The Work Songs of Enslaved Africans Have Shaped American Culture

In the process of developing the concept for the album Work Songs, I had a lot of time to reflect on how African American work songs have contributed to our contemporary culture. The journey was personally profound because hidden within fabric of these songs lie secrets of my heritage, both as a man and a musician.

Early work songs were not composed for the purpose of profit. They were created for transcending and transforming. Music was used as a tool to accomplish something bigger for the good of the community. As an African American, I draw strength and inspiration from these early works and the incredible ingenuity, perseverance, and creativity expressed therein. This music is evidence that great light can emerge out of the darkest moments of life.

It is impossible to talk about these songs without mentioning the African influence. It's evident that the earliest African Americans had a deep understanding of how rhythm relates to movement. They adapted this knowledge to their new environment, and work songs were a by-product. Many of the earliest work songs were composed for the specific purpose of accompanying actions like hammering, chopping, or rowing to make their work easier.

As a drummer myself, it is clear to me that the rhythms you hear in the earliest African American music have direct links to almost all contemporary music. Rhythm and dance in West African culture have worked together as a catalyst for community building—hip-hop producers like J Dilla, DJ Premier, and Dr. Dre masterfully manipulated these same fundamental poly-rhythms and discovered new ways to make people move their bodies.

Chris Sholar (co-writer and co-producer of Work Songs) and I discussed how powerful hooks are in early work songs. A hook is a repetitive mantra. When you repeat something over and over again, it creates a message that all people can connect to, just as they do in the majority of popular music we listen to today. A young child is able to sing a phrase with the elder because of the power of its simplicity. Singing a phrase together becomes a way for community to share and relate to one another's experiences.

Whenever I walk out of my door in Paterson, New Jersey, home of Fetty Wap, the first thing I usually hear coming from a car radio is trap music. Repetitive mantras are used all the time in trap. Influential music is so often developed by groups of people experiencing dangerous environments, because music and mantras are historically used as a way to get through the day.

Culture is greatly impacted by the phrases and slogans that we repeat to ourselves. Civil rights activists understood that and maximized the power of the song as a catalyst for change. The song "We Shall Overcome," which is believed to have originated from black tobacco workers in the middle of the 19th century, is one long repetitive mantra. The earliest work songs and spirituals were the basis of the blues that then evolved into jazz, rock 'n' roll, contemporary gospel, R&B, and now hip-hop, as well as many other sub genres. In all of these styles, you can find traces of these early inventions. Work songs remind us that music has the power to steer culture and society. Andrew Fletcher, a Scottish politician, once wrote, "Let me make the songs of a nation, and I care not who makes its laws."

As an artist, absorbing these roots has inspired and empowered me to look at music from a broader perspective. When I hear the music of Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Carlos Santana, Elvis Presley, Miles Davis, Prince, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Drake, or Beyoncé, I hear connections everywhere. We must continue to draw from the precious music of our past and find applications for the future. I would like to see more contemporary artists understand the power they have as songwriters to impact their communities with the principles of our foundational work songs.

Music and sound dramatically affect how we look at life. In the midst of incredible physical and emotional difficulty, certain work songs became vehicles that transported people from the high walls of despair to spiritual breakthroughs of freedom. It has been my personal mission to do my best to be a mouthpiece for these important voices and to highlight the creativity and beauty of African American history. We must remember that work songs and spirituals are at the foundation of most of the music that people in the United States, and the world, listen to today.

Jaimeo Brown Transcendence's 'Work Songs' is available now. Purchase it on iTunes. And follow Jaimeo on Twitter.