Black Pop Research Paper

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The Up Rising Effect in Black Pop, Reggae, Funk & Disco Going down through the years music has become one of the most influential things of American's Lives. Music has a lot of power and control over a lot of peoples’ lives. Music can change ones emotions, perceptions, and reactions to certain situations. Music is also an outlet for people to express themselves and communicate with others. For example, the national anthem is to express our love for our country. That song is universal in the United States and serves the same meaning to everyone. It is a declaration to our flag and it communicates that we love our country. There are many other ways to express how one feels about certain topics and things that occur in our world today. In music…show more content…
Sly and the Family Stone inspired a generation of funk and pop performers. The band was one of the few racially and sexually integrated bands of the time. The band began to focus on radical and political issues; other black artist found crossover success imitating Sly and the Family Stone’s blend of funk and hippie culture. From Sly and the Family stone birthed The Ohio Player, Kool and the Gang, and Earth, Wind, and Fire. Also in the 1970s Motown began to take off. The new Motown hit group in the 1970s was the Commodores. Their most commercially successful songs were ballads written by lead singer Lionel Richie. Songs like “Machine Gun” or the all time classic “Brick House”. “Brick House” with lyrics…show more content…
Reggae was developed in New Orleans and New York in the 1970s. Reggae is a Jamaican form of popular music. It became popular in the United States and Britain in the 70s. Jamaican music had played a small role in mainstream popular music in the United States and United Kingdom since the 1950s, and Jamaicans also listened to American pop. From this genre is where the great Bob Marley arose. Chris Balckwell established Island Records in the United Kingdom. The label released Jamaican popular music, including that Bob Marley and the Wailers. Popular songs of Bob Marley like “I Shot the Sheriff”. Reggae and the black pop were both crossover forms that grew out the African diaspora. “I Shot the Sheriff” was written by Bob Marley and it talks about a guy who was being harassed by a sheriff who accused him of killing a deputy. The lyrics say, “(I shot the sheriff, but I didn't shoot no deputy, oh no! Oh! I shot the sheriff, but I didn't shoot no deputy, ooh, ooh, ooh)”(Bob Marley, Songfacts.com, I Shot the Sheriff). This song is more focused on rights and police brutality where as The Commodores ”Brick House,” is more sexually based and talks of women’s body

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