For centuries, the music of Africa has beat a melodious path around the globe, influencing existing traditions and creating new musical dialogs wherever it goes. Capetown punk, Bombay jazz, Chinese reggae, Chilean electro-pop, Lebanese hip-hop, and Bronx urban bachata—a mixture of traditional music from the Dominican Republican infused with rhythm and blues, rap, and New York City street sounds—are just a few of the many hundreds of musical genres that are a result of the African Diaspora.
Even though these sounds had firmly taken root…
