Short answers, pulled from the story.
Toots and the Maytals released the single Do the Reggay in 1968. This track became the first popular song to use the word reggae and effectively named the genre for a global audience.
Reggae is distinguished by a slower tempo than ska or rocksteady with a strong emphasis on the downbeat in the drum and bass. It features short staccato guitar or piano chords on the offbeat known as the skank that accent the second and fourth beats in each bar.
Reggae developed from earlier Jamaican genres including mento, ska, and rocksteady within Jamaican studios in the late 1950s. The music is rooted in traditional drumming styles such as Kumina, Pukkumina, Revival Zion, Nyabinghi, and burru.
Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding made February 2008 the first annual Reggae Month in Jamaica to honor events like Bob Marley's Birthday on the 6th of February. The Recording Industry Association of Jamaica held its first Reggae Academy Awards on the 24th of February 2008 to focus on employment opportunities and international revenue for the industry.
In June 2007 Beenie Man Sizzla and Capleton signed the Reggae Compassionate Act brokered with top promoters and activists. This deal required them to renounce homophobia and not make statements or perform songs inciting hatred or violence against any community.