From the beat of a LL Cool J song to the bling of a gold chain, Black culture influences the world everyday. In the past and in the present Black people have been the blueprint of Hollywood. 

Black culture was created due to African slaves in America being stripped of their culture and forced to conform to Westren society. During slavery Black people created music, food and traditions to inspire joy which influenced generations of artist. According to the International Journal of Education & Literacy Studies, “The Black culture [is] elevated by [a hopeful]  tradition created…to determine their personal freedom to escape from poverty of enslavement and to establish a way of life through tradition.”

MUSIC

Through the pain of enslaved Black people modern day music in America was

created. The influence of Black culture in music started with the genre rhythm and blues. Rhythm and Blues was influenced by“ work songs and field hollers, minstrel show music, ragtime, church music, and folk…,”stated by Britannica.

According to Britannica, as rhythm and blues became popular between the 50’s and 60’s, “postwar African-American popular music, as well as for some white rock music derived from it.”

Britannica stated that , “Almost all of America’s popular music—including jazz, blues, rock, soul, and hip-hop—has its origins in Black culture.”

The music genre’s jazz, soul and hip-hop are widely known as deriving from Black musicians however rock ‘n’ roll has an unknown history. Rock is seen as a genre with a White male audience however rock ‘n’ roll started with black men and women. 

Most people associate the beginning of rock ‘n’ roll with Elvis Presly however the sound of rock ‘n’ roll was created by Sister Rosetta Tharpe. “Sister Rosetta Tharpe [was] a self-taught guitarist who successfully crossed over from gospel music to rock ‘n’ roll,”stated by mic.com.

FASHION

Throughout decades Black culture has influenced mainstream fashion through Hip-Hop. Hip-Hop has influenced today’s fashion such as with the popularization of gold chains. According to Medium, as Hip Hop became popular rappers began wearing gold chains to “ show one’s achievement and attitude while not showing off their wealth.”

The influence of Hip-Hop in the fashion industry started, “In the 1980s and ‘90s, hip-hop stars, Run-DMC, LL Cool J, Salt-N-Pepa and others put their personal style on display,”according to Los Angeles Times.

The 80’s and 90’s Hip-Hop artists caused a chain reaction in the fashion industry where rappers’ unique style of track suits and looser clothing was at the forefront of fashion. Stated by Los Angeles Times, nowadays “track pants and hoodies are the new suit and tie, and slim silhouettes have given way to a looser, slouchy one.” 

SOCIAL MEDIA

Today the impact of Black culture on mainstream media is seen on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. On the app TikTok the younger generation or Gen Z began using slang and not informed about the history called Gen Z the creator. According to Fanbytes, certain slang such as “periodt’, ‘sipping tea’ and ‘beating your face’ are terms that originate from African American Vernacular English (AAVE), or its British equivalent. In particular, queer Black culture and drag queens.”

Although Black culture was created as a tradition to have hope during slavery, it has impacted the mainstream world influencing the trends of today.