African-American music

The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement in the 1920s focusing on African-American literature, music, and art. Langston Hughes was an American author, poet and playwright and is known as one of the main literary contributors to the Harlem Renaissance. His main focus in writing was African American culture and he was among the first writers to “use jazz music and dialect to depict the life of urban blacks in his work” (A&E Network). Langston Hughes was born as James Mercer Langston Hughes…

Bert Williams and George Walker in 1901 were the first african american to record music. Williams was extremely capable, with light skin and a fine voice, and he played all instruments exceptionally well. Under the desires of the time. Walker was an incredible humorist and artist, with dull skin, and would be relied upon to play the blockhead. The two met in San Francisco that year and formed a vaudeville demonstration. Williams and Walker worked hard to create quality theater. They needed their…

America for African-Americans. Ma Rainey and her band are indeed familiar with these harsh realities, and it is the white studio owner Sturdyvant, along with Ma Rainey’s white manager Irvin, who contribute to this harsh reality facing African-Americans. I will examine throughout this chapter, the very negative portrayal of white characters by focusing on their obsession with money and the commodification of Ma Rainey’s voice and the blues, their controlling and patronising attitude toward…

Our Indifference towards Discrimination Since the day that the first Africans were brought to North America they never had the same quality of life as the white folks of the country no matter of their economic stand point in the society for the most. After the civil rights movements, the African American population of the country have gained “equal” rights as other citizens of the country by law; however, the public discrimination by people and government branches, most importantly, the…

studios, this was a place he could escape certain expectations as a black man performing for a mostly white audience. He could go here and loose himself in his own music. Sort of escaping himself as a celebrity, and surrounding himself with sound instead. Waksman talks about how Hendrix demonstrated blackness and his "brand" of music. He talks about Hendrix as a crossover;…

The Soul of Black Folk written by W.E.B. Du Bois is a groundbreaking work in the African American literature. In addition, it is also a American classic. In this book Du Bois outlines that “the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem that lies with the color line.” His outlooks on life hidden behind the veil of race and also the idea of “double-consciousness, just the idea of looking at one’s self through the eyes of others.” Becoming touchstones to think about the idea of race in…

Fortunately for African Americans, prohibition provided several new employment opportunities. Many of the speakeasy jobs African Americans took in Harlem ranged from bartenders, musicians, waiters, dancers, hostesses, chefs, and busboys. As speakeasies started to appear more often, owners and operators discovered that it was necessary to depend on lesser-known musicians for bar entertainment to avoid being detected. Many local African American musicians were hired, giving jobs…

movement that had many impacts on society. African Americans were never treated equally, they were always treated very badly and they were put through slavery. They were not able to vote and they didn’t have a say in anything. During segregation everything was very unfair for them and that was during 1900-1939. Segregation was a racial separation where White Americans denied African Americans from equal access to certain thing in their daily lives. African Americans were not able to eat at the…

Black-on-Black crime is one, if not the worst, challenge African Americans face today because it claims the lives of so many people, whether it be through death of a victim or a life spent in prison for committing crimes. Black-on-black crime and violence are major problems in current society because these tragic crimes and brutal violence break down African American unity. An astonishing amount of crime committed against African Americans is black-on-black crime. The vast majority of these…

poetry, and music amongst the African-American community. Through the use of narration, uplifting energy, and the use of song, theatre Professor Belinda Boyd did an exceptional job telling the story of a love triangle and the growing literacy created by African-Americans during the Harlem Renaissance. Zora Neal Hurston the original playwright, was a famous…