Ethnomusicology: The History Of Rap Music

A working definition Ethnomusicology can be defined as, “the study of music and its cultural and social impacts on the people who make it.” The society of for ethnomusicology outlines the foundations of approaches and methods that all ethnomusicologist set out to answer. These methods include: taking a global approach, understanding music as a social practice, engaging with the people who make the music, becoming one with the music, and among other valuable methods (…). Now that we have a working definition of ethnomusicology and some basic approaches that all ethnomusicologists take when incorporating themselves in different cultures to learn the effects of music in that society. The purpose of this ethnomusicology research paper is to learn

In Africa, the seeds were planted and eventually those seeds found their way into the United States. The people who planted these seeds were Griots or as learned in class Jali(s) or Jailmuso(s). Jali(s) and Jalimuso(s) practiced Jailya; which is the preservation of history in this case music. The Jali had a specific role in Mande culture. These roles included the memorization of family histories, at least dating back seven generation, and they needed to memorize thirty-two songs, in which they also needed to know the history and meaning behind each song. Jali(s) and Jalimuso(s) were storytellers. These stories told of the good and bad. When slavery began and slaves started to be captured and sold in the Americas the tradition of Jaliya went with it. It was in the “New World” that these slaves told new stories. These stories focused on the good rather than the bad of their current situation of forced slavery. One way they would cope with the tremendous amount of pain & heartbreak of slavery would be to sing. Jali(s) and Jalimuso(s), who were forced into such harsh conditions, laid the groundwork for rap music in the United States. With a brief history of where the idea behind rap music established the focus can turn to the history of rap music in New

This area will explain where they live, how do they communicate, who does music, and many other questions that deal with the people and rap music in New York. The people who first became involved in rap music in New York, where African American who were struggling not only financially, but also struggling to find their placement in a post-racial United States. Next, the focus will turn to the second of five areas of investigation which is the musicology. The musicology aspect outlines the kinds of instruments, how the music sounds, how the instruments are used, and among other key questions dealing with the musicology. In addition, the next aspect focused on will be uses. This area of investigation is pretty much self-explanatory, but plays a major role in tell the reason behind the music