The dancehall deejays of the 1980s and ’90s who refined the practice of “toasting” (rapping over instrumental tracks) were heirs to reggae’s politicization of music. These deejays influenced the emergence of hip-hop music in the United States and extended the market for reggae into the African American community. At the beginning of the 21st century, reggae remained one of the weapons of choice for the urban poor, whose “lyrical gun,” in the words of performer Shabba Ranks, earned them a measure of respectability.

Phillips also was partly responsible for the design of the Republican "Southern Strategy" of the 1970s and 1980s.

主流对这种亚文化还是带着批判态度，有人称70-85年出生的这一代人为“打口一代”：标榜自我的一群，他们以反流行为终极目标。一群萎缩在城市边缘的青年，一天都无所事事，却好游荡在城市的小胡同里为了一个打口带跑遍全城。 “打口一代”也反唇相讥： 打口cd以其特殊的方式颠覆了正常的音乐秩序，它的出现是无意识的，但却使音乐真正走向了生活，尤其是青年的生活。打口青年的群体在不断壮大，原本腐朽的东西重新变得神奇，新的音乐秩序正在悄然建立。