| Sugarhill Gang | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 7, 1980[ citation needed ] | |||
| Recorded | 1979 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:17 | |||
| Label | Sugarhill Records | |||
| Producer | Sylvia Robinson | |||
| The Sugarhill Gang chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Sugarhill Gang | ||||
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Sugarhill Gang is the self-titled debut album by influential rap group the Sugarhill Gang. It is considered to be the first hip hop studio album, leading to more studio albums by other rappers.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Smash Hits | 5/10 [2] |
| Uncut | [3] |
The album was released in 1980 for Sugarhill Records and was produced by Sylvia Robinson. The single "Rapper's Delight" was the first rap single to become a top-40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 36 on the U.S. pop chart and number 4 on the R&B chart. Although "Rapper's Delight" was the only charting single, the album also included the minor hit, "Rapper's Reprise". Aside from the two singles and "Sugarhill Groove", the remainder of the LP consists of several down-tempo soul tracks and a disco instrumental, as Sylvia Robinson did not believe an album consisting entirely of hip hop music would be commercially viable in 1980.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Here I Am" | Craig Derry, Nate Edmonds | 5:09 |
| 2. | "Rapper's Reprise (Jam-Jam) (featuring The Sequence)" | Sylvia Robinson | 7:40 |
| 3. | "Bad News (Don't Bother Me)" | Guy O'Brien, Henry Jackson, Michael Wright | 6:45 |
| 4. | "Sugarhill Groove" | Guy O'Brien, Henry Jackson, Michael Wright, Sylvia Robinson | 9:52 |
| 5. | "Passion Play" | Brenda Reynolds, Nate Edmonds, Ray Smith | 5:10 |
| 6. | "Rapper's Delight" | Bernard Edwards, Nile Rodgers | 14:37 [4:55 – shortened single version] |
Notes
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [8] | 92 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [9] | 17 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [10] | 32 |
The Sugarhill Gang is an American hip hop group formed in Englewood, New Jersey in 1979. Their hit "Rapper's Delight", released the same year they were formed, was the first rap single to become a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching a peak position of number 36 on January 12, 1980. This was the trio's only U.S. hit, though they would have further success in Europe until the mid-1980s. The trio reformed in 1994 and embarked on a world tour in 2016.
"Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 hip hop track that serves as the debut single of American hip-hop trio the Sugarhill Gang, produced by Sylvia Robinson. Although it was shortly preceded by the Fatback Band's "King Tim III ", "Rapper's Delight" is credited for introducing hip hop music to a wide audience, reaching the top 40 in the United States, as well as the top three in the United Kingdom and number one in Canada. It was a prototype for various types of rap music. The track interpolates Chic's "Good Times", resulting in Chic's Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards threatening to sue Sugar Hill Records for copyright infringement; a settlement was reached that gave the two songwriting credits. It also interpolates Love De-Luxe's "Here Comes That Sound Again". The track was recorded in a single take. There are five mixes of the song.
Sylvia Robinson, known mononymously as Sylvia, was an American singer and record producer. Robinson achieved success as a performer on two R&B chart toppers: as half of Mickey & Sylvia with the 1957 single "Love Is Strange", and her solo record "Pillow Talk" in 1973. She later became known for her work as founder and CEO of the pioneering hip hop label Sugar Hill Records.
The Fatback Band is an American funk and disco band that was popular in the 1970s and 1980s. The Fatback Band is most known for their R&B hits: "(Do the) Spanish Hustle", "I Like Girls", "Gotta Get My Hands on Some (Money)", "Backstrokin'" and "I Found Lovin'".
The Hunger for More is the debut solo studio album by American rapper Lloyd Banks. Originally scheduled for a May 25, 2004 release, the album was ultimately dropped on June 29, 2004 through G-Unit Records and Interscope Records.
Douglas Arthur Wimbish is an American bassist, primarily known for being a member of rock band Living Colour and funk/dub/hip hop collective Tackhead, and as a session musician with artists such as Sugarhill Gang, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, The Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger, Depeche Mode, James Brown, Annie Lennox, Tarja Turunen, and Barrington Levy.
Henry Lee Jackson, known by his stage name Big Bank Hank, was an American hip hop recording artist and manager. Also known as Imp the Dimp, he was a member of the trio the Sugarhill Gang, the first hip hop act to have a hit with the cross-over single "Rapper's Delight" on the pop charts in 1979. He contributed to many documentaries based on the rap music industry. Lyrics to his verse from "Rapper's Delight" were allegedly plagiarized from rhymes written by Grandmaster Caz.
"Good Times" is a disco soul song by American R&B band Chic, released in June 1979 by Atlantic Records as the first single from their third album, Risqué (1979). It ranks 68th on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time", and has become one of the most sampled songs in music history, most notably in hip hop music. Originally released with "A Warm Summer Night" on the B-side, it was reissued in 2004 with "I Want Your Love" on the B-side, a version which was certified Silver in the UK.
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were an American hip hop group formed in the South Bronx of New York City in 1978. The group's members were Grandmaster Flash, Kidd Creole, Keef Cowboy, Melle Mel, Scorpio, and Rahiem. The group's use of turntablism, breakbeat DJing, and conscious lyricism were significant in the early development of hip hop music.
10 is the ninth studio album by American rapper LL Cool J. It was released by Def Jam Recordings on October 15, 2002 in the United States. LL Cool J and 10 hit a milestone in Def Jam history, being the first artist ever on Def Jam to have ten albums under the same record label. The album peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200, while also reaching number 26 on the UK Albums Chart.
Funke, Funke Wisdom is the fourth solo studio album by American recording artist Kool Moe Dee from the Treacherous Three. It was released in 1991 via Jive Records, making it the rapper's final album on the label.
Street Dreams is the second studio album by American rapper Fabolous. It was released on March 4, 2003, by Desert Storm Records and Elektra Records. Fabolous worked with a variety of producers on the album, including DJ Clue, Heavy D, Just Blaze, Rick Rock, Timbaland, Trackmasters, and Kanye West. Guest vocalists on Street Dreams include Lil' Mo, Mike Shorey, Paul Cain, Snoop Dogg, Missy Elliott, Ashanti, and Mary J. Blige as well as Styles P, Jadakiss, M.O.P., P. Diddy, and Jagged Edge.
"The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel" is a single released by American disc jockey Grandmaster Flash in 1981. It is a live DJ mix recording of Flash scratching and mixing records from various groups using three turntables. The musician employed several DJ techniques in the recording, including crossfading, cutting, rubbing and backspins.
Cool Relax is the second studio album by American singer Jon B. It was released by Tracey Edmonds' label Yab Yum Records and distributed by Epic Records subsidiary 550 Music on September 16, 1997.
Guy Anthony O'Brien, known by his stage name Master Gee, is an American hip hop recording artist and DJ. He is a founding member of the hip hop group the Sugarhill Gang. On the band's signature song, "Rapper's Delight", he raps, "I said M-A-S, T-E-R, a G with a double E, I said I go by the unforgettable name of the man they call the Master Gee". He was 17 at the time of recording the song, alluded to by the lyric, "I guess by now you can take a hunch, and find that I am the baby of the bunch".
8th Wonder is the second album by the American rap group the Sugarhill Gang. The album was released in 1981 for Sugar Hill Records and was again produced by Sylvia Robinson and James Cullimore. Though not as successful as the group's previous album, the album did feature the minor hits "8th Wonder" and "Apache" and featured an appearance by another Sugar Hill Records rap group, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five on "Showdown".
Jump On It! is a 1999 studio album by American hip hop group The Sugarhill Gang made of children's music and was the first hip hop album made by rap artists for children. The album was the only one recorded after the trio of Big Bank Hank, Master Gee, and Wonder Mike reunited in the 1990s and was promoted by a jump rope contest for children in coordination with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, who received a portion of the proceeds from album sales. The album was devised by Rhino Records executive Richard Foos and was intended to be paired with a line of children's clothing, educational videos, and television programming.
I Am the West is the ninth solo studio album by American rapper Ice Cube. It was released on September 28, 2010 through Lench Mob Records, marking his second independent release following 2008's Raw Footage.
"Apache" is a song written by Jerry Lordan and first recorded by Bert Weedon. Lordan played the song on ukulele for the Shadows while on tour and, liking the song, the group released their own version which topped the UK Singles Chart for five weeks in mid-1960. The Shadows' guitarist Hank Marvin developed the song's distinctive echo and vibrato sound. After hearing the Shadows' version, Danish guitarist Jørgen Ingmann released a cover of the song in November 1960 which peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US.
Rappin' Down Town is the third album from New York City-based rap/hip hop group The Sugarhill Gang. Released in 1983, this album includes the minor R&B hits "The Lover in You" and "The Word is Out."
