Joe Tex (born Joseph Arrington Jr. and later known as Yusuf Hazziez following religious conversion 8 August 1933 — 13 August 1982), was an American Southern soul singer-songwriter, most popular during the 1960s and 1970s. His style of speaking over music, which he called 'rap', made him a predecessor of the modern style of music.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Tex