i choose the regional song sampler of the Southeast. I wasn’t too surprised due to the history of slavery in this portion of the United States.i was surprised by songs such as “Duermate mi Nino” and “Halimafack”. I always associated Zora Neal Hurston with the Harlem Renaissance and poetry so I was surprised to find her song in this category. While the Caribbean roots are prevalent in the south eastern United States due to slavery and migrations, Cuban roots were the ones I expected to show up more due to its dominance in Floridian cities such as Miami. I was also surprised to see so many immigrant and foreign songs on the list. I had thought it would be more prevalent in the north eastern United States in areas such as New York. Tennessee being a major location for music did not surprise me as it is seen as the home of country music. With a tv show that was named after Nashville and the location of the Grand Ole Opry, the information about Tennessee was one I was not surprised about.

I went to watch the film the Amen Break but the link was unavailable so I googled the term to find out what it was about . Used in songs such as Straight Outta Compton by NWA and Feel Alright Y’all by 2 Live Crew the Amen Break is a short drum beat that can be seen in arious forms of music. From Hip Hop to Rock to TV Commercials and Shows the Amen Break is a part of American media today. Created in 1969 by Gregory Slyvester also known as G.C Coleman. He was a part of the group who had a song called Amen Brother.  The drum solo is only about 7 seconds and has been played normally, sped up and slowed down in the backgrounds of numerous works to fit the work that it was needed for. G.C Coleman and Richard Spencer (the copyright owner) have received no royalties for any sampling of this drum solo.

According to publishing.gmu.edu “From an owner’s perspective, the law theoretically protects the rights of an individual who has spent time and, possibly, money creating a work. That is, the creator has a right to receive compensation and attribution for that work, as well as a level of control over its use.” Authors can enact a copyright so that they can keep their work the way they want to. For example, the famous hip-hop song OPP  by Naughty by Nature samples legendary Jackson 5 hit ABC.  One of the creators, Kaygee stated “I was just scratching that Jackson 5 “ABC” section one day, and Treach heard it and wanted to build on it. Everybody is saying these days how sample clearance is so high, but we sampled that in 1991 and [Motown’s publishing arm] Jobete took 75 percent of the publishing on that song. But we knew that it made the record, so we had to have it”. The group went through the appropriate channels and earned the right to sample ABC  in their hip hop classic. While they only received 1/4 of the profit it was more than what they would have received it they had not created the song or if they were to sample the song without permission and the lawsuits that would have followed after the song reached the status that it did.

When you hear the word reggae most people associate it with Bob Marley, Jamaica and smoking weed. However there is so much more reggae music than those terms, it is the music of a culture.  The term reggae was not really seen until around 1970. While not to say that the music genre did not exist until 1970, it is safe to say that reggae music did not begin to hit a world stage until around this time. Originating in Jamaica, reggae is a combination of American r&b, jazz, ska and calypso music.  Artists such as Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Steel Pulse helped to spread this genre worldwide and are even known as roots in the genre. Bob Marley is the most popular reggae artist and even one of the most popular artists known world wide. His influence remains through his children that carry on his legacy. Stephen, Damian,Ky-Mani, Julian and Ziggy are some of this legacies that have continued to make music even after their father’s death.

The Emancipation Proclamation is a somewhat controversial document. Some say it was a document that was issued to free the slaves and others claim that it was issued to stop the help of foreign aid to the south.  No matter the reason the Emancipation Proclamation it freed the slaves of the Confederacy, but what of the slaves in the north.While they were freed by the 13th amendment they were not granted freedom by the Emancipaton Proclamation.  It is widely known that the Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves but very little else is known.  The Confederacy was close to receiving the help of foreign aid which could have potentially led them to win the war. This document prevented anti-slavery countries such as Britain and France to aid in continuing slavery.

Musical appropriation is nothing new to the African American community. For decades African Americans have made music only to be ripped off by bigger names (often white) and make little to no money off of the song. While not only white artists are covering songs it is a little more common than other African American artists have covered songs that were made in the past and the song became more popular that ever. For example, the Fugees made a song Killing Me Softly. This song is widely known as their song but it is not well known by younger generations that Lori Lieberman wrote and recorded the song in 1971 and 2 years later in 1973 Roberta Flack made the song a number one hit. Shortly over 20 years later the Fugees remade the song and won a Grammy for it. Appropriation is not just a racial thing but can be seen as a term of admiration. While many not think of it that way, no one will redo something that is terrible. When someone realizes the potential for a song it might be tweaked but the overall item will still be recognizable.

In today’s class the prominent topic was minstrel shows and blackface. Minstrel Shows created stereotypes or African Americans that still remain prevalent today. While these characters have changed the background remains the same. The Jezebel character is shown through the video vixen. Mammy can be seen through characters such as Madea. Minstrel Shows were the beginning of the career of African Americans. Until the early 20th century African Americans were portrayed on stage but they were not allowed on stage. While unfortunately they were derogatory and offensive roles, African Americans knew it was their way into the theatre. Without actors such as Willie Best and Bert Williams we would not have such as Lawrence Fishburne, Denzel Washington and Sidney Poitier.

The question of “Who owns history” was asked. I believe that history is told and believed by the side who won. There are two sides to every story yet the one often told is the story of the side who won so unfortunately we can never completely understand what has happened. For example, we only understand the viewpoint of the Colonies during the American Revolution with very little input as to what happened on the opposing side, Britain. This poses the thought of what has been hidden from us in history. Even when looking at music we often do not see everything that happens unless the other side releases the information. We do not see all the behind the scenes work behind the music. It is not common knowledge that Blurred Lines was made from Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up”. The winning side of these songs would be Blurred Lines because it was a bigger song.

The intro class featured Lil Walter’s song My Babe. The song was featured in a movie named Cadiallac Records that showcased the creation of Chess Records and its artists such as Etta James, Lil Walter and Chuck Berry. This time period shows the introduction to Mowtown. Blues singers and harmonica and guitar players were born through Chess Recods paving the way and creating a new style that was not popularly known throughout the United States. They brought the south across the country.