Rapper: one that raps or is used for rapping: as a: a door knocker b: a performer of rap music.
MC (Master of Ceremony) 1: a person who determines the forms to be observed on a public occasion 2 : a person who acts as host at a formal event 3 : a person who acts as host for a program of entertainment (as on television).
I was talking to someone a little while ago about the words MC and rapper. The person I was talking to believed that an MC is someone that really keeps themselves true to Hip-Hop as far as lyrics and image and that a rapper is someone who raps not out of passion, but to gain commercial appeal like a lot of mainstream artists we see today.
My opinion on the matter is that the words MC and rapper basically mean the same thing. The term MC was created first and from what I know the MC was pretty much a hypeman for the DJ. I just feel that since the term MC originated during the birth of Hip-Hop and the word rapper was incorporated a little later, some people might think the label of MC makes you more authentic opposed to the term rapper which may seem more mainstream.
I'm sure there probably are a lot of people who may not necessarily agree with me, but I would love to hear everyone's opinion on the matter.