''Sugarhill Gang'' is the self-titled debut album by influential rap 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 only ...

. It is considered to be the first hip hop studio album, leading to more studio albums by other rappers.

Reception

The album was released in 1980 for

Sugarhill 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 Hill ...

and was produced by

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 ...

. The single "

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 ...

" 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.

Track listing

#"Here I Am" – 5:09 (Craig Derry, Nate Edmonds) #"Rapper's Reprise (Jam-Jam)" (featuring

The Sequence The Sequence was an American female hip–hop trio from Columbia, South Carolina, who formed in 1979. The Sequence is noted as the first female hip hop trio signed to the Sugar Hill Records label in the late–1970s and early–1980s. The group ...

) – 7:40 (

) #"Bad News (Don't Bother Me)" – 6:45 (Guy O'Brien, Henry Jackson, Michael Wright) #"Sugarhill Groove" – 9:52 (Guy O'Brien, Henry Jackson, Michael Wright,

) #"Passion Play" – 5:10 (Brenda Reynolds, Nate Edmonds, Ray Smith) #"

" – 14:37 :55 – shortened single version(

Bernard Edwards Bernard Edwards (October 31, 1952 – April 18, 1996) was an American bass player and record producer, known primarily for his work in disco music with guitarist Nile Rodgers, with whom he co-founded Chic. In 2017, Edwards was selected as the ...

Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, record producer and composer. The co-founder of Chic, Rodgers has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 500 million albums and 75 million ...

)

Personnel

*Rappers – Big Bank Hank, Master Gee, Wonder Mike (The Sugarhill Gang) *Backing vocals, and rhythm arrangements – Positive Force (tracks 3, 5, 6) *Bass – Bernard Rowland (tracks 3, 5, 6), Douglas Wimbish, possibly Chip Shearin (track 6) *Drums – Bryan Horton (tracks 3, 5, 6),

Keith LeBlanc Keith LeBlanc is an American drummer and record producer, and is a member of the bands Little Axe and Tackhead. His record " No Sell Out" was one of the first sample-based releases. The song was a success, charting at No. 60 on the UK Singles ...

*Guitar – Albert Pittman (tracks 3, 5, 6),

Skip McDonald Skip McDonald (born Bernard Alexander, September 1949)Allmusic biography/ref> is an American musician who also performs under the stage name Little Axe. Career Early career Grounded in blues music learned from his father, a steel worker who p ...

, possibly Brian Morgan (track 6) *Keyboards – Nate Edmonds, Skitch Smith *Percussion – Craig Derry, Harry Reyes, John Stump *Vibraphone, backing vocals – Sylvia Robinson *Special guest appearance –

Tito Puente Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – June 1, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer of Puerto Rican descent. He is best known for dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz c ...

*Special effects – Billy Jones, Nate Edmonds *Producer, engineer, mixing – Billy Jones, Nate Edmonds,

Charts

References

External links

The Sugarhill Gang – ''Sugarhill Gang'' at Discogs
{{Authority control 1980 debut albums Disco albums by American artists Soul albums by American artists The Sugarhill Gang albums Sugar Hill Records (hip hop label) albums