Folk music, as a global category of creative expression, is defined by its ties to intergenerational transmission, shared cultural identity, and the rooted, localized experiences of the communities that nurture it, standing apart from genre classifications that emerge from small, intentional artistic movements or commercialized pushes to target mass audience tastes. What unites all works grouped under the folk umbrella is their commitment to carrying forward the stories, values, and collective memory of the people who create and share them, framing each individual recording not as a standalone artistic product, but as a thread in a far larger, centuries-old tapestry of cultural expression that evolves alongside the communities that keep it alive.