Parallel forms of hip-hop and early African-American music include, first of all, beatboxing. Beatboxing did not exist in the days of blues and jazz, but this is a direct reference to the ethnic music of the indigenous tribes of Africa. In general, staccato rhythms, thumps, and jerky jolts are familiar to all African-American music, especially hip-hop. Many musicians and critics note the danceability of these musical movements as a parallel. Early jazz, blues in its heyday, was constantly played in dance clubs and bars. People not only listened to it and sang along, but they indeed moved; they danced alone or in pairs. One can also remember the epochal explosion of swing, which negatively impacted the then-conservative people (Trott, 2021). Like hip-hop, swing was characterized by sharp and fast dance moves, lacking fluidity.
African-American music began to develop actively at the end of the 19th century, gradually bringing blues and jazz. Even though many of the musicians were African American, only white Americans were allowed to enter the dance in almost all clubs. Musicians everywhere faced racism, and the development of this music helped to overcome it gradually. Hip-hop in the 1970s described the urban life of African Americans and the economic collapse of the Bronx (Trott, 2021). It was a new kind of racism, which was not a ban on visiting certain places, but lower wages, problems with getting a job, and the unwillingness of bosses to hire people in high-paying positions. Hip-hop sang of this hopelessness and found solace in the streets of cities, where young guys loitered around.
Hip-hop is very similar to early African-American music in terms of its themes. Blues, just like hip-hop, express hopes for the future and dreams on the topic of everyday life (Trott, 2021). The performers described the hardships of life penetratingly, which was invariable. Only social, political, and economic circumstances and the time around the development of this music changed. Hip-hop has replaced old musical instruments with new ones and even harmoniously brought electronic music with its elements to this genre.
Reference
Trott, I. (2021). What is hip-hop and why does it matter? Academy of Music and Sound. Web.