Best time to go to Jamaica

Rebel Salute 2021

One of the biggest music festivals in Jamaica with a strong Reggae twist


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Rebel Salute is an annual two-day music festival held around January 15, the date of the birthday of its founder and promoter Tony Rebel. Rebel Salute focuses on reggae, roots, and conscious music. The festival dates back to 1994 and was held in St. Elizabeth on Jamaica's south coast until 2012. It currently takes place at the Grizzly’s Plantation Cove, Priory, St. Ann.

The festival promotes the ‘For the preservation of reggae’ slogan, and organizers do their best to keep a clean image. They prohibit selling and consumption of alcohol and meat, only fish products are allowed. There are also restrictions on profanity and certain types of lyrics.

Rebel Salute features many dancehall performers. Dancehall originated in Jamaica in the 1970s as a genre of reggae. In the 1990s due to the expansion of digital music, it has become much faster with a distinct rhythm and developed into digital dancehall, also known as ragga music. Dancehall is performed in Jamaican Patois, an English-based language with Creole and West African influence.

The Rebel Salute lineup featured bands and musicians like The Wailers, Queen Ifrica, JC Lodge, Yellowman, Koffee, Rodney Price aka Bounty Killer, Dawn Penn, Glacia Robinson, King Sounds, Barrington Levy, Freddie McGregor, Capleton, Agent Sasco, Anthony Malvo, Bobi Wine, Brian Anu Gold, Bushman, Cat Coore, Chalice, Chezidek, Ken Boothe, and more.

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