history of rap music

This griot tradition was carried over when Africans were captured against their will, transported to America & forced into slavery. One way they would cope with the tremendous amount of pain and heartbreak of slavery would be to sing.

While they were working in the fields they would often sing using “call to answer”. One leader would call out a certain part of a song and the rest of the slaves would answer with the next line. In modern times performing artists call this emceeing or crowd participation.

On August 11, 1973 in the Bronx, New York history was about to be made. DJ Kool Herc and his sister Cindy began hosting back to school parties in the recreation room of their building. It was these gatherings that would spark the beginning of a new culture we know today as Hip-Hop.One night during DJ Kool Herc’s set he tried something new he called “merry go round”. He used two turntables playing the same break beat section of the James Brown record “clap your hands”. When one turntable would finish playing the section he would switch to the other turntable and play the same section. 

As DJ Kool Herc continued to do more parties he realized that speaking on the mic was just as important to keeping a party live as DJing was.

what does rapping mean?

Rap influences our lives in a big part like the way we dress (particular brands from a certain designer that rappers are used to buying their clothes).Rap is so unique, the metaphors, lyrical intelligence, and double entendres used in rap songs impact me in a way that nothing else can. If I hear the same thing twice, once from a rap song and again from another source, the rap song will have a greater influence because it came from a source that I admire and respect.