Africans accuse African Americans of "appropriating" their culture (legitimate criticism?)

Samori Toure

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Is highlife from the blues?

I think african Americans might have had the blues even before gospel

Nope. Gospel was first. Blues came out of the Black Church. Listen to early Blues recordings and you can clearly hear the Gospel music. If you notice mostly all African American music and musicians come out of the Church.
 

Lost1

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The soul music that went o Africa wasn't just Funk like James Brown. It was R&B period mixed with other black american music.

Do you really think the songs I posted, from the album you were using as an example, sound anything like R & B?

What is your idea of what African music sounds like exactly if you think those songs are what R & B inspired African music would sound like?
 
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IllmaticDelta

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Do you really think the songs I posted, from the album you were using as an example, sound anything like R & B?

I listened to them they all had touches of some combination of jazz, blues and R&b mixed with something more native percussion wise.



What is your idea of what African music sounds like exactly if you think those songs are what R & B inspired African music would sound like?

depends what region you're talking about
 

IllmaticDelta

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Is highlife from the blues?

Jazz, which does have Blues in it

rQR0JGJ.jpg
 

Lost1

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Another song by dele ojo though not from that compilation

I mean if this is derivative of African American music then so be it. Not that big a deal since lots of other music is derivative of African American music id just like a fuller explanation of how its derivative since you guys are convinced of that
 

Lost1

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I listened to them they all had touches of some combination of jazz, blues and R&b mixed with something more native percussion wise.

What was blues or R&b about them? Can you be precise?

Is oja omoba jazz or blues? I don't get it





depends what region you're talking about

You can choose. I don't know north African music or east African that well though so I won't speak about that
 

Poitier

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I mean if this is derivative of African American music then so be it. Not that big a deal since lots of other music is derivative of African American music id just like a fuller explanation of how its derivative since you guys are convinced of that

What do you think West African music sounded like before recorded music? :dwillhuh:
 

Samori Toure

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Illmaticdelta,

These are some songs from the Nigeria compilation you posted:










The last one which is one my favorites might be the one most palatable to you as a westerner but there are a few others on that compilation which have a more international appeal

But yeah like I said none of that is pop or R&b


Listen to these songs from the African American bands "War" and Sly and the Family Stone. It sounds like your boy fused a Bluesman like Muddy Waters or Howling Wolf with a sound from like a Funk or R&B Bank like War and Sly and the Family Stone. Let me know if there are any similarities:




 

Lost1

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Jazz, which does have Blues in it

rQR0JGJ.jpg

Highlife is actually from the Kru people, not Ghanaians. Ghanaians just popularized it. It's a misconception that it originates from there so I can't be certain how much else that article got right or wrong if its just going to repeat common myths in the opening sentence without doing further research, but I have no problem with saying highlife had jazz influence, but this isn't the same as pretending that R&b or pop are the source for highlife's style though. I don't see the blues aspect much either considering how joyous or upbeat sounding so much of highlife is
 

Lost1

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What do you think West African music sounded like before recorded music? :dwillhuh:

What do you think it sounded like?

If you don't know exactly, then how can you pinpoint "R&B" as a specific style, sound or genre as the source for whatever similarities you see (though I dont see them) between those songs I posted and R&b?

I had this uneasy feeling that I might be conversing with people who think African music before recorded music was just people smashing drums fiercely and chanting loudly but I wouldn't want to think that of you guys when you might know more about African music than the people who usually have those kinds of assumptions and it might be an unfair assumption on my part, so I didn't bring it up.

But if neither of us knows what exactly much of it sounded like then I don't get why the "R&B and blues" influence claim is a fact or clear cut truth to you guys
 

Lost1

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Listen to these songs from the African American bands "War" and Sly and the Family Stone. It sounds like your boy fused a Bluesman like Muddy Waters or Howling Wolf with a sound from like a Funk or R&B Bank like War and Sly and the Family Stone. Let me know if there are any similarities:






The similarities with war and sly and the family stone lie with the last song not the first three and I think I noted that the last one was a bit different but I posted it alongside the other four because none are pop or R&b, not because I thought there was no funk sound in some of the music on that compilation
 

Poitier

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I had this uneasy feeling that I might be conversing with people who think African music before recorded music was just people smashing drums fiercely and chanting loudly

I'd imagine its identical to religion/traditional/ceremonial music today not droning basslines, horn sections and bars/keys/notes pioneered by AAs
 

Samori Toure

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The similarities with war and sly and the family stone lie with the last song not the first three and I think I noted that the last one was a bit different but I posted it alongside the other four because none are pop or R&b, not because I thought there was no funk sound in some of the music on that compilation

I mentioned in my post that in those first couple of songs that he sounded a lot like Bluesmen Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf. He definitely was singing a version of Delta Blues. Hell his own album cover says "Afro Sounds and Nigerian Blues" so he is clearly borrowing concepts from African American music. It is all good. At least he didn't water it down like White people do.
 

Lost1

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I'd imagine its identical to religion/traditional/ceremonial music today not droning basslines, horn sections and bars/keys/notes pioneered by AAs

What traditional or ceremonial music have you listened to?

In that song I posted from dele ojo were there basslines? Apart from the funk influenced stuff like that fourth song I posted from that Nigeria compilation album I don't recall that many basslines in a lot of the African music I've listened to

Horns and flutes (of different types from European ones) were in Africa already. I don't know whats western or african american about using aerophones but the Africans today using western aerophones are doing so because of colonialism and westernizing though some still use traditional aerophones

On bars, keys, notes lots of African music, especially in the past was/is not afrobeat (like fela) or like funk

But still im not truly convinced of why I should believe the songs I posted are all derivative of R&b. I would like a thorougher explanation if you guys can give one
 

Poitier

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What traditional or ceremonial music have you listened to?

In that song I posted from dele ojo were there basslines? Apart from the funk influenced stuff like that fourth song I posted from that Nigeria compilation album I don't recall that many basslines in a lot of the African music I've listened to

Horns and flutes (of different types from European ones) were in Africa already. I don't know whats western or african american about using aerophones but the Africans today using western aerophones are doing so because of colonialism and westernizing though some still use traditional aerophones

On bars, keys, notes lots of African music, especially in the past was/is not afrobeat (like fela) or like funk

But still im not truly convinced of why I should believe the songs I posted are all derivative of R&b. I would like a thorougher explanation if you guys can give one

ok man :mjlol:
 
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