Raggamuffin
Raggamuffin (or
ragga) is a kind of
reggae that includes digitized backing instrumentation. It is a form of
dancehall, and has been popular since the middle of the
1980s; "Under Me Sleng Teng" (Wayne Smith;
1985) is usually recognized as the first ragga song. The instrumentation is usually behind
dub singing, which is similar to
rap music in its focus on rhythmic, assonating and rhyming words.
Important ragga artists include: Beenie Man, Pato Banton, Buju Banton, Anthony B, Cocoa Tea, Charlie Chaplin, Mad Cobra, Ini Kamoze, Bounty Killer, Tippa Irie and Cutty Ranks.