Did Jamaica get Reggae from Trinidad?

In this episode, we dive into one of the Caribbean’s most controversial cultural debates: Did Trinidad help create reggae? A growing number of Trinidadians are arguing that reggae’s roots extend beyond Jamaica, claiming that Trinidad’s Calypso influenced Jamaica’s early Mento music — the folk sound many historians recognize as one of reggae’s foundations. The discussion goes even deeper with the legacy of Trinidadian musician and guitarist Lynn Taitt, who many credit as a pioneering force behind rocksteady, the genre that directly preceded reggae in Jamaica during the 1960s.