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By Torise Battle
A young African-American
man walks into the local
music store. As he looks
around at the different categories of
music, he is drawn to one area of
the store sections labeled rap, Hip-
Hop, and R&B. Here he finds his
favorite artists, the Notorious
Mary J. Blige and Boyz II
Men, to name a few. Although he
later checks out the rock, alterna
tive, and easy listening sections, his
attention is focused on the rap, Hip-
Hop, and R&B music.
This scenario is not uncom
mon, for Rap, Hip-Hop, and R&B
are among the top choices in music.
In fact, on the Billboard 200 chart
for October 24, 1998, Jay-Z’s latest
album “Hard Knock Life” held the
number one position followed by
Lauryn Hill, Bizzy Bone, Outkast,
Kurupt, and Kirk Franklin rounding
out the top ten. In essence, six out
of the top ten slots and thirty per
cent of the top 100 albums were
from either Rap, Hip-Hop, or R&B
artists (not to mention the various
movie soundtracks that feature
some of these same artists). So
why has America embraced these
types of music and what makes
them stand out from all the rest?
It all began when Africans
were brought to the United States as
slaves. Although the slave master’s
took away all of our ancestors tan
gible possessions, they were not
able to take away the rich African
culture embedded in the hearts of
the slaves. Part of that rich heritage
was found in music, which the
slaves used as secret codes for the
Underground Railroad, stories, and
entertainment. The tradition of
musical heritage has survived
throughout past centuries and has
developed into major art forms for
the African-American community.
Like our ancestors’ music. Rap,
Hip-Hop, and R&B contain the
unique beats, rhythms, and har
monies that are not usually found in
other forms of music. These
aspects set our music apart from
other styles of music forms. We are
drawn to the difference because we
have an inherent sense that makes it
appeal to us. Not only does this
music appeal to African Americans,
but Caucasians, Hispanics, and
other ethnic groups enjoy it, too.
The unusual interpretation of Rap,
Hip-Hop, and R&B make them
kings in the universal language of
music.
Rap, Hip-Hop, and R&B
also appeal to listeners because
they do exactly what our African
ancestors did through their music.
These types of music serve as
codes, stories and entertainment.
Rapper Jay-Z relates to the experi
ences of the African-American
community when he explains the
trials of the “Hard Knock Life”, and
multi-talented artist Lauryn Hill
educates about the ways of Black
women and men in her latest album
entitled “The Miseducation of
Lauryn Hill.” Marvin Gaye, The
Staple Singers, Chuck D, and
Tupac Shakur all created music that
not only entertained, but informed,
enlightened, and inspired their lis
teners to take a bad situation and
turn it into a better one.
Thanks to our African
ancestors. Rap, Hip-Hop, and R&B
are forms of music that reach out to
everyone. Although entertaining,
these musical genres tell us how to
live, love, and learn in present-day
America. People of all races and
nationalities are attracted to our
beats and lyrics, and we, as well,
choose rap, Hip-Hop, and R&B as
our first choices for our musical lis
tening. ^
14
Black Ink