Author: Kendall Heath

Hippity Hop

Hip Hop Hip-Hop is a genre of music that was created in the late 1970s by Clive Campbell in Bronx, New York. Since its creation, the hip-hop genre has dominated black culture. After Hip-hop emerged, it overtook popular culture in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. Many new elements originated with the creation of hip-hop, for […]

TECHnically Techno

TECHNO Techno music began in the mid to late 1980’s in Detroit, Michigan. It was created by three African American, high school boys: Juan Atkins, Kevin. Saunderson, and Derrick May. Techno is often known for its digitized and repetitive quality. It consists of electronic instruments like synthesizers, drum machines, and sequencers. Techno music quickly spread […]

Break A Leg

Musical Theatre Musical Theatre is a form of art that allows individuals and groups to tell stories through music and dance. Initially, whites kept black people out of the musical theatre through playing them in blackface. Additionally, black people were mocked and made fun of during the era. African Americans were finally allowed to take […]

Boogie Town

Disco: Freedom Through Music ‘Disco’ originated from the French word, discotheque. The word originally meant ‘record library.’ The form of disco music that we know today was created in the 1970s by African American DJs who used music as a medium to express their freedom. The style of music catered to marginalized communities. Disco was […]

Queen Diva: Mariah Carey

Mariah CareyBy Kendall Heath Methodology      This research was conducted by compiling, reading, and analyzing scholarly articles that recount the life and accomplishments of Mariah Carey. Mariah is a mogul in the music industry whose integration of new styles and techniques to music set the tone for many of today’s new and upcoming artists. […]

And The Church Said Amen

GOSPEL MUSIC Previous Next Gospel music emerged from African Americans who sought a new form of music to express their religious beliefs. It began in urban cities after the Great Migration. Traditional gospel music has many qualities that mimic the style of past negro spiritual. Historically, music has been a form of escape for black […]

Jazz Hands

Jazz And Black Intellectualism Jazz is a form of music created in the early 20th century that originated in the United States in New Orleans, Louisiana. The fusion of many cultures, French, African, Caribbean, Latin American, European, and the list goes on, led the intellectuals within the population to develop a culture of their own […]

Let’s Get Spiritual!

Negro Spirituals Negro spirituals are songs that were created by enslaved people as a form to release their pain, hardship, and struggle that they experienced. Spirituals reflected their Christian values and their reliance on God. Enslaved people often sang their songs while working on their enslaver’s plantations.  Negro Spirituals often had a call and response […]

Time For Rag

Ragtime   Ragtime was the genre that finally catapulted African American music into mainstream culture in the United States. It peaked from 1896-1920. The popularized, upbeat, sheet music allowed the talent that black people created to finally be showcased.  Ragtime was made readily accessible to the population as it was a style that was often […]

If I Had A Quarter for Every Time This Post Said ‘Quartet’… I’d Be Rich

jubilee quartets By Kendall Heath jubilee transitional GOSPEL The first Jubilee Quartet began at Fisk University by four students who were formerly enslaved. Quartets used a call and response technique. They consisted of a wide variety of vocal ranges including first and second tenor, baritone, and bass. They strategically used harmonies. Jubilee Quartets led the […]

I Have The Blues

Blues: A Medium to Display Black Women’s Experiences Previous Next Blues music overtook black culture and was a method of displaying our current circumstances as a community. It reflected the sadness and difficult times that we experienced. Blues music finally was a genre that allowed for women to be prevalent. Bessie Smith paved the way […]

“Turn Up the Folk Music” Article Critique

  “Turn Up The Folk Music” Article Critique In the article “Turn Up the Folk Music” by Jhanae Askew the author discusses the history and impact that folk music has had throughout time. Folk music originated during times of enslavement and as a result of high illiteracy rates, was a form of art passed on […]