Music the Influence of American Essay

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Today many mainstream popular artists have Rhythm and Blues influences. In addition some artists fluctuate between signing R&B and pop music. Although there are often distinctions made between the two genres R&B is definitely a type of popular music that has been greatly influenced by all of the above Genres.

Rap music or hip hop is also a prime example of the influence of African-American Music on popular music. Rap music actually comes from the ancient art form of poetry. The original intent for rap was to tell a story -- provide a narrative. Within the context of African-American folk tradition storytelling is extremely important -- the griot is important. Griots are the keepers of the oral traditions -- the storytellers. According to Powell (1991) "To the accompaniment of drums or other percussive instruments, griots entertain and educate their audiences by reciting tribal history and current events. Their performances are often embellished by satirical asides, proverbs, jokes, praise and ridicule." Rap is often reflective of this tradition.

Hip hop has influenced popular music not only in America but throughout the world. This influence can be seen in the plethora of collaborations between rappers and popular artist and even country artist. Rap has an energy that is relatable to people the world over regardless of race, religion or ethnicity.

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Like the soul music that came before it, Rap originally had an extremely conscientious purpose as it was birth in the ghettos of New York and developed over time. Although a great deal of the mainstream rap music has lost this conscientious flare, there are still many rappers that write extremely meaningful raps. In addition, rap artist from other parts of the world have found an outlet in rap that is often not available in other musical genres. That is rap is flexible because all that is required is lyric. You don't have to have a beat or a rhythm. Rap can be done acapella and the rapper can arrange the recitation of the words in such away that a beat or a rhythm can be heard.

Conclusion

The purpose of this discussion was to trace African-American influence within all styles of American popular music from swing to the present. The research indicates that both music styles and African-American Folk tradition plays a significant role in shaping popular music. The research asserts that Gospel influence Hip Hop and hip Hop has an influence on all popular music.

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