Blues music serves as a powerful influence in many modern genres of music, including rap, country, and rock — all of which featu
re prominent blue notes. Over the past century, the blues have become an integral part of American music. The history of the blues is bound up in the discrimination and suffering African Americans have faced for centuries. Blues music is an enduring tribute to the collective strength of spirit required to turn such suffering into art. Why is paragraph 3 important to the passage?
