Can someone answer a question about reggae music?

Question

Recently i've been getting more into reggae and i'm finding that many many reggae artists cover each others songs, to the point of ridiculous! This seems to create a lot of arguments as to who performs the song better etc, etc. i'm just wondering why the reggae genre seems to have such a large amount of artists that do a lot of covers. I mean seriously i just listened to 8 different versions of the song Here i come. I always thought that song was a barrington levy song, but apparently there are like 30 other reggae artists that have done the same song, so who knows who originally wrote that song. So why all the covers?

Also, i'd love some suggestions for some good reggae. I like stuff from artists like Barrington Levy, Ninjaman, Mad Lion, Black Uhuru, Dilinger, Buju Banton. Thakns.

rennamix · Accepted Answer

I wish I could help you answer that questions but I really have no idea why so many covers of covers are covered! ha! No but really...maybe that is just something about culture of reggae music. There obviously is no problem with so many covers and repeats. Like you said they view it more with a competetion purpose......  

Anyway here are some suggestions of artists for you though.

Similar artists would be:

Bounty Killer
Capleton
Sizzla
Major Worries
Sly & Robbie
Steel Pulse
Israel Vibration
Ini Kamoze
Eek-A-Mouse
Damian Marley
Gregory Isaacs

Hope you find tracks you like :-)

Don't forget about the more "modern reggae" or tracks that have that "reggae vibe/beat" but aren't completely raggae. 

Thievery Corporation has a couple tracks I love with that raggae vibe to it - "Amerimacka Feat Notch" & "Language Symbolique"
http://www.last.fm/music/Thievery%2520Corporation/_/Language%2520Symbolique

Bonobo - "The Sicilian" 
Nightmares on Wax
Sofa Surfers - "Sofa Rockers" (Richard Dorfmeister remix) 

Here is some "retro reggae" beats:

"Uptown Top Ranking" by Althea & Donna 
http://www.last.fm/music/Althea%2B%2526%2BDonna/_/Uptown+Top+Ranking

"Unstoppable" by Santogold
http://hypem.com/#/track/836346/Santogold+-+Unstoppable


Enjoy!

? · Answer

I haven't heard of too many songs that have been actually covered.. but some reggae artists usually do songs on the same riddims.

Anonymous · Answer

you may desire to attempt Twinkle Brothers, Augustus Pablo, Black Uhuru, Gladiators, Junior Byles, Mad Professor, Linton Kwesi Johnson, third international, Mighy Diamonds, Wailing Souls, steel Pulse, Dennis Brown and Linval Thompson (is it Thomson). you'll be introduced approximately different artists as quickly as you browse a number of those artists.

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Can someone answer a question about reggae music?

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