It is used to describe fusion of Western African and Black American music.

It is composed of a Western-style melodic-harmonic base with African sounds and characteristics, American pop and rock music mannerisms, and a preference for a loud volume in the bass.

Traditionally, it pertains to melodies and songs of the common people handed down from one generation to the next.

Its musical characteristics are simple tune, usually sung solo and accompanied by a guitar, a banjo, or occasional whistling.

The tempo varied from 30 to 40 bars per minute and had a simple duple meter with regular 4-bar phrases.

It first surfaced in the African state of Pernambuco, combining the strong rhythm of African percussion instruments with Portuguese melodies.

It is a hard and fast percussive Zimbabwean dance music played on drum with guitar accompaniment, and influenced by mbira-based guitar styles.

It combined the Afro-American forms such as the blues, jump blues, jazz, and gospel music with Western swing and country music. The lead instruments were the piano and saxophone, but these were eventually replaced by modern instruments.

A music that serves as an outlet for their deepest feelings, the Africans used music to recall their nostalgic past in their home country as well as to voice out their sentiments on their desperate condition as slaves in America.