The Reggae 100
from Trench Town to the sound system · Kingston to Handsworth
0 / 100
0 / 100
Search100 albums
Genres
Decades
Status
Country
No. 51
Ska Authentic
The Skatalites
1964🇯🇲Ska
No. 52
On the Beach
The Paragons
1967🇯🇲Rocksteady
No. 53
007 Shanty Town
Desmond Dekker & The Aces
1967🇯🇲Rocksteady
No. 54
Wonderful World, Beautiful People
Jimmy Cliff
1969🇯🇲Early reggae
No. 55
Sweet and Dandy
The Maytals
1969🇯🇲Early reggae
No. 56
Return of Django
The Upsetters
1969🇯🇲Early reggae
No. 57
Rivers of Babylon
The Melodians
1970🇯🇲Early reggae
No. 58
Better Must Come
Delroy Wilson
1971🇯🇲Early reggae
No. 5
The Harder They Come
Various Artists
1972🇯🇲Bande originale
No. 30
Beat Down Babylon
Junior Byles
1972🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 6
Catch a Fire
The Wailers
1973🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 14
Funky Kingston
Toots & The Maytals
1973🇯🇲Early reggae
Screaming Target
Big Youth
No. 19
Screaming Target
Big Youth
1973🇯🇲Toasting
No. 25
Blackboard Jungle Dub
The Upsetters
1973🇯🇲Dub
Presenting I Roy
I-Roy
No. 46
Presenting I Roy
I-Roy
1973🇯🇲Toasting
No. 59
1000 Volts of Holt
John Holt
1973🇯🇲Reggae vocal
No. 64
Man Ah Warrior
Tapper Zukie
1973🇯🇲Toasting
No. 10
Natty Dread
Bob Marley & The Wailers
1974🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 35
Pick a Dub
Keith Hudson
1974🇯🇲Dub
No. 41
King Tubby Meets the Upsetter at the Grass Roots of Dub
King Tubby
1974🇯🇲Dub
No. 60
Enter Into His Gates with Praise
Johnny Clarke
1974🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 3
Marcus Garvey
Burning Spear
1975🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 22
Dread in a Babylon
U-Roy
1975🇯🇲Toasting
No. 24
Conquering Lion
Yabby You
1975🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 4
King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown
Augustus Pablo
1976🇯🇲Dub
No. 8
Super Ape
Lee "Scratch" Perry & The Upsetters
1976🇯🇲Dub
No. 9
Satta Massagana
The Abyssinians
1976🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 12
Blackheart Man
Bunny Wailer
1976🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 13
War Ina Babylon
Max Romeo & The Upsetters
1976🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 15
Legalize It
Peter Tosh
1976🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 16
Right Time
The Mighty Diamonds
1976🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 31
Man in the Hills
Burning Spear
1976🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 37
Trenchtown Mix Up
The Gladiators
1976🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 62
Garvey's Ghost
Burning Spear
1976🇯🇲Dub
CB 200
Dillinger
No. 63
CB 200
Dillinger
1976🇯🇲Toasting
No. 1
Exodus
Bob Marley & The Wailers
1977🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 2
Heart of the Congos
The Congos
1977🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 7
Two Sevens Clash
Culture
1977🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 11
Police & Thieves
Junior Murvin
1977🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 18
Equal Rights
Peter Tosh
1977🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 27
Party Time
The Heptones
1977🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 32
Mr. Isaacs
Gregory Isaacs
1977🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 33
96° in the Shade
Third World
1977🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 40
In the Light
Horace Andy
1977🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 21
Handsworth Revolution
Steel Pulse
1978🇬🇧UK roots
No. 26
The Same Song
Israel Vibration
1978🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 36
Visions of Dennis Brown
Dennis Brown
1978🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 38
Africa Must Be Free by 1983
Hugh Mundell
1978🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 44
Cry Tuff Dub Encounter Chapter One
Prince Far I
1978🇯🇲Dub
No. 47
Harder Than the Rest
Culture
1978🇯🇲Roots reggae
Live Loving
Sugar Minott
No. 67
Live Loving
Sugar Minott
1978🇯🇲Early dancehall
No. 79
Seven Seals
Matumbi
1978🇬🇧UK roots
No. 23
Forces of Victory
Linton Kwesi Johnson
1979🇬🇧Dub poetry
No. 29
Survival
Bob Marley & The Wailers
1979🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 39
Black Woman
Judy Mowatt
1979🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 42
Wild Suspense
Wailing Souls
1979🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 61
Words of Wisdom
Dennis Brown
1979🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 66
Bounty Hunter
Barrington Levy
1979🇯🇲Early dancehall
Rub-a-Dub Style
Michigan & Smiley
No. 68
Rub-a-Dub Style
Michigan & Smiley
1979🇯🇲Rub-a-dub
No. 82
Live at the Counter Eurovision 79
Misty in Roots
1979🇬🇧UK roots
No. 84
The Specials
The Specials
1979🇬🇧2 Tone
No. 34
Bass Culture
Linton Kwesi Johnson
1980🇬🇧Dub poetry
Bobby Bobylon
Freddie McGregor
No. 45
Bobby Bobylon
Freddie McGregor
1980🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 83
Signing Off
UB40
1980🇬🇧UK reggae
No. 17
Red
Black Uhuru
1981🇯🇲Roots reggae
No. 28
Scientist Rids the World of the Evil Curse of the Vampires
Scientist
1981🇯🇲Dub
No. 43
New Chapter
Aswad
1981🇬🇧UK roots
No. 69
Wa-Do-Dem
Eek-A-Mouse
1981🇯🇲Dancehall
No. 80
Hopelessly in Love
Carroll Thompson
1981🇬🇧Lovers rock
No. 81
Brain Damage
Dennis Bovell
1981🇬🇧UK dub
No. 20
Night Nurse
Gregory Isaacs
1982🇯🇲Lovers rock
No. 49
Mister Yellowman
Yellowman
1982🇯🇲Dancehall
No. 70
One, Two
Sister Nancy
1982🇯🇲Dancehall
No. 85
Dub Me Crazy
Mad Professor
1982🇬🇧UK dub
No. 71
Under Me Sleng Teng
Wayne Smith
1985🇯🇲Digital dancehall
No. 87
Jérusalem
Alpha Blondy
1986🇨🇮Reggae africain
Prisoner of Conscience
Majek Fashek
No. 89
Prisoner of Conscience
Majek Fashek
1988🇳🇬Reggae africain
No. 88
Prisoner
Lucky Dube
1989🇿🇦Reggae africain
As Raw as Ever
Shabba Ranks
No. 72
As Raw as Ever
Shabba Ranks
1991🇯🇲Dancehall
No. 50
Don Dada
Super Cat
1992🇯🇲Dancehall
No. 73
Mr. Mention
Buju Banton
1992🇯🇲Dancehall
No. 65
Full Attention
Beres Hammond
1993🇯🇲Lovers rock
No. 48
'Til Shiloh
Buju Banton
1995🇯🇲Dancehall conscient
No. 74
Many Moods of Moses
Beenie Man
1997🇯🇲Dancehall
No. 75
Black Woman & Child
Sizzla
1997🇯🇲Roots moderne
No. 76
More Fire
Capleton
2000🇯🇲Dancehall conscient
No. 77
Dutty Rock
Sean Paul
2002🇯🇲Dancehall pop
No. 90
Françafrique
Tiken Jah Fakoly
2002🇨🇮Reggae africain
No. 92
Hebron Gate
Groundation
2002🇺🇸Roots jazz
No. 78
Welcome to Jamrock
Damian Marley
2005🇯🇲Dancehall
No. 91
Based on a True Story
Fat Freddy's Drop
2005🇳🇿Dub soul
No. 93
Soul Pirate
Alborosie
2008🇮🇹Roots moderne
No. 94
New Name
Jah9
2013🇯🇲Jazz on dub
No. 95
Chronology
Chronixx
2017🇯🇲Reggae revival
No. 96
Stony Hill
Damian Marley
2017🇯🇲Reggae revival
No. 97
Lily of Da Valley
Jesse Royal
2017🇯🇲Reggae revival
No. 98
A Matter of Time
Protoje
2018🇯🇲Reggae revival
No. 99
The ExPerience
Lila Iké
2020🇯🇲Reggae revival
No. 86
The Kalling
Kabaka Pyramid
2022🇯🇲Reggae revival
No. 100
Gifted
Koffee
2022🇯🇲Reggae revival
Curation notes
- Crossed from Rolling Stone's 500, Mojo's 50 Greatest Reggae Albums, the RateYourMusic reggae and roots charts, the Encyclopedia of Reggae and per-scene selections (Discogs, BrooklynVegan) for ska and the modern era, 1964–2022.
- Dub and ska are deliberately held back — nine and six entries — because both are getting their own top. Only the landmarks a reggae 100 cannot ignore are here: Super Ape, Blackboard Jungle, King Tubby, Scientist.
- The sixties look thin, and that is the truth of it: ska and rocksteady lived on 45s, not albums, and the LPs of the era are mostly compilations assembled after the fact.
- No compilations — which costs Legend, the best-selling Marley record in the world. Same rule as every other shelf.
- At most three albums per artist (Bob Marley and Burning Spear are at the cap), two for everyone else — otherwise Marley and Lee Perry would eat a quarter of the list.
- Narrowly missed: Uprising, Kaya, Marcus Children, Englishman, Trinity, the Twinkle Brothers, Ijahman Levi — and French reggae as a whole (Danakil, Dub Inc, Naâman), left out for want of comparable reach.