this post was submitted on 26 Jun 2025
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[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 83 points 4 months ago (9 children)

Jazz, Rock, Disco, and Rap, at minimum.

[–] Forester@pawb.social 24 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

Dubstep has strong roots to Jamacian Dub. https://youtu.be/NUOeHoLCisw. Except for the dub guys, are actual wizards making all of their effects with analog technology.

[–] huppakee@feddit.nl 11 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Also reggea and dancehall come from Jamaica as well, incredible such a small country having so much influence.

[–] eatCasserole@lemmy.world 21 points 4 months ago (1 children)
[–] Skullgrid@lemmy.world 13 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (2 children)

It's assumed here that rock is derived from blues

EDIT : Blues is blues, which is obviously black.

[–] lugal@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Blues is the plural of blue which is a different color from black according to modern color theory

[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 16 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Blues is the plural of blue which is a different color from black according to modern color theory

Big if true

[–] sangriaferret@sh.itjust.works 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Rock had a whooole lot of influences including white ones.

[–] Skullgrid@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago (1 children)
[–] sangriaferret@sh.itjust.works 13 points 4 months ago

How much time do you have, ha?

This is one of the most well researched pieces of work I've ever come across. Like somebody's PhD dissertation. A ten year project for the author. I can't recommend it enough.

So just to throw some names out there of white people who significantly influenced rock music: Johnny Otis, Bob Wills, Cosimo Matassa.

Seriously, check out this podcast you're interested in this stuff. I think it's on other platforms if you don't have Spotify.

https://open.spotify.com/show/7KGhTDsEpOgBAT24WfpTkk

[–] vala@lemmy.world 11 points 4 months ago

Funk, Blues, R&B, Reggae, Bebop, Swing...

[–] BakerBagel@midwest.social 10 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Techno came from black kids on Detroit listening to Kraftwerk and then exporting that sound back to Germany

[–] 5in1k@lemmy.zip 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

They lived in Belleville, but no one knows where that is.

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[–] can@sh.itjust.works 8 points 4 months ago (1 children)
[–] Forester@pawb.social 5 points 4 months ago (2 children)
[–] sangriaferret@sh.itjust.works 4 points 4 months ago

I don't necessarily agree that they "invented" punk but Bad Brains definitely invented hardcore.

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[–] huppakee@feddit.nl 31 points 4 months ago (4 children)

I feel like the roots of basically all western mudic today are African American, if you consider techno to have come from hiphop/r&b and punk rock.

[–] lugal@lemmy.dbzer0.com 21 points 4 months ago (4 children)

In Germany, we differentiate E- and U-Musik. E (Ernst) means "serious" and is classical music and stuff. U (Unterhaltung) = entertainment and is everything African American inspired (Jazz, Rock, Pop, hip hop, ...). This difference basically exists to devalue everything that isn't central European in origin

[–] Prunebutt@slrpnk.net 17 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Yeah... Mozart's compositions definetly are only serious and not for entertainment at all. Stuff like... checks notes "Leck mich im Arsch" or the original text of "Bona Nox". /s

[–] glimse@lemmy.world 10 points 4 months ago

Adam Neely has a good video on this. Music is constantly judged on how well it conforms to "the harmonic style of 18th century European musicians"

https://youtu.be/Kr3quGh7pJA

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[–] CaptainBlagbird@lemmy.world 15 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Except for traditional Folk from various European locations. I think this still counts as "Western Music", even if it isn't that popular.

If you consider the Western World to be purely Northern America, then I think you're right, since Native American tribes are normally not considered Western.

Imo, the best music comes from a mix of various cultures, I'm a huge fan of Folk Rock/Metal. (Rock and thus Metal obviously coming from Blues).

[–] huppakee@feddit.nl 5 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Definitly true and fair point, yes i meant pop music in western countries. Also still a lot of new classical music being released. I would be more right if i had said 'almost all genres of western pop music have Afro-American roots'.

[–] CaptainBlagbird@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

All good, I didn't want to accuse you of being wrong or anything. I just like to think of exceptions in cases like that. And I learned a few things on the way :)

[–] huppakee@feddit.nl 2 points 4 months ago

I didn't feel accused, so all good :)

[–] homoludens@feddit.org 2 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

That's the first time I have heard techno coming from hiphop and ~~techno~~ punk rock. I thought it was more disco (which also has African American roots of course) and Krautrock etc.

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Most of Elvis early hits were ripoffs of black music

[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 17 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (9 children)

This scenario has happened so many zillion times it's not the least bit astounding - something becomes popular with a group of people, then another group and another, in spite of some people hating it or sometimes because of that, and the business world figures out how to make money off it.

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[–] edryd@lemmy.world 7 points 4 months ago

"The only art form that Americans have invented, that will commend us down through the years to posterity, is a music born primarily in a community that has the historical memory of being unfree is a supposedly free land" - Ken Burns

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