SUGARHILL GANG

The Sugarhill Gang were a pioneering American hip hop and funk group who inaugurated the history of recorded hip-hop with their single Rapper's Delight, a multi-platinum seller and radio hit in 1979. The members, all from New York City, called themselves Wonder Mike, Big Bank Hank, and Master Gee. They were assembled into a group by producer Sylvia Robinson who also founded Sugar Hill Records along with her husband, record mogul Joe Robinson.

Initially, the group was created to profit on a supposed novelty item based on the massive hip-hop block parties occurring around the New York City area during the late '70s. Master Gee, Wonder Mike, and non-rapper Big Bank Hank were then teamed up with three session musicians, including future Living Color bassist Doug Wimbish. Together, they recorded all of the Sugarhill Gang’s work

Rapper's Delight was a #36 hit on the US pop chart and a #4 hit on the US R&B chart in 1979, though hip hop was dismissed as a fad. Some claim that Rapper's Delight is the first hip hop single ever, but it was actually preceded by King Tim III (Personality Jock) by the Fatback Band. The Sugarhill Gang's place in music history seems secure as the first hip hop group to have a gold single.

Rapper's Delight borrowed the main bassline from Chic's Good Times and became a worldwide hit, reportedly selling more than eight million copies. For some time, the trio developed a poor reputation within certain social circles: The fact that they were essentially amateurs assembled by Sugar Hill Records upset many hip-hop pioneers who had been paying dues in the street party circuit. Chic’s Nile Rodgers filed a lawsuit for copyright infringement over Rapper's Delight (the first of many such legal battles for rap); it was settled out of court, leaving Rodgers with a large cut of all future royalties. Despite this embarrassment, the group endured.

RAPPER'S DELIGHT (ORIGINAL 12" LONG VERSION).mp3