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Afro-modernism (musical style)

Afro-modernism is a musical movement that began in the United States in the 1920s. University of Pennsylvania musicology professor Guthrie Ramsey was the first to use the term Afro-modernism to describe a musical style, positing Afro-modernist music as the reconciliation of traditional African identity and American urbanization. Stylistically, Afro-modernist music typically intertwines traditional African sounds with features of modernity, specifically new technological elements and devices. It is rooted in identity politics, as a way for African-American musicians to embrace their cultural roots while keeping up with and embracing the technological changes brought on by modernity in America.

History

Bo Diddley was among the first Afro-modernist musicians to achieve commercial success. His name is a homage to his African roots, Bo Diddley being the reversal of the diddley bow, a traditional African stringed instrument. He is famous for his use of the patting juba rhythm, known to many as the Bo Diddley rhythm, which is derived from the Juba dance of West Africa. Mainstream music industries often introduced Diddley as a folk-blues singer, which has primitive connotations associated with claims of racial essentialism. Yet, his use of tremolo, a guitar effect considered a musical innovation at the time, provided a modern contrast to his use of traditional African sounds. By embracing the tremolo effect alongside the patting juba rhythm, Diddley serves as an example of how Afro-modernist musicians hybridized traditional African and modern sounds.

Afro-modernist musicians were also among the first musicians to embrace the drum machine in the late 1960s. American band Sly Stone and the Family Stone's fifth studio album, There's a Riot Goin' On, was the first major label album to incorporate the use of drum machines.

Socio-political implications

As a musical movement with socio-political implications, Afro-modernism redefined stereotypical essentialist notions of African-American life through the use of modern technologies and sounds, countering the essentialist claim of African American music as primitive. Afro-modernism was a countermovement against the tendency of mainstream music industries to label African American music, regardless of its stylistic elements, as black music, as exemplified by the existence of the segregated 'black charts' in early format radio.

In a broader social context, Afro-modernism was a way for black musicians to redefine the African-American experience while seeking upward mobility in post-civil war capitalist America. This was not only achieved by mixing traditional African elements with new technologies, but also through the lyrics of the songs composed and performed by many Afro-modernist musicians. Indeed, many early Afro-modernist songs contained lyrics commenting on the social inequities faced by black Americans, for example Duke Ellington's "Uptown Downbeat," which references the geographical racial segregation in New York City.

Legacy

Many modern musicians pay homage to early Afro-modernist musicians through sampling. A notable example is hiphop artist Drake's single "Hotline Bling," which samples Afro-modernist Timmy Thomas' "Why Can't We Live Together," a song that featured drum machine technology alongside traditional African drumming rhythms with lyrics commenting on racism and social inequities faced by African Americans.