Written by Dr. Charles R. Ciorba
World beat involves the fusing of traditional musical styles with contemporary Western musical influences. Often, the goal is to introduce a particular musical genre to a wider global audience. Normally, it is very well done, but then again, it can sometimes come across as a watered-down attempt to achieve commercial success. Commercialism was key when world beat was popularized in the 1980s. Popular music artists such as Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel, and David Byrne embraced the style. International artists such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Ali Kahn also helped to popularize world beat. In addition, you may be familiar with River Dance and The Buena Vista Social Club. The musical examples below were easily accessible to a mainstream audience. When combined with the very popular MTV (music television) of the day, these artists (who were already quite popular) achieved huge commercial success with the world beat style.
The roots of world beat were starting to strengthen as far back as the 1970s. For example, Fela Kuti was a musician and political activist who help to pioneer a style known as Afrobeat. A very charismatic individual, he spoke against the Nigerian military, and his music was often the source of controversy with the Nigerian government. Fortunately, he was quite popular with the people. Musically speaking, Fela combined funk and jazz with traditional music from Africa. He recorded with Ginger Baker, who was the drummer for Cream. Sadly, he died of complications related to AIDs in 1997.
While world beat was originally very popular in Africa and Latin America, it has grown into a worldwide phenomenon. Today, many populations around the world have fused traditional sounds with pop, rock, rap, and hip-hop influences. One only needs to visit the Radio Garden to get an idea of the popularity created by this music, and it continues to evolve. For example, I believe we have one or two K-pop fans in this class. I will be the first to admit that my knowledge of K-pop is extremely limited. I have spent some time watching the music videos from South Korea and have come to realize that K-pop has fully adopted Western musical styles. Their production values are excellent, and their musical abilities rival anything that is currently produced in the United States. I think I’m becoming a fan! It reminds me of my time living as a Ph.D. student in Miami. Latin culture dominated the streets and the media. It was then I realized the countries south of Miami mirrored the musical styles offered in the United States. There is a great deal of information to consider, and we will delve into a number of topics for the weekly assignment. For now, let’s enjoy the music.
World beat: All it takes is a musician, or group of musicians, to get a bit creative with the music.
Dr. Charles R. Ciorba 