Rap music has its roots in West African and Caribbean folk traditions of the late 19th century, where stories were told rhythmically with drum beats. In the 1970s in the Bronx, New York, DJs like Coke La Rock, Afrika Bambaataa, and Grandmaster Flash helped develop hip hop music and culture. Rap exploded in popularity in the 1980s with artists like Kurtis Blow, Beastie Boys, and LL Cool J, and gained more mainstream exposure through shows like "Yo! MTV Raps" in 1988. The 1990s saw the rise of influential rappers like Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Missy Elliott
2. History of rap
• More than a century before rap exploded onto the American music
scene, West African musicians were telling stories rhythmically, with
just the beat of a drum for accompaniment.
• Meanwhile, folk artists from the Caribbean Islands were also telling
stories in rhyme.
• Indeed, these singing poets from Africa and the Caribbean lay the
foundation for modern-day American rap music.
• Rapping is also used in Kwaito music, a genre that originated in
Johannesburg, South Africa, and is composed of hip-hop elements.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjeVPxZh-kw)
3. Rap in the 1970s
• Coke La Rock is an old school New York City Rapper who is credited as being the
first MC in the history of hip hop.
(Coke La Rock)
• A former gang member turned DJ, Afrika Bambaataa meets a young graffiti artist,
Fab 5 Freddy and soon formed the Zulu Nation and created what he calls the
‘Four Elements’ of hip hop: Djing, Breaking, Grafitti artists and Mcing.
(Zulu Nation)
• Grandmaster Flash begins working on a new, revolutionary technique of DJing: he
begins mixing bits of two different songs together. Using headphones, he's able to
get the songs to overlap and connect. His new 'mixing' technique would be
adopted by every hip-hop DJ to follow.
(Grandmaster Flash)
4. Rap in the 1980s
• On the 16th of April 1981, Whodini became the first rap group to shoot an official music video for
their song.
• Kurtis Blow was the first rapper to appear on national television, releases "The Breaks" on
Mercury Records. The record went on to sell over a million copies. Kurtis Blow.
• In 1981, The Beastie Boys are formed. The group consists of Adam Horovitz, Adam Yauch,
Michael Diamon. (Beastie Boys).
• In 1984, Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin team up to launch one of the most important record
labels ever, Def Jam Records. Def Jam releases its first record, “It’s Yours” by T La Rock, followed
by LL Cool J’s “I Need A Beat.“ (LL cool J)
• In 1988, after years of being neglected by the mainstream media, hip-hop gets its own show on
MTV, "Yo! MTV Raps.“
• Also in 1988, N.W.A pioneers the gangsta rap movement with their gold album, Straight Outta
Compton.
5. Rap in the 1990s
• 2 Pac joins Digital Underground as a dancer and a roadie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW--
IGAfeas
• In 1991, N.W.A’s sophomore album N****z For Life sells over 954,000 copies in its first week of release,
reaching #1 on the pop charts. The album paves way for many more hardcore rap albums that would
follow.
• Queen Latifah wins a Grammy award in the "Best Rap Solo Performance" category for her hit “Unity.”
(Unify)
• In 1996 Jay-Z drops his highly-lauded debut, Reasonable Doubt. His "charismatic rapper" approach
would later spawn throngs of emulators. (reasonable doubt)
• On September 7th 1996, Tupac Shakur is fatally wounded after sustaining multiple gunshots. Tupac died
5 days later. His death rekindled the debate on whether rap promotes violence or just reflects the ugly
side of the streets.
• In 1997, Missy Misdemeanor Elliott redefines hip-hop and R & B with her first album, Supa Dupa Fly.
Having broken barriers as a successful female producer, Missy would go on to become the highest
selling female rapper of all time. (Supa Dupa Fly)
• Backed by producer Dr. Dre, Eminem zooms past racial hurdles and sells 4 million copies of his
debut, The Slim Shady LP.
