As the son of jazz and blues musician Olu Dara, hip hop artist Nas has evidently received inspiration for his music from his ancestral roots. Born in Brooklyn and later raised in Queens, New York, Nas understood the grisly circumstances that black communities faced during the 1990s such as the drug war, gun violence between African Americans, and gender inequality. For example, in his song “I Gave You Power,” the narrator personifies himself as a gun and depicts the rampant violence within black communities:

Here he highlights the divisive nature of gun violence and essentially trap black communities in a perpetual cycle of violence within America’s larger racist institutionalism. Nas noted that the prevalence of guns during his upbringing in Brooklyn compelled him to create a song about violence and express anguish behind it because of the devastating amount of deaths behind handheld firearms within black communities.

Marvin Gaye in his hit “What’s Going On” also looks at the injustices of poverty, drug abuse, and racism but from the perspective of a veteran returning from the Vietnam war. In particular, his label Motown was hesitant to release the song in that it might alienate some white listeners and would receive backlash because of its large political statements. Gaye responded by claiming to not record any more songs until “What’s Going On” was released. After several months of stagnant stalemate, Motown released the song in January 1973.

He later collaborated with Olu Dara in “Bridging the Gap”. The song itself notably has distinct features that tie back to blues tunes, clearly inspired by his father’s jazz roots, illustrating “the continuities between urban styles and agrarian forms” (Neff 161). Hailing from Mississippi, Olu Dara’s skill in adapting to various genres of music such as hip-hop shows the musical versatility that jazz offers. The significance of black history in America is shown through the lyrics:

“The blues came from gospel, gospel from blues / Slaves are harmonizin’ them ah’s and oh’s”

Not only does jazz open up new opportunities for younger artists to grow, but it also emphasizes that African Americans will forever pay homage to their roots and history. Nas describes his music as “the child of [his father’s] music”, yet this aptly defines hip-hop being the descendant of jazz music (Dreisinger).

Dreisinger, Baz. “Nas and His Dad’s Jazz.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2004.

Gaye, Marvin. “What’s Going On.” What’s Going On. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-kA3UtBj4M

Nas. “I Gave You Power.” It Was Written. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUwJ8WcZ6RY

Nas. “Bridging the Gap.” Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq7z3JBKCTE

Neff, Ali Colleen, and William Ferris. “Musical Mobilities.” Let the World Listen Right, 2009, pp. 141–168.