A collective term for black American urban art forms that emerged in the late 1970s; it is also applied specifically to a style of music that uses spoken rhyme (Rap) over a rhythmic background mainly characterized by the manipulation of pre-existing recordings. Reputedly, the term was first used by the Bronx rapper, Lovebug Starsky, and came to denote the lifestyle, fashions and cultural expressions of the Bronx, New York City, during the mid-1970s. Activities covered by the term included graffiti art and ‘breaking’, a competitive acrobatic style of dance largely popularized by young Latinos. Music was central to the movement, and was created almost entirely by DJs; the first hip hop DJ was the Jamaican-born Kool Herc, followed by Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, Grandwizard Theodore, Charlie Chase, Baby D, Jazzy Jay, Red Alert and many others.
Sound systems were set up in parks, schools and abandoned buildings in the Bronx, and, following Jamaican traditions, Kool Herc added MCs to his DJ sets, playing short sections of percussion from funk records by artists such as James Brown and Rufus Thomas. Following this lead, Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash added eclecticism and technical innovation. Through the inventiveness of Cowboy, Grandmaster Caz and Starsky, Herc's addition of MCs progressed into the form of cadenced spoken rhymes now known as rapping. When hip hop was finally recognized by the mainstream record industry in 1979, rappers became predominant. Many rap artists still consider hip hop to be a more authentic description of a way of life that extends beyond professionalism and specialization.
DAVID TOOP