The Caribbean island country listed as the origin of reggae music is Jamaica.
Reggae emerged in Jamaica in the late 1960s, developing from ska and rocksteady. Its sound also absorbed elements of mento, American rhythm and blues, jazz, and African-derived Jamaican drumming traditions. Kingston’s studios, sound systems, producers, and musicians were especially important to its formation.
Toots and the Maytals’ 1968 song “Do the Reggay” is widely credited with helping establish the genre’s name. Reggae later became closely associated with Rastafari, while artists such as Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer carried Jamaican music to international audiences.
Other Caribbean countries have important reggae scenes, and Spanish-language reggae developed in Panama, but those facts do not change reggae’s accepted birthplace. Reggaeton is also a later fusion genre rather than the original Jamaican style.