Funk music was created in the late 60s and 70s and it was influenced by rhythm and blues. Funk music was also important because it was created and popularized during the civil rights movement. The influence of the black civil rights movements is apparent in the lyrics and the consistent upbeat heard in funk music.
Disco music emerged in the 1970s in African American nightclubs. The genre was created in the 1970s and it reached its peak popularity in the 1970s and 1980s. A unique concept regarding disco music is that often non-disco artist recorded popular disco songs. Disco music thrived in the nightclub scene and had an influence of future dance music.
Techno music is a form of electronic dance music created in Detroit, Michigan in the 1980s. Techno was influenced by other African American genres such as electric jazz, funk, and other genres. This genre of African American music is unique to other African American genres because it is only instrumental and it is typically repetitive.
Soul music was created in the 1950s and it continued to evolve throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The genre of soul is an African American genre that has been heavily influenced by gospel and blues. The gospel music influence can be seen in the call and response aspect and also the vocal quality of singers.
R&B music was created in the 1940s but continued to be a popular genre. The original purpose of the genre was to create another name for race records. R&B continues to thrive as a genre and recent R&B is sometimes described as contemporary R&B. R&B lyrics typically describe the African American experience in regard to economics, relationships, and other everyday life experiences.
Even though each genre had their distinct differences, the genres were connected in many ways. Each genre was created by various African Americans and the genres were made during or after the civil rights movement in the United States. All genres reveal the creativity that was so prevalent within African American people.
