History of African American Music Genres

The new book Black American History, from Plantations to Rap Culture is a must-read for readers who may have an avid interest in the origins of Black music in various genres, especially rap music. ‘At every stage of their integration on American soil, black people have created the kind of music that reflected their social integration as well as their state of mind,’ writes internationally acclaimed author Pascal Archimède, about his latest book.  The author’s research takes a behind-the-scenes look on this topic by focusing on the American rap music culture, all the way back to plantation ‘work songs’ that were so prevalent during the slavery era. But the writer takes his research even further by highlighting the evolution of how the African American musical culture and lifestyle has made a significant impact on Blacks who live in other countries in Europe, Africa, Caribbean islands and other parts of the world.

“For this book, on the academic side, I focused my research on the link between the evolution of black people on American soil and the various types of music that they created,” says Archimède during a recent interview. “On my personal side, I am from Guadeloupe, which is a French speaking Island. We are connected in terms of history. Black people who live in the U.S. are connected to us because our common ancestors, who were brothers, sisters, and relatives, were all massively deported from Africa on the same boats and were dispatched on different lands and territories. I mean what is going on in the United States with Blacks and Black culture, is a worldwide cause. How we as Blacks live in the United States, is also how we live in France. What we live in the French speaking islands, is what they also experience in the Spanish speaking islands. Those are the reasons why I got interested in writing down this book.”

Black American History, from Plantations to Rap Culture was released in February 2018. So far, the feedback has been more than favorable. According to Pascal, readers appreciate how well documented the book is, along with loving the beautiful black and white sketches throughout the book of African American icons such as James Brown, George Clinton, Rosa Parks, Notorious BIG, Tupac Shakur and others. Talented illustrator Hamed Pryslay Koutawa provided the book’s sketches, with artist Michael Damby’s powerful artwork featured on the cover.

Pascal is a successful ESL trainer who holds a Masters degree in English with a specialization in American civilization, and a Professional Masters in Skills Development in Adult Training.

In his earlier years, Pascal studied and played piano. His keen interest and love for music continued once he became an ESL trainer. He combined his passion for both and created a unique language teaching method based on music. As a result, Pascal released his first book ‘Music in Professional Language Training’ which is still available on Amazon. The success of this book and its subsequent teaching methods provided the author with invitations to leading colleges, universities and international conferences throughout Europe.

Today, Mr. Archimède makes his home in Hollywood, FL with his wife and two children. But he’s been a citizen of the world. He lived in Paris almost 16 years and before that, London and prior to then he resided in Barbados. Both of his books were written in Paris and are available on Amazon in English and French. “When you publish, two books one in French and one in English, it means that you are working in both markets–the French speaking one, and the English speaking one. It is so much work but it’s rewarding,” says Pascal. The multi-lingual author still finds time to write entertainment stories for NOFI, a Paris-based media company. He’s interviewed A-list names such as Jada Pinkett Smith, John Boyega and the cast of the mega-hit film Black Panther when it premiered in Paris.

Pascal isn’t quite sure what his next book will be but he’s certain that it will be something that pertains to music. Plans are to start writing the book very soon. To purchase a copy of Black American History, from Plantations to Rap Culture visit: https://www.amazon.com/Black-American-History-Plantations-Culture/dp/2356826696?keywords=black+american+history+from+plantation+to+rap+culture&qid=1536605148&sr=8-1&ref=mp_s_a_1_1

This article originally appeared in The Tennessee Tribune.