This site explores the history of Gospel music, including how gospel music began and some of the various incarnations it has gone through.

This encyclopedia entry gives a brief history of rap and hip hop and the influences of the music on modern culture.

By examining the lives and lyrics of popular, positive black female rappers such as Queen Latifah and Lauryn Hill, students can trace a direct line back to the inspirational writer and poet, Maya Angelou. Rap lyrics will help explicate...

This encyclopedia article gives a good overview of the life of Bert Williams, a black entertainer of the early 1900's who broke many color lines.

This encyclopedia entry extols Queen Latifah as the most influential female rap singer. You can read about her evolution as a rap singer and actress.

Biography of Duke Ellington, one of the originators of big band jazz, and a noted composer.

Information on the popular style of music called Motown that developed from a recording company of the same name.

This encyclopedia article tells the high points of Mahalia Jackson's life. She was a world-renowned gospel singer whose influence was felt in the civil rights movement.

This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Etta Baker, an American folk musician who influenced the folk music revival of the 1950s and '60s with her mastery of East Coast Piedmont blues, a unique fingerpicking style of...

This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features OutKast, an American rap duo, formed in 1992, that put Atlanta, Ga., on the hip-hop map in the 1990s and redefined the G-Funk (a variation of gangsta rap) and Dirty South (often profane...

This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Wayne Shorter, an African-American musician and composer, a major jazz saxophonist, among the most influential hard-bop and modal musicians and a pioneer of jazz-rock fusion music.

The official site, with sections devoted to his life, compositions, recordings, writings, and news. The news section has internet links, and the site has a search function!