1979 is the year that Rap recordings were born and Rap as an industry was born. Talking over music predates the Rap recordings of 1979, with artists like Isaac Hayes, Millie Jackson, Gil Scott Heron, The Last Poets, Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham and talking DJs like Jocko ,Gary Byrd, and Frankie Crocker releasing recordings previous to '79. 1979 represents the release of the "modern day" rap record and the age of the MC, who is directly connected to the culture of Hip-Hop. Although those previous artists and DJs influenced the class of '79, in some cases, the cadences, vocabulary and attitudes reflected a new version of an ancient form of expression.

You'll notice that the 21 songs selected in our list have many similarities. Most of them are based on already existing disco songs. The majority of them have the word "Rap" in the title, which has always been a slang word for talking in urban communities. The songs are lengthy, sometimes approaching 17 minutes because they weren't formatted for radio play. Lastly, all but a couple are independent record label releases, as the music industry would take almost a decade to embrace Rap music and understand its potential and staying power. The representation of women MCs is very present in these recordings as well, from The Sequence, to Sha-Rock, Lady B, and The Winley Sisters.

Here are 21 Rap songs released in 1979.

1. "King Tim III" - Fatback Band

Widely recognized as the first Rap recording, "King Tim III (Personality Jock)" was released in the first quarter of 1979 on Spring Records, a subsidiary of Polydor Records. Funk outfit The Fatback Band employed MC King Tim III to rhyme on "King Tim III (Personality Jock)" from their 12th album XII. The song appeared as the b-side of the single, "You're My Candy Sweet." Although not a commercial success, "King Tim III" influenced legions of MCs, and remains an important footnote in the history of recorded Rap.

2. "Rappers Delight" - Sugar Hill Gang

"Rappers Delight" is credited as the first commercially successful Rap recording. The success of the song catapulted the Sugar Hill Gang to meteoric success, placing them on TV series including Soul Train, American Bandstand and Solid Gold, and putting Rap music in mainstream households for the very first time. The "Good Times" interpolation in "Rappers Delight" gave the hit song new life, and helped give The Sugar Hill Gang Rap's most enduring song. The brainchild of Sugar Hill Records' Sylvia Robinson, New Jersey's Sugar Hill Gang are responsible for introducing the Bronx born artform to the masses, and they followed up with hits like "8th Wonder," "Apache" and "The Sugar Hill Groove," all with a span of less than two years.

3. 'Superappin'' - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5

Respected as one of the best crews in Hip-Hop's birthplace of The Bronx, Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5 are amongst what their peers consider the first "authentic" Rap crews to make a Rap recording. What's not up for debate, is the poetic beauty of the Furious 5 and how they "make 5 MC's sound like 1." For those who didn't witness Rap music until its debut on recordings, Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5 showed without question that talking rhythmically over beats is an artform. Over an interpolation of the foundational breakbeat "7 Minutes of Funk," The Furious 5 delivered the blueprint and birthed a generation of wordsmiths.

4. "Rappin' & Rockin' The House" - Funky 4 Plus One

The Funky 4 Plus One were the first Rap act signed to Bobby Robinson's Enjoy Records, and they secured the legendary Bronx drummer Pumpkin a spot as house drummer and producer for the label. "Rappin' And Rockin' The House" is a master class on MCing, and the introduction of Hip-Hop's first female MC, Sha-Rock. Over an interpolation of Cheryl Lynn's hit "To Be Real," The Funky 4 Plus One deliver a 16-minute classic which has stood the test of time.

5. "Spoonin' Rap" - Spoonie Gee

Harlem MC Spoonie Gee is a former member of The Treacherous Three, and claims to be the first solo MC to make a Rap record. "Spoonin' Rap" was released on Peter Brown's Sound of New York Records, and highlights Spoonie's abilities as one of Hip-Hop's first great visual storytellers. Over "Cloud One" by Patty Duke, Spoonie sets the scene that would take place in many of his later recordings — cruising down the street, rapping to young ladies, and generally being in mack mode. First generation Rap records don't always stand the test of time, but "Spoonin' Rap" is still as fresh today was it was in 1979.

6. "We Rap More Mellow" - The Younger Generation

"We Rap More Mellow" is The Furious 5 without Grandmaster Flash performing their lyrics from "Superappin'" over an interpolation of Stephanie Mills' "Put Your Body Into It." Kid Creole of the Furious 5 told The Foundation that the song, released on Brass Records, was unauthorized and recorded during a time when the group had separated from Flash.

"The guy who put it out was Terry Lewis, not the guy that's down with Jimmy Jam," Creole says. "He didn't think that our name was marketable. He was shady, and he just released it and tried to get money from the record company so that fell through, but we didn't let it affect us we just moved on to the next man."

7. "Rhymin' And Rappin'" - Paulette & Tanya Winley

Sisters Paulette and Tanya Winley are the daughters of Paul Winley, founder of Paul Winley Records. Paul released an early breakout compilation series titled Super Disco Breaks. He also released early recordings of Afrika Bambaataa and The Soul Sonic Force as well as the Cosmic Force, his wife Ann Winley, and speeches by Malcolm X. Paulette & Tanya flow effortlessly over a mid-tempo funk track that marks one of the earliest female representations on a Rap recording. The enunciation and clarity of the Winley sisters, combined with their flow and cadence, make them serious MCs at a time when many of these records came off as parodies and halfhearted get rich quick schemes.

8. "Funk You Up" - The Sequence

The Sequence hail from Columbia, South Carolina and consist of Blondy, Cheryl The Pearl and Angie B (later Angie Stone). As the second Rap act signed to Sugar Hill Records, The Sequence is simultaneously the first female Rap act to make a Rap record and the first Rap act from the South to do so. "Funk You Up" has been sampled and interpolated in songs by Dr. Dre, DJ Kool, KRS-ONE and Bruno Mars. The Sequence would go on to pen songs for The Sugar Hill Gang and other acts on the Sugar Hill label as well as singing on songs by The West Street Mob.

9. "To The Beat Y'all"- Lady B

Philly's Lady B. is not only on of the first women to make a Rap record, she is an integral part of Hip-Hop in general, and Philly Hip-Hop specifically. Her single "To The Beat Y'all" was released on TEC Records and later licensed for release by Sugar Hill Records. The energetic single interpolates "Everybody Here Must Party" by her labelmates Direct Current. In a recent interview with Rock the Bells, Iconic Philly MC Bahamadia spoke of the influence and importance of Lady B.

"In my formative years of being a Hip-Hopper, there were three places that all the acts came through, and this was pre video, MTV and all of that," she explains. "She was breaking a lot of records as a DJ, and she hosted all the hot parties - Philadelphia hotel parties, after midnight, plus she had the radio show. We heard her voice before we knew what she looked like. Then, when we went to live events, we saw that she was fly and a representation of our version of B-Girlism in our region, it sealed the deal. I knew her as a radio personality, but when I heard her rap, that sealed the deal even more. When I saw her record, I knew that it was real, and that I could do it, because she's from my hometown."

10. "Christmas Rappin'" - Kurtis Blow

Kurtis Blow is the first Rap artist to secure a major label recording contract. His song "Christmas Rappin'," released on Mercury/Polygram, was also Hip-Hop's first Christmas record. Kurtis Blow shared the story of "Christmas Rappin'" during a break from sound check from his enormously popular Hip Hop Nutcracker stage play in 2021.

“J.B. Moore wrote the first half of that song – all the parts about Christmas, but I wrote the second half with all the party references and I was inspired by DJ Hollywood and Eddie Cheeba," he explained. “My 'Disco Son' DJ Run also wrote some parts, though he wasn’t credited. 'Not a preacher or a teacher or an electrician /a fighter or a writer or a politician/the man with the key to your ignition/Kurtis Blow is competition.' Run wrote that."

Outside of 'Rappers Delight' by The Sugar Hill Gang, not many early Rap records were successful commercially. However, “Christmas Rappin’” broke that trend. According to Blow, the terms of his deal stated that his first single needed to sell at least 30,000 copies in order for him to release a second single, and the second single needed to sell 50,000 in order to record an album. "Christmas Rappin'" sold 370,000 in its first year, and his follow-up, "The Breaks" sold 870,000 in its first year.

11. "Lookin' Good" - Eddie Cheeba

Eddie Cheeba is one of Hip-Hop's earliest rhyming DJs. His rhymes and cadences are some of the most copied in Rap music, along with DJ Hollywood, and their lines were used in some of Rap's earliest hits. "Lookin' Good'"finds Cheeba rocking his signature call and response routines over an up-tempo disco beat.

12. "Willy Rap" - Willie Wood & Willie Wood Crew

Released on Peter Brown's Sound of New York label, "Willy Rap" is one of several tracks released on the label which was home to The Family, Spoonie Gee, Scoopy and many more. Like many early Rap recordings, "Willy Rap" contained popular cadences and lines used by DJ Hollywood, Eddie Cheeba and other pioneering DJs/MCs. Sound of New York released several interesting Rap records in 1979, and "Willy Rap" was another track in their arsenal.

13. "Family Rap" - The Family

"Family Rap" is another Sound of New York classic with the same "Cloud One" break as "Spoonin' Rap" and many other songs on the label. It was actually commonplace at the time for several Rap acts who were labelmates to rhyme over the same track. The Mighty Mike C of Harlem's Fearless Four was a member of The Family — another in the long line of forgotten early Rap records.

14. "MC Rock" - Jazzy 4 MC's

Much like many of the artists on this list, not much is known about the Jazzy 4 MC's. Their sole release is "MC Rock" on Razzberri Rainbow Records. Over an interpolation of Cheryl Lynn's "Got To be Real" Mercury, Shambu, Fly Sha Rock (not of the Funky 4), and Frankie Jay trade verses for the eight-minute song.

15. "Lady D" - Lady D

Lady D is another artist that released only one record. Released on New York's Reflection Records, a popular disco and Rap label, "Lady D" is in line with the disco-like records from this era. Lady D tells the story of walking down the street and meeting a gentleman who invited her on a date and picked her up in a blue Mercedes. Lady D comes off like a female Spoonie Gee on this under-the-radar release.

16. 'Spider Rap' - Ron Hunt

Another sure shot from Reflection Records. Ron Hunt's 'Spider Rap' was interestingly mixed by Elai Tubo, the same man who engineered Run-DMC's first records and Eric B & Rakim's 1987 opus Paid In Full ("check this out yo Elai turn the bass down and let the beat keep on rockin'"). 'Spider Rap' is another story telling Rap over an uptempo beat, one of many classics from Reflection Records who would release a few great records in the coming years.

17. "Rap-O Clap-O" - Joe Bataan

Joe Bataan is a Latin Soul musician who was influenced by Latin Boogaloo and Black Doo Wop. Like many, he saw the potential of the burgeoning new music coming out of New York's boroughs in the late '70's and hopped onboard. Bataan told Red Bull Music Academy how he came across this youth driven music.

"I worked in a community center in Harlem, right in the midst of 110th Street called Hell’s Kitchen," he explains. "Everyone sat down on the stoop outside that and you’d have to sweep the people away from there. One day while opening up, someone wanted to rent the place ,a bunch of young kids. That night collecting the money, all these young kids were coming in, setting up turntables, this was 1978 or 1979, and I looked and the next thing you know there were ten people on the dance floor and the next thing you know, it’s packed. I said, “What the hell’s going on here? I don’t see no band playing.' Someone said, 'They don’t have no name for it.'

"Then in the middle of the record everybody’s clapping, someone’s talking on the mic. I said, 'What the hell’s that shit? How much did they pay to get in?' One dollar. There was a thousand kids in there. I thought, 'Let’s see if this is just a fad.' Someone said, 'They do it all the time.' All the time? Is this on records? I had a brainstorm. “Woah, this isn’t out on records, I see something big.'"

18. "Scoopy Rap" - Scoopy

Another Sound of New York song based on "Cloud One." Scoopy Rap is very much like Spoonin' Rap by Spoonie Gee in cadence and style. Scoopy is another artist who seems to have disappeared from the music industry after his debut.

19. "Tricky Tee Rap" - Troy Rainey

"Tricky Tee Rap" was released on Peter Brown's Heavenly Star Records and it differed from the Disco style of many of the Rap songs from this period. The sound effects and effects on Tee's vocals give the song a dusted feel. Tee's subject matter is much like what was popular at the time - riding in OJ's, getting girls, and making money. Another Peter Brown sure shot.

20. "Dr. Love & Sister Love Rap"

Peter Brown's Heavenly Star, Sound of New York and other labels released several raw and experimental Rap recordings in the late '70s and early '80's. A decade before Positive K and MC Lyte traded verses on "I'm Not Havin' It," Dr. Love & Sister Love traded verses over a conga-heavy dusted mid-tempo backdrop.

21. "Rhythm Talk" - Jocko

Radio personality Jocko Henderson is an early "Jive-Talking" DJ who started his radio career in Baltimore on WBAL and later relocated to Philadelphia. In 1979, Jocko released two Rap records - "Rhythm Talk" and "The Rocket Ship" — both on Philadelphia International Records. "Rhythm Talk" features an interpolation of his labelmates Mcfadden & Whitehead's "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now." Jocko would later release "Everbody's Uptight" on Sugar Hill Records in 1983.