SUGAR HILL RECORDS
The Original Rap / Hip Hop Record Label, formed in 1979 (and Surprisingly only in Business for about 7 Years) by Husband and Wife, Joe and Sylvia Robinson, Milton Malden and with the Financial Backing of Morris Levy, who already owned Roulette Records.
Sylvia Robinson who had already had an Hit Single, reaching Number 1 in the US R&B Chart in her own right some 6 Years previous with "Pillow Talk" under the name of just "Sylvia" incidentally she had hoped that "Al Green" would Record this Track, but he turned it down as he thought it was too Risque and it was against his Religious Beliefs!
The First Release from Sugar Hill Record's was "Rapper's Delight" by The Sugar Hill Gang, in August 1979, they Released several different Versions, the Longest being 15 Minutes in total!
Although not the First Rap Release or Band, "The Sugarhill Gang"
were Credited for being the First Group to Popularise Rap / Hip Hop Music! It was also the First Rap record to get into the US Pop Charts at Number 36.
In early 1980 the Robinson's brought out Morris Levy's Share in Sugar Hill Records.
SHR had some of the Biggest/first Rap stars including:
GrandMaster Flash and the Furious five, Sequence, Kool Moe Dee, Treacherous Three and the West Street Mob!
By 1986 SHR had Signed a Controversial Distribution Deal with MCA Records, which ended up in a Lengthy Court Room battle and eventually the Record Label had to Close Down!
They had by this time Amassed in Total, 26 Gold Records!
Nearly some 10 years later "Rhino Records" had Purchased all the Master Tapes from SHR, and then went about "Re-Releasing most of the Music made by SHR!
In 2002 the Recording Studios used by SHR in Englewood, New Jersey was Destroyed by Fire!
Other Artists to have Recorded for the Label were :
Funky Four Plus One, Viola Wills, Spoonie Gee, Moments, Positive Force, Melle Mel, Candi Staton, Trouble Funk, Phillip Wynne and Sylvia!
Some of the Biggest Tracks were:
Sugarhill Gang: Rappers Delight, 8th Wonder, The Lover in You and Apache.
GrandMaster Flash: On the Wheels of Steel, The Message, Its Nasty and Scorpio.
GMF and Melle Mell: White Lines
Positive Force: We Got The Funk
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