The influence of African Americans on music and pop culture cover many musical genres. Jazz, Blues, Soul, and Hip Hope make up African American Music. Other then Rap these American art forms came up out of Slavery and characterized the lives of Black Americans before the Civil War. These musical styles were later fused with European Musical styles in the late 19th century. After the Civil war Blacks got jobs as musicians playing music in European bands and developed Rag Time that would be later called Jazz. African Americans gave knowledge of Poly-rhythmic structure of dance and Folk Music of peoples across Western and Sup-Saharan Africa. During the twentieth century these Art Forms had a wide range of influences over the development of music in the United States and the world.
Rock and Roll is a genre of Popular Music that originated and went from simple to complex in the United States in the 1940's and 1950's. Rock and Roll was formed of a combination of African American Blues, Jump Blues, Jazz and Gospel Music. The elements of Rock and Roll can be heard in Country Music of the 1930's and Blues recordings of the 1920's. The music was not coined Rock and Roll until the 1920's. It has long been thought in the Black community that Elvis Presley made the statement, "The only thing Negroes can do for me is buy my records and shine my shoes." In an interview with then Black Weekly Jet. He told Jet reporter Louie Robinson that any one who knows him knows he would never have uttered those words. He mentioned being influence by attending the church of Rev. W. Herbert Brewster a Black gospel composer, whose songs had been recorded by Mahalia Jackson and Clara Ward. Presley said of his Rhythm and Blues influences, "Nobody can sing that kind of music like colored people." "I can't sing it like Fats Domino can." "I know that."
The rumor did not die and continues to this very day. Chuck D of Public Enemy repudiated his views expressed about Elvis Presley in his Rap song Fight the Power were he says, "Elvis was a hero to most, but he never meant shit to me." "Straight up racist that sucker was, simple and plain." The rumor has lasted this long because social inequlity continue to exist. Chuch D made the observation, what does it mean for Elvis to be hailed as king if his being named King obscures the striving, the aspirations and achievements of so many others who provided him with his musical inspiration?
Hip Hop Music came on the scene with Cool Herc, disc jockeys and imitations creating rhythmic beats by looping breaks on small portions of songs and focusing on the percussive pattern on two turn tables and called it Juggling. This would later be added to Rap and presented in a 16 bar measurement of frames and beatboxing, a vocal technique used to provide more of a percussive element of music. Hip Hop originated from an African American community during the 70's in New York City in Morris Heights in the Boggie Down Bronx, then later spread to Latin American communities. Hip Hop culture is characterized as rapping, D Jaying, Breaking and Graffiti. An example of Hip Hop's influence on the world is B-boying or breaking. Breaking is a style of dance that came up out of African Americans and Latino youth self expression. The media coverage caused it to gain popularity fast. The dance spread world wide especially in South Korea, The United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia, and Japan. African American music and culture has world wind mass appeal and has influenced many other cultures.
