In the world of hip-hop, MC stands for "Master of Ceremonies" and is a term used to refer to a person in charge of an event or performance who also entertains the audience. In the early days of hip-hop, the MC was simply on hand to get the crowd excited about the DJ and to announce upcoming appearances. However, as hip-hop culture evolved, so did the MC. The term MC acquired backronyms such as "Microphone Controller," "Move the Crowd," and "Mic Checka". Given more freedom on the microphone in front of audiences, MCs began to get more creative with their performance opportunities. When the seminal hit song "Rappers Delight" was released in 1979, the focus of hip-hop music and culture was placed squarely on the vocalist or MC. In general, an MC is a performer or wordsmith that uses rhythmic wordplay to rock the mic in front of a crowd. While the terms "MC" and "rapper" are often used interchangeably, they are not synonymous. MC is about a performers ability to move the crowd and control an audience, while rapper is about everything to do with rapping, including performance.