Rapping

:This article is on the art and practice of rapping. For information on "rap music", see Hip hop music. For the English folk dance, see Rapper sword.

Origins

Rapping (as a self-conscious artistic school) began as a variation on the toasting found in reggae, funk and dub music, mixed with influences from jazz-related performance poetry (Langston Hughes's album Weary Blues being an important example; the Beats also notable), radio DJ patter, and the tradition of playing the dozens. Among other predecessors were talking blues records and the work of artists such as James Brown and Parliament. The original rappers probably can be said to have been The Last Poets and Gil Scott-Heron with their recordings in the latter 1960s and earliest 1970s (such as Scott-Heron's famous "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" and "Whitey on The Moon"), but, slightly later, MCs (from "Master of Ceremonies") would improvise rhymes over the beats created by dancehall and club DJs. Early raps were frequently merely a sequence of boasts, or attempts to upstage the other MCs. See roots of hip hop music for earlier forms that also contributed to rapping.

Related Topics:
Toasting - Reggae - Funk - Dub music - Jazz - Poetry - Langston Hughes - The Beats - Radio DJ - The dozens - Talking blues - James Brown - Parliament - The Last Poets - Gil Scott-Heron - 1960s - 1970s - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised - Whitey on The Moon - Roots of hip hop music

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The first contemporary hip hop song released on a major label was 1979's "King Tim III (Personality Jock)" by the Fatback Band (featuring the rapper King Tim III). The Sugarhill Gang followed the same year with "Rapper's Delight" (based on Chic's "Good Times") which became a major hit and opened the floodgates for the nascent genre. In 1980, Blondie became one of the first acts to feature a rap sequence in a pop song, resulting in the #1 hit "Rapture."

Related Topics:
Fatback Band - King Tim III - The Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight - Chic - Blondie

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