'Jazz Ambassadors' and 'Hip Hop Diplomats': The Role of African-American Music in United States' Cultural Diplomacy

ARADI GHALIZHA PRADHANAYUDA PRIYANTO, Dr. Suci Lestari Yuana, S.I.P., M.I.A.

2024 | Skripsi | Ilmu Hubungan Internasional

In need of a cultural diplomatic tool in the midst of ideological conflict, the United States chose to send ‘jazz ambassadors’ to countries which are at risk of aligning with the Soviet Union and Communism during the Cold War, before revisiting the musical approach in the War on Terror, with the ‘hip hop diplomats’ who sent to Muslim-majority nations which are prone to developing terrorism. Since its birth, African-American music developed an aesthetic of freedom, equality and democracy, which has been a part of all genres of African-American music within its lineage, including jazz and hip-hop. This aesthetic is reflected not only in the form of the music itself, but also in the functions of African-American music. This thesis explores African-American music’s aesthetics, why it resonated with the US, and why it was an effective ‘soft power’ tool for the Cultural Presentations Program ‘jazz ambassadors’ and that later by the American Music Abroad and Next Level ‘hip hop diplomats’, exploring its impacts in Poland and Turkey during the Cold War and in Morocco and Tunisia during the War on Terror. 

In need of a cultural diplomatic tool in the midst of ideological conflict, the United States chose to send ‘jazz ambassadors’ to countries which are at risk of aligning with the Soviet Union and Communism during the Cold War, before revisiting the musical approach in the War on Terror, with the ‘hip hop diplomats’ who sent to Muslim-majority nations which are prone to developing terrorism. Since its birth, African-American music developed an aesthetic of freedom, equality and democracy, which has been a part of all genres of African-American music within its lineage, including jazz and hip-hop. This aesthetic is reflected not only in the form of the music itself, but also in the functions of African-American music. This thesis explores African-American music’s aesthetics, why it resonated with the US, and why it was an effective ‘soft power’ tool for the Cultural Presentations Program ‘jazz ambassadors’ and that later by the American Music Abroad and Next Level ‘hip hop diplomats’, exploring its impacts in Poland and Turkey during the Cold War and in Morocco and Tunisia during the War on Terror. 

Kata Kunci : Diplomacy, Cultural Diplomacy, Soft Power, War on Terror, Cold War, African-American, Jazz, Hip-Hop, African-American Music, Music