Rapping has its roots in African griots and Jamaican toasting traditions. In the US, Gil Scott-Heron influenced early rappers. In the 1970s, Kool Herc brought rapping to hip hop parties. Melle Mel and Run DMC pushed rap to new levels in the 1980s with socio-political and aggressive lyrics. The 1990s saw East Coast rap become more aggressive while West Coast adopted a laid back style, popularized by artists like Snoop Dogg, Tupac, and Notorious B.I.G. whose deaths fueled East/West rivalries. Eminem and 50 Cent brought rap to the mainstream with less violent content in the 2000s. Grime developed

2.  Rapping can be traced back to its African roots.
Centuries before hip hop music existed, the
griots of West Africa were delivering stories
rhythmically, over drums and sparse
instrumentation.
 The spoken word jazz poetry of the United
States was a predecessor for beat poetry, as well
as the rapping in hip hop music. Gil Scott-Heron,
a jazz poet/musician who wrote and released
such seminal songs as The Revolution Will Not
Be Televised, H2OGate Blues Part 2: We Beg
Your Pardon America and Johannesberg, has
been cited as an influence on many rappers

3.  During the mid-20th century, the musical culture of
the Caribbean was constantly influenced by the
concurrent changes in American music. As early as
1956, deejays were toasting (an African tradition of
"rapped out" tales of heroism) over dubbed
Jamaican beats. It was called "rap", expanding the
word's earlier meaning in the African-American
community—"to discuss or debate informally."
 One of the first rappers in the beginning of the hip
hop period, in the end of '70s, was also hip hop's
first DJ, Kool Herc. Herc, a Jamaican immigrant,
started delivering simple raps at his parties, inspired
by the Jamaican tradition of toasting.

4.  From the 1970s to the early 1980s, Melle Mel set
the way for future rappers through his socio-
political content and creative wordplay. Hip hop
lyricism saw its biggest change with the
popularity of Run-D.M.C.'s Raising Hell in the
mid-1980s, known especially for the rap/rock
collaboration with rock band Aerosmith in the
song "Walk This Way". This album helped set the
tone of toughness and lyrical prowess in hip hop;
Run-D.M.C. were almost yelling their aggressive
lyrics.

5.  Rap in the 1990s saw a substantial change in direction of the style of
rapping.
 While the 1980s were characterized by verses mostly constrained to
straightforward structures and rhyme schemes, rappers in the 1990s
explored deviations from those basic forms, freeing up the lyrical
flow and switching up the patterns to create a much more fluid and
complex style.
 The style on the East Coast became more aggressive, pioneered by
artists like the Wu-Tang Clan and Notorious B.I.G., while West Coast
hip hop became more laid-back and smooth, as made popular by
artists such as Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, and 2Pac.
 In terms of subject matter, the 1990s saw a shift from personal
promotion and glorification to narratives of street experience and
darker social observation, although this shift was more pronounced
on the East Coast than the West.

6.  N.W.A (1986) consisted of Eazy–E, Ice Cube, Dr
Dre, and was overseen by producer Suge
Knight.
 Following a dispute between Eazy-E and Dr Dre,
Dr Dre set up his own label, Aftermath, in 1996
 The style of the music in N.W.A was full of
aggressive lyrics promoting crime and violence
and exploring the reality of street life
 Major success came with the record ‘F*** the
Police

7.  2Pac was the major young talent signed to
the Aftermath label
 He was shot in 1996 following disputes
between the West and East Coast rappers
 Rivalry between 2Pac and Notorious B.I.G.
was said to be responsible for their deaths

8.  New York’s Bad Boy entertainment was
established by Sean ‘Puff Daddy’ Coombs
and his friend Mark Pitts in 1993.
 Due to the dominance of the rap scene by
West Coast rap, rivalries emerged and
much of the content of both scenes
became specifically targeted ‘diss’ songs
(such as Hit em up)

9.  Notorious B.I.G. was the major talent
signed to Bad Boy records.
 He was shot after 2Pac in 1997
 He enjoyed posthumous success

10.  Dr Dre signed Eminem, diversifying the
racial profile of rap
 Puff Daddy refused to sign 50 cent after he
arrived in the studio with a gun
 50 cent was signed to Dr Dre’s label
 The content of rap has become less
aggressive, with fewer rivalries and more
mainstream musical themes and ideas

11.  Britishmusic was also developing its own
subgenre, based around rap
 With proponents such as Dizzee Rascal,
The Streets and N-Dubz, music became
more British in content and delivery,
although it took some stylistic features of
the American Rap scene

12.  Collaborations with pop artists, a greater
focus on beats and lyrics and the reduction
of more violent and urban themes has
resulted in Grime going mainstream
 There is still an underground scene, with
artists such as JME and Devlin producing
more hard core Grime tracks