sadmanbarty
Well-known member
He doesn't have much to say about Reggae beyond that though. Indeed anything at all. It seems to be all about Hip-Hop and R'n'B.
I've been going through the Uncle Duggs interview archive recently ( ). He always asks about what the family listened to when the guest was young and what music influenced the guest.
Of the 10 or so MC's I've listened to, every one came from a reggae/dancehall/toasting/soundsystem background, hip hop not being such a critical influence.
Of the 20-ish DJ's and producers interviewed about half mention Jamaican music and a similar amount mention hip hop and electro. Soul and rare groove on the other hand is a constant, I think every single one cited it as an influence.
I (mis?-) remember Fabio, in a different interview, saying that if you were a black boy in the 70's you were supposed to listen to social-realist, masculine reggae, but he liked girly, escapist soul. There also may be a thing where people feel a duty to signify their heritage by saying they are fans of reggae. Hence you get this tokenistic nod to Jamaican influence, but soul and other things are in actuality more important to them.
On a side note I don't agree that Ska revivalism was their main inroad into Jamaican music. In these Duggs interviews people are mentioning Steele Pulse, Coxsone, U Roy, etc.