The Drum as indicator of cultural unity in the African World: from Hip Hop to Africa
By Remy Johnson
Introduction
Cultural unity exists throughout the African World. The cultural diversity in the African World can be contributed to regional conditions such as lifestyle, resources, and environment. In this way cultural diversity is closer to regional variations of ‘African culture’ rather than differences. It is imperative to focus on cultural unity in the African World to create the foundation for Pan African consciousness in the African World. To test this theory of “regional variations” in the African World I will compare the role of the drum in indigenous West/Central African cultures and Hip Hop in the United States.
Talking Drum in Africa
The drum is the oldest known instrument in the world dating back to 4000 BCE in Kemet on the northeast corner of Africa (Sowande, 1969). It is present throughout every region of Africa playing different roles amongst the various peoples (Bebey, 1975). Perhaps, more than any other object the drum has become a ‘cultural emblem’ of the African World culture. This is not a mistake, as Leonard Barrett states, “the drum is Africa” (Ani,1980). To understand the profound role of the drum in the African World we must consider it a tool of communication. The loud boom of a drum draws the attention of any person, but the ‘talking drum” speaks ‘to’ and ‘for’ African peoples.
The drum is used to communicate with the “supernatural” world as in the case of the Yoruba of Nigeria (Bebey,1975). Davis (1992) wrote, “Drums are known to transmit messages between God and people, and also an essential instrument in the ritual healing” (34). It is plays a prominent role in ceremonies, rituals, and rites as pace setter for dance and praise. The people follow the drum’s rhythm and their collective energies creates a ‘unseen’ link with the ancestors (Sowande, 1969).
Practical uses of the drum included signaling the start of the day, lead celebrations, and notifying the public of important information (Bebey,1975). The jeli (teacher/griot) uses the drum as musical backdrop to recite ‘historical poetry’ to educate the masses. The rhythm of the ‘drum’ forms a link between the listener and the griot while making learning as the child associates the knowledge with a particular rhythm. This is an effective form of education because children of African descent tend to retain information as result of their right brain cognitive learning style. (Hale, 1982).
Drums were used to communicate between villages and towns. This form of communication was not just random beats, but a ‘drum language’. Each group’s ‘drum language’ is influenced by the geographic topography, the style of drum, material, number of drums, size of the drum, and rhythm/beat pattern (Bebey,1975). Regional variations can be seen in the drum languages of African culture that are influenced by the peoples struggle with environmental conditions (Bebey,1975).
Talking Drum in the ‘New World’
Africans brought the knowledge of the “drum” to the Americas via the Maafa/Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade (Ani,1980). As a result many Diasporic traditions share fundamental cultural values with Africans from Sengambia, Central and Southern Africa (Bebey,1975). This includes the Oyo, Yoruba,, Dahomey, Fon, Bantu, and Ewe all of which are recognized by scholars as being the majority of enslaved Africans (Bebey,1975). The drum’s cultural “paper trail” is a virtual “Hansel and Gretel” type of deal where the Ancestors left cultural indicators as an inalienable way back to our origins.
Africans in the Diaspora also have practical uses for the drum similar to those on the continent. Maroon societies in the Caribean and Brazil used drums to notify, start a charge, and over long distances to synchronize guerilla operations (Rath, 2005). Africans in the U.S. played drums in public displays of dance, relief, praise, and expression the most notable of these places is Congo Square. The importance of the drum in communication is perhaps best judged by the establishment of the ‘drum laws’ in the 16th and 17th throughout the Americas as Europeans began to fear the ‘talking drum’ (Rath, 2005).
Diasporic religions worship similarly to African religions. Both use the drum to tap the participant’s inner spirit to induce a trance like state that culminates with a danced expression. The use of the drum to induce spirit possession is present throughout the diaspora: ‘Voodoo’ (Haiti, and Americas), Santeria (Cuba), Canbomble (Brazil), and Rastafari (Jamaica) (www.wikipedia.com). This phenomenon can also be seen in the southern Black church in the U.S. where it is known as catching the ‘holy ghost’, but similar it is brought on by a combination of drums and praise songs.
Diasporic music traditions including ‘Reggae’ in Jamaica, ‘Samba’ in Brazil, and Ramba in Cuba use the drum for similar purposes of African traditions. These genres share the basic musical concepts with African music traditions including the “2 – 4” beat pattern; syncopated beat rhythm that aims to emphasizes the lyrics; drum/beat maintain ‘timing’ relationship with vocals; initiating and synchronizing dancer; leads call and response; and repetition throughout the track (Sowande,1969;Davis,1992). This is known as the “heterogeneous ideal” where the core underlying concepts of the African world music are apparent in Diasporic music (Greenwald, 2002). If these core concepts survived in the ‘New World’ it is possible that knowledge of the drum as a tool of communication may have transmitted to the Hip Hop generation.
The Talking Drum in Hip Hop
Hip Hop was created on the streets of the South Bronx, NY in the 70s (George, 1998). Hip Hop developed as a cultural expression and medium for marginalized urban youth in the United States to express their disapproval of the government, poverty, police, violence, and as a means of collective resistance (George,1998). The genre has spread like wildfire as youth all over the world realize the source of their struggles, the system, and begin to communicate with each other across national and racial boundaries.
It follows the African American (e.g. B.A.M) artist/oratory tradition that demands the “orator” express personal and communal convictions while maintaining African aesthetic forms (Keyes, 1996). The godfathers of this genre are Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaata, and Gil Scott Heron (George,1998). It is important to note that each ‘god father’ employed drums in their performances. Kool Herc brought the drum knowledge from Jamaica, Gil Scott Heron contributed drum knowledge as a Griot of the B.A.M, and Afrika Bambaata ‘consciousness’ of African heritage as a historian are the material “links” of drum knowledge. These links forms the basis for the use of the drum as tool of communication in Hip Hop.
There are four elements of Hip Hop: (1) the emcee (MC); (2) the DJ (Producer); (3) graffiti (visual art); (4) and breaking (dancing). The most influential is the DJ. He is responsible for communicating with the remaining three elements (Greenwald,1996). He also initiates moments of call and response with the crowd. The DJ is able to accomplish this through the administering of the beat similar to the drummer in Africa (Greenwald, 1996).
It is important to understand the transformative process that the drum under went in the United States. Conditions in the U.S. were not accepting of African cultural forms. This is seen in the establishment of “drums laws”, lack of access to natural resources, and various forms of racism. Perhaps the skill of making drums was lost, or simply phased out during these times of infamy. However, technology has filled this gap by transforming drum into the ‘beat’ via the beat machine, e.g. 808 (George, 1998). Hip Hop share concepts and musical forms with the drum in Africa including: 2/4 beat pattern; syncopated rhythm to pace dancers; repeats in integral parts of songs; signal call and response; repetitive beat pattern, and relationship to emphasizing the words of the orator (Keyes, 1996).
The DJ uses the beat machine, a keyboard shaped machine with hundreds of drum sounds, to make the ‘beat’. The beat machine allows the DJ/Producer to make an overlapping rhythm pattern that is guided by a variety of percussion instruments usually the bass, snare drums, and cymbals. The beat then forms the foundation for other instruments, sounds, and/or ad-libs that act as the musical backdrop of the Rap lyrics (Greewald,1996). The beat communicates to and for the MC as it serves to accentuates his lyrics/ punch lines and paces him throughout the song. This all contributes to Hip Hop’s reputation as percussion heavy music (Greenwald, 1996).
It is through the beat the DJ communicates with concert participants. This seen in ‘call and response’ moments that also allows the MC to rest. The ‘beat’ is also used to communicate by persons of the Hip Hop culture. ‘Hip Hop heads’ place huge speakers in their cars and the bass produced by the beat in the song signals their arrival at parties, events, clubs, concerts, etc. Telling the public ‘I’m here’.
The beat also communicates with the subconscious of listeners. This is accomplished through the implementation of excerpts from hit songs looped over a new beat. This is called sampling (Greenwald, 1996). The familiar ‘beat’ forms sparks ‘memory’ and forms an unseen link between the DJ and the listener. The DJ exploits this link as he wields power of suggestion over the crowd. He is able to coerce the crowd to the dance floor or settle a riled up crowd waiting for a late performance (Greenwald, 1996). Sampling used properly is very effective as it works as a Trojan Horse method of introducing new artist to fans under the past success of a predecessor. This is an affective method of communicating to the subconscious via the beat.
Conclusion
As a tool of communication the drum is Africa’s telegraph system (Bebey,1975). It is through the implementation of the drum via the beat that makes Hip Hop the CNN of Black community (Chuck D, 1997). The drum has allowed and continues to allow African peoples all over the world to communicate. In Hip Hop culture it’s called from ‘hood to hood’ (neighborhood) as the Ghetto Boys state, ‘the world is a ghetto’. Our ancestors used the drum to communicate from village to village across the savannahs, mountains, and deserts of Africa. Now the urban youth in the Diaspora use the beat to talk across the oceans, hills, prison bars, and urban concrete jungles throughout the world.
Works Cited
1. Ani, M. (1980). Let the Circle be Unbroken: The implications of African Spirituality in the Diaspora. New York: Nkonimfo Publications.
2. Bebey, F. (1975). African Music: A People’s Art. New York: Lawerence Hill Books.
3. Cullen-Rath, R. (2005). How Early America Sounded. New York: Cornell University Press.
4. Chuck D. with the assistance of Yusuf Jah. (1997). Fight the Power. New York: Delacorte Press.
5. Davis, S. (1992). Reggae Bloodlines: In search of the music and culture in Jamaica. New York: De Capo.
6. George, N. (1998). Hip Hop America. London: Penguin Books.
7. Greenwald, J. (2002). Hip Hop Drumming: The Rhyme may define, but the Groove makes you move. Black Music Research Journal. Vol. 22, No. 2. Autumn. pp. 259 – 271.
8. Hale-Benson, J. (1982). Black Children, Their Roots, Culture, and Learning Styles. Maryland: Brigham Young University Press.
9. Keyes, C. (1996). At the crossroads: Rap music and its African Nexus. Ethnomusicology, Vol. 40, No.2. Spring-Summer. pp. 223 – 248.
10. Sowande, F. (1969). The Role of Music in African Society. A speech given at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Introduction
Cultural unity exists throughout the African World. The cultural diversity in the African World can be contributed to regional conditions such as lifestyle, resources, and environment. In this way cultural diversity is closer to regional variations of ‘African culture’ rather than differences. It is imperative to focus on cultural unity in the African World to create the foundation for Pan African consciousness in the African World. To test this theory of “regional variations” in the African World I will compare the role of the drum in indigenous West/Central African cultures and Hip Hop in the United States.
Talking Drum in Africa
The drum is the oldest known instrument in the world dating back to 4000 BCE in Kemet on the northeast corner of Africa (Sowande, 1969). It is present throughout every region of Africa playing different roles amongst the various peoples (Bebey, 1975). Perhaps, more than any other object the drum has become a ‘cultural emblem’ of the African World culture. This is not a mistake, as Leonard Barrett states, “the drum is Africa” (Ani,1980). To understand the profound role of the drum in the African World we must consider it a tool of communication. The loud boom of a drum draws the attention of any person, but the ‘talking drum” speaks ‘to’ and ‘for’ African peoples.
The drum is used to communicate with the “supernatural” world as in the case of the Yoruba of Nigeria (Bebey,1975). Davis (1992) wrote, “Drums are known to transmit messages between God and people, and also an essential instrument in the ritual healing” (34). It is plays a prominent role in ceremonies, rituals, and rites as pace setter for dance and praise. The people follow the drum’s rhythm and their collective energies creates a ‘unseen’ link with the ancestors (Sowande, 1969).
Practical uses of the drum included signaling the start of the day, lead celebrations, and notifying the public of important information (Bebey,1975). The jeli (teacher/griot) uses the drum as musical backdrop to recite ‘historical poetry’ to educate the masses. The rhythm of the ‘drum’ forms a link between the listener and the griot while making learning as the child associates the knowledge with a particular rhythm. This is an effective form of education because children of African descent tend to retain information as result of their right brain cognitive learning style. (Hale, 1982).
Drums were used to communicate between villages and towns. This form of communication was not just random beats, but a ‘drum language’. Each group’s ‘drum language’ is influenced by the geographic topography, the style of drum, material, number of drums, size of the drum, and rhythm/beat pattern (Bebey,1975). Regional variations can be seen in the drum languages of African culture that are influenced by the peoples struggle with environmental conditions (Bebey,1975).
Talking Drum in the ‘New World’
Africans brought the knowledge of the “drum” to the Americas via the Maafa/Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade (Ani,1980). As a result many Diasporic traditions share fundamental cultural values with Africans from Sengambia, Central and Southern Africa (Bebey,1975). This includes the Oyo, Yoruba,, Dahomey, Fon, Bantu, and Ewe all of which are recognized by scholars as being the majority of enslaved Africans (Bebey,1975). The drum’s cultural “paper trail” is a virtual “Hansel and Gretel” type of deal where the Ancestors left cultural indicators as an inalienable way back to our origins.
Africans in the Diaspora also have practical uses for the drum similar to those on the continent. Maroon societies in the Caribean and Brazil used drums to notify, start a charge, and over long distances to synchronize guerilla operations (Rath, 2005). Africans in the U.S. played drums in public displays of dance, relief, praise, and expression the most notable of these places is Congo Square. The importance of the drum in communication is perhaps best judged by the establishment of the ‘drum laws’ in the 16th and 17th throughout the Americas as Europeans began to fear the ‘talking drum’ (Rath, 2005).
Diasporic religions worship similarly to African religions. Both use the drum to tap the participant’s inner spirit to induce a trance like state that culminates with a danced expression. The use of the drum to induce spirit possession is present throughout the diaspora: ‘Voodoo’ (Haiti, and Americas), Santeria (Cuba), Canbomble (Brazil), and Rastafari (Jamaica) (www.wikipedia.com). This phenomenon can also be seen in the southern Black church in the U.S. where it is known as catching the ‘holy ghost’, but similar it is brought on by a combination of drums and praise songs.
Diasporic music traditions including ‘Reggae’ in Jamaica, ‘Samba’ in Brazil, and Ramba in Cuba use the drum for similar purposes of African traditions. These genres share the basic musical concepts with African music traditions including the “2 – 4” beat pattern; syncopated beat rhythm that aims to emphasizes the lyrics; drum/beat maintain ‘timing’ relationship with vocals; initiating and synchronizing dancer; leads call and response; and repetition throughout the track (Sowande,1969;Davis,1992). This is known as the “heterogeneous ideal” where the core underlying concepts of the African world music are apparent in Diasporic music (Greenwald, 2002). If these core concepts survived in the ‘New World’ it is possible that knowledge of the drum as a tool of communication may have transmitted to the Hip Hop generation.
The Talking Drum in Hip Hop
Hip Hop was created on the streets of the South Bronx, NY in the 70s (George, 1998). Hip Hop developed as a cultural expression and medium for marginalized urban youth in the United States to express their disapproval of the government, poverty, police, violence, and as a means of collective resistance (George,1998). The genre has spread like wildfire as youth all over the world realize the source of their struggles, the system, and begin to communicate with each other across national and racial boundaries.
It follows the African American (e.g. B.A.M) artist/oratory tradition that demands the “orator” express personal and communal convictions while maintaining African aesthetic forms (Keyes, 1996). The godfathers of this genre are Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaata, and Gil Scott Heron (George,1998). It is important to note that each ‘god father’ employed drums in their performances. Kool Herc brought the drum knowledge from Jamaica, Gil Scott Heron contributed drum knowledge as a Griot of the B.A.M, and Afrika Bambaata ‘consciousness’ of African heritage as a historian are the material “links” of drum knowledge. These links forms the basis for the use of the drum as tool of communication in Hip Hop.
There are four elements of Hip Hop: (1) the emcee (MC); (2) the DJ (Producer); (3) graffiti (visual art); (4) and breaking (dancing). The most influential is the DJ. He is responsible for communicating with the remaining three elements (Greenwald,1996). He also initiates moments of call and response with the crowd. The DJ is able to accomplish this through the administering of the beat similar to the drummer in Africa (Greenwald, 1996).
It is important to understand the transformative process that the drum under went in the United States. Conditions in the U.S. were not accepting of African cultural forms. This is seen in the establishment of “drums laws”, lack of access to natural resources, and various forms of racism. Perhaps the skill of making drums was lost, or simply phased out during these times of infamy. However, technology has filled this gap by transforming drum into the ‘beat’ via the beat machine, e.g. 808 (George, 1998). Hip Hop share concepts and musical forms with the drum in Africa including: 2/4 beat pattern; syncopated rhythm to pace dancers; repeats in integral parts of songs; signal call and response; repetitive beat pattern, and relationship to emphasizing the words of the orator (Keyes, 1996).
The DJ uses the beat machine, a keyboard shaped machine with hundreds of drum sounds, to make the ‘beat’. The beat machine allows the DJ/Producer to make an overlapping rhythm pattern that is guided by a variety of percussion instruments usually the bass, snare drums, and cymbals. The beat then forms the foundation for other instruments, sounds, and/or ad-libs that act as the musical backdrop of the Rap lyrics (Greewald,1996). The beat communicates to and for the MC as it serves to accentuates his lyrics/ punch lines and paces him throughout the song. This all contributes to Hip Hop’s reputation as percussion heavy music (Greenwald, 1996).
It is through the beat the DJ communicates with concert participants. This seen in ‘call and response’ moments that also allows the MC to rest. The ‘beat’ is also used to communicate by persons of the Hip Hop culture. ‘Hip Hop heads’ place huge speakers in their cars and the bass produced by the beat in the song signals their arrival at parties, events, clubs, concerts, etc. Telling the public ‘I’m here’.
The beat also communicates with the subconscious of listeners. This is accomplished through the implementation of excerpts from hit songs looped over a new beat. This is called sampling (Greenwald, 1996). The familiar ‘beat’ forms sparks ‘memory’ and forms an unseen link between the DJ and the listener. The DJ exploits this link as he wields power of suggestion over the crowd. He is able to coerce the crowd to the dance floor or settle a riled up crowd waiting for a late performance (Greenwald, 1996). Sampling used properly is very effective as it works as a Trojan Horse method of introducing new artist to fans under the past success of a predecessor. This is an affective method of communicating to the subconscious via the beat.
Conclusion
As a tool of communication the drum is Africa’s telegraph system (Bebey,1975). It is through the implementation of the drum via the beat that makes Hip Hop the CNN of Black community (Chuck D, 1997). The drum has allowed and continues to allow African peoples all over the world to communicate. In Hip Hop culture it’s called from ‘hood to hood’ (neighborhood) as the Ghetto Boys state, ‘the world is a ghetto’. Our ancestors used the drum to communicate from village to village across the savannahs, mountains, and deserts of Africa. Now the urban youth in the Diaspora use the beat to talk across the oceans, hills, prison bars, and urban concrete jungles throughout the world.
Works Cited
1. Ani, M. (1980). Let the Circle be Unbroken: The implications of African Spirituality in the Diaspora. New York: Nkonimfo Publications.
2. Bebey, F. (1975). African Music: A People’s Art. New York: Lawerence Hill Books.
3. Cullen-Rath, R. (2005). How Early America Sounded. New York: Cornell University Press.
4. Chuck D. with the assistance of Yusuf Jah. (1997). Fight the Power. New York: Delacorte Press.
5. Davis, S. (1992). Reggae Bloodlines: In search of the music and culture in Jamaica. New York: De Capo.
6. George, N. (1998). Hip Hop America. London: Penguin Books.
7. Greenwald, J. (2002). Hip Hop Drumming: The Rhyme may define, but the Groove makes you move. Black Music Research Journal. Vol. 22, No. 2. Autumn. pp. 259 – 271.
8. Hale-Benson, J. (1982). Black Children, Their Roots, Culture, and Learning Styles. Maryland: Brigham Young University Press.
9. Keyes, C. (1996). At the crossroads: Rap music and its African Nexus. Ethnomusicology, Vol. 40, No.2. Spring-Summer. pp. 223 – 248.
10. Sowande, F. (1969). The Role of Music in African Society. A speech given at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
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Rana Campbell graduated from Princeton University in 2013 with a degree in Sociology. She is currently completing a one year fellowship at the Vera Institute of Justice in NYC, where she works on the Pathways from Prison to Postsecondary Education Project. Rana is also a freelance content and branding strategist, specializing in copywriting/editing, branding strategy, and email marketing for growing businesses. Fun fact about Rana: Her favorite color is Turquoise and she loves a good workout mixed with dancehall music. Her interests include inner city community building, portrait photography, and fitness blogging. Follow her on Twitter/Instagram @rainshineluv. For more information, visit ranacampbell.com.
