Black artists music wouldn't be the same without

Black artists music wouldn't be the same without

There is no American music without Black roots. From country-western, which draws upon banjo music from Africa, to rock ‘n’ roll—first electrified by a Black woman in 1938—every major American genre traces its lineage to Black innovation and creativity. American music, at its core, is inseparable from a history defined by reinvention and resilience. Every artist reshapes their medium by participating in it, but some redefine it entirely. Through…