African American music changed drastically during the film Dreamgirls. The film portrayed how African American music was centered on the feelings and emotions of the artist, with references to religion as well. R&B star Jimmy "Thunder" Early mentions early in the film that if is a part of a song, then the song must have some “soul.” This was a belief of African American artists at the time, which is the reason why the artists were only deemed successful within the African American community. Also, sex appeal was not deemed as necessary for the success of music in the African American community because music was viewed as a form of expression, not just a product to make music.
African American music changed in the film Dreamgirls because Curtis believed the reason for music was to make money and the way African American music was being made was not making music, so the music had to be changed. The changes included not relaying an emotionally driven message such as Jimmy’s song “Fake Your Way to the Top.” The song tells a story of going around acting if you have money until the point in time where you actually make money. Curtis knew what sold was not songs that told a story or had a message, but songs that had a catchy hook. Curtis Taylor believed to be viewed as the best by a larger audience, African Americans needed to change the style and tone of the music. Curtis persuaded Jimmy to have “The Dreamettes” sing backup for him. The success Jimmy encountered listening to Curtis had Jimmy gain respect for Curtis. Curtis ensured Thunder he could make him more successful if he sang a song that had more of a commercial sound rather than a soul sound. When Curtis finally influenced Thunder to try something different with his music and sing the song “Cadillac”, the song became a huge success and made it to the billboards, but was taken by a white and become more popular because of its tone and the style of the white group. Taylor then decided to start his own label, Rainbow Records, in order to ensure his music would not be stolen again and so he is able to call the shots. Curtis decided to book the crew to sing in Miami Beach in front of a white audience in order for expansion. The show was successful, but Curtis decided to split Jimmy and the “The Dreamettes”. Jimmy was now going to go on tour as he always wanted and “The Dreamettes” were going to stay in Miami and perform. Curtis also made Deena head of the group rather than Effie because of Deena’s physical appearance. The group also changed the name from “The Dreamettes” to “The Dream.” With Deena as the lead the group became very successful because she was viewed more than an artist, but a product as well. Curtis realized that not only does the music sell, but sex appeal promoted the sell of the music. Jimmy comes to Curtis with a song name “Patience” that mentions waiting on the war to end because good will eventually come. Curtis does not like the song because the song is sending a message. Curtis mentions that music is made to sell, which shows the reason Curtis is in the industry is for the money. Jimmy makes the song in the attempt to please Curtis and show he is willing to change his music from “soul” to a more “pop” and “happy” tone. Despite Jimmy’s efforts, they were not good enough to impress Curtis. Because Curtis pushed the emotions out of the music, it took away from the talents of artist such as Jimmy which caused a new pathway for artists such as the group “The Dream.” Dreamgirls portrayed for African American music to become mainstream the artist had to change the entire style of the music. The style includes the message the song was portraying, the tone the song was sang in, as well as the physical appearance of the artist. The songs that sold during this time period were happy songs that did not have much of a message, but tended to have a catchy hook. The tone of the song should have a joyful catchy sense; a type of tone a person could dance or bob their head to. It was also important if the artist or lead singer was attractive. This was especially important for African Americans because white people were not too exceptive of blacks during this time. When all of these elements were implemented into African American music, the music became mainstream.