Black to the Roots: Reggae's Rise, Downpression and Reascension

Dr. RA Ptahsen-Shabazz discusses his ground-breaking book on the history of reggae with DMBF host Marcia L. McNair. Dr. Shabazz says, "The 1980s and early 1990s brought significant changes to reggae in ways very similar to the dismantling of Black American's R&B/soul tradition." He will answer the question: "Was it a natural progression for a music tradition to grow from such a cultural and politcally relevant origin to its present state where socially irresponsible music and artists define the genre in the commercial market today?" Musical clips enhance the discussion of the topic.