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Off The Wall: Onto The World!
By Sistah SharonM…
I really had no intentions of watching the Jackson
Memorial service, yesterday. I assumed it would follow today’s usual format that too often devalues life, titillates the senses,
and celebrates death. As one who has been “Black” all of my life, I simply wanted to quietly honor the passing of this brilliant
man who obviously struggled with living in America on many fronts.
But, something compelled me to watch “a little
of it, at least”. A little turned out to be two hours; and I am glad I watched and renewed my assurance that many throughout
the world got an opportunity to see that we are indeed a people of resilience and dignity.
As an ordained minister
who focuses upon the significance between what we consider sacred and its relevance to cultures throughout the world, I was
indeed proud of how true the memorial service reflected the traditional practices of African America. Black “liturgy” was
handled with the open quality that is a known part of who we are, but is too often misunderstood by other cultures…and even
within some of our own Black churches!
Recognizing that there were indeed similarities to other religious traditions,
the service was true to its Black church roots. Beginning with the Official minister who presided over the occasion; the Greetings;
the reading of Condolences; the Tributes; the Musical selections; the Eulogy; the Benediction. All of these elements are found
within traditional Black church practices, even if they may be named, differently.
Ending with the personal remarks
by the family…including his oldest child…and the leaving after her emotional breakdown…was not only appropriate, but an example
of a moment that reflected how spontaneous dignity overrode the scripted ending. And of course, everyone in Black “Churched”
America knows of the repast…that is the time to reconnect with the needs of the living after recognizing the community’s loss.
Yet,
many people still don’t seem to know (or recognize) there is a “method” to how we acknowledge what is sacred to us. This lack
of knowledge about African American life is why so much that is sacred within our culture is easily interpreted and redirected
into popular culture, and reduced to commercial enterprises.
Unfortunately, it often seems other cultures are resistant
to, or uncomfortable with, recognizing that African America is indeed a multi-faceted, complicated culture, full of creative,
productive, and resilient sources of energy that feed the mouths, hearts, and spirits of many, globally! We continue to produce
brilliance that not only entertains, but also leads the world in every possible societal segment, including politics!
Not
only was this memorial beautifully orchestrated, it was also a global “teach-in” for those who had no idea of what it means
to be beautifully Black in America. Once again, thanks, Michael!
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All
praises to the miraculous intervention of God!!!
This is not merely an American victory...the miraculous election of
President Barak Obama as 44th President of the USA...it is evidence of a spiritual victory that will resonate throughout the
world...and it will take years to unpack, study, restore the United States as an example of communities within one global
community...and many prayers for reconciliation that will impact this decision to shift the paradigm in favor of the human
family, globally...evidence of Divine Intervention is so apparent...those with eyes let them see...those with ears let them
hear!!!
A NEW STUDY GUIDE ON B.O.B.C.A.T. PAGE: "The Indigenous African American: An Introspective View Of Culture,
Identity, and Heritage"
Stay tuned...the best is yet to come...because God is constant!!!!
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The Link from African to African American Music: A Circular
Journey of Sacred Expression Throughout History
by Kenneth Kirkwood
Before Columbus: African Religion and customs
before European Exploration of the Americas
As we have learned throughout these past 15 weeks, the world we live
in is neither linear, neat, nor tidy. Life is not a straight line, but a circle. All things are connected. We may try
to compartmentalize our lives into varying parts but it is clear that all things are connected. This idea of the circular
way of life is an African world view. In this world view, there is no separation between the secular and the sacred. Everything
flows as one. So it is also with African music and the musical forms which African Americans have developed. Here, the history
of African and African American music in the Black Church will be examined, with a special focus on the African roots of musical
traditions still practiced in today. Also we will look at new forms of African American spiritual music, such as Holy Hip
Hop and Gospel Rock. and how these forms of Black sacred music vary radically from traditional music in the Black Church,
yet still maintain certain characteristics that are essential to African music.
Although my paper will focus more
on music within the African American Church, it seems fitting to uncover some evidence of sacred African traditions in the
Americas before slavery. African religions were a heavy influence among the indigenous tribes of the Americas long before
the Atlantic slave trade and even before Columbus set sail in 1492. I believe that it is unreasonable to mention the influence
African Americans had on Christianity in the Americas without first recognizing the African religions that permeated this
region thousands of years before hand. By doing this we recognize the dawn of African influence in the Americas and can trace
this influence even unto the present day. First, we will deal with spirituality, which will lead us to the passion which
infuses African and African American music in the church. For to the African, there was no such thing as “secular” and “sacred”
but everything was seen as connected. A circle of life and being was central to the African way of life. All things were
connected and nothing was disconnected. So we start our journey by tracing the similarities between ancient Egypt and various
Native American tribes. This will allow us to see the start of African influence in the Americas, which will lead us to the
music and sacred customs Africans brought with them to America and how those very same customs are alive and well today.
As
evidence of African religious influence in the Americas prior to slavery, author Ivan von Sertima speaks of the striking similarities
of the mummification processes of ancient Egypt and Mexico. In his work They Came before Columbus, Sertima sites many examples
of Egyptian influence among Mexican mummification. First there is the Jade mask that covers the face of the dead. This mask
is seen in both cultures. Also, there is the similarity between the sarcophagi used to house the bodies. Sarcophagi used
in Mexico have the same widened bottoms as those used in Egypt. What is strange about this is that the Egyptians would bury
their dead vertically, meaning the widened bottom would create stability and enable the coffin to stand alone. Yet the mummies
in Mexico were buried horizontally, lying flat. They had no need for these flared bottoms yet mimicked them nonetheless.
Another example of an African custom which was adopted by indigenous tribes in the Americas is the mummification of dogs.
In Peru, dogs were mummified and buried with rulers. Yet, the dogs buried do not look like the indigenous dogs of South
America. They bare an uncanny resemblance to that of the basenji, a dog worshipped by the pharaohs which today can only be
found in Africa.
What we have started with here may seem to be disconnected from the latter contribution of Africans
in America, but in actuality these examples mark the beginning of sacred African practices in the New World, paving the way
for what was to follow. These aspects of Egyptian religion and culture were the harbingers of things to come, a foreshadowing
of a much greater influence which was to follow, albeit differently and by force. Nonetheless, the influence was great then,
and would be in the years to come. Although enslaved Africans would for the most part assimilate the religions of their masters
in America, differing from Egyptian explorers, they brought along with them a unique rhythm and sound. Christianity was in
store for a uniquely African perspective, just. Just as the Egyptians had left their mark on the indigenous tribes of North
and South America. So would these slaves leave their lasting influence and perspective on Christianity.
Part 2
Connections
between music in Africa and music in the African American Church.
Before we can discuss the music which evolved
within the Black Church, it would be fitting to recognize its roots in Africa. This gives us the proper mind set while also
allowing us to gain a perspective of the lasting effects of what is truly spiritual, and cannot be explained by conventional
means. First, we will uncover the roll which music played in Africa. For in Africa, music was so closely related to sacred
rituals and events that without the music there was no sacredness.
In his work People Get Ready! A New History of
Black Gospel Music, Bob Darden writes of the importance of music to African rituals and sacred customs, saying it was and
is “inextricably intertwined in African religious practice.” Although music is not an essential part of western religious
practices, to many African cultures music was the sacred aspect of a ritual. Darden quotes John Roberts who gives examples
of the Yoruba and the Dahomean’s use of drums and rhythms in their ceremonial rituals. Simply put, Roberts says that without
the drums, there is no visitation by the Spirit, and if there is no visitation by the Sprit, there is no ritual. This statement
struck a nerve with me, reminding me not only of how music is used in my own church, but in a church I visited, Edified Christian
Ministries, of which the Pastor is Glenwood Williams. Music was an integral part of the entire service, with the Praise
and Worship making up the bulk of the spiritual experience. Although Bible readings and the spoken word was integral in the
service, there was about 45 minutes of spoken word and over 2 hours of musical expression in the form of Praise and Worship
songs. Even after the spoken word had been given, the call to salvation was given with the request of a song. Also, the
guest speaker, the Pastor of my home church, Pastor Barbara Brown, invited the congregation to “Enter Into Worship,” which
is said to be an indwelling and visitation by the very presence of God. To do this, she requested a song from the musicians
and psalmists. As in the example and explanation given by John Roberts, the same is true of my site visit. Without the music,
there would have been no indwelling of the spirit; no worship experience. What this is an example of is a direct correlation
between ancient African use of music for sacred ritualistic practices and how music is used in the African American Church.
It is important to note that this linkage of music and a sacred spiritual experience is not used in Catholic services or
even a number of conservative white churches. For example, the choir which performed at our visit to the National Cathedral
was not meant to be essential to the worship experience, but to add to it. Without those particular selections, the importance
of the Cathedral would still have been grasped. This is not the case when examining my visit to Edified Christian Ministries.
The music was essential to the sacredness of the experience, drawing a direct connection with evidence presented by Darden.
How can this connection be explained? Most of the congregation had been born and raised in America and had little if any
knowledge of African musical and sacred customs. As stated in the introduction of this section, what cannot be described
is African spirit, which seems to have been pass on through generations, surpassing cultural experience, language, and time.
There is a connection between then and now which has been handed down from generation to generation, harkening back to the
time of our ancestors.
A particular aspect of the sacred music used in Africa which has been passed down throughout
the generations is the ring shout. According to Working the Spirit by Joseph M. Murphy, the ring shout was used by African
areas such as the Upper Guinea, Dahomey, and the Kongo-Angola. Even today the ring shout is practiced in America, mainly
in Southern Black Churches but also in Black Churches all over the country. Although spaced apart by many years, the ring
shout which was indigenous to Africa and the Christianized version share striking similarities. Participants gather in a
circle, call songs, and move counterclockwise while stamping their feet in a rhythm. This, according to Murphy, is a synthesis
of practices found throughout Africa, brought together by the communing of slaves from many different African regions in one
location. Again, this is evidence to show the direct correlation between African musical traditions and practices and those
that are still used today in services held by African Americans. Even in my home church, Full Gospel Emancipation Life Center,
we gather in a circle to sing songs and also to pray.
Another aspect of African music which carried over to the United
States is what Darden calls “rhythmic tension.” In most western European music the melodic accents follow the beat. This
is not found in African music, in which the accents are free from the rhythm. The accented melodies are purposefully staggered
and misplaced, creating rhythmic freedom. This is all held together by a strong percussive beat. If this sounds very familiar,
it is because it is reproduced in almost every Black Church in America every Sunday morning. Syncopation, improvisation,
and alternate melodies and rhythms are all central components of modern Gospel and African American spiritual music.
Also
present in many African forms of music were lyrics filled with cultural and spiritual undertones, often containing cryptic
messages. This is a direct connection to songs composed in African languages which would be extremely expressive since these
African languages had been evolving for many years. Slaves would often produce calls and songs unintelligible to their white
masters and owners. This was a form of music. In a quote by Frederick Law Olmstead mentioned in Shane and Graham White’s
The Sounds of Slavery, this type of call is explained in detail. “…one of the men “raised such a sound as I had never heard
before, a long, loud, musical shout, rising, and falling, and breaking into falsetto….”” This can also be found in many
Negro Spirituals, many of which carried cryptic messages and instructions for slaves. Songs such as Wade in the Water were
not only spiritual in their meaning, but carried a message for nearby slaves who were hiding:
Wade in the water.
Wade
in the water children.
Wade in the water.
God's gonna trouble the water
Slaves who were nearby knew to head
to the water, perhaps to mask their scent from bloodhounds sent by the master or to hide there until it was safe. As were
the songs in Africa, the spiritual music created by slaves was deep with cultural meaning and cryptic messages.
The
last connection I will mention between music which originated in Africa and musical traditions in the Black Church is the
practice of call and response. Called antiphonal singing, it was most prevalent in Western and Central Africa. In this type
of musical expression, a song leader will sing a phrase with the accompanying members immediately echoing the same. Call
and response is the style used in the Gospel standard O Happy Day:
Oh happy day (oh happy day)
Oh happy day (oh happy
day)
When Jesus washed (when Jesus washed)
When Jesus washed (when Jesus washed)
Jesus washed (when Jesus washed)
Washed
my sins away (oh happy day)
Oh happy day (oh happy day)
The parentheses are those sang by the choir, the words free
of notation those sang by the song leader.
Now that we have successfully shown the link between African music and
the musical practices of the Black Church today, we will explore new forms of African American sacred music. To aid in evangelism
and reaching a generation that may not identify with the Gospel music of their parents or grandparents, new styles have been
developed. African American sacred music has changed drastically since only 10 to 20 years ago. Forms of music heard now
would not have been heard then, but now have an audience because of the younger generations of African American Christians
who are hungry for God and eager for music which glorifies Him, yet can speak to their hearts and be musically creative.
Part
3
Holy Hip Hop and Gospel Rock: A New Sound to Reach a New Generation
For one of my site visits, I had the
pleasure of being invited to play at a Youth Conference at Christ Temple Christian Fellowship, Pastor Dwayne Johnson, a Black
Church located in Baltimore, where the main focus of the service was Holy Hip Hop. I was completely in awe at the display
of styles, word play, value of production of the musical arrangements, and the passion of the artists. Many different styles
of Hip Hop were represented, but all with Godly lyrics which encouraged the young people present. Although struggling to
find an audience some years ago, Holy Hip Hop has carved out a loyal following among young Christians of all races. Artists
such as Da T.R.U.T.H, Gritz, and Gospel Gangstas are still at work today, using a usually violent and sexually explicit form
of music to reach a new generation for Christ. Even Shawn Pen, formerly of Three 6 Mafia, is now producing and promoting
Holy Hip Hop. Known by his stage name Mr. Del, Pen had a spiritual encounter in which he was called into the ministry during
a service. He has since started a group called the Holy South Movement, which attempts to change the “Dirty South” image.
Pen spoke about the releasing of Holy Hip Hop in an article featured on www.allhiphop.com, saying, "Hip-Hop currently lacks
substance and the Holy Hip-Hop movement can provide that substance through God's anointing.” As stated before, this is a
great example of a new form of African American sacred music used to promote and glorify Christ. Although it may seem as
if Holy Hip Hop has little if any connection with sacred African music, the characteristics discussed before are present in
this for of musical expression. Holy Hip Hop is full of cryptic messages, ripe with cultural undertones and meanings. This
harkens to the songs sang in Africa, which would have cultural meanings and be very complex with allusions to cultural idiosyncrasies.
Also present in Holy Hip Hop is the use of melodic accents apart from the rhythm, which allows the artist to speak words
in time, and against the rhythm of the beat. Most notably, Holy Hip Hop features the power of the drum. Many cultures in
Africa utilized the Talking Drum and spoke of its power both to communicate and create a sacred spiritual experience. So
the drum is also extremely important in Holy Hip Hop, in which the beat and rhythm have a direct connection with the lyrics
being spoken. One is enraptured with the sounds of the drums, yet also intellectually stimulated by the words of the artist.
Truly, Holy Hip Hop is an offspring of African music practiced long ago.
Lastly, a new form of music which is gaining
popularity in African American Churches is Gospel Rock. Although Black artists within the church have been using distorted
guitars for years, now we see full fledged rock ballads coming from African American Christian artists. One of the most prominent
artists that is breaking new ground by performing Gospel Rock is Tye Tribbett. He first experimented with rock on his 2006
album, Victory Live, with the song “No Other Choice.” The song utilizes heavy distorted guitars to carry the melody and underlying
musical accompaniment. Yet the traditional characteristics of African American sacred music are present such as call and
response, improvisation, and the freedom of the verses and melodic accents apart from the main rhythm of the song. I experienced
a number of Gospel Rock songs while visiting the Living Waters Worship Center, of which the Pastors are Bishop James and Varlle
Rollins. Heavy guitar was used and also extensive bass. Distortion was even used in worship songs, adding an element new
to my worship experience. I was pleased to hear such a different type of music from what I experienced at Christ Temple Fellowship.
This was a fully live show of musicianship and vocal mastery. The worship was truly outstanding, which, as it was in my
visit to Edified Christian Ministries, was an integral part of the sacred spiritual experience. Another artist who has been
ministering in the form of Gospel Rock is Deitrick Haddon. As early as 2000, with his hit CD Chain Breaker, Haddon was using
Gospel Rock to reach a mostly urban young African American generation. The selection, which is also the title of the CD,
“Chain Breaker,” utilizes heavy bass lines and soaring distorted guitar solos. Also present in this selection is the use
of synthesizers, a hallmark of rock music. Haddon infuses these traditional rock characteristics and infuses them with the
3 part harmony of a choir, call and response, and language which even today directly relates to the doctrine of freedom and
liberation, still emphasized in many African American Churches. Although the form is different and a musical type not usually
listened to or made by African American Christians, it is finding and audience and reaching a new generation who are open
to new things that glorify God.
In conclusion, it is clear that Africa has had a significant influence not only on
the music made in Black Churches today, but also on the sacred practices of America as a whole. The line between historical
African musical practices and the music produced today by members of the Black Church and readily be traced and studied.
Even new forms of this African musical expression, such as Holy Hip Hop and Gospel Rock, bare a remarkable resemblance to
the music practiced in Africa by our ancestors, having the same traits and characteristics which make the music special and
set apart from Western European musical forms. Like the African view of the world, the music practiced by the African American
Church is circular, communal, and not separate from daily life. It is an outward expression of an inherently inward sacred
devotion, while still be an inward expression of unity and oneness with fellow believers. Truly, the music of Africans and
African Americans has left its mark on America, and as history has shown, will continue to evolve, yet remain true to the
roots of its’ ancestors.
Kenneth Kirkwood has successfully completed the course, THE BLACK CHURCH(AFST375) at
University of Maryland Baltimore County. Permission has been granted by the student to publish this paper.
Bibliography
Books
Bob
Darden. People Get Ready! A New History of Black Gospel Music. Continuum International Publishing Group, 2004.
Shane
White and Graham White. The Sounds of Slavery: Discovering African American History through Songs, Sermons, and Speech,
Beacon Press, 2005.
Joseph M. Murphy. Working the Spirit: Ceremonies of the African Diaspora. Boston: Bacon Press,
2003.
Ivan Van Sertima. They Came Before Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America. New York: Random
House Publishing, 1976
Articles
Deepah Shah, “Holy Hip Hop, Hostile-Gospel,” April 29, 2008. http://allhiphop.com/stories/features/archive/2008/04/29/19752948.aspx
Discology
for Songs Used
“Wade in the Water”
Written by: John Wesley Work II and Frederick J. Work
Album: New
Jubilee Songs (1901)
“Oh Happy Day”
Written by: Edwin Hawkins (Based on 18th Century Hymn)
Album:
Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord (1967)
“No Other Choice”
Written by: Tye Tribbett
Album:
Victory Live! (2006)
“Chain Breaker”
Written by: Deitrick Haddon
Album: Chain Breaker (2000)
Locations
for Site Visits
Living Waters Worship Center
8262 Locust Road
Odenton, Maryland 21113
Pastors
James and Varle Rollins
http://h2o-alive.com
Edified Christian Ministries
1300 Mercantile Lane,
Suite 208
Upper Marlboro, Maryland 20774
Pastor Glenwood Williams Jr.
http://www.edifiedchristianministries.org
Christ
Temple Christian Fellowship
2205 Maryland Ave
Baltimore, Maryland 21218
Pastor Dwayne Johnson
The
Washington National Cathedral
3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20016
http://www.nationalcathedral.org
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