Half Pint

Rap is considered today's modern urban music, but its roots reach far into the past as this provocative project shows. The rapping technique has been present in many American musical genres, for 100 years or more, including early rural music, both black and white, religious songs, blues, ragtime, vaudeville, and hokum. This album features rap precursors by such legendary figures in American music as Blind Willie Johnson, Pine Top Smith, Memphis Jug Band, Butterbeans and Susie, Seven Foot Dilly & his Dill Pickles, Dixieland Jug Blowers, Jimmie Davis, Blind Willie McTell and more! A highly entertaining and provocative exploration into early American musical history.

RAS Records emerged at the dawn of this fertile period and eventually cashed in thanks to a star-studded roster of talent. This exemplary collection spotlights many those stars, covering both the crooners and DJs with hits by Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Sugar Minott, Half Pint, Pinchers, and many others. And while other MCs like Charlie Chaplin and Brigadier Jerry represent the best in rapid-rhythm rub-a-dub (sometimes mixing both rasta and secular themes), there's also plenty of updated roots tracks by the likes of Frankie Paul and Augustus Pablo's protégé Hugh Mundell.