People listen to a great deal of music everyday. It has been around since the existence of time. Almost everyone listens to music, but today it has grown to become an addiction and culture. Nearly every household has a radio and a musical instrument. Music today has been sub - divided into three categories depending on its style and culture. The three major categories of music that people in the Caribbean listen to are soca, reggae and rap music.

Soca music is the soul music of carnival. Carnival is an African tradition and festival, which consists of people parading in the streets in costumes and masks. This celebration normally takes place a few days before the start of the Catholic lent season. Soca music is the main kind of music masqueraders listen to when they are parading in the streets. Soca music can be simply defined as a kind of calypso music with elements of soul. It often features improvised lyrics on humorous subjects and jumping rhythmic beats of drum and bass. This kind of music is originally found in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and some parts of Brazil. Soca music songs are originally made for carnival. After carnival ends, people give the music a rest. They basically stop listening to the music until carnival comes back in season the following year. Some examples of soca artists are Iwer George, Macheal Mantano and Super Blue. There is not a lot of money in this industry because it is not well publicized throughout the world.

Reggae music is closely related with the Rastafarian religion and is originally found in Jamaica. Reggae music can be defined as a sort of tropic rock and roll with accents on the second and fourth beats. It is said to be the hardest music to produce, and only Jamaican artists can master it. Reggae music is sub-divided into two main groups: Dance Hall and Conscious music. Dance hall is defined as a kind of music people could dance to because the songs carry a lot of energy and techno waves or beats. Some examples of dance hall musicians are Sean Paul, Elephant Man and Red Rat. Conscious music can be defined as the kind of music people listen to when they need to relax and meditate because these songs have deep and touching lyrics. These songs sometimes have a moral value in them. For example, Bob Marley sang a song about why children should show dignity and respect towards their parents, and he also sang a song about why Jama icans should unite as one to defeat violence. The Rastafarian community normally listens to this type of music. Some examples of conscious music artists are Sizzla, Bounty Killer, Anthony B, and Bob Marley who is defined as the greatest conscious musician of all time. There is a fairly good amount of money in this industry because it is well publicized throughout the world.

Rap music is the most popular type of music that people in the Caribbean listen to. This music often feature constant beats and rhymes which people in the Caribbean like. This music finds it roots embedded in African culture and tradition. It is basically the reciting of rhymes to match together with the best perfect beats. This type of music is mostly found in America, but people in the Caribbean also listen to it. Rap music is also one of the most popular music the world. Musicians or people use rap to lyrically disrespect someone or tell a brief story. For example, Tupac sang a song about the different types of difficulties he faced while growing up in ghetto America. There is a large amount of money in this industry because it is well publicized throughout the world by advertising. There are a lot of rap music videos that they show on television, and it is always published in newspapers and magazines throughout the world. People in Africa, Europe, America, Asia and the Caribbean listen to this music. Some examples of rap artists are 50 cent, Ja rule and Eminem.

Music today has become a huge part of people’s life in the Caribbean and the world. It has become their culture and style. One major reason for this is that music today is well publicized and easily accessible. There are many different music television stations e.g. M.T.V and BET that publicize it and there are music magazines that advertise it. For Example, Rolling Stone and People. Therefore, it has become part of the culture for people in the Caribbean and the world to get involved in music.