Forty-five years ago, on February 7, 1980, The Sugarhill Gang made history with the release of their self-titled debut album, Sugarhill Gang. Comprised of Michael “Wonder Mike” Wright, Guy “Master Gee” O’Brien, and the late Henry “Big Bank Hank” Jackson—hailing from Englewood, New Jersey—the trio delivered what is widely regarded as the first full-length Hip Hop album ever released.
Distributed via Sugar Hill Records, the label founded by Joe and Sylvia Robinson alongside Milton Malden, Sugarhill Gang ran just over 39 minutes in length and featured six tracks, including the groundbreaking single “Rapper’s Delight.” While not the first song to feature rapping—Fatback Band’s “King Tim III (Personality Jock)” holds that distinction—“Rapper’s Delight” was the first to bring Hip Hop into the mainstream. The track became the genre’s first Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and was later ranked No. 251 on Rolling Stone‘s list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”
The album also featured other notable cuts like “Sugarhill Groove” and “Apache”, further cementing its legacy as a foundational piece of Hip Hop history. With Sugarhill Gang, the group not only introduced rap to a global audience but also set the stage for the genre’s evolution over the next four decades.
