sugar hill gang
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- tasty
saw them last night.
Sad yet satisfying.
- mrdobolina-1
first manufactured hiphop group.
- mrdobolina-1
This pioneering group inaugurated the history of recorded hip-hop with their single "Rapper's Delight", a multi-platinum seller and radio hit in 1979. The group was created to profit on a supposed novelty item. New Jersey-based producer and indie label owner Sylvia Robinson had become aware of the massive hip-hop block parties occurring around the New York City area during the late '70s, so she gathered three locals from her town of Englewood, NJ: Guy O'Brien, who was the original Master Gee; another local rapper, Michael Wright, who called himself Wonder Mike, and non-rapper Big Bank Hank. The vocalists were then teamed up with three session musicians, including future Living Color bassist Doug Wimbish. Together, they recorded all the Sugarhill Gang’s work.
"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. According to many, Big Bank Hank’s entire verse on “Delight” was “borrowed” from a notebook of rhymes written by Grandmaster Caz, a local rapper with the Cold Crush Brothers, for whom Hank was the manager. Allegedly, this was done on the promise that he’d help Cold Crush get a record deal. It never happened, and the Cold Crush Brothers were relegated to being a cult phenomenon. Also, Chic’s Nile Rodgers filed a lawsuit for copyright infringement over “Delight” (the first such of legal battles for rap, with many to come); it was settled out of court, leaving Rodgers with a large cut of all future royalties. Despite the embarrassment, the group endured.
- tasty1
90% of pop musicians are manufactured. It's all good.
- mrdobolina-1
this was in 1979 though.
- madirish1
musicians, movie stars and politicians have been manufactured for decades; long before 1979. think 1879. why?..... they are all forms of entertainment.
- mrdobolina-1
doesnt make it any less lame.
that's like saying "vanilla ice laughed all the way to the bank"
this did not make them suck less.
- tasty1
You ever go over your friends house to eat and the food just ain't no good? macaroni’s soggy the peas are mushed and the chicken tastes like wood
i feel you dog. i feel you.
- madirish1
oh, sorry- completely agree there. definitly lame. i was just pointing to the 1979 date as no real benchmark, that's all.
- mrdobolina-1
well, in rap it is was my point. sugarhill sucked. noone on the planet can name another song by them without using google.
- 4040
im just sittin here makin myself nauseous with this ugly food that stinks so you bust out the door while its still closed still sick from the food you ate
and then you run to the store for quick relief from a bottle of kaopectate
- tasty0
jump on it.
- mrdobolina-1
h, you're right.
kills self.
- e-pill0
RIP Henry Jackson :(