As the African diaspora expanded throughout the world, the people brought their culture and customs with them. Traditional African music brought to America by black slaves evolved over time, creating multiple new genres still popular today.The role of music in both Black American and African culture has always been rooted in expression, but the execution varies based on what is being expressed (which leads to different genres).

For instance, in African traditional music in many nations has been used for ceremonies, storytelling, rituals, and even political activity. At the beginning of the Black American music history, music was a form of expression for slaves whether it be work songs, songs of freedom, or ritual community song that brought unity. After slavery, music continued to be a general form of expression, whether it be joy, sorrow, anger, love, etc. The feelings of music contributed to the genre of music. Sorrow and longing turned to Blues, joyful music to swing and dance to became jazz, music that told tales of the countryside became… country… and so on and so forth.