Just found this page, where it speaks of a record label called
Clappers. Appeartly this label did release some early rap songs on printed vinyl. I do think Brother D's is one of the earliest conscious rappers with songs like Dib-Be-Dib-Be-Dize and How We Gonna Make the Black Nation Rise. The label itself is claiming to be the first. And apparently Dib-Be-Dib-Be-Dize was the first reggae rap crossover in 1980, so 5 - 6 year prior to KRS and Just Ice.
Reggae and hiphop
The first meetings (late 70's to the mid 80's)
The relations between reggae and hiphop have been very noticeable in foremost America, the land where the hiphop culture was born. The man often regarded as the originator of hiphop, DJ Kool Herc, was a Jamaican who had come to the Bronx at the age of 13, 1968. With his experience of the Jamaican Sound Systems he started playing funk music on his own sound often imitating the deejays that chatted over the music on the Jamaican sounds. Thus he was also pioneering an early form of rapping (often credited to have been originated by jamaican deejays and american artists such as The Last Poets and Gil Scott-Heron).
In the the late 70's and early 80's with the birth and emergence of hiphop many label that focused on reggae would release novelty hiphop releases while some hiphop labels in turn would release reggae records. The Clappers label, primarily dealing with reggae, are regarded to have released the first political hiphop song with the release of Brother D's »How We Gonna Make the Black Nation Rise« (Clappers 12", 1980) while the influential Wackies label released one of the earlier hiphop singles with their »Wack Rap« by Solid C, Bobby D, and Kool Drop. The Clappers label was also very early, if not first, with combining a deejay and a rapper on song with their release of Sons of Creation »Feeling Down A Yard« (Clappers 12", 1982). Two years later the label was perhaps first to team a deejay and rapper on the course of a whole album with the release of Up Against The Beast (1984, Clappers) featuring rapper Brother D and deejay Silver Fox taking their turns over some classic reggae rhythms. Jamaican deejays had previously tried their hand at rapping - General Echo's »Rapping Dub Style« (Techniques 12", 1980) being one example.
In Jamaica Joe Gibbs released singles by the female rapper Xanadu such as »Sure Shot« (Joe Gibbs, 1980) and a cover of »Rapper's Delight« (Joe Gibbs, 1980) which where strictly hiphop style.
The electro/hiphop label Express itself released dub albums by Ranking Barnabas and Phil Pratt's Dial M For Murder In Dub Style. The early to mid 80's would also see the rising careers of several rappers of Jamaican descent such as KRS-One of Boogie Down Productions.
reggaelicious.pbworks.com
"Clappers is New York label that is primarily known for its reggae releases. But it has also attracted listeners due to some of their groundbreaking and controversial hiphop releases. The label is run by the Dub Organizer (b. Lister Hewan-Lowe 1952, Halfway Tree, Jamaica) a Jamaican who relocated to New York in 1972.
The first release on the label was the New York group Jah Mallas album Alive & Well. But also albums by General Plough, Jack Ruby, Aston »Familyman« Barrett, Jr. Dan, Nicodemus and others have been released. Yabby You's album on the label was supposedly a bootleg. Many of the labels releases are now sought after collectors albums.
The Clappers label is regarded to have released the first ever political hiphop song with Brother D's »How We Gonna Make The Black Nation Rise«. They also stirred up some controversy with the release of 2 Black 2 Strong/MMG's release of the EP Burn Baby Burn that depicted an American flag burning on the cover art work and also had the lyrics »fukk the red, white and blue« in it. Record stores refused to carry the EP."
reggaelicious.pbworks.com
Never heard of any of the songs mentioned above in the article, so I looked them up.
Solid C., Bobby D.*, Kool Drop (2), Wackie's Disco Rock Band – Wack Rap (1979)
View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1979 Vinyl release of "Wack Rap" on Discogs.
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Willie Wood & Willie Wood Crew– Willie Rap (1979)
View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1979 Vinyl release of "Willie Rap" on Discogs.
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Xanadu - Sure Shot (Jamaica, 1980, Joe Gibbs Music)
View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1980 Vinyl release of "Sure Shot / Do The Dance" on Discogs.
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Brother D's - How We Gonna Make the Black Nation Rise (1980)
Brother D's - Dib-Be-Dib-Be-Dize (1980)
Explore songs, recommendations, and other album details for Dib-Be-Dib-Be-Dize by Brother "D" With Collective Effort. Compare different versions and buy them all on Discogs.
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Sons Of Creation – Feeling Down A Yard / Revival (1982)
View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1982 Vinyl release of "Feeling Down A Yard" on Discogs.
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