Rapper’s Delight
"The Sugarhill Gang" is an early American hip-hop group from the '70s and '80s. It was initially founded by Wonder Mike, Big Bank Hank, and Master Gee. However, Kory-O later joined the group as a replacement for Master Gee. A few years later, after multiple lineup changes, Big Bank Hank performed under the name the Original Sugarhill Gang with members Joey Robinson Jr., David Gunthorpe, Kent Laird aka Pookie, Frank Zarate, Warren Moore, and Derek Smalls portraying as Wonder Mike & Master Gee while as for the other two original members Michael Wright and Guy O'Brien performed under Rapper's Delight with new member Hendogg. After years of legal disputes, Wonder Mike, Hendogg, and Master Gee are currently performing under the Sugarhill Gang name.
"Rapper's Delight" is credited as the first Hip-Hop single to hit a mainstream audience. The original song "Good Times" was written by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of the group Chic and was sampled in the same year by The Sugarhill Gang and released as "Rappers Delight." Rogers stated in his interview that the Rappers Delight was way more popular than Good Times because it was a new style. It was something fresh. They were not credited as the song authors. Still, Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards immediately threatened legal action over copyright, which resulted in a settlement and being credited as co-writers.
Two US pressings got proper crediting for "Chic Music, Inc." but not showing the song being written by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers.
The final four US pressings got the proper crediting showing the song written by Edwards and Rodgers.
Rapper's Delight is genuinely something special. It was an innovative approach to create something fresh. Sampling the Funk and Disco infused records is the formula for most of the hip-hop records ever released.
Old school hip-hop hop was all about having fun, and that is how Rapper's Delight was created. At that time, hip-hop wasn't a music genre; it was a place to meet, play music, rap, breakdance, and have fun.
Rapper's Delight was released in more than 120 issues, and it included two versions of the song. One credited as "short version" is with the length 6:30 and "long version" that is 15 minutes long. Primarily the vinyl record was released on "Sugar Hill Records" in 1979 with the following reissues on RCA, Vogue, Metronome, Top Hits, Philips, etc.
It was a hit worldwide, and "Rapper's Delight" hit number 36 in 1980 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 4 on the US Hot Soul Singles chart in 1979. It topped the Canadian Singles Chart in 1980 as number 1 and also the Dutch Top 40. The record was very popular in the UK where it peaked number 3 in the single charts. The record was sold in over 2 million copies in the US.