With house music becoming a worldwide phenomenon, its story of origin is often overlooked. Beyoncé helped spread awareness of its history and the genre itself with her album, ‘Renaissance.’ Keep watching to find out how it emerged and grew in popularity overtime!
Transcript:
Tetris Kelly:
We experienced the “Renaissance” and for Black Music Month we’re taking a look at the history of house music.
DJ Minx:
For the black people that created the house music, which a lot of folks don’t know, are from Chicago. We don’t see them when we walk around, we see a bunch of white men. We’re the black creators, history needs to be taught.
Tetris Kelly:
When researching house music, it can be easily discovered that the genre was created in Chicago by black and primarily gay DJs in the late 1970s and 80s. One DJ, Frankie Knuckles, helped jumpstart the sound by blending disco funk and German electropop. By 1984 songs like “On & On” became what some consider the first real house records. The genre has grown from basements to festivals around the world and always kept its core value of finding joy and making community, something that Beyoncé captured with the release of ‘Renaissance.’
And as a black woman reclaiming the genre, she made history winning the Grammy for Best Dance Electronic Music Album.
Beyoncé
I’d like to thank the queer community for your love, and for inventing the genre.