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Dub Poetry

World Traditional Verse Forms

Dub poetry is a form of performance poetry of Jamaican origin that evolved out of dub music in Kingston in the 1970s, as well as among Caribbean immigrant communities in London and Toronto. The term was coined by the poet Linton Kwesi Johnson in 1976 and further popularized by Oku Onuora, and it consists of spoken word performed over reggae rhythms, originally found on the version side of vinyl singles.

Facts
Place of Origin
Kingston, Jamaica 1
Notable Example
Linton Kwesi Johnson's album Dread Beat an' Blood (1978) 1
Defining Trait
Prepared performance rather than extemporized dancehall chat 1
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Dub poetry
  • Lead paragraph
    Dub poetry is a form of performance poetry of Jamaican origin, which evolved out of dub music in Kingston, Jamaica, in the 1970s.
  • Development and breakthrough
    its breakthrough was made through Linton Kwesi Johnson's (LKJ)'s seminal album Dread Beat an' Blood, which was released in the UK in 1978.
  • Distinction from deejaying
    the dub poet's performance is normally prepared, rather than the extemporized chat of the dancehall dee jay.
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