"The Griot's ..African Elders of Hip Hop?

To my blog reader's it may be a bit surprising, but Hip Hop may have Elders. I first
heard of this unique history from, a Jamacian friend of mine! At first I was doubtful, but as I looked into, I think there is some connection. In fact there is a probally big connetcion.
Many have made a connection to hip hop and a group of West African musicians.
The group are called griots. This is some information of them and how there music may have been the building blocks of modern day Hip Hop!

Griots, pronounced "greeohs", are wordsmiths of West Africa who use poetry, proverbs, and rhythm to teach villagers about their history. Their home is the territory of the Mande peoples, i.e. the states of Mali, Gambia, Guinea and Senegal, where their tradition is alive to this day. "Griot" is the French term for this class of musicians; the local terms are jeli in northern Mande areas and jali in southern Mande domains.