World music emerged as a necessary corrective to the hierarchical systems that once sidelined non-Western creative work, framing sounds rooted in specific regional, cultural, and communal traditions as legitimate, vital artistic expressions rather than niche curiosities or footnotes to the Western canonical works that long dominated global critical and commercial discourse. Far from a static marketing label, the classification has evolved over decades to center the autonomy and specificity of the creators whose work it encompasses, moving past its early origins as a Western-imposed box to hold disparate non-Western sounds into a dynamic framework that honors the unique lineage, intent, and artistry of every recording it includes.