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skinhead reggae

what it is

Skinhead Reggae (or early reggae), is generally considered to be the period before the Rastafari movement entered mainstream Jamaican music from 1968 to 1970. It can be distinguished from rocksteady by the slightly faster beat marked out by the drummer using the hi-hat, heavy organ lines, lower mixing of the bass, and electronically doubled rhythm guitar stroke. It met great success in the UK, especially with the skinhead subculture.

✦ meet the girls making skinhead reggae →
women, non-binary artists, and bands with women, level by level

✦ start here: albums

Skinhead Moonstomp by Symarip
Skinhead Moonstomp
Symarip
open this album: apple music · spotify
Dancehall '69: 40 Skinhead Reggae Rarities by Various Artists
Dancehall '69: 40 Skinhead Reggae Rarities
Various Artists
open this album: apple music · spotify
Last of the Skinheads by Judge Dread
Last of the Skinheads
Judge Dread
open this album: apple music · spotify
Trojan Skinhead Reggae Box Set (Disc 1 of 3)
Derrick Morgan
open this album: apple music · spotify
Kingstonians Rocksteady by The Kingstonians
Kingstonians Rocksteady
The Kingstonians
open this album: apple music · spotify
Boss Reggae by Ernest Ranglin
Boss Reggae
Ernest Ranglin
open this album: apple music · spotify

✦ who's making it, level by level

level 4 · further

art pop, hyperpop, and the underground

Symarip
121k listeners
The Pyramids
73k listeners
Dandy
52k listeners
Lloyd Charmers
59k listeners
The Pioneers
187k listeners
Dave Barker
50k listeners
Harry J Allstars
104k listeners
Dandy Livingstone
176k listeners
Laurel Aitken
140k listeners
The Aggrolites
135k listeners

level 5 · all the way

deep experimental

Rude Boys
11k listeners
Ansel Collins
37k listeners
The Clan
18k listeners
The Offenders
18k listeners
The Hippy Boys
23k listeners
King Horror
12k listeners
Lloyd Parks
23k listeners
Winston Groovy
20k listeners
Cool Sticky
8k listeners
The Imperials
31k listeners
The Ratazanas
842 listeners
Boss Capone
788 listeners

✦ make skinhead reggae a playlist

turn these 22 artists into something you can press play on.

each artist's most played song, easing from level 1 out to 5

✦ nearby genres

reggaeskarocksteadytrojanearly reggaejamaicaskinheaddubmusic for skinheads

questions

What is skinhead reggae?

Skinhead Reggae (or early reggae), is generally considered to be the period before the Rastafari movement entered mainstream Jamaican music from 1968 to 1970. It can be distinguished from rocksteady by the slightly faster beat marked out by the drummer using the hi-hat, heavy organ lines, lower mixing of the bass, and electronically doubled rhythm guitar stroke. It met great success in the UK, especially with the skinhead subculture.

What are good skinhead reggae albums to start with?

Try Skinhead Moonstomp by Symarip, Dancehall '69: 40 Skinhead Reggae Rarities by Various Artists, Last of the Skinheads by Judge Dread, and Trojan Skinhead Reggae Box Set (Disc 1 of 3) by Derrick Morgan.

Who are some women making skinhead reggae?

musicisforgirls.com/genres/skinhead-reggae/girls lists women, non-binary artists, and bands with women making skinhead reggae, from mainstream to underground.

genre notes from last.fm listeners · artists and albums from last.fm, updated 2026-10-20