Sentence:  Some of this soul and funk music that fed into Blaxploitation films conveyed a serious political message, which was evident in some of the films' music, while there was also a connection to <WSD>proto-rap</WSD> culture. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Performance art forms that served as precursors to rap, especially those that feature rhythmic spoken and/or half-sung lyrics.