Curated category
African-American cultural history
- Soul musicRay Charles released the single I Got a Woman in 1954, marking a pivotal moment where gospel fervor met secular lyrics. This recording combined blues, rhythm…
- Swing musicIn 1924, Louis Armstrong joined the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra in New York. This move shifted how jazz bands played rhythm forever.
- JazzIn the late 1800s, enslaved people gathered in Congo Square, New Orleans, to dance and play drums. These gatherings preserved African rhythmic traditions…
- Hip-hopOn the 11th of August 1973, a back-to-school party took place in the recreation room at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue. DJ Kool Herc used two turntables to extend the…
- FunkThe word funk initially referred to a strong odor. It is originally derived from Latin via Old French, and in this sense it was first documented in English…
- Slavery in the United StatesIn 1703, more than 42 percent of New York City households held enslaved people in bondage. This figure stood second only to Charleston, South Carolina, where…
- African-American cultureIn 1850, a group of enslaved people in Georgia lived under the shadow of white supremacy that sought to strip them of their African culture.
- Rhythm and bluesIn 1948, Jerry Wexler of Billboard magazine coined the term rhythm and blues to describe recordings marketed predominantly to African Americans.
- Hip-hop cultureOn the 11th of August 1973, a high-rise apartment at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the South Bronx hosted an indoor party that would ignite a global cultural…