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Rapping began as a variation on the toasting found in reggae, funk and dub music, mixed with influences from radio DJs and playing the dozens. Also of influence were the works of The Last Poets and Gil Scott Heron, Bob DylanBob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman May 24, 1941, Duluth, Minnesota, USA) is widely regarded as America's greatest popular songwriter. Stephen Foster, Irving Berlin, Woody Guthrie, and Hank Williams are among the few songwriters similarly revered for t's Subterranean Homesick BluesSubterranean Homesick Blues a song written by Bob Dylan, was originally released on the album Bringing It All Back Home in 1965. It was re-released on several other albums such as Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits and has been covered by numerous recording artist and ParliamentThe bands Parliament and Funkadelic are intrinsically linked and can not be easily separated. This article focuses on Parliament, see P Funk, for more comprehensive history of the groups. Parliament was originally The Parliaments, a doo-wop group based ou. The original rappers, or MCs (from "Master of Ceremonies") would improvise rhymes over the beats created by the DJs. Early raps were frequently merely a sequence of boasts, or attempts to upstage the other MCs. See roots of rap music for earlier forms that also contributed to rap.
The first rap record was 1979's King Tim III by the Fatback BandThe Fatback Band (later, Fatback were a 1970s and '80s American funk band. They began recording in 1973 (see 1973 in music) with "Street Dance" and "Fatbackin' " ( Perception Records) and then some singles on Event Records. Sales were slim until "Spanish (featuring the rapper King Tim III). The Sugarhill GangThe Sugarhill Gang were a trio of American hip hop musicians, known mostly for one hit, " Rapper's Delight", the first rap single. The members called themselves Wonder Mike, Big Bank Hank, and Master Gee. They were picked up by producer Sylvia Robinson wh followed the same year with Rappers Delight, that became a major hit and is based on Chic's oft-sampled disco track "Good Times". The first rap hit by a non-black artist was BlondieBlondie is a very popular band that first gained fame in the 1970s and early 1980s. The group was founded in August 1974 in New York, New York by Deborah Harry of Wind in the Willows and Chris Stein of The Stilettos. Sometimes disco, sometimes punk, somet's "Rapture" in 1981.
In the mid- 1980s, rap became increasingly politicized, through the works of Public Enemy, KRS One, and others, and tended to chronicle the black urban experience. Gangsta rap may be seen in this context of subversion, but is also seen by some as the abandonment of a constructive message. The early 90's saw artists such as NWA and Ice-T facing massive controversy for their explosive tales of murder, rebellion, and sex. This style of rap quickly became the most popular, as rappers like Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, and Dr. Dre became mainstream celebrities.