Rhythm is the backbone of all music. I began drumming when I was a boy, mentored by my grandfather, uncles, and father. It was something that we did in the family so it was never a foreign concept to me. The older I got the better I understood what a gift it was to be so intimately exposed to the hand drum. The study of the drum introduced discipline, intelligence around meter, and the ability to sit into my daily life. As a young man, these lessons became important to my development, and the way I understand the world. This sacred instrument that was taken and prohibited to African Americans during slavery carries a practice whose wealth is unknown until tasted. I believe it is anyone’s best interest who has African ancestors to understand and study these magnificent instruments.