A master of ceremonies (also used in its abbreviated forms MC or emcee) or compère [commère being the female form] is the official host of a staged event or similar performance.

An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, entertains people, and generally keeps the event moving. An MC may also tell jokes or anecdotes. The MC sometimes also acts as the protocol officer during an official state function.

The term is also used to refer to television game show hosts and/or hostesses.

In hip hop and electronic dance music, an MC, also referred to as a rapper, is a music artist and/or performer who usually creates and performs vocals for his/her own original material. An emcee focuses on skills, lyrical ability, and subject matter.

Origins

The term originates from the Catholic Church. The Master of Ceremonies is an official of the Papal Court responsible for the proper and smooth conduct of the elegant and elaborate rituals involving the Pope and the sacred liturgy. He may also be an official involved in the proper conduct of protocols and ceremonials involving the Roman Pontiff, the Papal Court, and other dignitaries and potentates. Examples of official liturgical books prescribing the rules and regulations of liturgical celebrations are Cæremoniale Romanum and Cæremoniale Episcoporum.

The Master of Ceremonies or more properly Grand Master of the Ceremonies, in modern governments of Japan, designates the chief administrator charged with ceremonial matters relating to the Imperial House of Japan. Under the current government system, he has been called the Shikibu-kanchō (式部官長) who heads the Board of the Ceremonies, Imperial Household Agency (宮内庁式部職, Kunaichō Shikibu shoku). However, the post has historically gone under different Japanese names.

Current government

The Grand Master of the Ceremonies has two Vice-Grand Masters of the Ceremonies (式部副長, Shikibu fukuchō) serving under him. One of them has "purview over ceremonial matters" (儀式総括, gishiki sōkatsu), while the other has "purview over foreign related matters" (外事総括, gaiji sōkatsu).

The first Vice-Grand Master of the Ceremonies has subordinate "officials of ceremonies" (式官, shikikan) underneath him, variously charged with ceremonial rites, music, and hunting parties at the duck netting preserves (鴨場, kamoba). It is the Board of the Ceremonies's The Music Department (楽部, gakubu), which performs both gagaku (雅楽), i.e. ancient court music, and Western classical music.

Master of Ceremonies is the fourth studio album by American rapper Styles P. The album was released on October 4, 2011, by D-Block Records and E1 Music. The album features guest appearances from Lloyd Banks, Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes, Pharoahe Monch, Pharrell Williams and Styles' group The L.O.X.. Producers on the album include Pete Rock, Statik Selektah, Warren G, Dipset AraabMuzik, and more. The lead single from Master of Ceremonies, is "Harsh", which features Rick Ross and Busta Rhymes. A second single has also been released. The song is called "It's OK", which features Jadakiss.

Critical response

Upon its release, Master of Ceremonies was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. David Jeffries of AllMusic gave the album four out of five stars, saying "Big money names like Pharrell, Busta Rhymes, and Rick Ross himself fill the guest list, but Styles is as uncompromising and hard as always, filling the middle of this effort with dark, stark, and dirty reminders of life in the ghetto and/or life as a gangster." Alex Thornton of HipHopDX gave the album three and a half stars out of five, saying "Styles is doing his best to represent the collective properly with his latest solo. While it feels like Master of Ceremonies could have been more, it’s a solid effort worth checking out both for fans of Styles specifically and New York rap in general." Ralph Bristout of XXL gave the album an XL rating, saying "Despite a loaded list of features and the underwhelming Avery Storm-assisted “How I Fly,” Master of Ceremonies exhibits more wins than duds. Holiday certainly lives up to the album’s title."