Global music-streaming giant Tidal closed 2020 with a playlist of songs named the 'Best of Reggae and Dancehall' for the year.

Tracks included Lighter by Tarrus Riley and Shenseea, Nice Up The Dance by Kabaka Pyramid, and Lockdown by Koffee, which was the number one streamed song out of Jamaica for the year.

Now for February, the platform, which is co-owned by several international artistes, including Jay-Z and Kanye West, has launched its Reggae Month campaign, which will highlight Jamaica's "widely celebrated genre", said Reshma B, Tidal's reggae and dancehall curator.

"We have rolled out the campaign on the home page, which has never happened before," she said. "For every week in Reggae Month, there will be a different playlist which will honour the Jamaican history of music, including producers, studios, timeless legends to pioneers in industry, and what makes the feature package special is that reggae will have the opportunity to shine on the forefront of a hip hop mogul's streaming platform."

As soon as subscribers visit the page, they will encounter reggae history through specially curated playlists.

"People love reggae, and playlists do very well on streaming platforms. I believe by having a new reggae playlist each week on the home page it will essentially expose the genre to a wide audience of subscribers," she said.

Reshma B is also the producer of Studio 17: The Lost Reggae Tapes, which will also be available on Tidal. From February 1 to 7, persons, even without subscribing, can watch the feature-length documentary, which chronicles the discovery of unreleased tracks by Clive Chin, the eldest son of Vincent 'Randy' Chin, the founder of Randy's Records and Randy's Studio 17, and the history of the production company.

In the documentary, Reshma B speaks to several reggae icons, including Lee 'Scratch' Perry and Jimmy Cliff, who speak extensively about their musical journey.

"I consider reggae music is mainstream, and it should be treated as such, so I hope, in a sense, other streaming platforms will see that and recognise it for what it is. We also observe February as Black History Month, so it is very relevant, especially with reggae being the genre that inspired hip hop," Reshma B said.

- S.L.Tidal joins Reggae Month celebration