Comments on: 18 Musical Innovations We Can Thank African Americans For

By: Alan

Alan — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:05:26 +0000

Rap may not be to everyone’s taste, but it is an important musical innovation. While it’s true that there is a lot of rap music with little value, it’s also true that there are some excellent rap albums with unique musical ideas and important social messages.

By: Toast

Toast — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:10:57 +0000

Remind me again as to why we have to thank African American people for rap? If anything we should be asking them to take it back from whence it came.

By: martin kollaart

martin kollaart — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 08:56:53 +0000

for house and techno there is only one band to metion : Kraftwerk !!!!

By: Jules

Jules — Thu, 13 May 2010 00:15:52 +0000

You’re splitting basically the same thing into time sequences. Blues, Jazz, Soul, R&B are the same thing, just evolved at different times and different places- recording technology, techniques, and progress of musical thought.
All races of Americans were essential pieces of any American music- because money is the only way these genres thrive… that is to say that rap music thrives because races other than African Americans support and purchase it. Sure, African American originated these sounds. But its just so much more complex than that. The politicians who chose districts of New Orleans to be “hooker” districts also created a place for Jazz to thrive…
The legendary “Blue Note” record label was not started by blacks. I only want to point out that people in general were what made this music, its not a “racial thing” its a community thing. People’s hard earned money fed these genres, and without that support these musicians would have starved and played other accepted styles. So…
In addition, I can’t believe you didn’t mention Jamaican Dub music… like the previous commentary mentions, House and Techno, Breakbeat, Hip-Hop, Drum and Bass, and Dubstep/ other popular European electronic styles are built upon the foundation of Reggae Dub- that is “X-Raying” a popular or known track into drum and bass, and manipulating or introducing various tracks within a mix with reverb, phaser, delay, etc.

PLEASE LOOK UP: DJ Kool Herc. This is where hip-hop comes from, breakbeats and Reggae-Dub- from a Jamaican immigrant.

By: Alan

Alan — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 01:47:06 +0000

Haha, you’re totally right! I’ll try to get around to adding House and Techno. Seriously, is there any kind of popular music not invented by African Americans??

By: Sam

Sam — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:10:30 +0000

Cool piece, but where’s House and Teechno? Just too many innovations to list I guess.

By: Frenchie25

Frenchie25 — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:28:46 +0000

Excellent piece. Thank you!