In class we discussed James Brown and his influence on music. We discussed James Brown’s shift of emphasis from the second and fourth beat to the first beat. James Brown is regarded as the Godfather of Soul and is one of the most renowned black artists of his time. Brown is seen as a role model for civil rights as he advocated for black pride in his music (Culture Trip). It is interesting when discussing James Brown and his influence on black artists because some of his changes in music come from a Latin American influence. This influence shows how deep music runs and even if a certain genre of music is associated with a group of people it has an ethnically diverse background. The music runs deeper than it may appear at the surface. Whether incorporating different cultural identities is a good or bad thing for music is up for debate, but it also shows a deeper struggle in music. These identities show there is a deeper meaning in music, but as music is modernized the meaning is essentially taken out of the music and music is seen as just a set of numbers when it is reproduced.

additional reading: https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/south-carolina/articles/funk-soul-brother-james-brown-s-revolution-in-sound/