As the story goes, hip-hop music was born a little over 50 years ago at a house party in the Bronx. But that version of history doesn't account for an entertainer from Durham, North Carolina with the incredible name Pigmeat Markham. In 1968, Markham released a hit song called “Here Comes the Judge.” The tune fused comedy, funk, and what can only be described as an early form of rapping—years before hip-hop officially burst onto the scene. So was this largely forgotten figure actually the first rapper?

Featuring:

• Mark Anthony Neal, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of African & African American Studies at Duke University 

Links:

• Check out a playlist of the songs mentioned in this episode and some others inspired by Pigmeat Markham here.

Cover image: The album cover art for Pigmeat Markham's 1968 single "Here Comes the Judge”

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