - Dub - Dub poetry - Dee jaying - Dancehall - Ragga - Raggamuffin - Rockers reggae |
| Other topics |
| Jamaica - Rastafarianism - Haile Selassie - Marcus Mosiah Garvey |