Rapper's Delight

"Rapper's Delight"
"Rapper's Delight"
	A pressing of the 1979 US 12-inch single not crediting Chic's song
Single by the Sugarhill Gang
from the album Sugarhill Gang
Released	September 16, 1979
Recorded	August 2, 1979
Genre	Old-school hip hop; disco; funk;
Length	3:55 (single version); 4:55 (album version); 5:05 (7" single version); 6:30 (12" short version); 7:07 (long single version); 14:37 (12" long version);
Label	Sugar Hill
Songwriter(s)	Bernard Edwards; Nile Rodgers; Sylvia Robinson (uncredited); Henry Jackson (uncredited); Michael Wright (uncredited); Guy O'Brien (uncredited); Curtis Brown (uncredited); Alan Hawkshaw (uncredited);
Producer(s)	Sylvia Robinson
The Sugarhill Gang singles chronology
Music video
	"Rapper's Delight" on YouTube

"Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 hip hop track that serves as the debut single of American hip-hop trio 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 music to a wide audience, reaching the top 40 in the United States, as well as the top three in the United Kingdom and number one in Canada. It was a prototype for various types of rap music. The track interpolates^[2] Chic's "Good Times", resulting in Chic's Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards threatening to sue Sugar Hill Records for copyright infringement; a settlement was reached that gave the two songwriting credits. It also interpolates Love De-Luxe's "Here Comes That Sound Again". The track was recorded in a single take.^[3] There are five mixes of the song.

"Rapper's Delight" was ranked at number 251 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2010, and number 2 on VH1's "100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs". It is also included on NPR's list of the 100 most important American musical works of the 20th century. It was preserved in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress in 2011 for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".^[4]

In 2014, the record was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.^[5]

^ Lynch, Joe (October 13, 2014). "35 Years Ago, Sugarhill Gang's 'Rapper's Delight' Made Its First Chart Appearance". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
^ Branch, Darrell. The Beat Game: The Truth About Hip-Hop Production. Create Space. 2014
^ "'Rapper's Delight'". National Public Radio. December 29, 2000. Retrieved December 20, 2010. The story goes that Big Bank Hank, Wonder Mike, and Master Gee met Sylvia Robinson on a Friday and recorded "Rapper's Delight" the following Monday in just one take.
^ "Complete National Recording Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
^ "GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Class Of 2014". grammy.com. June 21, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2017.

[1] Lynch, Joe (October 13, 2014). "35 Years Ago, Sugarhill Gang's 'Rapper's Delight' Made Its First Chart Appearance". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.

[2] Branch, Darrell. The Beat Game: The Truth About Hip-Hop Production. Create Space. 2014

[3] "'Rapper's Delight'". National Public Radio. December 29, 2000. Retrieved December 20, 2010. The story goes that Big Bank Hank, Wonder Mike, and Master Gee met Sylvia Robinson on a Friday and recorded "Rapper's Delight" the following Monday in just one take.

[4] "Complete National Recording Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved December 18, 2015.

[5] "GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Class Of 2014". grammy.com. June 21, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2017.

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