The Sugarhill Gang

The Sugarhill Gang is a hip-hop and rap group formed in Englewood in 1979. Their song, "Rapper's Delight", released that same year was the first hip-hop/rap song to be charted on the Billboard's Top 40, selling more than 8 million records. The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2014. 

Sylvia Robinson with her husband Joe, created Sugar Hill Records. After Henry "Big Bank Hank" Jackson, Micheal "Wonder Mike" Wright, and Guy "Master Gee" O'Brien auditioned for her, she put them together in a group that became The Sugarhill Gang. 

In the late 1990s, there was controversy as Joey Robinson, Sylvia Robinson's son, began using "Master Gee" as a stage name for his performances. O'Brien and Wright then went to court to trademark their stage names. The members left Sugarhill Records in 2005 and faced numerous lawsuits for using the name Sugarhill Gang. They again went to court and gained the rights to their group name.  The Group eventually separated in 1985 but reformed in 1994. The members are Wonder Mike, Master Gee, Hen Dogg, and DJ T-Dynasty.

“The Sugarhill Gang.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 May 2024.

“The Sugarhill Gang.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 10 Apr. 2024.

“Sugarhill Gang: How We Made Rapper’s Delight.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 2 May 2017.

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1994

1985