Reggae History Changes When You Ask Where The Women Are

Chat to me!Reggae is one of Jamaica’s greatest cultural exports, but the way we tell its story often leaves women blurred out or pushed into the margins. In this Breadfruit Media crossover episode with Strictly Facts I speak with Alexandria to unpack her dissertation on women in reggae and the questions that drove seven years of research: why are women so often reduced to footnotes, and what does that erase from our understanding of Jamaican music history?We get specific about power in the reggae industry and what “gendered labour” looks like in real life: who controls rhythms, who collects wealth, and how intimidation around songwriting credit and royalties can shrink a career over time. We also name the hard parts that rarely make it into glossy retrospectives, including sexual harassment, the unequal burden of childcare when industry partnerships become families, and the legal realities of copyright in Jamaica. Along the way, we spotlight the difference between quick recognition and lasting impact, from Sister Nancy’s rare royalties breakthrough to what a moment like Koffee’s Grammy win can and cannot do for women across the genre.Then we shift into the craft of documenting a history that wasn’t properly filed. Alexandria talks archival research in Kingston, what’s missing from institutional folders, and why oral history interviews with living artists matter. We also explore how women mentor each other across generations, how respectability politics and Rastafari-adjacent norms shape performance and perception, and why today’s wave of women in reggae is best understood through the foundation built by those who came before.If you care about reggae, women in music, or the business of cultural recognition, press play, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review with the name of a woman in reggae you think deserves deeper documentation. Support the showStyle & Vibes: Website |  Newsletter | Youtube  |  Instagram |  FacebookProduced by Breadfruit Media