Lesson 3: The MC
"Microphone check, one-two, one-two..." Let's hear what Grandmaster Caz and Rahiem have to say about the history of MC'n in this excerpt from The Source magazine.
THE SOURCE: Tell us about the beginnings of MCin'. Grandmaster Caz :It just evolved. There just happened to be a microphone there necessary to make announcements, and to acknowledge crews, knowhat'msayin? Then people started sayin' slick stuff, or like when they said your name it would rhyme. It evolved from there. THE SOURCE: How did in progress?. Rahiem: There were different levels of it, like the early MC's didn't rhyme to the beat, but they weren't really saying any rhymes. And their rhymes didn't last for any specific amount of bars. They would play a little to whatever beat was on. Like Kool Herc, Coke La Rock and the [original] Clark Kent would be like, "yes,yes y'all...to the beat y'all." Grandmaster Caz: As it started getting competitive, and people started striving to be good at it, it became an art. There was no records. It was just for the people. I mean [rap] records started in '79, but you know hip-hop had already been going on for the past five years. |
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THE SOURCE: So how did MC's actually start writing rhymes? Grandmaster Caz: I would hear you, and try to take that to the next step, y'knowhat'msayin'? [There were] a lot of little catch phrases and general statements that everybody said. And then you had people who were like, "Let me flip it this way or say it that way so it's me." And that's how you got better: your hear somebody and then you would try and outdo them, come a little different. THE SOURCE: Who were your influences? Grandmaster Caz: Nobody. I was in the forefront of rhymin', you know? Nobody was ahead of me to look at and say, "Oh! I wanna do that." My influence in hip-hop, period, was Herc. Rahiem: I used to see flyers that would say that Herc was doing a party at such and such a place, but because I was a shorty I wasn't old enough to attend. But the first MC that I ever heard rhyme to a beat was either Melle Mel or Hollywood. They were an inspiration to me before I started rhyming. That was like '76. THE SOURCE: What kind of rhymes were being said back then? Grandmaster Caz: Mainly, it was just to get yourself known, knowhat'msayin? "I'm this and I'm that, I can do this..." Then it was a lot of party talk, a lot of party lyrics:"Say, 'Ho!' Put ya' hands in the air...!" Rahiem: There was a lot of brag rhymes. Basically the rhymes were about how dope you were and about the party. That was pretty much it. "Lime to a lemon, lemon to a lime, time after time... Dip dip dive, so socialize..." Straight up party songs, no doubt. And battlin'. Interview by Boo Rosario |