Part 3: Master of Ceremonies [MC (emcee)]



A Master of Ceremonies or MC (sometimes spelled emcee), sometimes called a compère or an MJ for "microphone jockey," is the host of an official public or private staged event or other performance. The MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving. The MC sometimes also acts as the protocol officer during an official state function.




The term originates from the Catholic Church. The Master of Ceremonies is an official of the Papal Court responsible for the proper and smooth conduct of the elegant and elaborate rituals involving the Pope and the Sacred Liturgy. He may also be an official involved in the proper conduct of protocols and ceremonials involving the Roman Pontiff, the Papal Court, and other dignitaries and potentates. Examples of official liturgical books prescribing the rules and regulations of liturgical celebrations are Cæremoniale Romanum and Cæremoniale Episcoporum.




In the early 1970s, the term MC became associated with what would change to become known as the rapper in hip-hop / rap music and culture. Originally, the term was simply used as Master of Ceremonies. It's believed that the first musician to call himself an MC was Melle Mel from Grandmaster Flash. Traditionally, an MC uses rhyming verses, whether pre-written or freestyled, to introduce and praise the DJ he or she works with, to hype up the crowd. As hip-hop progressed, the title MC has been thought to mean a number of acronyms such as Microphone Controller, "Microphone Commander", Mic Checka, Music Commentator, and one who Moves the Crowd, notably through Rakim's lyrics on the matter (Eric B. easy on the cut and no mistakes allowed/ Cuz to me, MC means move the crowd). Some use this word interchangeably with the term rapper, but according to many, they should never cross paths.




Uncertainty over the acronym's expansion may be considered evidence for the ubiquity of the acronym: the full master of ceremonies is very rarely used in the hip-hop scene. This confusion prompted the hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest to include this statement on their 1993 Midnight Marauders album:




The use of the term MC when referring to a rhymer originates from the dance halls of Jamaica. At each event, there would be an announcer or master of ceremonies who would introduce the different musical acts and would say a toast in style of a rhyme, directed at the audience and to the performers. He would also make announcements such as the schedule of other events or advertisements from local sponsors. The term MC continued to be used by the children of women who moved to New York to work as maids in the 1970s. These MCs eventually created a new style of music called hip-hop based on the rhyming they used to do in Jamaica and the breakbeats used in records. MC has also recently been accepted to refer to all who engineer music