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I want to know the origin of Rap.

Does it's origin really go back to arabian poets? Or can Rapping also be traced back to its African roots?

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Most epic poetry was also originally set to music. Some might use that to connect Rap to Homer, but I think that would be a stretch. – T.E.D.♦ May 18 '12 at 16:28
You might get some good answers on Musical Practice and Performance SE. – Luke Jun 29 '12 at 21:36

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From what I have been able to research, numerous sources such as this and this trace back rap to the griots of pre-colonial, western Africa. Griots were essentially poets and bards who communicated history and political messages through song. According to the article "Politics of Diaspora: Sahwari poets and postcolonial transformations of a trans-Saharan genere in north west Africa" by Tara Flynn Deubel in The Journal of North African Studies, she connects Hassani Arabic poetry to the musical traditions of sub-Saharan cultures. So basically rap can be traced back to the combination of Arabian poets AND sub-Saharan African musical tradition.

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