Back in '91, I listened to a lot of Shabba Ranks. Don't look so surprised. I wasn't just about the grunge scene. A friend turned me on to Shabba and I spent a lot of time listening to As Raw As Ever and other singles from the popular Jamaican dancehall recording artist.
The other day I dropped a Shabba lyric while with a non-white friend and he winced. He told me Shabba Ranks was reggae for white people. I was shocked. I only have a white person's perspective, and I just assumed non-white people enjoyed Shabba as much as I did.
Since this enlightening discussion I've revisited my Shabba Ranks collection and I've realized two things. Firstly, it's far cheesier music than I remember it being 17 years ago, and secondly, the fact it's poppy reggae probably means it's black music for white people.
Shabba!
A lot of commercial hip hip is undoubtedly aimed at the suburbs not the 'ghetto' so to speak.
In Dave Chappelle's Block Party Chaps and The Roots talk aout how not many of their fans look anything like them..
Reggae is not as commericial to begin with, it's much more universal and accepting
(all IMHO)