Michael Anthony Wright (born April 30, 1957), known professionally as Wonder Mike, is an American old-school

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

and former member of

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 ...

. The group was part of the African-American hip hop movement in the 1970s and 1980s.

Career

Wonder Mike is best known for being a member of

, the first hip hop act to produce a record, the 1979 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 ...

". He is known for his large stature, standing .

Personal life

Wright is a born-again Christian who enjoys painting, reading the Bible, sketching and writing poetry. He has suffered from

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...

at times. On July 11, 2013, Wright's daughter Carmen Delgina auditioned for the thirteenth season of the American televised singing competition ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

'' with "

Tainted Love "Tainted Love" is a song composed by Ed Cobb, formerly of American group the Four Preps, which was originally recorded by Gloria Jones in 1964. It attained worldwide fame after being covered and reworked by British synthpop duo Soft Cell in 1 ...

" by

Soft Cell Soft Cell are an English synthpop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. The duo consists of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The band are primarily known for their 1981 hit version of "Tainted Love" and their pla ...

and was unanimously sent through to the Hollywood round, as shown in the episode that aired on January 29, 2014. However, during the "group round" stage of Hollywood Week, she was eliminated at the end of her group's performance. As of 2019, Wright and other members of the Sugarhill Gang continue to perform in '80s nostalgia shows.

References

1957 births Living people African-American male rappers Rappers from New Jersey The Sugarhill Gang members 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people {{Hiphop-bio-stub