Rap is a musical style in which rhythmic and/or rhyming speech is chanted to musical accompaniments. The backing music, which can include digital sampling is considered hip hop.

Rap originated in African American communities in New York City and came to national prominence with the Sugar Hill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” (1979).

Rap’s early stars included

• Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
• Run-D.M.C.
• LL Cool J
• Public Enemy ( who espoused a radical political message)
• the Beastie Boys

The late 1908s saw the advent of “gangsta rap,” with lyrics that were often misogynistic or that glamorized violence and drug dealing. Later stars include Diddy, Snoop Dog, Jay-Z, OutKast, Eminem, Kanye West, and Lil Wayne.