How did ska music lead to reggae in Jamaica?

Ska, which emerged in the late 1950s as Jamaica’s first indigenous urban pop style, served as the foundational precursor to reggae. The transition from the fast, energetic tempos of ska to the reggae sound occurred through a gradual evolution of rhythm and social context.12

In the mid-1960s, producers such as Duke Reid and Coxsone Dodd directed musicians to slow down the tempo of ska, resulting in a short-lived style known as rock steady. Reggae subsequently evolved from these roots, adopting a heavier four-beat rhythm driven by the bass guitar and drums. While ska was largely instrumental and reflected the optimism surrounding Jamaica’s independence in 1962, reggae became a vehicle for increasingly politicized lyrics that addressed social and economic injustice.21

By the late 1960s, this new style had emerged as the dominant music of Jamaica, capturing the pressures of street life and becoming a powerful voice for the poor and dispossessed.2