R&B

Rhythm and Blues music, or R&B music, was originally termed "race music" and basically included any form of music intended for black audiences. A combination of jazz, gospel, and blues, the term "R&B" was originally coined in the late 1940’s in the United States to be used as a less offensive marketing term. While R&B music has evolved over the years to spawn contemporary genres of R&B sounds, the original genre focused on boogie rhythms and included such famous acts as Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry. The end of World War II produced a surprising call for race music, and the R&B music genre took off as a result. Today’s contemporary R&B music has a distinctly different sound than its forebears, focusing on pop beats and culture rather than the blues, gospel and jazz sounds of previous generations (though those elements are still sometimes present). In the late 1940’s and into the fifties, R&B groups consisted of brass instruments and woodwinds, as well as drums, piano and vocals. These elements were common in jazz bands, but R&B musicians produced a heavier sound with a steady beat. As the fifties progressed, the genre became notable for its sexually suggestive lyrics and provocative dancing associated with it.

R&B: Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, Earth Wind and Fire, The Five Stairsteps, Lenny Williams, Donny Hathaway, The Isley Brothers, R. Kelly, Nate Dogg, Usher, Dwele, Alicia Keys, Tyrese, Robin Thicke, Joss Stone, Carl Carlton, Bootsy Collins, Chuckii Booker, Kem, Floetry, Sade, Eric Roberson, Gerald Levert, Teena Marie, Silk, Chaka Khan, Jennifer Hudson, Jean Knight, Alfonzo Hunter, After 7, Atlantic Starr, The O' Jays, Percy Sledge, Don Covay, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, Corinne Bailey Rae, Luther Vandross, Kenny Lattimore, Smokey Robinson, Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin, Brenda Holloway, Ciara, Beyonce, Aaliyah, En Vogue, Ginuwine, TLC, Jagged Edge, Boyz II Men, Shalamar, Ne-Yo, Trey Songz, Sly & The Family Stone, Omarion, J. Holiday, Raheem DeVaughn, Tank, Jon B., Ray Charles, Blackstreet, Joe, John Legend, Anthony Hamilton, Lyfe Jennings, Raphael Saadiq, Ryan Leslie, Ledisi, Paula Campbell, Adriana Evans, Nneka, Kindred The Family Soul, Keyshia Cole, Lloyd, Musiq Soulchild, Brian McKnight, Keith Sweat, Jodeci, Leon Haywood, Changing Faces, Avant, Brownstone, Barry White, Mario, Curtis Mayfield, The Four Tops, The Supremes, Bell Biv DeVoe, Jamiroquai, The Impressions, Diana Ross, Lauryn Hill, Al Green, Teddy Pendergrass, Ben E. King, Bill Withers, Isaac Hayes, Carl Thomas, Dru Hill, The Brothers Johnson, Bobby Valentino, PJ Morton, Steve Arrington, The Dream, Keri Hilson, Erykah Badu, Loose Ends, Montell Jordan, I-15, Ray J, and Gnarls Barkley.

by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ July 02, 2010

Sunni

The branch of Islam that accepts the first four caliphs as rightful successors of Muhammad.

Anyone who is a Sunni believes that any good Muslim man may be elected as the caliph. However, anyone who says there is no God but Allah, and that Muhammad is the prophet of Allah, is a Muslim.

by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ May 25, 2010

Salsa

A popular form of Latin-American dance music, characterized by Afro-Caribbean rhythms, Cuban big-band dance melodies, and elements of jazz and rock. It represents the ongoing evolution and assimilation of a variety of styles which have traveled from Cuba and Puerto Rico to New York, Miami, and elsewhere. The big bands which blazed forth in city dance halls and on New York's famous Fania label in the mid-1960s used rhythm sections and a compositional structure based in the son music style. But they ultimately added fiery horn sections and jazz harmonies, landing squarely in the samba tradition. South and Central America developed their own appetites for Salsa, contributing to its growth through the trailblazing work of artists like Panama's Ruben Blades and Cuba's Celia Cruz.

Salsa: Jaun Luis Guerra, Pedro Conga, Tito Rojas, Maelo Ruiz, Rey Ruiz, Frankie Ruiz, Johnny Rivera, Ismael Rivera, Puerto Rican Power, Dark Latin Groove Aka DLG, Legacia De La Salsa, Yuri Buenaventura, La India, Pedro Jesus, El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico, Tito Nieves, Roberto Roena, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Cheo Feliciano, Willie Colón, Willie Rosario, Jerry Rivera, Sonora Carruseles, Joe Arroyo, Conjunto Chaney, Luis Enrique, Oscar D'Leon, Danny Rojo, Ruben Blades, Guayacan Orquesta, Tony Vega, Victor Manuelle, Edgar Joel, David Cedeño, Eddie Santiago, Edwin Bonilla, Adolescent's Orquesta, Fania All-Stars, Celia Cruz, Willie Gonzalez, Hector Lavoe, and César Pedroso.

by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ March 06, 2010

Sunnis

(SOO-nees) The majority group in Islam that believes that any good Muslim man may be Caliph (Islamic leader on Earth, much like the Pope, who is voted in).

There is a split between Shi'ites and Sunnis due to political/religious disagreements over Islamic leadership, or the Caliph.

by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ October 07, 2009

Seppuku

Ritual suicide by disembowelment carried out by samurai. Literally means "stomach cutting." The samurai committing seppuku would shove a dagger such as a tanto into their stomach while another samurai acted as their second by lopping off their head.

Seppuku is also reffered to as Harakiri

by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ July 08, 2011

Cha-no-yu

Japanese tea ceremony

Cha-no-yu has been referred to as the "Japanese Tea Ceremony" for many years but the word literally means hot water for tea. The simple art of Chanoyu is really a synthesis of many Japanese arts with the focus of preparing and serving a bowl of tea with a pure heart. The principles of Wa Kei Sei Jaku (harmony, respect, purity and tranquility) are the principles that practitioners of Chanoyu integrate into their study of tea and into their daily lives.

by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ August 05, 2011

Hinduism

Hinduism is a modern reference to the many religious paths of India deriving from the Persian word for an Indian. Hindus themselves now use the term, though it is more traditional to refer to the Sanatana Dharma—the Eternal Law. The religion is centered on the Vedas (the 4 Hindu holy texts) and the caste system related in it. Outside that core is a vast and rich world of texts, teachings, stories, rituals, behaviors, experiences, etc. A pious Hindu will rise early, to meditate on the god or goddess, pray and ritually bathe before the morning meal. Hinduism has many gods/goddesses such as Vishnu, Krishna, Shiva, Rama, and Kali, to name a few.

4 important goals in Hinduism are kama (pleasure), artha (wealth), dharma (duty and obligation), and moksha (liberation from samsara, the endless cycle of reincarnation).

by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ June 01, 2010