Meaning
Chatting or half-singing rhythmically over a riddim — the Jamaican vocal style, dating from the 1960s sound systems, that is a direct ancestor of rap. To toast is to ride the beat with rhymed talk, boasts, catchphrases, and running commentary, hyping the crowd and the tune, and the great toasters of the era turned the sound-system dance into performance. From this art of talking over the music grew the modern deejay and, through it, hip-hop, so that toasting stands at the very root of much of today's popular music.
Examples
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U-Roy did a legend at toasting.
U-Roy was a legend at toasting.
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Him start toasting pon di mic.
He started chatting on the microphone.
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Toasting turn into di deejay style.
Toasting grew into the deejay style.
Origin
From 'toast' in the older sense of speaking words of praise or a boast to a crowd; the practice grew on Jamaican sound systems and influenced hip-hop through Jamaican migrants in New York.
How it’s used
A historically important term. Modern deejaying is the descendant of toasting.