Page:“Trench Town Rock”： Reggae Music, Landscape Inscription, and the Making of Place in Kingston, Jamaica.pdf/4

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 * Political borders in parts of West Kingston, 1989 elections. Sources: Electoral Report, 1989. Map: Romain Cruse, 2008.

Jamaican government since the late 1970s compounded the community’s problems. Sewage-less shanties comprised predominantly of wood and zinc mushroomed in between the yards themselves and corner shops at the intersections. The negative eﬀects of the austerity measures undertaken by the Jamaican government over the years were nowhere as dramatic as in Kingston’s ghettoes—maybe except for rural agricultural communities—especially in Trench Town where gang warfare and the stigma of garrison politics were discouraging any form of investment.

On the other hand, like the case of other neighbouring communities such as Olympic Gardens (birthplace of Jamaican dub music), the political pressure and oppression faced by the residents of Trench town have contributed to the emergence of a famous (sub)cultural (r)evolution of the Jamaican musical culture where Ska and Rocksteady made way for a more politically confrontational and resistant form of Reggae music.

2.1.1. The Emergence of Reggae Music and Its Importance to Trench Town. It should be noted that with the advent of reggae in the 1960s, Jamaican music exploded on theinternational scene in an unprecedented way. Before that, ska enjoyed popularity outside of Jamaica, especially in England where a large migrant population had settled. By the end of the 1960s however, reggae artists like Jimmy Cliﬀ, Bob Marley, Marcia Griffiths, Desmond Dekker, and the Aces were beginning to score consistently on the British pop charts. As a result of this, international record companies became interested in the potential of reggae to infiltrate the large and untapped US and European markets.

The making of the Wailers’ album “Catch A Fire” in 1972 signalled reggae’s ascension in international pop music. Over the next few years, more and more Jamaican reggae artists started to tap into the overseas markets evident through increases in record sales, signings, and overseas tours. By the mid-1970s, reggae became the Third World’s most influential pop music form. However, by this time Marley’s success and international popularity had superseded everyone else. In 1975 Bob Marley made his international breakthrough with his first hit single outside Jamaica dubbed “No Woman No Cry”, from the “Natty Dread” album. This was soon followed by his breakthrough album in 1976, “Rastaman Vibration,” which spent a total of four weeks on the United States Billboard Top 100 music chart. By 1978, Marley received the distinguished Peace Medal of the Third World from the United Nations for speaking out against oppression, poverty, and violations against human rights through his music—of particular note, the stance Marley took against Apartheid in South Africa.

Despite its international appeal, it is probably fair to say that reggae is largely an urban phenomenon. Many of the lyrics are related to the urban experience and centred on issues related to race, class, poverty, resistance, and change. Trench Town has been accredited for its significance in the creation of this popular musical art form. Aside from Bob and the Wailers, Trench Town has produced several local and world renowned reggae artistes. The fact is that music provided one of the few avenues for members of the inner city to advance themselves. As such, people in the inner city produced a subculture of entertainment. Not much has changed today, as the majority of dancehall artistes in