From the outset, reggae was political, as the work of Bob Marley and Peter Tosh clearly attests. Their trailblazing '70s records set a precedent for the role of political protest in reggae. Certainly, some acts simply grooved on good times, but there were always active, socially conscious reggae musicians that used their music as a vehicle for a message. They weren't always popular, but they came back in vogue at various times during the '80s and '90s.

20 tracks