rapper
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
'Rapper' is the most common and general term for a person who performs rap music. 'MC' (master of ceremonies) is a hip-hop culture term that emphasises stage presence, crowd interaction, and verbal skill; many rappers call themselves MCs to highlight their roots in live hip-hop battles and block parties. 'Hip-hop artist' is a broader label that includes rappers but also covers producers, dancers, and visual artists connected to hip-hop culture — use it when the person's work goes beyond rapping into other creative areas. 'Lyricist' zeroes in on the writing of lyrics as a craft, and can refer to someone who writes rap verses for other performers rather than performing themself. For example, you might say: 'Eminem is a famous rapper and lyricist, but not every lyricist becomes a performing rapper.'
Common collocations
Etymology
The word 'rapper' was formed by adding the agent suffix '-er' to the verb 'rap'. The original sense (18th century) meant 'a person who knocks' — referring to someone or something that strikes a surface, which later gave rise to the door-knocker sense. The music sense of 'rap' — meaning rhythmic spoken rhyming over a beat — emerged in African American Vernacular English during the 1960s and 1970s, and 'rapper' for a performer of this style followed in the late 1970s. Today the music sense dominates overwhelmingly.