The first rap song I can remember is “Rapper’s Delight” from 1979, which Wikipedia and Google mostly agree with. However, after listening again to “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” and checking Wikipedia again, I think it might have a good claim on the title of first (popular) rap song:
- It was released May 21, 1979. “Rapper’s Delight” was not released for almost another four months, on September 16, 1979.
- Charlie Daniels is speaking more that singing–could be rapping.
- It features sampling–“Fire on the Mountain”, “Granny, Does Your Dog Bite?”, etc.
- Most tellingly, it has cursing on the album version that is not heard in the radio-edit version:
… I done told you once you son of a [gun] /Â I’m the best there’s ever been …