The Evolution and Influence of Black Music in American Culture

 Kerrington Blow

Dr. Jaleesa Harris

ENGL2016-44378

28 November 2023

The Evolution and Influence of Black Music in American Culture

It is widely recognized that music is a universal language that resonates with people all over the world. Black musicians have made significant contributions to the music industry, which have influenced and inspired people from diverse cultures and backgrounds. The study of Black music is crucial in Black Studies and should be examined thoroughly. The evolution of Black music over the years is fascinating and deserves to be explored. The roots of Black music can be traced back to Africa during the period of the transatlantic slave trade, where people would sing spirituals and work songs. The blues emerged after the period of spirituals and work songs, paving the way for many well-known genres such as jazz and rock and roll. In contemporary times, Hip-Hop and R&B are also significant genres that are widely popular.

During the time of the transatlantic slave trade Africans wanted to keep something with them during this move and they kept music and dancing. These two forms of art were very significant to their culture. During this time they would sing spirituals or work songs to make time pass by. In the article AAMH by Airamvelarde it states, “The music of African Americans can be traced back to the days of slavery. In the fields, as slaves were working you could hear them singing songs to pass the time. These songs were a way for them to share their life stories. Many slave owners began to forbid their workers from using their own languages to chant or use drums. Owners believed this was a form of communication, getting the message out to other slaves about impending escapes or insurrections.” (Airamvelarde 2018). Spirituals were made to express experiences, express sorrows, and communicate. In the article Folk Spirituals by Portia K. Maultsby, “The spiritual began emerging in conjunction with camp meetings associated with the Second Awakening. This revival movement dominated religious life in the American frontier from the 1780s to the 1830s, attracting both Blacks (free and enslaved) and illiterate whites. Both groups revolted against the “dull” traditional hymns, favoring a livelier form of religious music created during the revival. At the end of daily meetings in their segregated tents, Blacks, according to a Methodist minister and other white observers, “continued the whole night, singing tune after tune,…scarce one which were in our hymn books.” He condemned this practice, noting it has “already visibly affected the religious manners of some whites.” (Maultsby 2021). Spirituals and work songs were the start of music in America. 

Blues was influenced by spiritual and work songs. Blues emerged in the 1860s down in the south. The article What is Blues? talks about the history stating, “At the turn of the century, the blues was still slowly emerging from Texas, Louisiana, the Piedmont region, and the Mississippi Delta; its roots were in various forms of African American slave songs such as field hollers, work songs, spirituals, and country string ballads. Rural music that captured the suffering, anguish-and hopes of 300 years of slavery and tenant farming, the blues was typically played by roaming solo musicians on acoustic guitar, piano, or harmonica at weekend parties, picnics, and juke joints. Their audience was primarily made up of agricultural laborers, who danced to the propulsive rhythms, moans, and slide guitar.” (What is Blues?). Blues created a pathway for the genres of jazz and rock and roll and made them the next popular genre among black artists. Blues also influenced American literature, especially during the Harlem Renaissance. A lot of black writers were influenced by blues and jazz and made great pieces of work that contributed to some things part of black studies. 

Contemporary R&B and Hip-hop are also important genres of music that are loved by the black community even to this day as it has grown tremendously. Hip-hop started in the Bronx in NYC during the 1970s  and included rapping, DJing, break dancing, and graffiti art. Hip-hop has always been a way to the youth and continues to be, “Over the past three decades, Hip Hop has developed as a cultural and artistic phenomenon affecting youth culture around the world. For many youth, Hip Hop reflects the social, economic, political, and cultural realities and conditions of their lives, speaking to them in a language and manner they understand.” (Alridge & Stewart 2005).  There have been many great artists that have been a part of Hip-Hop such as Tupac, Snoop Dogg, Notorious B.I.G., etc. when it started and now we have artists like Drake, Kendrick Lamar, etc. Contemporary R&B or Rhythm and Blues has smooth vocals and more melodic hooks to it. It evolved from traditional soul and funk to modern, electronically influenced sounds. R&B came from a time of change such as the great migration. In the article Tell It Like It is: A History of Rhythm and Blues it states, “The development of R&B is closely intertwined with the growth of twentieth-century African American urban communities in cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Memphis, and Detroit, which were geographical anchors for how these processes played out across the country. The expansion of these urban communities took place during two periods of migration from Southern regions of the United States. The first, known as the Great Migration, occurred from 1916 to 1930, in response to the collapse of cotton agriculture due to boll weevil infestation and the demand for industrial workers in Northern cities during World War I. In concert with these shifts in population from rural to urban, many forms of African American expressive culture, especially music, were able to make transitions into urban environments and the marketplace.” (Puryear). R&B has grown tremendously over the years. 

There are many other genres that have contributed to black music that should be looked into as well. Spirituals and work songs were just the start of what we now know as black music which has ventured out into some great work. Each genre in this paper has been popularized and has greatly influenced pieces of work in this world and still does to this day. 

                                                   Works Cited

., Airamvelarde. “African American Music History.” Oakland Public Library, 11 July 2018, https://oaklandlibrary.org/blogs/post/african-americans-music-history/. Accessed 28 November 2023.

., PBS. “The Blues . Blues Classroom . What is the Blues?” PBS, https://www.pbs.org/theblues/classroom/essaysblues.html. Accessed 28 November 2023.

Alridge, Derrick P., and James B. Stewart. “\/.” YouTube, 16 June 2023, https://www.jstor.org/stable/20063997. Accessed 28 November 2023.

Maultsby, Portia K. “History of Folk Spiritual — Timeline of African American Music.” Timeline of African American Music, https://timeline.carnegiehall.org/genres/folk-spiritual. Accessed 28 November 2023.

Puryear, Mark. “Tell It Like It Is: A History of Rhythm and Blues.” Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, 20 September 2016, https://folklife.si.edu/magazine/freedom-sounds-tell-it-like-it-is-a-history-of-rhythm-and-blues. Accessed 28 November 2023.