The correct answer to this open question is the following.
Differences in colonial rule affected the course of musical development in the Caribbean in that Spain colonial rule included a lot of dance and Colonial rule showed which culture would have its influence in the music.
That is why many rhythms developed in the Caribbean islands and are so identified with this region of the planet. For instance, we have Calypso, the classic rhythm on the island of Trinidad. The "Merengue," a tropical music genre from the Dominican island. The "Guaguanco," a typical genre form the island of Cuba, very popular among its citizens.
The differences in colonial rule in the Caribbean islands managed to create a unique development of the music in this region. The interchange of different instruments, different traditions, different music styles, between the Spanish, English, French, Dutch, as well as the African slaves, and the native populations, resulted in a very interesting, unique styles of music, and in fact, some of them became very popular on a global scale, like the reggae music for example.
