Sugarhill Gang
Studio album by
the Sugarhill Gang
ReleasedFebruary 7, 1980 (1980-02-07)
Recorded1979
GenreOld-school hip hop, disco, soul
Length39:17
LabelSugarhill Records
ProducerSylvia Robinson
The Sugarhill Gang chronology
Sugarhill Gang
(1980)		 8th Wonder
(1981)
Singles from Sugarhill Gang
  1. "Rapper's Delight"
    Released: September 16, 1979
  2. "Rapper's Reprise"
    Released: 1980
  3. "Hot Hot Summer Day"
    Released: 1980
  4. "Here I Am"
    Released: 1980

Sugarhill Gang is the self-titled debut album by influential rap group the Sugarhill Gang. It is considered to be the first hip hop studio album, leading to more studio albums by other rappers.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Smash Hits5/10[2]

The album was released in 1980 for Sugarhill Records and was produced by Sylvia Robinson. The single "Rapper's Delight" 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

  1. "Here I Am" – 5:09 (Craig Derry, Nate Edmonds)
  2. "Rapper's Reprise (Jam-Jam)" (featuring The Sequence) – 7:40 (Sylvia Robinson)
  3. "Bad News (Don't Bother Me)" – 6:45 (Guy O'Brien, Henry Jackson, Michael Wright)
  4. "Sugarhill Groove" – 9:52 (Guy O'Brien, Henry Jackson, Michael Wright, Sylvia Robinson)
  5. "Passion Play" – 5:10 (Brenda Reynolds, Nate Edmonds, Ray Smith)
  6. "Rapper's Delight" – 14:37 [4:55 – shortened single version] (Bernard Edwards, Nile Rodgers)

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[3][4] (track 6)
  • Drums – Bryan Horton (tracks 3, 5, 6), Keith LeBlanc
  • Guitar – Albert Pittman (tracks 3, 5, 6[5]), Skip McDonald, possibly Brian Morgan[4][6] (track 6)
  • Keyboards – Nate Edmonds, Skitch Smith
  • Percussion – Craig Derry, Harry Reyes, John Stump
  • Vibraphone, backing vocals – Sylvia Robinson
  • Special guest appearance – Tito Puente
  • Special effects – Billy Jones, Nate Edmonds
  • Producer, engineer, mixing – Billy Jones, Nate Edmonds, Sylvia Robinson

Charts

Chart performance for Sugarhill Gang
Chart (1980) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[7] 92
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[8] 17
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[9] 32

References

  1. ↑ Zimmermann, Curtis. The Sugarhill Gang - Sugarhill Gang at AllMusic. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  2. ↑ Starr, Red. "Sugarhill Gang: Sugarhill Gang". Smash Hits (March 20 – April 2): 31.
  3. ↑ "Chip Shearin artist page". TC Electronic. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Sugarhill Gang". EEG Talent. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  5. ↑ "BIO".
  6. ↑ "The Sugarhill Gang – Rapper's Delight". December 18, 2011. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  7. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 299. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  8. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Sugarhill Gang – Sugarhill Gang" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Sugarhill Gang Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
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