In the late 1970s, club DJs in New York began half singing and half talking over dance records. This is known as Rap. The backing music for rap was made up of excerpts from other songs, called samples. Player oftern used a technique known as scratching, which involved spinning a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable to make a scratching sound.  Dizzee and Eminem are two of the very popular rappers around.

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Rap coming of age

Many artists had success in the mid ´80s to early ´90s, but rap acts nowadays are more successful because hip-hop has gained more mainstream appeal, ultimately meaning more records sold and more money in artists pockets. 

Tupac Shakur (1971-1996) is the world´s best selling rapper of all time and often referred to as rap music´s most influential MC.  Though he is not here in the physical form (he died from a gunshot wound in 1996), we see evidence of his influence in the rap game because many artists sample his lyrics, songs, and often give him shout-outs in songs. Though he is not the most lyrically advanced rapper, his lyrics contained an element that was not present in most other rappers material.

2-Pac put his heart in his music and he could drop his worst song, and his fans still feel it because they know his heart was there. Controversy helped him achieve superstar status and helped him land several movie rolls, plus sell millions of albums. To add to that, he sold more albums dead than when he was alive and that shows that he practically lived in the studio.

Last but not least, he is one of the few rappers whose work ethic got better over time.  Many rappers enter the game hot but a few albums down the road we see a decline in the quality of their albums. 2-Pac was one of the few artists who actually got better over time and unfortunately, he died at the height of his career.  Most people feels 2-Pac is under-rated and doesn't get the credit he deserves.  Tupac once said, "don't wait till I'm dead to say I was the best" but the way it's looking, that's exactly what people are going to do. In rap music, it's almost as if you have to be deceased to be considered the greatest of all time.

Another great rapper of all time a few years ago, it would be Nas. Though Nas has not has the impact 2-Pac had, he is the most lyrically advanced rapper of all time.  Most believe that if there is anyone in the rap game, dead or alive, who could touch Nas lyrically. Nas has had success but he doesn´t sell like many mainstream rappers. He has found a way to sell millions of records and still manage to have the street´s following.

Nas was born on September 14, 1973, Nasir Bin Olu Dara Jones.  Nasir spent the next 18 years of his life on the eight city blocks that spanned from Queensboro Bridge to 41st Side. Watching Godzilla movies and reading Iron Man comic books did nothing but spur his imagination, as his father (Olu Dara) often brought him to the studio or on tour.