The Message
Grandmaster Flash, The Furious Five, The Sugarhill Gang
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Grandmaster Flash, The Furious Five, The Sugarhill Gang
Grandmaster Flash, The Furious Five, The Sugarhill Gang
Grandmaster Flash, The Furious 5, The Sugarhill Gang
Duke Bootee, Grandmaster Melle Mel, The Sugarhill Gang
The Sugarhill Gang, West Street Mob
Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious Five
The Showdown: The Sugarhill Gang vs. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
1999 · album
1996 · compilation
1984 · album
1981 · album
1981 · single
1980 · album
1979 · single
2021 · single
2019 · single
2018 · single
2018 · album
2008 · album
2002 · compilation
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Though the Sugarhill Gang 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 cooked up to cash in on a supposed novelty item. Music industry producer and label owner Sylvia Robinson had become aware of the massive hip-hop block parties occurring around the New York area during the late '70s, so she gathered three local rappers (Master Gee, Wonder Mike, and Big Bank Hank) to record a single. Infectious and catchy, "Rapper's Delight" borrowed the break from Chic's "Good Times" and became a worldwide hit, eventually selling more than eight million copies. Most industry people figured rap for a short-lived trend, and though they were dead wrong, the Sugarhill Gang certainly didn't carry the torch; despite several modest hits ("8th Wonder," "Apache"), the trio faded quickly and was gone by the mid-'80s, only returning in 1999 with Jump on It, a rap album for children. ~ John Bush, Rovi