Vibrations
Series: Have You Heard George's Podcast? - Chapter III
Publisher: The BBC
Episode number: 8
Length (minutes): 31
Description:
There was a moment, somewhere between the 1980s and 1990s, when Black music turned gangsta. This moment shaped two of the world’s most influential genres: American Rap and Jamaican Dancehall. The story behind the music is one of oppressed Africans unlocking the ancient powers of their ancestors to break free. The dark side of this story is that many of those Africans, descended from slaves, embraced the pattern of violence that had cursed them for so long and slowly turned against each other. Was gangsta music the explosion of Black culture, or the implosion of Black power? In the end, the market decides.
Warning: This episode contains very strong language and language which may offend, as well as adult themes.