[Ads-l] Better Antedating of "Rap" (Musical Genre)

[dave@wilton.net]

There is this from Billboard, 5 May 1979.
 
Ford, Jr., Robert. “Jive Talking N.Y. DJs Rapping Away in Black Discos.” Billboard, 5 May 1979, 3, 54. ProQuest: Billboard (Archive: 1963–2000).
 
"Rapping DJs reminiscent of early r&b radio jocks such as Jocko and Dr. Jive are making an impressive comeback here—not in radio but in black discos where a jivey rap command as much attention these days as the hottest new disk.
 
"Young DJs like Eddie Cheeba, DJ Hollywood, DJ Starski, and Kurtis Blow are attracting followings with their slick raps All promote themselves with these snappy show business names.
 
"Many black disco promoters now use the rapping DJs to attract young fans to one-shot promotions and a combination of the more popular names have filled this city’s [i.e., New York] ballrooms.
 
"The young man credited with reviving the rapping habit in this area is DJ Hollywood, who started gabbing along with records a few years ago while working his way through school as a disco DJ.
 
"Hollywood is now so popular that he has played the Apollo with billing as a support act. It is not uncommon to hear Hollywood’s voice coming from one of the countless portable tape players carried through the city’s streets. Tapes of Hollywood’s raps are considered valuable commodities by young blacks, here.
 
[…]
 
"Cheeba says the rapping craze grew out of a need for something more than records.
'These people go to discos every week and they need more than music to motivate them,' Cheeba observes. 'I not only play records, but I rap to them and they answer me.'
 
[…]
 
"[Starski] generally works with Cool DJ AJ, who does not rap but is a master of B-beats. B-beats are series of short rhythm breaks strung together to sound like one song.
Starski is proud of his ability to excite a crowd with his rapping. 'It’s a beautiful thing to see a dance floor full of people dancing to your music and answering your rap,' Starski says."
 
[ https://www.wordorigins.org/big-list-entries/rap ]( https://www.wordorigins.org/big-list-entries/rap ) 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: "Shapiro, Fred" <00001ac016895344-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Saturday, April 11, 2026 10:16pm
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: [ADS-L] Better Antedating of "Rap" (Musical Genre)



I have previously posted a 1974 citation as an antedating of OED's 1980 first use of the term "rap" as a musical genre. I now think that that was a mistake, as the 1974 article refers to Lou Rawls, Isaac Hayes, and Barry White, who were not rappers. Below is what I believe to be a much better antedating;

rap (OED, n2, 8.c., 1980)

1979 Commercial Appeal (Memphis) 4 Nov. 12/2 (Newspapers.com)

The black music scene infected with nauseating "rap" songs by groups like the Sugar Hill Gang.

Fred Shapiro



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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org