Is Hip hop folk music?

When people picture folk music in their head they usually envision back woods hill billy's strumming a banjo. The image of hip hop is certainly not a thought that comes across their thinking. But hip hop can be considered to be folk music. Folk music in itself is music of a people, and people musics can be influenced by others peoples music but the outcome is something that is theirs. Hip hop is an example of that. hip hop comes the back streets of the urban cities and it is the music of the people that live within these areas. But hip hop did not transform over night, not int the least rather it comes a long line of influences of other folk music.

When folk music is handed down to the next generation of folk there are changes made with the new hands that take it. This change can be influenced from adapting to a new era with new ideas and styles of music or new struggles , problems, or events that occurring during the generation. Like a set of dominoes, each generation of a folk music influences the next and it changes as it shifts to the next era, but yet they can all be linked together in a chain like fashion. If you look at hip hop and the way it is played and structured you can connect it to African American slaves on cotton farms in the south. The foundation of modern Hip Hop can be found to be linked from traditional African American Music.


This music first started out in the fields with simple work songs. This music carried on into the churches of the African Americans once they were liberated from slavery and it later transformed into the musical genre of the blues. From the blues the denomination of R&B was created and from there such musical styles as Motown, soul, and funk were forged. From there hip hop was sparked from all of these influences, each aspect helped to piece together what we know today as hip hop. Each generation is linked and is influenced by each other making he end product of hip hop.


Hip hop will eventually help to influence a new form of music as the next era of music comes just as the blues and soul have influenced hip hop. Hip hop can be considered to be a modern day version of African American work songs or Motown. Each genre has played a part in creating hip hop. Therefore hip hop can be considered to be folk music because it is a product of a long line of folk music from different generations. Each generation influences the other but a change occurs when it moves on to the next era, hip hop is a product of change and the handing down of music from another generation.


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Is Folk Music still Alive?

In a generation filled with music that's driven by electronic programming and studio magic, has folk music fallen to the wayside? If you listen to the music of today's generation you will find that it all stems from other generations of music eventually leading to its folk music origin. Folk music is alive today and it holds  relevance because today's folk music is just a modify version of folk roots. Today's  Alternative rock, Indie rock, Hip Hop, Rap, and general Popular music all relate to its past generations forms. Take Hip Hop and Rap for an example, "popular black music, with its strong roots in tradtional forms, the church and blues (R&B), Mowtown and soul, funk, and rap" (Lornell 325).

The foundation of modern Hip Hop and Rap can be found to be linked from traditional African American Music. This music first started out in the fields with simple work songs. This music carried on into the churches of the African Americans once they were liberated from slavery and it later transformed into the musical genre of the blues. From the blues the denomination of R&B was created and from there such musical styles as Motown, soul, and funk were forged. From all these changes over the generations  modern Rap was born.

 Even today's Alternative rock and Indie rock can linked to past generational forms of rock music. You can start the root of rock from the Blues which is connected to African American work songs. Rock and Roll is a subset of the Blues, from it came R&B and then transformed into Rockabilly music in the 1950's that gave birth to such legends as Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis. From there came early Rock in the 1960's then into the hair bands of the 1980's.
In the end from all this transformation came into what we know today as modern Alternative rock and Indie rock. Just like today's Hip Hop and Rap modern Rock has connections to past generational musical forms. Folk music is not dead in today's music nor i it lost, it simply has been modified like all folk music has as it travels into a new generations hands.

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The Revival of Folk Music in the 1960's

The 1960's where a time of a generational change in America along with this time of change came a rival of folk music. This revival of American folk music seem to cut it's self off from "the old free America". This generation of folk musicians expressed their desire to "cut American off fro any need to measure themselves against the idealism of the Utopian, the puritans" (Marcus 89). This generation of youth wanted to wonder way from the ideal "freedom" of old America that their parents held in high regard.  These youth were "...pioneers  that demanded for a new world with every wish for change" (Marcus 89) from the old ideals of America.

Folk musician such as Robert Zimmerman or other wise know as Bob Dylan, was a leader for this yearning for change in old America. This generational desire for change was seen to be weird in the eyes of the older generations in America because they had held these ideals Puritanism for so long.This folk must revival was a a gate way for other ethnic music in America to express there cultural identity and their view on society.

These ethnic groups included the African American and the blues and the Spanish Americans with Latino music. The folk revial was not just a time of new music but also a time of great change in American society. The revival of folk music in America in the 1960's was a time of culture change in regards to the new ideals for America and was a gate way for other ethnic groups to express their music.







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Authenticity and Folk Music

Authenticity in regards to folk music is the genuineness and originality of a folks music. It is something that has been untainted with by the ideals of main stream society and it is left in its purest form. It is of the folk itself with no other opposing outside forces that try to tamper with it. Authenticity in folk music matters because  if the music is kept authentic then people can truly understand the music. The music hasn't been changed to form to the models that a pop society demands or what sells, it honest to itself therefore making it truly what it is. If it left untouched by the hands of outside folk the music is and will stay authentic. Authenticity has affected folk music in many ways. Ethnomusiclogist such as John Lomax tampered the cow boy and folk songs he collected by making them into a product that could sell to a pop culture society rather than let the people appreciate the music for what it is.

 An example of John Lomax's work is the African American musician Lead Belly. Lomax discovered Lead Belly when he was collecting folk songs from jails and he decided to take Lead Belly out and use him as a way to bring in money, while at the same time using Lead Belly as a source of authentic folk music. Lomax consider Lead Belly to be authentic because he had spent time in prison for so many years that he had been untouched by society. In reality Lomax striped Lead Belly of his authenticity because he created him into a product that could selling to the viewing public.


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THe Revival of Folk Music

Slobin Chapter 5

Folk music has evolved from the countryside to mediated music due to internal needs and from external pressures. Folk music started as a use to many kinds of movements like religious, radical, and progressive. These songs types were expressed throughout the world eventually moving from the countryside to the city.

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Lornell Chapter  10

The folk rival describes how folk musicians reverted back to the music tradition always. These musicians come from different regional, racial, and ethnic backgrounds.  In the early 1960’s musicians went through the red roots phase which was a politicized folk song movement. Musicians like Mike Seeger played Appalachian mountain music.  

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Is the Blues Folk Music?

The blues is such a distinct and popular genre of music with multiple styles and interpretations of it. But is this popular well know genre of music folk music? Most would agree that the blues is a family member of folk music but there are aspects within the blues that can be considered to stray away from folk music.

It can be noted that the blues origins stem from the African slaves that were forced over to American. The blues first took form of simple work songs and eventually developed into something bigger. It developed into its own genre with numerous styles and has become woven into the fabric of American music. The foundation of what makes the blues a relative of folk music is that "...blues songs are adapted and passed along in traditional folk manner" (Wald 111)much like the folk songs of immigrants that came to the new world. The passing down of songs from generation to generation is the life blood of folk music. The passing down of songs is one of the corner stones of the blues. In folk music there are aspects within the music that can be found from other cultural folk music. The blues has been "...quoted with some lyrics that were popular with colored soldiers in France"(Wald 111). There are major foundations in folk music that are found in the blues and are major corner stones of it.

But there are also aspects in the fabric of the blues that are considered to stray away from the ways of folk music. One major part is that the blues is often "...regarded as a pop rather than folk style specifically, as a variety of ragtime" (Wald112). To some people regard he blues as popular music rather than apart of folk music.

Folk music, especially the blues, and commercial interest have interacted since the early twentieth century. It began when"commercial record companies began seriously recording regional country, blues. and gospel artists simultaneous to radio's first days" (Lornell 51).  As these folk styles became popular within the regions they originated from there became an increasing want to record and broadcast the music. These songs recordings would be advertised in "newspapers and magazines advertisement...in monthly releases" (Lornell 51). This interaction does affect these cultural traditions because it forms them into a main stream mold that transforms the style into what they people want to hear rather than keep it traditional. It is great that folk songs of a people are broadcast out throughout the nation. But with that the folk music seems to lose its value and originality.

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The Blues and nothing but the Blues

The blues is weaved  into the fabric of American music, It is one of those generations of American that has adapted and grown since it was developed by the African American. The music itself contains different aspects and takes on it. Musicologist Robert Palmer has found features within the blues.
What we know as the blues was considered as "black country" and its origins are derived from the African slaves that were forced to America in the eighteen hundreds. These song were used during work time to pass the time and to entertain the mind through he long mundane tasks. These songs are lead by a single singer and are comprised of improvised short lines. This songs generally took on Biblical, romantic, or of themes of struggle. Through the generation this music has modeled to the specific ways of that time but still retaining its principles.
The blues, like with any form of music, can hold different definitions to different people. Musician Elijah Wald defines the blues as first being black popular music that derived from folk of poor background. It was used to help other folk understand the problems and aspirations of folk on the on the street or out in the country. Later down the road music formed into something entirely different that being played for a white cult audience that picked up on the blues and interpreted it as there own,
Wald also strongly advocated for a blues musician named Robert Johnson who like Charley Patton, did not want become a superstar of the music or make it into the mainstream. Rather he aspired to make genuine blues popularized. All though he did not make a dent during his time of perform his work played more of an impacted down the road because he became the primary example of pure blues.
Blues music started out as simple work songs but later evolved into one of the strongest forms of music we know today. There are many variations to the music but may try to keep it pure like Robert Johnson. But the blues is music of the folk.






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