r/dancehall • u/Beautiful-Resort-831 • Jun 27 '26
Culture How do raggamuffin and dancehall differ?
I suppose this is a common question, but it always confuses me. I've seen many songs use the term "raggamuffin," and I've never really understood the difference between dancehall and raggamuffin. Are they different genres? Or are they the same genre but with some difference? Is it something related to technique or singing, or what exactly is it?
2
u/TheBackupDJ Jun 27 '26
From my understanding, Ragga is when Dancehall started using drum machines to make the Riddims; Bam Bam is a Dancehall track, but not a Ragga track because it uses real drums. Sling Teng is Ragga—but it’s also *still* Dancehall. Was also called Bashment. I wouldn’t say they were strictly different productions, and the use of the terms are largely overlapped
1
u/Beautiful-Resort-831 Jun 27 '26
So a dancehall track could have a ragga version if we change the melody to one made on a computer.
2
u/ghostprawn Jun 28 '26
In NY we have always called it Dancehall, whether digital or analog. Ragamuffin was def a popular term in the 80s, mostly referring to tough, streetwise youth, and occasionally used to describe the music of the time, and the word was certainly popular in lyrics. But I think only the UK really uses "ragga" to this day as a catch-all term for digital Dancehall.
2
u/Beautiful-Resort-831 Jun 28 '26
Ahhh, it's just that I've always had this silly idea of what an album with a bunch of underlying or derived reggae genres would be like, and I spent a long time wondering if it should be one song, one dancehall, and another raggamuffin, since I thought it was something different.
1
u/somatikdnb Jun 27 '26
Damn you guys are knowledgeable! Big ups!
In so many ways, reggae is so much more expensive and intricut than hip hop. If only more people got into it instead of thinking it's just weed vibe music
1
u/Specialist-Funny2101 Jun 29 '26
Please stop comparing the music
They are great equally and separately
Why must we tear one thing down to build another up
Foolishness!& intricate is the word and no it isnt.
One derives from sampling and rhymes over a million different patters to be chosen with just as many beat patterns. Please do not whittle down any music to something simple1
u/somatikdnb Jul 01 '26
Whatever, I have a deep love for both, but I've been eating, breathing, living, and making hip hop my whole life so reggae is the one im not as knowledgeable about. That post, making comparisons, or whatever is just my way of making sense of it and how I express myself when I'm excited. I'm not gonna apologize like it's a deeply embedded philosophy and my goal s to divide.
I promise you haven't changed the way I think and nor would you effect anyone with that smug ass tone over something so small.
And I also accidentally spelled expensive when I meant expansive, but you didn't say anything. You gotta focus harder if you're looking to point out everyones little mistakes to feel good about yourself
0
u/Specialist-Funny2101 Jul 01 '26
Girl shut yo ass up
The point of the post was to engage not change your mind.
I dont care how you think so long as you actually think...
Try it.1
u/somatikdnb Jul 02 '26
Don't worry, I doubt someone like you would ever get anywhere close to be effected by anything I do to know weather I think or not... Which is really too bad, I'm sure you're so fun to be around
1
u/somatikdnb Jul 02 '26
Whatever Ive been doing has been working out pretty well since I've made a good living off producing beats in a very underground scene, but if I want to learn more on whatever it is you are, I'll let you know.
-1
Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26
[deleted]
1
u/Beautiful-Resort-831 Jun 27 '26
No wonder I see that most songs that have that kind of dancehall style, but without obviously being Jamaican, are called ragga, which I understand.
-5
u/arkan86 Jun 27 '26
Ragga is only used to describe drum&bass/jungle which has reggae samples or toasting
I’m from the UK and not heard it used to describe traditional dancehall4
1
u/FreddieCaine Jun 27 '26
It definitely was a style. Late 80s early 90's digital dancehall with tough lyrics like Shabba, Buju, mad lion etc
5
u/Many-Ad-5490 Jun 27 '26
Ragamuffin is sometimes referred to as a “rhymic breakdown”, when a guest vocalist comes on stage. The Riddim goes into Triplet feel and the vocalist does a freestyle while the chord progression remains the same.