his poetic work was influenced in content, form and cadence by african-american music, including work songs, blues and jazz. like that of jean toomer, zora neale hurston, langston hughes and other black writers of the period, his work often dealt with race and class in the united states. he was deeply interested in a folk-based culture, which he considered most authentic. brown is considered part of the harlem renaissance artistic tradition, although he spent the majority of his life in the brookland neighborhood of northeast washington, d.c.