Culture of North Carolina

As one of the original Thirteen Colonies, North Carolina culture has been greatly influenced by early settlers of English, Scotch-Irish, Scotch, German, and Swiss descent.

[1] Likewise, African Americans have had great cultural influence in North Carolina, first coming as enslaved people during colonial times.

From slavery to freedom, they have helped shape things such as literary traditions, religious practices, cuisine, music, and popular culture.

In rural North Carolina, agriculture, small businesses, local venues, and annual festivals help play a major component of the economy.

These construction projects include planned subdivisions, restaurants, strip malls, highway expansions, new schools, and business parks.

Because of their proximity to universities, areas such as Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill (collectively known as the Triangle), Asheville, Greensboro, Greenville, Charlotte, and Wilmington have long been a well-known center for indie rock, metal, punk, jazz, country, and hip-hop.

Bands and groups from these popular music scenes include The Avett Brothers, Corrosion of Conformity, Superchunk, The Rosebuds, The Love Language, Troop 41, Ben Folds Five, Squirrel Nut Zippers, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Lords of the Underground, Between the Buried and Me, and He Is Legend.

Notable rappers, producers, and people in hip-hop from North Carolina include: J. Cole, DaBaby, Petey Pablo, 9th Wonder, Phonte and Big Pooh of Little Brother, Rapsody, Mez, Lute, Ski Beatz, Deniro Farrar, and Cordae.