Blues to Rap and Hip Hop: Exploring African-American Cultural Art Forms

Explores the African-American oral-cultural tradition from the Blues: (Delta, Texas, Memphis, Piedmont); Urban Blues: (Classic, Kansas City, Rhythm and Blues), Funk, Soul, Disco, New Jack Swing to Rap and Hip-Hop. Focus will be on its evolution and development as a cultural art form. Within this context, its relevance and impact will be examined relative to the African-American experience and how this music has helped to shape and define African-American culture in particular and American culture in general.