This shouldn't surprise. Although common wisdom is that rap is exclusively linked to African oral traditions, there are many other non-African, non-American influences.
In the early 1980's for example, in Detroit, a group of youngsters heard the (then) West German group Kraftwerk's "Trans Europe Express" an early bit of pop electronica. They were particularly impressed by the steady, synthetically produced beat, a dream for a DJ because it gave the audience something to dance to and provided a foundation for overlays and mixing.
You could keep the beat steady even as you improvised and innovated.
Just a small part of the story.
Anyway, even the simplest web search (or open minded exploration of online and / or bricks and mortars music store) shows how much non-American rap music is out there.
Consider...
http://neturn.sinacity.com/store/10_1_292808_1_1_index.html
http://www.uajournal.com/?rev=226
http://www.streethop.com/international/
http://www.rapspot.dk/crsint.htm
...
DRM