[Ads-l] Possible Further Antedating of "Rap Music"

[Rich Lowenthal]

It takes a long time for terms such as "rap" to solidify in meaning (to 
the extent it does solidify), and musical categories are rarely clear. 
Most of these groups didn't fit into a single category: Chic was 
described as pop-funk-disco (with its roots in glam rock such as Kiss 
and Roxy Music); Kool and the Gang was mostly a funk band. Fatback was 
mostly a funk and disco band, but released "King Tim III (Personality 
Jock)," generally considered the first commercial rap single, although 
it didn't receive the attention or success of Sugarhill Gang's release. 
One can certainly draw lines from Chic and the others to rap, even 
though one would never call Chic a rap band.

So I would say there is no reason not to consider it an antedating. My 
opinion, of course. (But I'm not sure there's a more frustrating hobby 
than pinning down the earliest mention of music genres.)


------ Original Message ------
>From "Shapiro, Fred" <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>
To ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Date 5/17/2025 07:28:25
Subject Possible Further Antedating of "Rap Music"

>Now I'm totally confused.  The Boston Phoenix, 15 Apr. 1980 (Internet Archive), had a big article titled "Rappin' the blues away."  On page 2 of that article appears the following:
>
>"Rap music is unmistakably New York funk, the aggressive, confident, intensely urban style characteristic of groups like Chic, GQ, and Kool and the gang."
>
>That sounds like disco music.  Yet on page 3 of the article it refers to "Rapper's Delight" as "rap."  I believe "Rapper's Delight" is now regarded as a key example of rap music.
>
>So is this article an antedating of the term "rap music" or not ?
>
>Fred Shapiro
>
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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org