[troutman]

Did Ali invent Rap?

http://espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=alirap1

Muhammad Ali unknowingly invented rap music, simply by being himself in public. If true, this would mean that rap did not originate (as commonly believed) in the South Bronx during the '70s; it would mean rap was invented in Kentucky during the '60s.

While it's difficult to prove Ali invented rap music, it's almost indisputable that he spawned what is now referred to as "the modern athlete," a term that's generally used as coded, pejorative language. When someone complains about "the modern athlete," he or she is usually just saying, "This particular black athlete behaves like a rap star, even though I've never actually listened to rap music in my entire life." These perceived traits include overt self-promotion, indifference toward authority, and confidence that hemorrhages into arrogance. As such, the relationship among Ali, sport, and rap is latently omnipresent, and examples of that three-pronged relationship are everywhere.

In his book "Hip: The History," journalist John Leland calls Ali a "trickster of hip" who used his narcissism as "an instrument of generational catharsis, not private need."

http://www.seattletimes.com/entertai...ventor-of-rap/