Guy Anthony O'Brien is an American rapper known by the

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Master Gee. He is a founding member of the hip hop group

The Sugarhill Gang The Sugarhill Gang is an American hip hop trio. Their 1979 hit "Rapper's Delight" 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 onl ...

. On the band's signature song, "

Rapper's Delight "Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 hip-hop track by the Sugarhill Gang, produced by Sylvia Robinson. Although it was shortly preceded by the Fatback Band's "King Tim III (Personality Jock)", "Rapper's Delight" is credited for introducing hip-hop mus ...

", 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".

Biography

O'Brien grew up in

Teaneck, New Jersey Teaneck () is a Township (New Jersey), township in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 U.S. census, th ...

, where at an early age he was exposed to a steady stream of

doo wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

and

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

, and established himself as an energetic emcee in the pioneering Phase 2 hip-hop crew. During the early infancy of the commercial hip-hop movement in 1979, Master Gee, Big Bank Hank and

Wonder Mike Michael Anthony Wright (born April 30, 1957), known professionally as Wonder Mike, is an American old-school rapper and former member of the Sugarhill Gang. The group was part of the African-American hip hop movement in the 1970s and 1980s. ...

were discovered by producer

Sylvia Robinson Sylvia Robinson (née Vanderpool; May 29, 1935 – September 29, 2011) was an American singer, record producer, and record label executive. Robinson achieved success as a performer on two R&B chart toppers: as half of Mickey & Sylvia with ...

and brought together to form

. O'Brien stepped away from

Sugar Hill Records Sugar Hill Records is an American bluegrass and Americana record label. It was founded in Durham, North Carolina in 1978 by Barry Poss and David Freeman, the owner of County Records and Rebel Records. Poss acquired full control of Sugar Hil ...

in 1984, and established himself as a successful entrepreneur in the magazine industry. During the group's departure from the label, Joey Robinson Jr., son of Sugar Hill producer

, used the stage name Master Gee. O'Brien and Wonder Mike went to court over the use of the group's name and stage names as documented in the film, ''I Want My Name Back''. In 2014, name usage was amicably resolved, and Master Gee has since re-emerged as a mainstay in the hip hop community and music industry. He currently lives in the Washington, D.C. area, and actively performs worldwide with

and as a solo DJ.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gee, Master American rappers People from Teaneck, New Jersey The Sugarhill Gang members Living people 1960s births Year of birth uncertain 21st-century American rappers