Meaning
A militant, driving style of roots-reggae rhythm with a steady four-to-the-floor bass-drum pulse — unlike the laid-back 'one drop' — giving the music a marching, forward-stepping momentum. The steppers beat powered much of the conscious, militant reggae of the 1970s, its relentless drive matching the era's themes of struggle and resistance. The word names both the rhythm and the dance of stepping to it, and it belongs to the roots tradition, where the very beat could feel like an army on the move against Babylon.
Examples
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Di drummer lock inna a heavy steppers.
The drummer locked into a heavy steppers beat.
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Steppers riddim drive di dance forward.
The steppers rhythm drives the dance forward.
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Roots reggae love di steppers style.
Roots reggae loves the steppers style.
Origin
From 'step' (marching forward); names the driving, four-to-the-floor roots-reggae drum style, distinct from the 'one drop'.
How it’s used
A militant roots-reggae rhythm; contrast 'one drop', 'rockers'. See [[one-drop]], [[rockers]], [[steppa]].