Roots of Hip Hop

“The Roots and Stylistic Foundations of the Rap Music and Tradition” Hip-Hop as well as many other artistic cultural forms we practice today can be related back to African culture and various traditions. Author of The Roots and Stylistic Foundations of the Rap Music and Tradition, Cheryl Keyes, discuss’ the spirit, style, tradition, emotions, culture and the delivery of music. Keyes says that many of these practices can be traced back to the West Afrikan Bardic Tradition in particular. When asking many old-school, and culturally involved hip-hop artists about the roots and origins of rap/hip-hop music many of them will refer to Africa.
In our culture hip-hop is considered a form of art and it is important that we know its origins as it is easily traced to Africa and African culture. According to the text cultural reversion is the foregrounding of African-centered concepts. Keyes cross references this term to her analysis of the transition of African oral cultures to American soil following slavery by referring to the lifestyles of African slaves in the North and the South, how they were poorly treated and their relationships with Caucasians emerged over the years. Once slavery “ended” blacks were not instantly free, they could not just go off and do what they wanted, they had no homes, they had no money and many of them had families so they could not just up and leave especially the women. As a result Africans began to work for white families as this was the only way for them to get by. Through this many cultural traditions were developed and continued post slavery for instance the “invisible church” where slaves went to secluded places “brush harbors” for praise, worship and storytelling they were called “praise houses” which have now been constructed as churches in modern times post slavery. Most stories during this time were told in a rhyming sequence which has been carried out in rap music from the time it evolved until the present.
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