In Western Africa, the musicians of the Mande (Mandika) people are known as griot. The origin of the term is unknown but dates back to at least the eighth century. Griot music involves telling stories of ancient and current events set to rhythmic background music. Historically favorite topics of griot stories involve the exploits of ancient Mande heroes. Over time, this music has spread globally, and has been very popular in Jamaica and the Caribbean for some time. Music historians consider griot music the origin of modern hip-hop.
Beyond West Africa, the improvisation or free-style rap that accompanies much hip-hop can also be traced to the street poetry of the 60s and 70s. More prominently, it can be traced to jazz and the scat style practiced by performers like Cab Calloway and Slim Gaillard. In scat singing, vocals were used to create rhythms using random words and syllables without meaning.
The foundations of modern hip-hop began to be laid in the early 70s. A dancer named Don Campbell actually pioneered some of the dance styles as early as 1969, before the music had taken shape. Also during this period, tagging and the graffiti associated with hip-hop began to appear in New York neighborhoods. Hip-hop pioneers such as Afrika Bambaataa and the Last Poets first performed and began to find the sounds that would become hip-hop.
This period saw hip-hop truly begin to take shape. Individuals such as Kool Herc, Father of Hip Hop, Grandmaster Caz and Grandmaster Flash introduced turntables, mixing and scratching with old R&B and funk albums. Hip-hop pioneers began to play at house parties, block parties and in parks. These years also saw the birth of emceeing (MCing), the first DJ battles and free-style competitions.
In 1978, the music industry first began to use the term rap music. It was also about this time that the first B-Boy (break-dancing) troupes appeared. 1979 saw the release of the Sugar Hill Gang's "Rapper's Delight," the first hip-hop single to crack the U.S. Top 40. By the end of 1980s, the major music labels had begun to invest in hip-hop and rap, the first radio shows devoted to the genre had appeared, and the first national and international hip-hop tours had begun. In 1981, The Funky 4 Plus One More appeared on Saturday Night Live, marking the first time a hip-hop act had appeared on national television.