Music On The Blog

African music is arguably the most influential music in all of mankind. But it did not come out of a vacuum.

The truth is that different regions of Africa were influenced by a number of foreign musical traditions. For example, many nations in North Africa can trace their more recent musical lineage back to the Greeks and Romans who once governed over the area. Later there was also a substantial Middle Eastern influence on their music.

Other parts of the African continent were similarly affected by foreign music. Parts of East Africa and the offshore islands were influenced by Arabic music and Indian music in more recent times. While Southern, Central and West Africa had been influenced by the music of North America and Western Europe.

Other African music can be attributed to specific dance forms such as the rumba and salsa, which were founded by African slaves who settled in Latin America and the Caribbean. In this article we will be exploring the different kinds of African music and where it originated.

North Africa

The music of North Africa was strongly influenced by the music of ancient Egypt and the early Arabs. Although it is one of the least popular forms of contemporary African music, it is historically important and merits a good look at by all those interested in traditional music.

Sub-Saharan Music

No music is more purely African than music that originated in Sub-Saharan Africa. Though many regions were influenced by other nations, Sub-Saharan music remains quintessentially African. Because writing and reading came late to parts of Africa, this music was created as a form of communication. In time, it became an interesting and exciting, communal way to celebrate and mark several major milestones in a person’s life. For example, there are literally hundreds of African songs and music that celebrate marriage, childbirth or even hunting parties.

Music is also played to scare off evil spirits and to pay homage to deceased ancestors. African music of this type is almost always accompanied by a specific dance or ceremony. It is often performed by professional musicians who have knowledge and experience with ceremonial music.

Because music from Sub-Saharan Africa focused on communal singing, it was one of the earliest to emphasize the use of harmony and structured singing. These singing methods ranged from simple rhythmic structures to incredibly complex and elaborate structures based on improvisation and several variations.

Instruments

Though stringed instruments, bells, flutes and even xylophones were all used in traditional African music, there is nothing more important than the basic African hand drum. In fact, there are literally dozens of drums that are played on different occasions. A few of the most popular drums that are used in a traditional African musical include: bougarabou, tama talking drums, djembe, water drums and a many different kinds of ngoma drum that are played in parts of Central and Southern Africa.

These drums are almost always accompanied by singers or choruses who often keep time with rattles, shakers, woodsticks, bells or by simply clapping their hands’ or stumping their feet.

About the Author

To learn more about African music visit the African Side website and enjoy free African music. You should also obtain the African musical album by Georgy B – The king of Afro Talk music.

For the last five or six years, hip hop music has found itself in a bit of a descent. Sales have declined, and more importantly, the quality of music has suffered. While it is true that all genres of music have seen sales slide, none have been hit nearly as hard as rap music. Many have attributed its failure to the rise of the South, though this finger pointing has clearly done nothing but delay progress. Not too long ago, the Hip Hop Is Dead bandwagon started gaining more momentum, with the help of major artists such as Nas.
While many so-called fans are still on this bandwagon, hip hop music and culture are slowly gaining momentum once again, and the music is getting much better. Taking a page out of President Obama’s handbook, the hip hop industry is grass-rooting it back to the golden era, looking to the internet for viral marketing and promotion. Artists are taking it back to rapping about real life topics. Groups such as Slaughterhouse are forming to take on the three-headed monster, and are having success. We have seen the resurgence of the Wu-Tang Clan, and Duck Down Records is now stronger than ever, with releases from Skyzoo, Torae, Buckshot and KRS-One, and a new Smif-n-Wessun album in the works.
The truth is that hip hop music is not only recovering, maybe not fully when it comes to sales, but more than adequately when it comes to returning to the roots of what hip hop really was and still is. The latest hip hop music has proven that the true hip hop fans are still out there, and more than willing to spend a few dollars to support artists that are still making quality music.
2009 has been an excellent year for hip hop in so many aspects, not only marking the release of the second Purple Tape from Raekwon, and the long awaited official debut of Skyzoo, but also the very much anticipated return of Rakim, the God MC. Method Man and Redman put out a very quality album, and the Buckshot and KRS-One album has received rave reviews as well. Slaughterhouse, a group that prides itself in its lyrical ways, is now very close to signing with Shady Records, home of one of hip-hop’s greatest commercial successes in Eminem. Magazines are starting to cover more lyrical and substance oriented artists. The top internet music blogs are also helping lead the charge.
The truth is, rap music is back better than ever. While sales are still low, the music itself has rapidly improved, as hip hop artists have in many ways, stopped jumping on waves and fads, and have decided that they alone can take back hip hop music. With a changed mentality, and support from magazines, satellite and internet radio, and blogs, rap music has returned to its essence.

About the Author

DJ Henrock is an avid supporter of New Hip Hop Songs and Smif-N-Wessun