Ragga jungle is a genre of music that emerged circa 1989-1990 and was initially heavily based on production of Michael West (Rebel MC, Congo Natty Label). Early pioneers of the genre also include Lennie De Ice and Ragga Twins

Ragga Twins

Ragga Twins are a jungle group from Hackney, England, composed of London UNITY sound system veteran MCs Deman Rockers and Flinty Badman . Socialist Worker referred to them as "one of the most influential acts to emerge from the rave scene"...

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History

This style is credited with engaging the black community within the Jungle scene, and contributed to the 'bad boy' or 'rude boy

Rude boy

Rude boy, rudeboy, rudie, rudi or rudy are common terms used in Jamaica. In the 1960s it was also used for juvenile delinquents and criminals in Jamaica, and has since been used in other contexts...

' subculture within the UK. Ragga Jungle's popularity waned significantly since 1995 in the UK, in part because the more popular DJs have avoided giving the sound airtime.

There was also a great deal of rudeboy/guntalk reggae being produced at that time which influenced the Ragga Jungle sound greatly. Some tracks featured samples of gangster movies, gunshots, and samples of Reggae sound clashes. Ragga Jungle is now a niche sound, with a small number of labels releasing music that can be categorised in this manner. Ragga Jungle is the sum of four parts. Jungle breakbeats, Rudeboy chat and lyrics, Reggae bass lines, and a sound clash mentality.

Recently (2001-present), Canadian and American producers have been gaining popularity with their updated version of the sub-genre largely through online networks, sparking a small, yet international renaissance. Prominent producers of this new-school sound are continuing to build bridges, often re-voicing classic reggae singers to produce new works for exclusive use (as "Dubplates") and retail sale as 12" vinyl singles and downloadable mp3's.

This renaissance has sparked the return of many old-school fans and producers alike, who faded from the scene or reinvented themselves when the raves thinned and the music shed its soundsystem roots. A veritable dark age followed for "Ragga Junglists" when club DJs opted to support the more technical and less vocal-oriented drum and bass

Drum and bass

Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...

 productions. Dubwise junglist

Junglist

Junglist is a slang term first referring to a person living in an area of West Kingston, Jamaica, called Jungle. Then after as a term referring to a dedicated listener of jungle and/or drum and bass. Tracks from this genre often contain calls and references to the "original junglists" and "jungle...

s have welcomed the return of the rub-a-dub sound, and ragga vocals have gradually regained favour, no doubt helped by the crossover of big brother Dancehall

Dancehall

Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...

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Compilation

Compilation album

A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...

s and DJ mix

DJ mix

A DJ mix or DJ mixset is a sequence of musical tracks typically mixed together to appear as one continuous track. When a DJ mix or DJ mixset is recorded onto some medium, it is often referred to as a mix tape...

albums have also helped introduce ragga jungle to new audiences.