News: “Rapper’s Delight” Inducted Into Library Of Congress
The Sugarhill Gang’s 1979 jam, “Rapper’s Delight,” has been added to the National Recording Registry. “Rapper’s Delight” is amongst 24 other recordings that have been added to the library this year. Other inductees include, Prince’s “Purple Rain,” and Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love.” View the entire list of inductees after the break.
24. “Rapper’s Delight,” Sugarhill Gang (1979)
The Sugarhill Gang’s infectious dance number from late 1979 might be said to have launched an entire genre. Although spoken word had been a component of recorded American popular music for decades, this trio’s rhythmic rhyming inspired many future MCs and rap artists. The album version of “Rapper’s Delight” is an epic 14 1/2 minute salvo of irreverent stories and creative wordplay. The song dates from hip-hop’s infancy. As such, it does not address subject matter that has given rap music both positive and negative notoriety, but the song’s inventive rhymes, complex counter-rhythms and brash boastfulness presage the tenets of hip hop. “Rapper’s Delight” also reflects an early instance of music sampling, drawing its bass line and other features from Chic’s 1979 hit “Good Times.” As a result of an out-of-court settlement for copyright infringement, songwriting credits for “Rapper’s Delight” include that song’s composers, Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards, as well as Sylvia Robinson and the Sugarhill Gang (Michael Wright, Guy O’Brien, and Henry Jackson).
Follow @QuezKHH
Social
