Is roots reggae dead? Think again! Community in the US Virgin Islands breaks all barriers of reggae!

It is a fact that throughout the world, especially in Jamaica, reggae is increasingly being modernized and differentiated from the original sound, commonly called "Reggae Roots" or "Root Reggae". The Dancehall, Raggamuffin, Jungle beats (among others) have been conquering huge audiences since the late 80s and taking the place of the traditional rhythm. In today's Jamaica, for example, it is very difficult to see on the charts artists who play that slow, cadenced beat that made the planet turn its eyes to the Third World, consolidated mainly by names like Bob Marley & The Wailers, Burning Spear, Israel Vibration, Culture among others. You must be thinking that everything is being lost, and that Reggae Roots is fading away in time ("Fading away", as Jamaicans would say). However, that is not quite what is happening. A tiny place in the immensity of the world is revolutionizing and breaking all the barriers of root reggae. This place is called, nothing more and nothing less than, "St. Croix". With an impressive musical, cultural and poetic richness, the community of St. Croix - Virgin Islands under American colonization - has been surprising the entire planet and stealing the scene even from established, consecrated and acclaimed artists such as Gladiators, Gregory Isaacs, Alpha Blondy among others, who have not caused half the uproar that the local musicians provoke with each new release. Just as Bob Marley & The Wailers made the world turn its eyes to the third world and to Jamaica, everything in St. Croix began with a band called "Midnite". Midnite (pronounced Midinaite) with an authentic sound, of conscious messages full of social criticism, loaded with a vision highly dissatisfied with the system, which in less than two years established itself worldwide, having its albums as the best sellers (surpassing all the sacred monsters of Reggae) for months. It is possible to see today, for example, that in one of the largest reggae record stores in the world, Ernie B's Reggae, of the ten best-selling titles, 6 are by artists from St. Croix. From the moment Midnite was discovered by Reggae fans around the world, St. Croix lived the same as Jamaica in the time of Bob Marley. All attention turned to the local movement, and various artists emerged with the same authenticity and musical, poetic richness of the group that literally turned Reggae Roots upside down across the planet. The musical scene in St. Croix today is very developed, and has been strengthened by the emergence of labels such as I Grade and Mt. Nebo Records, which are releasing to the whole world what can be considered "The true return to the origins". This has not only influenced many people around the world, but also made the neighboring islands themselves (St. Thomas and St. John) get into the same rhythm. While in Jamaica itself the hits of traditional reggae have disappeared from the charts, in the American Virgin Islands, the law is Reggae Roots. The emergence of singers/bands such as Bambú Station, Iba, Abija, Star Lion Family, Batch among others only confirms what we said: Reggae Roots is alive, and counter-attacks electronic and modernized sound stronger than ever. Today, artists from the area are in demand for tours around the world, having also received many awards. As an example we can cite the album "One Day", by the sensational band Bambú Station, which won in Washington, capital of the United States of America, the annual award for best reggae album of 2003. Specialists, critics, magazines, newspapers and all possible communication instruments have unanimously described the music produced in St. Croix as "Classic", "Very powerful", and even "The essence of reggae". With everything favorable to the growth of St. Croix currently, the place is promising to become the largest "breeding ground" of traditional root reggae artists in the whole world. From now on we are sure that even you, who perhaps never heard of the place and the artists cited here, will pay close attention to everything that emerges from this moment on involving the name "St. Croix".

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Some websites related to the subject: I Grade Records Label Website.