Most rap should be spelled with a c, but it's not all crap.

Though elements of the style can be traced back to Africa, modern rap (toasting over pre-recorded tracks) originated in the '60s on the island of Jamaica, pioneered by such stars as Prince Buster, Duke Reid and Sir Coxsone Dodd. Jamaica's biggest and most influential rap star was a toaster by the name of U. Roy (real name: Ewart Beckford), but rap was brought to The Bronx by a toaster (rapper) named Kool Herc (real name Clive Campbell aka Hercules) in 1967. A few years later, Herc had competition from Americans such as Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash (real name: George Saddler ).  1979's Rappers Delight by the Sugar Hill Gang was American rap's first hit record. Rick "The Prick" Rubin saw the graffitti on the wall and produced the first rap mega hits by Run-D.M.C. and Public Enemy and the rest is music biz history...