Proto-rap
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Part of speech noun
Quick meaning: Proto-rap is a noun meaning (uncountable) Performance art forms that served as precursors to rap, especially those that feature rhythmic spoken and/or half-sung lyrics.
Meaning
(uncountable) Performance art forms that served as precursors to rap, especially those that feature rhythmic spoken and/or half-sung lyrics.
More Meanings
- (countable) A specific piece or performance delivered in such an art form.
Example Sentences
Rick said our original version from '75 was “proto-rap”—since Steven's lyrics were halfspoken, halfsung, and we had this solid beat
It opens with a W.H. Auden poem that is read with the urgency and the rhythm of the piston on a steam engine. It sounds like proto-rap.
Another source of rap, this one closer to home, was George Clinton's funk; we heard a proto-rap at the beginning of “Tear the Roof Off the Sucker (Give Up the Funk).
During the presidential forum, instead of our candidate delivering a speech, the collective performed a song, a proto-rap actually, written by the fiery New York ghetto trio the Last Poets.
Word Forms
- proto-raps
- protorap
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include proto-prog, protoword, protosyllable, preliterature, preformant, protometal.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.