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

[Ben Zimmer]

Robert Ford Jr.'s May 5, 1979 Billboard article is already cited by OED3
for "rap" as a noun (sense 8b) referring to a performance rather than the
genre (sense 8c). I don't believe the article has a cite that would work
for 8c, which Fred was trying to antedate. (The article is also cited for
the intransitive verb sense.)

I noted Ford's contributions on Twitter when he died in 2020. I believe I
shared Ford's article with Jesse Sheidlower when he was revising the "rap"
entry back in '07-'08.

https://x.com/bgzimmer/status/1269126962917883905

--bgz

On Sun, Apr 12, 2026 at 8:13 AM dave at wilton.net <dave at wilton.net> wrote:

>
> 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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>
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