Ragga

Short for "raggamuffin," this is a Jamaican DJ style of music characterized by "slack" or obscene lyrics. Ragamuffin today is what the "rude boy" scene was to the late 1960s: the essence of bad attitude. It operates on the street, and its proudest lyrical moments are in boasts of independence and individuality. Hot lyrical themes usually reflect the current state of Kingston, Jamaica's troubled capital. But as the range of the style has broadened, so has the lyrical content. Artists like Ninjaman and Shabba Ranks, once known for their "slack" have now gone so far as to quote the Bible.