d by this same culture. For example, in Latin America the rumba, samba, and mambo were based on the swinging rhythms of African style drumming (Haydon/Marks 152). Most importantly, however, this same style of drumming is responsible for the development of jazz, soul, boogie-woogie, urban blue, and rap in the American culture.
             In order to truly realize how all these music styles have roots traced to traditional African music, we must understand the characteristics of tribal African music. "In Western music rhythm is most definitely secondary in emphasis and complexity to harmony and melody. In African music this is almost reversed." (Chernoff 42) In African music, the rhythm, or beat, is highly emphasized. Most often there would be one main beat accompanied by underlying beats. Traditional African music used the drums to establish a beat. Once established, chants and/or singing would accompany the beat. "In African music the main beat coincides with the entrance of the chorus and not the soloist, and in particular contrast to most American music (not rap) the main beat comes at the end of a dynamic phrase and not at the beginning." (Chernoff 56) "Part of the power and drive of African music is derived from the strength in the rhythm. African musicians play forward towards the beat." (Chernoff 42) Thus, African music is not so much as moving rhythm along with the words of the song, rather the dynamics of the beat is dictating the manner of the chant and or the chorus. "As American music tends to focus on the lead musician's rhythms as the key to the music, African music uses a call-and –response framework of rhythmic variations. The tendency, in notating African music, is to assign compound meter or changing time signatures based on the complex beating of a master drummer." (Chernoff 57)
             The main component of traditional African music consists of a large main drum, called an Atsimewu or Sogo whose patterns, "...stand out ...