Page 6 - Will Smith: A Biography of a Rapper Turned Movie Star

Will Smith
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Rap music first emerged from the
African-American neighborhoods of
New York City in the late 1970s. The
word rap was 1960s slang for talk or
conversation. A person could rap with
friends or get involved in a rap session
about a certain topic. So it seemed only
natural that music with spoken words
would be called rap music. According to
some entertainment historians, RAP is
an acronym for “Rhythm And Poetry.”1
The Origins of Rap Music