where did the term drop the mic originate
Mic drop The gesture became prevalent in the 1980s, when it was used by rappers and comedians. Performers from both groups can engage in confrontational performance styles - rappers may participate in rap battles, comedians may interact with a heckler in the audience - and dropping the microphone after a particularly effective line indicated complete confidence in the opponent's inability to come back with anything that would be worthy of a response. An early occurrence was Eddie Murphy in 1983 in his standup show Delirious.[2]
Hip hop music The creation of the term hip hop is often credited to Keith Cowboy, rapper with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.[21] However, Lovebug Starski, Keith Cowboy, and DJ Hollywood used the term when the music was still known as disco rap.[22] It is believed that Cowboy created the term while teasing a friend who had just joined the U.S. Army, by scat singing the words "hip/hop/hip/hop" in a way that mimicked the rhythmic cadence of soldiers marching.[21] Cowboy later worked the "hip hop" cadence into a part of his stage performance, which was quickly used by other artists such as The Sugarhill Gang in "Rapper's Delight".[21] Universal Zulu Nation founder Afrika Bambaataa is credited with first using the term to describe the subculture in which the music belonged; although it is also suggested that it was a derogatory term to describe the type of music.[23] The first use of the term in print was in The Village Voice,[24] by Steven Hager, later author of a 1984 history of hip hop.[25]