Though reggae music first developed in Jamaica, it has strong rhythmic and thematic associations with Africa and has been called "the quintessential African/third world/black musical form". There are many African reggae musicians with a wide fan base both on the continent and abroad. Well-known African reggae artists are Alpha Blondy, Pax Nindi aka Harare Dread, Majek Fashek, Tiken Jah Fakoly, Colbert Mukwevho,Thomani Tshikororo , Ismael Isaac, Radical Dread, Jambo, Soul Raiders, Lucky Dube, and Serges Kassy. History The popularity of Reggae in Africa started with the spread of music by Jamaican artists like Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff in the late 1960s and 1970s. While their music was popular around the world, it was particularly well-received in Africa. One of the first hit songs by an African artist with distinct reggae qualities was "Fire In Soweto" by Sonny Okosun in 1978. More groups followed suit, and reggae was one of the most popular genres of music in the late 1970s in Africa. In Freetown, Sierra Leone, John Nunley said that reggae was all over the urban soundscape. In 1980, world-famous Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley performed in Harare, Zimbabwe, and that concert is often credited as marking the beginning of reggae in Africa. Reggae in Ivory Coast Reggae is perhaps most popular in the Ivory Coast. Former member of The Wailers Tyrone Downie said in an interview: "The first time I went to Abidjan, I was astonished by the fact that all cafés played reggae, all bands played reggae, you could hear reggae everywhere, in taxis, at people’s houses, at dances, in the ghetto, EVERYWHERE!". Ivorian Reggae Artist Kajim said "Ivory Coast is one of the first countries in Africa known for its reggae...In other parts of the world, when the military take power, you hear other sorts of music on the radio. But here when the military took power they played reggae, because in our country reggae is known as the music of change, the music of combat! Here our music is a weapon, and it is not the same thing in other countries." Alpha Blondy In the early 1980s Ivorian Artist Alpha Blondy emerged as a major African reggae recording artist with the album Jah Glory. The top single from that album was the song "Brigadier Sabari", recounting an incident where the singer was nearly beaten to death by police in Abidjan. It was the first time a