Wednesday, March 17, 2010

The Formation of a Global Identity

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. The genre is not limited to any particular region, since numerous artists’ music can be considered world music. In Europe, Paris has become the epicenter for world music because the Parisian population includes people from many different cultures and Paris has the necessary art facilities, resources and festivals to support the development of the genre. In North America, world music developed quite differently because of an increased influence from the Hispanic community. For our purposes, we will examine the growth and influence of world music through the examination of music by artists such as K’naan, Akon, and Daddy Yankee. In an increasingly connected age, world music facilitates the formation of a new social identity, a global community.


There exists varying definitions for world music: world music is music from any culture or world music is music that combines Western musical influences with traditional/folk styles and sounds. We will employ the latter definition because most music in North America is a mixture of influences such as the artist’s experiences, current events, and other musicians. World music is a combination of musical influences such as pop, rap and R&B from the western world and traditional influences such as drums, instruments and beats. Artists utilize contemporary beats and rhythms to produce a sound that is easily recognizable in the West. For example, an artist might choose to use a repeated deep bass line to lay the foundation of the song. Or perhaps a deep bass such as that found on many rap albums to build upon and produce a song. These artists are also influenced by their respective cultures. So an artist originally from North Africa might choose to incorporate string instruments, the equivalent of lyres, into his music. An artist from India might utilize more drums and some wind instruments into his/her music. Note that influences are not limited to the sound of the music but extend to the message found within the music. An artist’s experiences in his homeland are an integral part of world music because many of these artists have rather extraordinary stories and encounters that they share with their audience through their music. So, it is by this process of blending western influences and traditional influences, both sonically and lyrically, that the genre of world music is formed.

Numerous artists contribute to the formation of a new global community including K’naan, Akon, M.I.A and Daddy Yankee. These artists count as world musicians because it is clear that each artist is influenced by his/her motherland in the music. Knaan was born in Somalia and later moved to Toronto, Canada with his family (K’naan). He comes from a line of artists; his mother having been one Somalia’s most popular singers and his grandfather, a poet. In Somalia, his family lived and struggled through the Somalia Civil War which is ongoing. This rough part of K’naan’s life, in addition to exposure to rap music and culture, later inspired him when the time came for the production and release of his music (K’naan). Born Aliaune Badara Akon Thiam, Akon was born in Missouri to Senegalese parents originally from Dakar, Senegal. He grew up in Senegal until the age of seven when he moved back to America with his parents (Biography of Akon). Akon’s father was a percussionist and when Akon begun his music career, influences from his parents and an appreciation of West-African vocal styles are immediately apparent in his music. The next artist is Mathangi Arulpragasam, better known as M.I.A from Sri Lanka. M.I.A is considered a world musician not only because she is Sri Lankan but also because of her third album entitled Kala (Biography of Maya Arulpragasam). Kala affirms M.I.A’s status as a world musician because the songs were written as M.I.A was travelling between India, Liberia, Japan, Australia, United Kingdoms, Jamaica and the United States. Thus, all the songs on the album were influenced by the different cultures M.I.A encountered on her travels. “Paper Planes,” “World Town” and “Hussel” from the album Kala all carry universal themes that M.I.A observed such as immigration policy and war. Finally, Daddy Yankee, a Puerto Rican reggaeton musician, is also considered alongside the preceding artists as a world musician because his music transcends local tastes in Puerto Rico and is listened to in North America and Latin America. His album Barrio Fino was well received across the Americas, Europe and the single “Gasolina” was a number one hit in Japan (Biography for Daddy Yankee). The ability to successfully present their cultures to a global community is the unifying factor among these artists. By combining the sounds and stories of their cultures and homelands with Western musical influences, these artists begin to portray our new identity as a global community with all the different cultures intertwined into one. The mixing of musical identities is only the beginning to this broad process.

As technology improves and transportation between historically difficult terrains and seas becomes faster, the creation of a global identity is inevitable because with globalization, people move between regions more frequently. One way to measure the formation of a global identity is through music and the genre world music is a perfect vessel through which to study the status of our global community. As mentioned earlier, world music is thriving in Europe especially in urban centers due to very diverse populations. The same is true in the United States. Hispanics comprise of an increasing proportion of the American population, thirty-eight million Hispanics in the US today (Nava). When they immigrate into the United States, they bring their culture with them including language, food, customs, attire, history, and most importantly, their music (Nava). Latin Americans brought with them styles such as salsa and reggaeton which is a phenomenon in the Hispanic community. The infusion of this rich musical background into mainstream American music, the mixing of these cultures will create a hybrid culture that encompasses people from both American and Hispanic backgrounds. Such a phenomenal occurring on the global stage would swiftly create a global identity. One particularly good example of the mixing of two cultures as seen through music is found in Cuba. During the 1800s when slavery was still legal, many slaves from Sub-Saharan Africa were sold to farmers in Cuba and other island nations in the Caribbean Sea to work in the sugar plantations (Afro-Cubans). Once slavery was outlawed in Cuba, former slaves stayed in Cuba and thereby allowed their culture to grow and become interwoven with Cuban culture (Afro-Cubans). Heavy on percussion, Afro-Cuban music grew to include both African and Spanish influences and is divided into two different varieties; profane and religious. Profane Afro-Cuban music focuses on carnival music, festive music like the rumba whereas religious Afro-Cuban music includes chants, rhythms and instruments used for spiritual ceremonies. Both varieties do however maintain a strong African rhythm. This example illustrates how when different cultures unite, the formation of a new identity, however small, is certain. We live in a global age; an age where the policies of one state directly affect another country, an age where jobs are being shipped overseas for lower productions costs, an age where breaking news is readily accessible to those all the way across the globe. So, the creation of a global community is an easily accomplished task.

Thus, perhaps a similar phenomenal is occurring in the United States between mainstream American culture and Hispanic culture. Peter Narvaez in his article for the Black Music Research Journal discusses how African-American blues were affected by Hispanic musical traditions. Blues musicians near the Texas-Mexico border and in New Orleans adopted some of the styles they observed from the influx of Latin Americans such as the lifestyles of Mexican street singers and some of the same general chord progressions (Narvaez). Once significant proportions of Hispanics begun immigrating into the USA, artists who came in contact with the foreign musical styling of Latin music begun adopting it to enhance their own sounds and music. Today, the influences are more pronounced. In dance, Latin dance styles such as the samba, cha-cha, rumba, salsa, mambo, and merengue are still performed and inspire new dance styles and songs. Vocally, artists such Akon and Will.I.Am collaborate with Latino artists like Daddy Yankee. Such collaborations occur because the artists acknowledge the talent of Latin American artists and the fact that the collaboration gives more legitimacy to the music. Thus, the music appeals to a broader audience. Artists such as Jennifer Lopez and Shakira are successful in the American music industry because not only do they have the support of their ancestral homelands, Puerto Rico and Columbia respectively, but also because their music translates and is relevant to the American audience. Being able to produce music that moves both Latin Americans and Americans is strong evidence for the formation and even perhaps existence of a universal community, an American identity in this particular case.

Music allows for the development of social identity by combining the experiences of a community. Because we live in an increasingly connected global community thanks to better technology, our music will change to account for changes in our community, changes in our culture. It is through this process that world music represents each individual’s identity on Earth because we all have shared experiences. Now of course there will always be local musical movements that cannot be replicated all over globe, thus the existence of other genres that are limited to specific audiences, but world music is the only genre that transcends borders and barriers thereby creating an identity to which all can belong. K’naan, M.I.A, Daddy Yankee, Akon, Shakira and many other artists are pioneers in the creation of a global identity because they readily present the stories and influences of their homelands. Note also that popular artists such as Brittney Spears, U2, Beyonce, and most recently Lady Gaga are also world musicians because they tour and present their music to international audiences and the fact that audiences worldwide enjoy these artists’ music indicates that the fans share in the experiences of the artist and his or her culture. Therefore, the existence of a global identity is an undeniable fact as seen through the prevalence and growth of world music.

No comments:

Post a Comment