Tom Turpin, who wrote the first published piano rag by an African-American, "Harlem Rag," 1897 (1898), was a St. Louis friend of Scott Joplin.
"Harlem Rag," a basic rag incorporating a popular tune in the last part, can be heard at: Tom Turpin
Click on the name of the tune.
It is quite different from the later, complex rags written by Joplin.
"Original Rags," Joplin 1899 is quite basic: Original Rags
More interesting are "Heliotrope Bouquet": Heliotrope
and Solace 2: Solace 2
The index to these midis: Index

Listening to the rags is the best way to define them. Words in dictionaries are a poor substitute.