How did African polyrhythms influence syncopation in ragtime and jazz?

The syncopated rhythms characteristic of ragtime and jazz are rooted in the complex, multilayered polyrhythmic and polymetric traditions of West African ritual dance and ensemble music.1

In their original African context, these musical structures involve multiple, vertically competing meters and offbeat phrasing, where performers contribute complementary parts to create interlocking, continuous effects. As these traditions were brought to the American South by enslaved people, the complex, multi-layered designs were gradually reduced and simplified over at least a century. This process transformed the former accentuations of competing meters into the syncopated accents that define ragtime and jazz.12

While ragtime emerged as a fully notated, piano-based genre and jazz evolved into a more improvisational, instrumental style, both genres share this foundational reliance on syncopated melodies placed over a constant, regular accompaniment. This rhythmic heritage, which struck early listeners as novel compared to European classical music, remains a primary element that distinguishes jazz and its precursors.314