The Sugarhill Gang
The group assembled by Sugar Hill Records owner Sylvia Robinson to record 'Rapper's Delight' in 1979, the first commercially successful rap single. Robinson hired a band to recreate Chic's 'Good Times' without clearing the sample, leading to a copyright lawsuit won by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. Though controversial in the Bronx for recycling established rappers' phrases without credit, the track became a Top 40 hit and introduced hip-hop to mainstream America. The single's success sparked what insiders called 'The First Death of Hip-Hop'—the moment when the underground scene went commercial—but also ensured the genre would never be contained to the Bronx again.
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Rapper's Delight
First commercially successful rap single from 1979, introducing hip-hop to mainstream America and Top 40 radio. Sugar Hill Records owner Sylvia Robinson hired a band to recreate Chic's 'Good Times' without clearing the sample, leading to a copyright lawsuit that established precedents for sampling law. The Sugarhill Gang assembled by Robinson recycled phrases from established Bronx rappers, sparking controversy in the scene over stolen material. Insiders called the single's release 'The First Death of Hip-Hop'—the moment when what had been underground went commercial. But it also meant the genre would never be contained to the Bronx again. An index card invitation from DJ Kool Herc's 1973 party later sold for $27,720, but 'Rapper's Delight' brought hip-hop to millions who would never see the inside of 1520 Sedgwick Avenue.