Reggae Doesn't Have to be a Caribbean Thing

Reggae does not have to be done by Caribbeans only!!! If you have heard of Jazmine Sullivan then you know what I mean. Jazmine Sullivan is a singer who is known for her unique voice and R & B genre of music.. However, Sullivan takes a twist on her typical R & B train by adding genres of soul and reggae to one of her songs “Need U Bad.” The song “Need U Bad” was released May 13, 2008, and it was Sullivan’s debut single and lead single from her album Fearless (Wikipedia). The song incorporates elements of three different genres that create the overall beauty of the song. Sullivan use R & B, soul, and Reggae to express the message of when a person develops a strong need/longing for someone that they love. The genre of Reggae is used at the beginning and the end of the song featuring the rapper Missy Elliot and Pepa speaking in a Jamaican chants (Wikipedia). As well as, some Caribbean beats incorporated with something that sounds like a tambourine. You can hear genre of soul throughout the entire song through the style of Sullivan’s singing, background vocals, and Instruments such as drums, chimes, electric piano, and piano. From my point of view, I saw that there was a transition from the beginning of the song to the chorus. In the song, it switches from using an electric piano to a regular piano. You can hear somewhat of gospel chords incorporated in the chorus. At this point, this is where you start to hear more of how Sullivan incorporates the genre of R & B into her song. Overall, Jazmine Sullivan has managed to create a great mesh of different genres into one song, thus making one the best mixed genres songs.