i've seen comments over the years insinuating that this is essentially bob spitting over the beat, but i've never regarded it as being rap he's just singing at a faster pac than he usually does.

it really goes off though what a song

No but goat song and video

in the same way that any talking blues type stuff is "proto-rap" in a way

“The Murder Mystery” by the Velvet Underground, best proto-rap track.

Lou Reed did that

Spirituals is proto-rap, also poetry

out of curiosity, what timeframe would songs have to be released to be considered proto-rap? Pre-Rapper's Delight? Before 1980?

“Proto-Rap” is The Last Poets and nothing else.