Raggamuffin (or ragga) is a kind of reggae that includes digitized backing instrumentation. It is a form of dancehall, and has been popular since the middle of the 1980s; "Under Me Sleng Teng" (Wayne Smith ; 1985) is usually recognized as the first ragga song. The instrumentation is usually behind dub singing, which is similar to rap music in its focus on rhythmic, assonating and rhyming words.

Important ragga artists include: Beenie Man, Pato Banton, Tony Rebel , Buju Banton, Anthony B, Cocoa Tea, Charlie Chaplin , Mad Cobra , Ini Kamoze, Bounty Killer, Tippa Irie , and Cutty Ranks .

The name Raggamuffin is derived from the middle english personal name Ragamuffyn, usually employed in an insulting manner. The word later came to mean a person who is shabbily clothed and dirty, often applied a child. Raggamuffin was also used as the name of a demon in the 14th-century satire Piers Plowman.

Sample

UnderMeSlengTeng.ogg of "Under Me Sleng Teng" by Wayne Smith , an early example of ragga music.