Overview
African American music includes a wide range of traditions shaped by the history, creativity, struggle, faith, community life, and artistic innovation of African American people. It is foundational to blues, jazz, gospel, R&B, soul, funk, hip-hop, and much of modern popular music.
This page belongs to the Music, Culture, and Society area of the Malone Global University Music Department. These pages should connect musical sound to people, communities, histories, institutions, media systems, memory, identity, public life, and social meaning.
On This Page
Culture and Society Links
Use these links to move through related cultural, historical, genre, reference, listening, and media topics.
Musical Traditions
African American music includes sacred, secular, folk, concert, popular, and experimental traditions.
Social Context
This music is connected to slavery, emancipation, segregation, migration, urban life, church life, civil rights, education, media, and cultural memory.
Creative Influence
African American musicians have transformed melody, harmony, rhythm, improvisation, vocal style, production, performance, and the global music industry.
Study Questions
- What communities, histories, institutions, or social settings shaped this music?
- How does this topic connect sound to memory, identity, worship, protest, media, or public life?
- What artists, recordings, genres, or performances are important starting points?
- What should students listen for when studying this topic?
- How can this topic be presented with respect, accuracy, and musical focus?