Abstract - World Music

The genre World Music is music that mixes Western musical influences such as pop and hip hop with an artist’s traditional instruments and sounds. Thus, this genre is not limited to any one particular region or group since many different combinations of genres are possible. In Europe, Paris has become the epicenter for world music because the Parisian population includes a significant proportion of people from North Africa. Also, Paris has the necessary art facilities, resources and festivals to support the development of the genre. For our purposes, we will examine the growth and influence of world music in North America through an in depth look at artists such as K’naan, Wale, Daddy Yankee and genres such as reggaeton and Afro-Cuban.