PERMANENT GALLERIES
Explore how African American music has shaped—and continues to shape—the world.
Blend history with sound, memory with innovation. From spirituals and blues to gospel, jazz, R&B, and hip-hop– you’ll experience the music not just as entertainment—but as a reflection of culture, struggle, joy, and transformation.
Begin your NMAAM visit with an immersive film experience that provides an overview of West and Central African cultures and the institution of slavery, setting the stage for the musical evolution that follows.
Explore the Rivers of Rhythm corridor, the central spine of the museum experience, featuring interactive timeline that links American history with the evolution of African American music traditions.
Discover the history and influence of religious music, tracing its roots from indigenous African music through the formation of African American spirituals and hymns to the “Golden Age of Gospel” in the 1940s–1960s.
Delve into the history and influence of the blues, originating from the work songs and field hollers of sharecroppers and lumber mill workers in the Deep South and Mississippi Delta during the 19th century.
Experience the evolution of jazz, beginning with the survival of African indigenous musical traditions in Congo Square, New Orleans, and their influence on the emergence of jazz in the early 1900s.
Explore the history and influence of rhythm and blues (R&B), which emerged in the years following World War II and became America’s soundtrack.
The Message gallery tells the story of hip-hop music and culture, exploring its origins in New York and its development through DJ-driven music, breakdancing, graffiti art, and streetwear fashion.
This curated path builds rhythmically, offering a deeply moving, genre-spanning exploration of music, memory, and cultural legacy.
Jubilation! celebrates the enduring legacy of the Fisk Jubilee Singers—a vocal ensemble that helped introduce African American spirituals to the world.
