Imagine sitting in a train traveling the countryside in a place far from home. Gazing out the window, your eyes are fixed on the train's tracks just below moving at the same speed as the train as if time is moving very fast. As your eyes slowly move upward, you notice objects are gradually moving slower while the train's speed never changes.

Now imagine the period from the 1970s to 2000, perhaps a time unfamiliar to some. As you ruminate on that time, you realize how many new and evolved styles for, and labels of, African American music developed during those years. The genres funk, disco, go-go, rhythm and blues, urban contemporary, jazz-rock, soul-jazz, jazz-funk, fusion, smooth jazz, neo-soul, hip-hop, and others may come to mind. As your thoughts gradually slow, you wonder how is it possible all these styles occurred within thirty years, and yet the speed of time has never changed.

As is the case with all styles of African American music during this period, their development and advancements are inextricably tied to socio-political factors, cultural elements, and the creative pursuits within Black culture. Whether socio-political commentary, such as the lyrics in some funk and hip-hop songs, or cultural dance manifestations in music, such as funk, disco, go-go, and hip-hop, or elevating jazz as high art, a fuller understanding of African American music requires one to not separate the music from the culture.

Lastly, more so than any time in American history prior to the current millennium, never has there been this number of African American music styles embraced not only by consumers but by musicians as well all within a thirty-year period. This unit explores African American music such as funk, disco, go-go, new labels for rhythm and blues, urban contemporary, jazz-rock, soul-jazz, jazz-funk, fusion, smooth jazz, neo-soul, and hip-hop not only for music's sake but also to understand how they operate within the Black culture and mainstream America.