Rap. A music form that may cause frustration for many due to the difficulty of understanding the fast-paced lyrics but overall, a medium that drives creativity and passion so much so that culture, politics, and tradition have been altered. But with such an influential art, comes difficulty pinpointing the direct linear history.
The era is the 70s and you’re strolling through the Bronx in New York City with the invention of two turn-tables and a microphone, you cannot help but start grooving to new hip hop beats that are repeated, creating a breakbeat on a loop. This new favorite style of yours was created by DJ Kool Herc who takes pride in being born in Jamaica and raised in the Bronx. DJ Kool Herc took the style of toasting, which is speaking on top of music to get the crowd hyped by rhyming and keeping to the beat of music and introduced it to bigger crowds. Soon, more and more streets were filled with these catchy beats, but so were the recording studios too. The Sugarhill Gang–Micheal “Wonder Mike” Wright, Henry “Big Bank Hank” Jackson, and Guy “Master Gee” O’Brien–released the first rap single called “Rapper’s Delight” and it reached the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. Yet, disputes started rising that the music had a commercialized approach and disco-influenced beat, along with Big Bank Hank’s use of Grandmaster Caz’s lyrics without credit.
Slowly, rap began evolving to faster paces and more complex lyrics addressing the status quo and New York continued being the birthplace of rap of new eras with the start of the Wu-Tang Clan. The golden w clan fused raw sounds, grimy beats, and martial arts-inspired lyrics with religious and spiritual imagery in their music. Rap began to tell vivid stories and other artists such as Eminem, Nas, Biggie, etc- began to follow suit.
With the growing popularity of rap, came the expansion of its geological presence. Once a genre only home to the East Coast, rap began to find new life on the West Coast in California. Artists like Ice- T, N.W.A, and Tupac Shakur revolutionized by introducing gangsta rap, which painted a brutal reality of life in urban communities. The tension between the East and West Coasts became not only a defining moment but also the start of tension, culminating in the tragic deaths by murder of Tupac and Biggie.
Despite the tragic losses, the 2000s ushered into an era of rap that blended mainstream appeal with lyrical complexity. Artists like Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Lil Wayne brought commercial success to the genre while the underground and conscious rappers such as Mos Def and Talib Kweli kept the spirit of storytelling alive. With Atlanta- based artists like Outkast, T.I., and Ludacris, the South began to dominate rap with rap beats and club anthems.
Currently, rap has grown to become a global phenomenon. The digital age has given independent artists the opportunity to achieve success without major record labels thanks to media platforms such as SoundCloud and YouTube. Yet, rap’s storytelling beginning is still foundational thanks to rappers like Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole, who have been awarded for their lyrics. Rap continually shows it’s capability of stretching to fit all people and their passions like the trap music of Future and Migos and the feminine touch by Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, and Megan Thee Stallion breaking barriers and winning Grammy awards.
What began on the streets of the Bronx has evolved into a worldwide movement of resilience, innovation, and cultural impact. With every new generation, rap grows and takes new shapes and forms, making sure our heads keep bopping and our feet continue grooving.
By Monica Ronayne ‘25, Arts & Entertainment Editor
