American music industry legend and author Mathew Knowles was in Cape Town to launch his latest book and shoot a doccie.
Knowles, 66, the father of superstar Beyoncé, who recently reunited with his daughter on her On the Runway II concert tour, confined his talk to music and his book, Emancipation Of Slaves Through Music.
“There’s a misconception among a lot of Americans that as the slaves were African, they were just one big tribe and knew how to communicate [with] each other and yet 30% of them were Muslim and from different tribes,” he says.
“It took them about two years to get to America by those ships and it was through knocking on the walls, moaning and crying, and clinking the chains that they began to communicate.
“Through those sounds, voices and rhythm were added to create music - a common language and form of communication.
“Music became a part of life - the evolution of music - from what were sorrow songs which became spiritual songs and later gospel, blues in Mississippi, R&B - that evolution started with slave ships,” Knowles said, adding that rap music was apparently started by a universal Zulu nation in New York.
During his three-day stay, Knowles hosted the African Leaders4Change Awards in Pretoria and was a guest on Idols.
A fourth book is on the cards.
He says: “The book will be about, am I black or am I African-American because I am not sure - I want to research this.”
Knowles, who has managed his daughters, Beyoncé and Solange’s careers, has taken on Nigerian violinist and singer, Demola.
“The impact of Afro pop/Afro beats will be the biggest next thing in music in America.”
dailyvoice@inl.co.za