NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Black American music

African American topics

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African American music (also called black music, formerly known as race music) is an umbrella term given to a range of musical genres emerging from or influenced by the culture of African Americans, who have long constituted a large ethnic minority of the population of the United States. They were originally brought to North America to work as slaves in cotton plantations, bringing with them typically polyphonic songs from hundreds of ethnic groups across West and Sub-Saharan Africa. In the United States, multiple cultural traditions merged with influences from polka, waltzes and other European music. Later periods saw considerable innovation and change, and in the 21st century, African American genres have become some of the most dominant in mainstream popular music. Image File history File links Created by Edward Deutsch â€” File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black), is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... Main article: African American African American history is the history of an ethnic group in the United States also known as black Americans. ... Military history of African Americans is that of African Americans in the United States since the arrival of the first black slaves in 1619 to the present day. ... Slave transport in Africa, from a 19th century engraving The African slave trade dates back thousands of years to Biblical times and continues today unabated in most parts of Africa. ... An African American drinks out of a segregated water cooler designated for colored patrons in 1939 at a streetcar terminal in Oklahoma City. ... A.U.M.P. Church AME Church National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. ... H.M. Haile Selassie I Rasta, or the Rastafari movement, is a new religious movement that accepts Haile Selassie I, the former emperor of Ethiopia, as Jah (the Rastafari name for God incarnate, from a shortened form of Jehovah found in Psalms 68:4 in the King James Version of... Black Jews may refer to a number of different religious and ethnic groups. ... The Black Hebrews (or African Hebrew Israelite Nation of Jerusalem) is a small religious group whose members believe they are descended from the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. ... The Black Hebrews (or African Hebrew Israelite Nation of Jerusalem) is a small religious group whose members believe they are descended from the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. ... The Nation of Islam (NOI) is a religious and socio-political organization founded in the United States by Wallace Fard Muhammad in 1930 with a declared aim of resurrecting the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of the Black men and women of America and the rest of the world. ... LukumÃ or Regla de Ocha, is most widely known as Santeria, (SanterÃa in Spanish) is a set of related religious systems that fuse Catholic beliefs with traditional Yoruba beliefs. ... The Doctrine of Father Divine are the teachings of the late Father Divine (d. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into African American history. ... Martin Luther King is perhaps most famous for his I Have a Dream speech, given in front of the Lincoln Memorial during the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom The Civil Rights Movement refers to a set of noted events and reform movements in the United States aimed... Garveyism is that aspect of Black Nationalism which takes its source from the works, words and deeds of UNIA-ACL founder Marcus Garvey. ... Black nationalist flag // Black nationalism is a political and social movement arising in the 1960s and early 70s mostly among African Americans in the United States. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Black Conservatism is a political and social movement within African American culture that aligns largely with the American Right, emphasizing patriotism, independence and self-help, Free market and within some circles Christian Right values. ... The Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA) is, according to its 1929 constitution, a social, friendly, humanitarian, charitable, educational, institutional, constructive and expansive society, and is founded by persons desiring to the utmost to work for the general uplift of the people of African ancestry of the... The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), is one of the oldest and most influential civil rights organizations in the United States. ... The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) is a Fairfax, Virginia-based American philanthropic organization that fundraises college tuition money for African-American students and general scholarship funds for 39 historically black colleges and universities. ... Part of the History of baseball in the United States series. ... The Color Purple by Alice Walker African American literature is literature written by, about, and sometimes specifically for African Americans. ... African American studies, or Black studies, is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to the study of the history, culture, and politics of African Americans. ... African American contemporary issues discusses social concerns as they pertain to African Americans. ... African American art is a broad term describing the visual arts of the American black community. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... African American Vernacular English (AAVE), also called Black English, Black Vernacular, or Black English Vernacular (BEV), is a type variety (dialect, ethnolect and sociolect) of the American English language. ... The Gullah language is a creole language spoken by the Gullah (Geechees), an African American population of African slave ancestry, living mostly in the Sea Islands and the nearby coastal low country region of South Carolina and Georgia. ... // A creole language, or just creole, is a well-defined and stable language that originated from a non-trivial combination of two or more languages, typically with many distinctive features that are not inherited from either parent. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... This is a list of landmark legislation and court decisions in the United States concerning African Americans. ... This is an alphabetical list of African-American-related topics: Contents: Top - 0â€“9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A African American African American contemporary issues African American culture... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black), is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... This article is about the concept of a minority. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... It has been suggested that Chattel slavery be merged into this article or section. ... Cotton ready for harvest. ... A plantation is an intentional planting of a crop, on a larger scale, usually for uses other than cereal production or pasture. ... In music, the word texture is often used in a rather vague way in reference to the overall sound of a piece of music. ... A song is a relatively short musical composition for the human voice (possibly accompanied by other musical instruments), which features words (lyrics). ... Western Africa (UN subregion) Maghreb West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Polka is a type of dance and genre of dance music; it originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia, and is still a common genre of Czech folk music; it is also common both in Europe and in the Americas. ... The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in 3/4 time, done primarily in closed position. ... Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to various perspectives about Europes borders. ...

1 19th century
2 Early 20th century
3 Mid 20th century
4 The 1970s and 1980s
5 The 1990s and 2000s
6 See also
7 References

19th century

The influence of African Americans on mainstream American music began in the 19th century, with the advent of blackface minstrelsy. The banjo became a popular instrument, and African-derived rhythms were incorporated into popular songs by Stephen Foster and other songwriters. In the 1830s, the Great Awakening led to a rise in Christian fundamentalism, especially among African Americans. Drawing on traditional work songs, African American slaves originated began performing a wide variety of Spirituals and other Christian music. Many of these songs were coded messages of subversion against slaveholders, or which signalled escape. African Americans, also known as Afro-Americans or black Americans, are an ethnic group in the United States of America whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Sub-Saharan and West Africa. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... This reproduction of a 1900 minstrel show poster, originally published by the Strobridge Litho Co. ... Detail from cover of The Celebrated Negro Melodies, as Sung by the Virginia Minstrels, 1843. ... Old 6-string zither banjo For other uses, see Banjo (disambiguation) The banjo is a stringed instrument of African American origin, early or original examples sometimes being called the gourd banjo. Its name is commonly thought to be derived from the Kimbundu term mbanza. ... Stephen Foster Stephen Collins Foster (July 4, 1826 - January 13, 1864) was the pre-eminent songwriter in the United States of his era. ... Events and Trends Electromagnetic induction discovered by Michael Faraday Dutch-speaking farmers known as Voortrekkers emigrate northwards from the Cape Colony Croquet invented in Ireland Railroad construction begins in earnest in the United States Egba refugees fleeing the Yoruba civil wars found the city of Abeokuta in south-west Nigeria... Great Awakenings are commonly said to be periods of religious revival in Anglo-American religious history. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A spiritual is a African-American song, usually with a religious text. ... Christian music is music created by or adapted for the Christian church. ...

During the period after the Civil War, the spread of African American music continued. The Fisk University Jubilee Singers toured first in 1871. In the following years, the Hampton Students and professional jubilee troups formed and toured. The first black musical-comedy troup, Hyers Sisters Comic Opera Co, was organized in 1876. (Southern 221) The Fisk Jubilee Singers were a group of African American singers in the 1870s. ... 1871 (MDCCCLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1876 (MDCCCLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

By the end of the 19th century, African American music was an integral part of mainstream American culture. Ragtime performers like Scott Joplin became popular and some soon became associated with the Harlem Renaissance and early civil rights activists. Second edition cover of Maple Leaf Rag, perhaps the most famous rag of all Ragtime is an American musical genre, enjoying its peak popularity around the years 1900â€“1918. ... Scott Joplin (Born between June 1867 and January 1868 â€“ died April 1, 1917) remains the best-known ragtime musician and composer, setting the standard for the many who followed. ... The Harlem Renaissance was a flowering of African-American social thought and culture based in the African-American community forming in Harlem in New York City (USA). ... Civil rights or positive rights are those legal rights retained by citizens and protected by the government. ...

Early 20th century

African American music has long been popular with people of all ethnic backgrounds throughout the United States. Here the Slayton Jubilee Singers perform in Nebraska about 1910.

The early part of the 20th century saw a constant rise in popularity of African American blues and jazz. As well as the developments in the fields of visual arts, the Harlem Renaissance of the early 20th century lead to developments in music . Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1095x702, 303 KB) Slayton Jubillee Singers Scanned from a promotional postcard, c. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1095x702, 303 KB) Slayton Jubillee Singers Scanned from a promotional postcard, c. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... The blues is a vocal and instrumental form of music based on a pentatonic scale and a characteristic twelve-bar chord progression. ... Jazz is an original American musical art form originating around the early 1920s in New Orleans, rooted in Western music technique and theory, and is marked by the profound cultural contributions of African Americans. ... The Harlem Renaissance was a flowering of African-American social thought and culture based in the African-American community forming in Harlem in New York City (USA). ...

White and Latino performers of both genres existed, and there had always been cross-cultural communication between the United States' races. Jewish klezmer music, for example, was a noted influence on jazz, while Jelly Roll Morton famously explained that a "Latin tinge" was a necessary component of good music. African American music was often sanitized for white audiences, who would not have as readily accepted black performers, leading to genres like swing music, a pop-based outgrowth of jazz. Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people with around 15 million followers as of 2006 [1]. It is one of the first recorded monotheistic faiths and one of the oldest religious traditions still practiced today. ... Klezmer (from Yiddish ×›×œ×–×ž×™×¨, etymologically from Hebrew kli zemer ×›×œ×™ ×–×ž×¨, vessel of song) is a musical tradition which parallels Hasidic and Ashkenazic Judaism. ... Ferdinand Jelly Roll Morton (October 20, 1890 â€“ July 10, 1941) was an American virtuoso pianist, a bandleader, and a composer who some call the first true composer of Jazz music. ... It has been suggested that History of the Latin language be merged into this article or section. ... Musically, swing can be either: (written with small s), refers to swung notes, the rhythmic feeling evoked by swinging music, esp. ...

1935-10-10. The cast of Porgy and Bess during the Boston try-out prior to the Broadway opening. [1]

On the stage, the first musicals written and produced by African Americans to appear on Broadway debuted in 1898 with A Trip to Coontown by Bob Cole and Billy Johnson. In 1901, the first known recorded of black musicians was that of Bert Williams and George Walker; this set featured music from broadway musicals. The first black opera was performed in 1911 with Scott Joplin's Treemonisha. The following year, the first in a series of annual black symphony orchestra concerts were performed at Carnegie Hall. (Southern 221, 222) The cast of Porgy and Bess photographed by Richard Tucker. ... The cast of Porgy and Bess photographed by Richard Tucker. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... October 10 is the 283rd day of the year (284th in Leap years). ... 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Lt. ... 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Bert Williams (November 12, 1874 â€“ March 4, 1922) was the pre-eminent African American entertainer of his era. ... Several prominent individuals have been named George Walker: Colonel The Reverend George Walker (1645-1690) was an English commander in Ireland. ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... The cover of the original Treemonisha score. ... Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in New York City located at 57th Street and 7th Avenue. ...

The return of the black musical to broadway occurred in 1921 with Sissle and Blake's Shuffle Along. In 1927, a concert survey of black music was performed at Carnegie Hall including jazz, spirituals and the symphonic music of W.C. Handy's Orchestra and Jubilee singers. The first major film musical with a black cast was King Vidor's Hallelujah of 1929. The first Symphony by a black composer to be performed by a major orchestra was William Grant Still's Afro-American Symphony with the New York Philharmonic. African American performers were featured in operas such as Porgy and Bess and Virgil Thompson's Four Saints in Three Acts of 1934. Also in 1934 William Dawson's Negro Folk Symphony became the second African American composer's work to receive attention by a major orchestra with its performance by the Philadelphia Orchestra. (Southern 361) 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... W.C. Handy photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1941 William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 - March 28, 1958) was an African American blues composer, often known as The Father of the Blues. ... King Wallis Vidor (February 8, 1894 â€“ November 1, 1982) was an American film director. ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... William Grant Still William Grant Still (May 11, 1895 - December 3, 1978) was a ground-breaking African-American classical composer who wrote more than 150 compositions. ... The cast of Porgy and Bess during the Boston try-out prior to the Broadway opening. ... Virgil Thomson, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1947 Virgil Thomson (November 25, 1896 - September 30, 1989) was an American composer from Missouri, whose rural background gave a sense of place in his compositions. ... Four Saints in Three Acts is an opera by American composer Virgil Thomson with a libretto by Gertrude Stein. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... William Dawson may refer to: Sir John William Dawson (1820 - 1899), a Canadian geologist. ...

Mid 20th century

By the 1940s, cover versions of African American songs were commonplace, and frequently topped the charts, while the original musicians found little success. Popular African American music at the time was a developing genre called rock 'n' roll, whose exponents included Little Richard and Jackie Brenston. The following decade saw the first major crossover acts, with Bill Haley and Elvis Presley performing rockabilly, a rock and country fusion, while black artists like Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley received unprecedented mainstream success. Presley went on to become perhaps the first watershed figure in American music; his career, while never extremely innovative, marked the beginning of the acceptance of musical tastes crossing racial boundaries among all audiences. He was also the first in a long line of white performers to achieve what some perceive as undue fame for his influence, since many of his fans showed no desire to learn about the pioneers he learned from. The 50s also saw doo wop become popular. // Events and trends World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ... In popular music a cover version is a new rendition (performance or recording) of a previously recorded song. ... Rock and roll - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Little Richard on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, (issue RS 58, May 28, 1970) Little Richard (born Richard Wayne Penniman, December 5, 1932 in Macon, Georgia) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist, and an early African-American pioneer of rock and roll. ... Rocket 88, a rhythm and blues song from 1951 claimed by Sun Records owner and pioneer rock and roll record producer Sam Phillips as the first rock and roll song. The record was credited to Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats, but the band did not actually exist. ... Bill Haley, with his band, the Comets, was one of the first rock and roll acts to tour the United Kingdom. ... Elvis redirects here. ... 1950s Rockabilly book by Harlan Ellison Rockabilly is the earliest form of rock and roll as a distinct style of music. ... Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Chuck Berry (born October 18, 1926 in St. ... Bo Diddleys emphasis on rhythm largely influenced popular music, especially that of rock and roll in the 1960s. ... Doo-wop is a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music popular in the mid-1950s to the early 1960s in America. ...

The late 1950s also saw vastly increased popularity of hard blues from the earliest part of the century, both in the United States and United Kingdom. A secularized form of American gospel music called soul also developed, with pioneers like Ben E. King and Sam Cooke leading the wave. Soul and R&B became a major influence on surf, as well as the chart-topping girl groups like The Angels and The Shangrilas, only some of whom were white. Black divas like Diana Ross & the Supremes and Aretha Franklin became 60s crossover stars. In the UK, British blues became a gradually mainstream phenomenon, returning to the United States in the form of the British Invasion, a group of bands led by The Beatles who performed classic-style R&B, blues and pop with both traditional and modernized aspects. The 1950s were a decade that spanned the years 1950 through 1959. ... The blues is a vocal and instrumental form of music based on a pentatonic scale and a characteristic twelve-bar chord progression. ... Gospel music may refer either to the religious music that first came out of African-American churches in the 1930s or, more loosely, to both black gospel music and to the religious music composed and sung by white southern Christian artists. ... Soul music is a combination of rhythm and blues and gospel which began in the late 1950s in the United States. ... Ben E. King (born Benjamin Earl Nelson in September 28, 1938 in Henderson, North Carolina) is an American soul and pop singer. ... Cover of Sam Cookes landmark 1964 album, Aint That Good News Sam Cooke (January 22, 1931 â€“ December 11, 1964) was a popular and influential American gospel, R&B, soul, pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. ... Surf music is a genre of popular music associated with surf culture. ... Girl group UC3 sing The Star-Spangled Banner for U.S. troops in Afghanistan A girl group, as the name implies, is a musical group featuring a group consisting usually of young female singers, singing mostly pop and R&B songs. ... See The Angels (Australian) for the Australian group The Angels were an American girl group, best-known for their 1963 hit My Boyfriends Back. Barbara and Phyllis Allbut and Linda Jansen (soon replaced with Peggy Santiglia) had their first hit was in 1961, with Till, followed by a lesser... The Shangri-Las on the cover of a modern collection of their works. ... This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... Reissue album cover showing The Supremes in 1966. ... Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25, 1942) is an iconic American gospel, soul and R&B singer born in Memphis, Tennessee, but raised in Detroit, Michigan. ... The British blues is a type of blues music that originated in the late 1950s. ... The appearance of The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, February 9, 1964, marked the dramatic start of the British Invasion. ... The Beatles were a pop and rock music group from Liverpool, England, who continue to be held in the very highest regard for their artistic achievements, their huge commercial success, and their groundbreaking role in the history of popular music. ...

The British Invasion knocked most other bands off the charts, with only a handful of groups, like The Mamas & the Papas, maintaining a pop career. Soul music, in two major highly-evolved forms, remained popular among blacks. Funk, usually said to have been invented by James Brown, incorporated influences from psychedelia and early heavy metal. Just as popular among blacks and with more crossover appeal, album-oriented soul revolutionized African American music with intelligent and philosophical lyrics, often with a socially aware tone. Marvin Gaye's What's Going On is perhaps the best-remembered of this field. From left to right: Denny Doherty, Mama Cass Elliot, and John and Michelle Phillips. ... Funk is a distinct style of music originated by African-Americans, e. ... James Brown, known variously as: Soul Brother Number One, the Godfather of Soul, Mr. ... Psychedelia is a term describing a category of music, visual art, fashion, and culture that is associated originally with the high 1960s, hippies, and the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco, California. ... Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that emerged as a defined musical style in the 1970s, having its roots in hard rock bands which, between 1967 and 1974, took blues and rock to create a hybrid with a thick, heavy, guitar-and-drums-centered sound, characterised by the... Marvin Gaye (born Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. ... Whats Going On is an album by American soul singer Marvin Gaye. ...

The 1970s and 1980s

The 1970s saw a general decline in the popularity of black bands. Album-oriented soul continued its popularity, while musicians like Smokey Robinson helped turn it into Quiet Storm music. Funk evolved into two strands, one a pop and soul fusion pioneered by Sly & the Family Stone, and the other a more experimental psychedelic and metal fusion led by George Clinton and his P-Funk ensemble. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... William Smokey Robinson, Jr. ... Quiet storm is a late-night radio format, featuring soulful slow jams, pioneered in the mid 1970s by then station intern Melvin Lindsey at Howard University Radio, WHUR-FM, in Washington, D.C. Smokey Robinsons like-titled hit single, released in 1975 as the title track to his third... Sly & the Family Stone were an important and influential American rock band from San Francisco, California. ... George Clinton George Clinton (born July 22, 1941) is an American musician, he is widely considered one of the forefathers of funk. ... P-Funk is an abbreviated, compound name for two bands, Parliament and Funkadelic. ...

Black musicians achieved generally little mainstream success, though African Americans had been instrumental in the invention of disco, and some artists, like Gloria Gaynor and Kool & the Gang, found crossover audiences. White listeners preferred country rock bands, singer-songwriters and, in some subcultures, heavy metal and punk rock. Disco is a genre of music that originated in discothÃ¨ques. ... Gloria Gaynor Gloria Gaynor (real name Gloria Fowles, born September 7, 1949 in Newark, New Jersey) is a singer best-known for the disco hits I Will Survive (Hot 100 #1, 1979) and Never Can Say Goodbye (Hot 100 #9, 1974). ... Kool & the Gang was a highly successful R&B/soul/funk/disco group. ... Country rock is a musical genre formed from the fusion of rock and roll with country music. ... The term singer-songwriter refers to performers who both write and sing their own material. ... Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that emerged as a defined musical style in the 1970s, having its roots in hard rock bands which, between 1967 and 1974, took blues and rock to create a hybrid with a thick, heavy, guitar-and-drums-centered sound, characterised by the... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ...

The 1970s also saw, however, the invention of hip hop music. Jamaican immigrants like DJ Kool Herc and spoken word poets like Gil Scott-Heron are often cited as the major innovators in early hip hop. Beginning at block parties in Harlem, hip hop music arose as one facet of a large subculture with rebellious and progressive elements. At block parties, DJs spun records, most typically funk, while MCs introduced tracks to the dancing audience. Over time, DJs began isolating and repeating the percussion breaks, producing a constant, eminently dance-able beats, which the MCs began improvising more complex introductions and, eventually, lyrics. Hip hop music (also referred to as rap or rap music) is a style of popular music. ... Categories: People stubs | Hip hop musicians | Hip hop DJs | 1955 births ... Spoken word is a form of music or artistic performance in which lyrics, poetry, or stories are spoken rather than sung. ... Photo of Gil Scott-Heron. ... A block party is a large informal public celebration in which many members of a single neighborhood congregate to observe a positive event of some importance. ... View of Harlem from Morningside Heights overlooking Morningside Park Lenox Avenue looking south from the corner of 124th Street. ... DJ or dj may stand for Disc jockey, dinner jacket The DeadJournal website, or Djibouti. ... A Master of Ceremonies or MC (sometimes spelled emcee) is the host of a staged event or other performance. ... This article is about a break as a section of a musical work. ...

In the 1980s, black pop artists included Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie,Whitney Houston, and Prince, who sang a type of pop dance-soul that fed into New Jack Swing by the end of the decade. These artists are the most successful of the era. Hip hop spread across the country and diversified. Miami bass, Chicago hip house, Los Angeles hardcore and DC go go developed during this period, with only Miami bass achieving mainstream success. But before long, Miami bass was relegated primarily to the Southeastern US, while Chicago hip house had made strong headways on college campuses and dance arenas(ie. the warehouse sound, the rave). The DC go-go sound like Miami bass became essentially a regional sound that didnt muster much mass appeal. Chicago hip house sound had expanded into the Detroit music environment and mutated into more electronic and industrial sounds creating techno, acid, jungle. Mating these experimental, usually DJ oriented, sounds with the prevalence of the multiethnic New York City disco sound from the 1970s and 1980s created a brand of music that was most appreciated in the huge discoteques that are located in cities like Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Detroit, Boston, etc. These variable sounds let the listeners prioritize their exposure to new music and rhythms while enjoying a gigantic dancing experience. MacGyver is one of the symbols of the 1980s in America The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... For other people with the same name, see Michael Jackson (disambiguation) Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29, 1958), sometimes referred to as The King of Pop or Wacko Jacko, is an American musician and entertainer whose successful music career and controversial personal life have been at the forefront of pop... Lionel Sandrasinghi Richie, Jr. ... Whitney Elizabeth Houston (born August 9, 1963) is a R&B, pop singer, songwriter, actress, film producer, and former model. ... Prince changed his stage name into an unpronounceable symbol in 1993, but took up the name Prince again in 1999. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Chicago (officially named the City of Chicago) is the third largest city in the United States (after New York City and Los Angeles), with an official population of 2,896,016, as of the 2000 census. ... Hip house, also known as house rap, is a mixture of house music and hip-hop which arose during the 1980s in New York. ... Nickname: City of Angels Official website: http://www. ... Hardcore hip hop is a form of hip hop music (sometimes referred to as Reality Rap) that has confrontational, often violent lyrics, and generally sparse, gritty urban beats. ... ... Alternate meanings: See Go go (disambiguation) Go Go is a form of funk music which arose in the 1980s in Washington D.C.. In the late 1970s, funk had gone electronic, influenced by then popular disco acts, and began using drum machines, synthesizers and other instruments that many purists derided. ... A rave (sometimes referred to as a rave party) is an all-night dance event where DJs and other performers play electronic dance music and rave music. ... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815 County Wayne County Mayor... Nickname: The Big Apple, The Capital of the World Official website: City of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area Total 468. ... Boston is a town and small port c. ...

At the very end of the decade, however, two groups crossed over to white audiences. Public Enemy's politically revolutionary lyrics found more controversy than hip hop had previously seen, while N.W.A. simultaneously placed West Coast hip hop at the top of the genre's charts and popularized gangsta rap. These two groups represented a polemic in the mainstream view to rap music. Both groups were animous as recording artists but had 2 different approaches to making radical rap music. Public Enemy had recorded many political songs critizing the U.S. Army and drugs in urban communities. N.W.A had made many gang tribute songs, while also criticizing the police and federal government. But the major difference was that while N.W.A. used profanity consistently throughout their recordings, P.E., for the most part, didnt. The major success commercially of N.W.A. had set the stage for rap music in the next 6 years. In this time gangsta rap had become almost the ubiquitous presentation of rap music heard and seen on commercial radio. Public Enemy, also known as PE, is a seminal hip hop group known for their politically charged lyrics, criticism of the media and active interest in the concerns of the African American community. ... N.W.A. (Niggaz With Attitude) was a hip hop group that was formed in Compton, California in 1986. ... West Coast hip hop, also known as California hip hop or West Coast rap, is a style of hip hop music that originated in California in the 1980s. ... Gangsta rap is a subgenre of hip hop music which involves a lyrical focus on the lifestyles of inner-city criminals. ...

The 1990s and 2000s

The end of the 20th century and the dawn of the new millenum brought us some of the most mundane and uninspired African American music. Hip Hop and R&B are the most popular genre of music by African Americans in this time.

Contemporary R&B, as the post-disco version of soul music came to be known as, remained popular throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Male vocal groups in the style of soul groups such as The Temptations and The O'Jays were particularly popular, including New Edition, Boyz II Men, Jodeci, Blackstreet, and, later, Dru Hill and Jagged Edge. Girl groups, including TLC, Destiny's Child, and En Vogue, were also highly successful. Destiny's Child would go on to be the highest selling female vocal group of all time. Rhythm and blues (or R & B) is a musical marketing term introduced in the United States in the late 1940s by Billboard magazine. ... MacGyver is one of the symbols of the 1980s in America The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive. ... The Temptations (also abbreviated as The Tempts or The Temps) are an American Motown singing group whose repertoire has included doo-wop, soul, psychedelia, funk, disco, R&B, and adult contemporary. ... The OJays are a popular Philadelphia soul group, originally consisting of Walter Williams, Bill Isles, Bobby Massey, William Powell and Eddie Levert. ... New Edition is an American R&B group formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1980, that was most popular during the 1980s. ... Boyz II Men is an American R&B/soul singing group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... Jodeci was an American musical group, active from 1990 to 1996, whose repertoire included R&B, soul music, and new jack swing. ... BLACKstreet was an American R&B group founded in 1994 (see 1994 in music) by Teddy Riley, a New Jack Swing pioneer known for his work as a member of Guy. ... Dru Hill was an American singing group, most popular during the late 1990s, whose repertoire included R&B, soul, and gospel music. ... Jagged Edge is an American R&B singing group that were originally signed through Jermaine Dupris SoSo Def Records to Columbia Records. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Destinys Child was an American R&B group. ... En Vogue is a Grammy-nominated African American all-female R&B, club/dance, and soul vocal quartet assembled by the hit music producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy, formerly of the disco group Club Nouveau. ... Destinys Child was an American R&B group. ...

Singer-songwriters such as R. Kelly, Montell Jordan, D'Angelo, and Raphael Saadiq of Tony! Toni! Toné! were also significantly popular during the 1990s, and artists such as Mary J. Blige and BLACKstreet popularized a fusion blend known as hip-hop soul. D'Angelo's Marvin Gaye/Stevie Wonder-inspired sound would lead to the development of neo soul, popularized in the late 1990s/early 2000s by artists such as Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, India.Arie, and Musiq. Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1969 in Chicago, Illinois), who goes by the stage name of R. Kelly, is an American R&B singer-songwriter, rapper and record producer who first appeared on the R&B scene in 1992 and came to dominate it throughout the 1990s and in... Montell Jordan (born December 3, 1968 in Los Angeles, California) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. ... DAngelo in his music video for Untitled (How Does It Feel) DAngelo (born Michael Eugene Archer on February 11, 1974 in Richmond, Virginia) is an African-American soul singer, pianist, songwriter, and record producer. ... Raphael Saadiq (born Charlie Ray Wiggins on May 14, 1966 in Oakland, California) is well-acclaimed African-American music artist. ... Tony! Toni! TonÃ©! was a late 1980s/1990s R&B group from Oakland, California (near San Francisco). ... The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... BLACKstreet was an American R&B group founded in 1994 (see 1994 in music) by Teddy Riley, a New Jack Swing pioneer known for his work as a member of Guy. ... Hip-hop soul is, despite its name, a subgenre of contemporary R&B. The term generally describes a style of music that blends R&B singing and hip hop production. ... Marvin Gaye (born Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. ... Stevie Wonder (born May 13, 1950 as Stevland Judkins, later changed to Stevland Morris) is an American singer, songwriter, producer, musician, humanitarian and social activist. ... Neo soul (also known as nu soul) is a musical genre that fuses contemporary R&B, 1970s style soul, and hip hop. ... The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive. ... 2000s - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Lauryn Hill (born May 25, 1975 in South Orange, New Jersey), is a seven time Grammy award winning musician, and record producer, initially establishing her reputation as the most visible and vocal member of The Fugees, then continuing on to a solo career, releasing The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and... Erykah Badu Erykah Badu (born Erica Abi Wright on February 26, 1971 in Dallas, Texas) is an US-American R&B/hip hop artist whose work crosses over into jazz. ... India. ... Musiq Soulchild (born Talib Johnson on September 16, 1977 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American neo soul and R&B artist, one of the most popular artists on the Def Soul label. ...

By the 2000s, R&B had shifted towards an emphasis on solo artists, including Usher and Alicia Keys, although groups such as B2K and Destiny's Child continued to have success. The line between hip-hop and R&B became significantly blurred by producers such as Timbaland and Lil Jon, and artists such as Lauryn Hill, Nelly, and Andre 3000, who, with partner Big Boi, helped popularize Southern hip hop music as OutKast. 2000s - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Usher (born Usher Jamie Raymond, IV on October 14, 1978 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States) is an African-American singer and actor. ... Alicia Keys (born January 25, 1980) is an American R&B/soul singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and pianist. ... B2K was an American Pop boy band, founded and managed by music producer Chris Stokes in 2001 and active until 2004. ... Destinys Child was an American R&B group. ... Timbaland & Magoo on the cover of their greatest hits CD (2004) Timbaland (born Timothy Z. Mosley in Norfolk, Virginia on March 10, 1971) is an American hip hop and R&B record producer and rapper, whose style of production and arranging was very influential in both genres of music during... Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz Jonathan Smith (born 1970, in Atlanta, Georgia), better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper and hip hop producer. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Andr 3000 (born Andr Benjamin on May 27, 1975 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an African American hip hop artist and producer; one half of the successful and avant-garde hip-hop duo OutKast. ... Big Boi Big Boi (born Antwan AndrÃ© Patton on February 1, 1975 in Savannah, Georgia) is an African American hip hop artist and producer; one half of the successful and avant-garde hip-hop duo OutKast. ... Southern rap (or Dirty South hip-hop) is a type of hip hop music that emerged in the late-1980s as a popular force, based out of Miami first, then extending to Atlanta, New Orleans, and St. ... OutKast is an American hip hop duo based out of Atlanta, Georgia. ...

"Urban music" and "urban radio" are race-neutral terms which are synonymous with hip hop and R&B and the associated hip hop culture which originated in New York City. The term also reflects the fact that they are popular in urban areas, both within black population centers and among the general population (especially younger audiences). Breakdancer in Ljubljana. ... Nickname: The Big Apple, The Capital of the World Official website: City of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area Total 468. ...

In February 2004, plans were annouced for a Smithsonian affiliated Museum of African-American music to be built in Newark, New Jersey. Groundbreaking is planned for 2006. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Smithsonian castle, as seen through the garden gate. ... Skyline of downtown Newark as seen from the Newark Bay Bridge. ...

References

The Music of Black Americans: A History. Eileen Southern. W. W. Norton & Company; 3rd edition. ISBN 0393971414 Eileen Jackson Southern (born 1920 in Minneapolis - died October 13, 2002 in Port Charlotte, Florida) was an African American musicologist, reasearcher, author and teacher. ...

Categories: African-American history | Musical movements | Music genres | African American culture | Ethnic music in the United States

Results from FactBites:

Black American Music: Past and Present, 2d ed. - book reviews African American Review - Find Articles (907 words)
	Perhaps because Roach's goal for revising her text was to introduce neophyte scholars and other general readers to the various genres of Pan-African or Africana music, she decided to write a series of brief essays instead of employing the traditional, carefully documented musicological format utilized by similar texts pertaining to African American music.
	Throughout the narrative, music is placed in a socio-cultural context, which includes the author's perspective on how cultural imperialism, particularly in the United States, has exacted a toll on persons of African descent and negatively impacted the culture of the larger society.
	Although Roach recognizes that African American music is a syncretic creation primarily involving African and European roots, she stresses both the importance of the African heritage and how this heritage was the sine qua non of the music.

BIGpedia - African American - Encyclopedia and Dictionary Online (2349 words)
	The desperate conditions of African Americans in the South that sparked the Great Migration of the early 20th century, combined with a growing African-American intellectual and cultural elite in the North, led to a strengthening movement to fight violence and discrimination against African Americans.
	Previous terms used to identify American fls were conferred upon the group by whites and were included in the wording of various laws and legal decisions which became tools of white supremacy and oppression.
	The term expresses fl pride and a sense of kinship and solidarity with others of the fl African diaspora—an embracing of the notion of pan-Africanism earlier enunciated by prominent fl thinkers such as Marcus Garvey, W.E.B. Dubois and, later, George Padmore.

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