MC, or Master of Ceremonies, is a term traditionally associated with someone who determines the forms to be observed on a public occasion, acts as host at a formal event, or is host for a program of entertainment. A Master of Ceremonies is the official host of a staged event or similar performance. An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, entertains people, and generally keeps the event moving. An MC may also tell jokes or anecdotes.
In Hip Hop music, an MC, or rapper, is a music artist and/or performers who usually creates and performs vocals for his/her own original material. Since the 1970s the term MC (or emcee) has come to be associated with hip-hop culture, and rap music in particular, as a vocalist who rhymes over sampling, scratching, and mixing supplied by a DJ.
Hip Hop in New York City began to grow in clubs and through block parties during the 1970s, the DJ was the center of attention. The most popular DJs developed large followings and drew the biggest crowds at their events. During this era, the MC was simply on hand to get the crowd excited about the DJ and to announce upcoming appearances. If any rhyming was to be done by the MC, it was to talk about how great the DJ was. In most cases the MC needed the DJ’s permission to get on the microphone at all.
Kool Herc was widely credited as the father of modern rapping for his spoken interjections over records, but among the wide variety of oratorical precedents cited for MCing are the epic histories of West African griots, talking blues songs, jailhouse toasts (long rhyming poems recounting outlandish deeds and misdeeds), and the dozens (the ritualized word game based on exchanging insults, usually about members of the opponent’s family). Between gathering records, equipment and outfits, Kool Herc knew that he would need someone to take over the mic that night. That ground breaking night of August 11th, 1973, Herc’s good ole buddy Coke La Rock was on deck for the job. Done out of the simple spirit of having fun, a 16 year old Coke La Rock discreetly hopped on the mic in one of the recreation rooms and added spice to the jam. He harbored the crowd with shout-outs to his friends, hype the groove and to also tell his friend to move their cars or when someone’s mama was at the door. Other influences cited include the hipster-jive announcing styles of 1950s rhythm-and-blues deejays such as Jocko Henderson; the Black power poetry of Amiri Baraka, Gil Scott-Heron, and the Last Poets; rapping sections in recordings by Isaac Hayes and George Clinton; and the Jamaican style of rhythmized speech known as toasting.
Rap first came to national prominence in the United States with the release of the Sugarhill Gang’s song “Rapper’s Delight” (1979) on the independent African American-owned label Sugar Hill. Within weeks of its release, it had become a chart-topping phenomenon and given its name to a new genre of pop music. The major pioneers of rapping were Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Kurtis Blow, and the Cold Crush Brothers, whose Grandmaster Caz is controversially considered by some to be the true author of some of the strongest lyrics in “Rapper’s Delight.” These early MCs and DJs constituted rap’s old school.
The Elements of Emceeing
Certified emcees stand out because they share certain elements in common. Let's consider a few elements of emceeing:
Rhyme Scheme: This is also known as rhyme structure. An emcee's rhyme scheme refers to the pattern of his rhymes. This ranges from a basic 4/4 rhyme scheme (think Kanye West or Drake) to complex, multi-syllabic rhyme schemes (think Eminem or Tech N9ne).
Delivery: An emcee's delivery is the way he or she flows. Delivery varies based on cadence, speed, melody, intonation, rhythm, enunciation, and even accent. Great MCs like Eminem and Nas have a way of alternating flows with swiftness. Other emcees can flow slow (Evidence), while a few prefer to bust rhymes in double time (Busta Rhymes). Still, others rhyme like they're rapping for dear life (Twista), pushing the boundaries of speed rap, while barely breathing.
Breath Control: Speaking of breathing, no one likes to hear a breathy flow. Breath control is how you pace your words to allow for small breath breaks. World-class emcees write their rhymes in such a way that allows for these breaks. If they're really good at it, the listener will barely notice. Breath control is one of the most underrated qualities of MCs. (For a lesson on breath control, revisit Lupe Fiasco's first album Food & Liquor, then check out his newer material for comparison.)
Word Play: One listen to the Notorious B.I.G. and our session on wordplay is complete. Biggie had the ability to experiment with words creatively.
Before Hip Hop was declared as Hip Hop culture, the people involved were known as hip-hoppers. This name was given by the disco junkies, but stemmed from a negative perspective. From this caliber of people Hip Hop culture emerged. This is the crowd Coke La Rock, rocked. And for that reason, Coke La Rock is honored as the first MC of Hip Hop culture.
This is the lineage of the identity of the MC as known today in hip-hop. As each era of the culture emerged (80s-90s-millenium-present), we have witnessed the art of emceeing or rapping evolve and spread into many different dimensions. While the present era of Hip Hop is an ultimate watered down version and does not truly represent the definition of a Hip Hop emcee, there are still cats out there that represent the authenticity of the art. The key to respect in Hip Hop culture is to have awareness of its lineage.
