Roots reggae is a subgenre of
reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of the artists concerned, including the spiritual side of
Rastafari and the honoring of God, called
Jah by Rastafari. It also is identified with the life of the ghetto sufferer, and the rural poor. Lyrical themes include
spirituality and religion,
poverty,
black pride, social issues, resistance to government and racial
oppression, and repatriation to
Africa.