Maria Bethania “… all artistic creation is the work of God.”
This encapsulates the sense I have when I see Black artists out of the African Diaspora performing. To me, regardless of the genre, the artist raised in this tradition, or, as we say in the U.S. of so many Black artists, “raised in the church”, appears to plug his electric guitar into the mana* (Polynesian term) that flows through the universe and draw on that. Perhaps some of the revulsion Black church-goers exhibit when musicians “in the world” play in a secular way reflects that sense that something sacred is going on and it is out of place in a barroom or concert stage.
*from Wikipedia: In Polynesian culture, mana is a spiritual quality considered to have supernatural origin—a sacred impersonal force existing in the universe. Therefore to have mana is to have influence and authority, and efficacy—the power to perform in a given situation. This essential quality of mana is not limited to persons—peoples, governments, places and inanimate objects can possess mana. There are two ways to obtain mana: through birth and through warfare. People or objects that possess mana are accorded respect because their possession of mana gives them authority, power, and prestige. The word’s meaning is complex because mana is a basic foundation of the Polynesian worldview.