Editor's Note: This story will be expanded on throughout Black History Month until we've covered each decade! Check back later for more!
This February marks 100 years since the first Negro History Week was established in 1926 — a seed that would eventually grow into what we now recognize as Black History Month. A century later, one of the clearest ways to trace that history is through sound.
Throughout history, Black music has been a powerful tool for resistance, cultural expression, and storytelling. For generations, Black Americans have leaned on music not just for sound, but for survival — using it to document joy, pain and protest. From slave spirituals to jazz, civil rights anthems, and the modern fusion of hip-hop and R&B, Black music marks every era of Black history.
In the early 1900s, Black music underwent a transformation that would lay the groundwork for groundbreaking genres like jazz and rock ‘n roll, while shaping popular American culture as we know it today. Ragtime, defined by its syncopated rhythms, was popularized early on thanks to composers like Scott Joplin — widely known as the King of Ragtime — and James Scott. Originating in Black communities in St. Louis, many early ragtime musicians played by ear on instruments such as the banjo or piano.
While Joplin believed ragtime belonged in concert halls, the music easily thrived in informal spaces like house parties, juke joints, and saloons. Ragtime became one of the first genres created by Black artists to cement itself within mainstream American culture, serving as a direct influence on jazz and blues.
As blues music spread from the deep south, artists like Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong helped define the Jazz Age of the 1920s. Jazz — rooted in ragtime, blues and brass music — rose alongside the Harlem Renaissance, a cultural and artistic movement centered in New York City that celebrated African-American history and heritage, art and literature. Despite enduring racism, the Harlem Renaissance turned these singers and musicians into cultural icons, reshaping the industry and influencing generations to come. Jazz’s impact would spring forward, laying the foundation for future sounds, such as rhythm and blues.
Originally labeled “race music” or “race records,” rhythm and blues burst onto the scene in the 1940s as a sound created by and for Black communities. R&B captured the complexities and nuances of Black life — oppression, racism, as well as the freedoms and joys of the Black experience. In 1948, the term R&B replaced “race records,” eventually serving as a blanket for all forms of the evolving genre, from the development of rock ‘n roll and gospel, to soul and funk music. Artists like Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole and Ray Charles helped confirm the mainstream success of Black artists.
By the late 1980s and into the 1990s, contemporary R&B took shape, blending elements of jazz, blues, electronic, soul and funk. Innovators like Babyface and Teddy Riley paved the way for the genre’s modern sound — one that continues to evolve today.
The 1960s, marked by political unrest and the rise of the Civil Rights Movement, saw an increase in protest music. Artists like Nina Simone, Sam Cooke, James Brown and Aretha Franklin released songs that became anthems for social change, while also giving birth to funk and groove. Motown Records, spearheaded by music executive Berry Gordy, achieved uncharted crossover success, introducing soul-infused pop music to wider audiences.
Over time, hip-hop became the go-to genre that could carry contradictions of Black life in America — joy and struggle, celebration and critique — all at once. But as we continue throughout the years, music genres and styles continue to shift and evolve, Black music remains rooted in innovation and creativity. It does not copy or steal, it adapts, responds and moves with the world.
Spanning from the 1920s to the present trend of genreless music, this timeline traces Black history through music, illustrating how Black music has always been a cultural signifier for resistance, joy, and survival across decades.
The 1920s: “Crazy Blues” by Mamie Smith and her Jazz Hounds
The 1920s were all about jazz and the blues. While artists like Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong emerged as leading artists of the jazz age, Mamie Smith became the first Black woman singer to record a commercially successful blues song. In “Crazy Blues,” Smith laments about the emotional distress of an abusive partner, a theme that resonated deeply with female listeners who felt that their stories of love gone wrong were finally being heard. The song also became one of the first significant blues records. Its success opened up the market for “race records” with record companies producing music with Black listeners in mind and paved the way for other singers like Ma Rainey.
The 1930s: “It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" by Duke Ellington
Despite the Great Depression, the 1930s were a time of great creative innovation when it came to music. Swing and big band music came to define the era, offering a sense of escapism. Duke Ellington, already an established cultural figure by then, solidified his status as one of the greatest composers thanks to “It Don’t Mean a Thing.” Ellington was talented at blending musical influences and challenging jazz conventions. His influence on the genre continues to reverberate across generations.
The 1940s: “Strange Fruit” by Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday began her career in the 1930s, making some of her first recordings with Benny Goodman and several other musicians. By the mid 1930s, she recorded a series of records with Teddy Wilson and members of Count Basie's band, leading to larger recognition for her vocal talents. She later began performing at Harlem nightclubs, achieving additional success with the release of her hit song, “Strange Fruit.” Originally titled “Bitter Fruit,” written by teacher and poet Abel Meeropol as a protest poem against lynchings, the song became one of the most powerful musical statements of that era. Holiday performed it at Cafe Society, one of the first racially integrated nightclubs in New York. At first, many record companies wouldn’t allow Holiday to record it for fear of backlash from the music industry, especially in the South. The song went on to sell over a million copies — the best-selling record of Holiday’s career — and became an anthem for the anti-lynching movement.
The 1950s: “Tutti Frutti” by Little Richard
The 1950s introduced audiences to pioneers in rock n’ roll. Artists like Chuck Berry, Ray Charles and Little Richard established foundational sounds that continue to influence R&B today. Doo-wop groups reworked older traditions, creating something fresh. Known as the architect of rock ‘n roll, Little Richard’s influence spans generations. “Tutti Frutti” combined the blues, gospel and boogie-woogie with high-energy vocals and a distinctive beat that helped define early rock music. His charismatic stage presence and powerful vocals laid the groundwork for modern rock ‘n roll. “Tutti Frutti” became an instant hit and is often credited as one of the songs that helped birth rock ‘n roll.
The 1960s: “A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke
Even though the fight for racial equality didn’t begin until the 1960s, protest music against racism, the Vietnam War, and any other forms of oppression were the prominent sounds of this decade. “A Change Is Gonna Come” isn’t a No. 1 hit, but upon its release, it was quickly embraced by the Civil Rights Movement. Inspired by personal bouts with racism as well as the larger fight for justice, Cooke sought to create a song that spoke to the moment. Tragically, he was killed before the song gained the widespread recognition it deserved. “A Change Is Gonna Come” has endured for decades, and remains one of the most powerful protest songs in American history.
The 1970s: “Love to Love You Baby” by Donna Summer
Disco music, bell-bottom jeans, feathered hair and glowing nightlife defined the 1970s. Donna Summer, known as the Queen of Disco, achieved mainstream success with “Love to Love You Baby.” Differing from the emotional well of the soul music of the previous decade, disco music created inclusive spaces for marginalized communities — Black, Latino and the LGBTQ+ — particularly in clubs like Studio 54. The song’s explicit and sensual nature pushed radio boundaries and helped shape the future of pop music and club culture.
The 1980s: “Thriller” by Michael Jackson
The 1980s saw the rise of barrier-breaking global superstars like Whitney Houston, Prince and Michael Jackson. “Thriller” became one of the most iconic songs — and music videos — ever released. The visual was a cinematic event and forced MTV to play more Black artists on its platform. The album, Thriller, also became one of the best-selling efforts of all-time, cementing Michael Jackson’s status as the King of Pop and introducing an innovative pop sound to Black audiences and mainstream music.
The 1990s: “Gangsta Paradise” by Coolio
Hip-hop may have originated in the 1970s, but it began to have mainstream appeal in the 1990s. Rappers like Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. were key figures during the West/East Coast rap rivalry; meanwhile the visibility of Black culture in film and television expanded hip-hop’s reach to mainstream audiences. “Gangsta’s Paradise,” written for the 1995 film, Dangerous Minds, transcended the film’s popularity and became a global hit. Sampling Stevie Wonder’s “Pastime Paradise,” the song broke records as the first hip-hop single to top the charts in multiple countries, winning Grammys and selling millions as well.
The 2000s: “Untitled (How Does It Feel) by D’Angelo
If hip-hop defined the 1990s, neo-soul and contemporary R&B became the endearing sounds of the early 2000s. With his debut album, Brown Sugar, D’Angelo pioneered a new sound that combined hip-hop, funk, R&B, and jazz; birthing neo-soul. “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” was praised for its depth and sensuality. The raw, intimate lyrics paired with the provocative music video sparked controversy and broke new ground for other pioneering artists of the genre like Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Maxwell.
The 2010s — 2020s: “Alright” by Kendrick Lamar
Music became less homogenized in the 2010s, with genres like EDM, trap and drill emerging as defining sounds of the decade. Driven by social media and streaming platforms, music became increasingly global and genre-fluid, fueled in part by the growing popularity of K-pop and Latin music. The 2010s also saw hip-hop solidify its mainstream dominance through artists like Drake and Kendrick Lamar.
“Alright” by Kendrick Lamar — part party anthem, part protest record — encapsulates a decade shaped by shifting conversations around race and politics. The song became a rallying cry against racism and police brutality and continues to resonate deeply as the 2020s unfold amid ongoing political unrest.
Overall, music has become more expansive and diverse, no longer confined to rigid genre lines and increasingly shaped by distinct subcultures and global influence.
