A discussion of some of the major African-American players in the music industry.

The purpose of this discussion is to trace specific African-American musicians and discuss how they influenced the racial identity best experience essay of the black population of America. The discussion focuses on the following artists: Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley, Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Tupac Shakur, Lauryn Hill, Beyonce and Outkast. The paper looks at not only their lyrics, but their impact as significant catalysts for change and for influencing the African-American identity over the last 35 years or so.

No discussion about the influence of African American music would be complete without examining the influence of Stevie Wonder. The remarkable thing about Stevie Wonder is that he is totally blind but he can see much more than most people that are sighted. He has mastered several different instruments and has written some of the most memorable songs of the 20th century. His influence was particularly important in the aftermath of the civil rights movement. Musicians like Stevie Wonder and others gave the African American community hope and how to write an essay about myself for college also challenged the powers that be with songs like You Haven't Done Nothing"."