Rap is a style of popular music, developed by disc jockeys and urban blacks in the late 1970s, in which an insistent, recurring beat pattern provides the background and counterpoint for rapid, slangy, and often boastful rhyming patter glibly intoned by a vocalist or vocalists.

Who was the first rapper?

One of the first rappers at the beginning of the hip hop period, at the end of the 1970s, was also hip hop’s first DJ, DJ Kool Herc. Herc, a Jamaican immigrant, started delivering simple raps at his parties, which some claim were inspired by the Jamaican tradition of toasting.

Where was rap first popular?

Rapping first gained popularity in the U.S. in the 1970s as a kind of street art, especially among African American teenagers. But it wasn’t until 1979, when the Sugarhill Gang released their breakaway hit, ‘Rapper’s Delight, that record producers took notice of this emerging musical genre. o­nce they did, numerous rap acts, including Run-DMC and N.W.A., surfaced, and rap’s audience began to swell. It wasn’t just African American male rappers getting in o­n the act, either: By the 1980s, white rap bands such as the Beastie Boys and female rap bands such as Salt-n-Pepa were reaching the top of the charts.

By the 1990s, rap matured from an old-school-style – which was based o­n relatively simple lyrics – to a new-school-style, which was louder and included more complex lyrics. Artists such as The Notorious B.I.G., Snoop Dogg and Tupac ruled the charts during this time, as did Eminem – one of the most popular white rappers of all time

The Origins of Rap

What does rapping mean?

Rap is actually a very old word. You can find the term popping up as early as the 15th and 16th century in Britain. Initially the word rap meant to strike or to hit.  A few centuries later a slight variation of this definition appeared which meant to speak or talk. In America around the 1960’s it began to pop up in the black community and was used as a slang word to mean that someone was talking or having a conversation.

My top 3 most influential rap artists:

Tupac

The essence of an MC – lyrics, flow, stage presence (ie. an MC that could Move the Crowd).  Arguably, no other rapper has left a greater legacy than Tupac.  The greatest contradiction in hip hop – social activist on one hand, artist at other times, violent mysogenist at others – Tupac LIVED his moto of Thug Life every single day.  Tupac’s impact transcended music like so many of the greats of the past.

Nas
Probably the most introspective rapper to ever make an album.  Nas is the modern day North American Griot – weaving intricate stories with a flow that few can ever capture.  By his own admission, his experiments with the Nas Escobar-esq image didn’t work – when he went back to being just Nas from the ‘Bridge everything was right again.  Hip Hop is Dead got a lot of people talking and far from being a ‘hater’ Nas was just trying to instill some fresh vibes to the game.

Biggie small

No other rapper had a better flow than Biggie. Period.  His timing was impeccable, his delivery – lethal.  Biggie’s only fault was his limited subject range – he rarely gave insights into deeper thoughts.  But at the end of the day, who cares?  To this day, any time a Biggie track comes on at a party or club – the whole atmosphere changes.  And that was what Bigge did – he ‘moved the crowd’ as an MC should.