African American Culture Essay

Many people believe that rap is a junction of African American and Caribbean cultural expressions. Rap artists also viewed their music through a historical sense and this is Africa. Africa is recognized as “the place of origin for the rap music tradition.” Many rap artists see their origins back to Africa for its performance practices. Godfather Afrika Bambaataa and Carson interviews insinuate that rapping is alike to the West African tradition. A book published in 1970s gave a different meaning to those who had inherited the oral traditions of their families and communities. Later, they were able to understand their contemporary culture and practices. In order to understand why many rappers feel identified with the role of the African bard,
we need to comprehend its historical background. A bard is storyteller-singer that tells the country’s history and transmit cultural traditions including trough performances. The bards tell long narrative poems where the main character is a legendary hero. While they perform, they use poetic abstractions and rhythmic speeches. All of this is declaimed in “a chanlike fashion that prefigures rap.” Persecution instrument is used in bard’s performance. In the African world bards gave to the roots of rap a poetic performance. Many Africans were moved to the Western World and as a result they learned a new language and culture.
After, they transformed the new culture with its African roots. Language wasn’t only a way of communication, but a way of express circumstances of their lives and verbal artistry. Nommo or “the power of the word” is the black poetic speech and oral performance where they express their hopes, desires and situation in a moment of misery. Slaves lived predominantly on plantations separated from white people. This environment led to the maintenance and continuation of African practices and culture. Also, this situation led to the creation of storytelling, field hollers and work songs. One characteristic of rap music is the toast that was acquired from storytelling traditions. “The toast is a long narrative poem composed in rhymed couplets” with an amusing style. Facial expressions and hand movements became later part of a toast. Characteristics such as the rhyming couplet structure and the verbal forms of the toast are presented in rap music today. Rhyme is a very important feature of rap music acquired from African American traditions. Also, tonal expressions is in important feature in rap to deliver a certain expression or meaning. Call and response form part of the rap specially in an event and “it’s the life of black
communication.”