While you might believe that it is unlikely for anyone to really zone in who was the first person to ever be considered a rapper, the universal consensus from the people who were there back in the day, say that there is one name you have to point to. That would be an emcee named Coke La Rock.
Sure they way he rocked the party, stringing shout outs to people in the crowd like modern rappers like J. Cole and Kendrick, Tyler the Creator and Lil Wayne, construct rhymes.
At 64 years old, he can tell you about the very first party that DJ Kool Herc threw for his sister on August 11, 1973, the day distinguished as Hip-Hop’s birthday. He was there because he was an original member of the Herculoids crew and his job was to be the Master of the Ceremony.
Two Hip-Hop staples that originated with the king are party chants you have definitely heard before. They are, “You rock and you don’t stop” and “Hotel, motel, you don’t tell, we won’t tell.”
Most people believe that these lines were originated by the Sugar Hill Gang, but just like they stole lyrics from Grandmaster Caz, they also swipe these transitional hooks from La Rock.
Other people inspired by him (and you can tell this by their names) were the late great Scott La Rocka and T La Rock.
KRS1 in fact was inspired to include his name in his 1986 song, South Bronx” where he said:
“Now way back in the days when hip-hop began
With Coke La Rock, Kool Herc, and then Bam”
Another thing that Coke La Rock may have been responsible for is the set up of a DJ and MC.
Thank you, Coke La Rock for your contribution to the culture!
