The Sugarhill Gang

Formed in Englewood, New Jersey, in 1979 around Wonder Mike, Master Gee and Big Bank Hank, The Sugarhill Gang is part of the early American old-school hip-hop scene, delivering chanted rap over rhythms drawn from disco, funk and soul. Brought together by Sylvia Robinson for the Sugar Hill Records label, The Sugarhill Gang became known the same year with “Rapper’s Delight,” the first rap single to enter the US Top 40 — a track that helped take the genre beyond local block parties and New York clubs. The group continued in that vein on the albums Sugarhill Gang (1980), 8th Wonder (1981), Rappin’ Down Town (1983) and Livin’ in the Fast Lane (1984), with songs such as “8th Wonder,” “Apache” and “Showdown,” the latter recorded with The Furious Five. After splitting in the mid-1980s and being revived in the 1990s, The Sugarhill Gang also recorded Jump On It! in 1999. Their trajectory has since been marked by several lineup changes and a steadier return to the stage from the 2010s onward, with Wonder Mike and Master Gee still associated with the name The Sugarhill Gang.