Rock is a a music form characterized by evolution and race relations. Many people may not know this, but rock and roll can trace its roots back to Africa. Pre-slavery Africans sang hymns and songs with repetitive verses. Also, these verses were accompanied by rhythms on drums and other such instruments. Once slavery began, the intermingling of the two cultures caused the evolution of the music -(firstly into gospel, although it lost its repetiveness and kept on developing)-These hymns gradually evolved into the blues, where songs were used to express the turmoil and sadness of slavery. This music gradually picked up steam along the way, incorporating different elements from both African American and white cultures. This was due to the utter closeness in which the two cultures operated. Perhaps one can think of it this way: had slavery not existed, maybe neither would have rock and roll existed. It was crucial for the blues to pick up white music elements such as swing and country/western music. As one can see, rock and roll is not a solely white or solely black musical style, it is instead one of the most international musical styles to date.
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