Rapper's Delight

The Sugarhill Gang, DJ Spinbad

About Rapper's Delight

"Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 hip hop track by the Sugarhill Gang and produced by Sylvia Robinson. While it was not the first single to include rapping, "Rapper's Delight" is credited for introducing hip hop music to a wide audience, reaching the top 40 in the United States, as well as the top 3 in the UK and number-one in Canada. It was a prototype for various types of rap music, incorporating themes such as boasting, dance, honesty and sex, with the charisma and enthusiasm of James Brown. The track interpolates Chic's "Good Times", resulting in Chic's Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards suing Sugar Hill Records for copyright infringement; a settlement was reached that gave the two songwriter credits. "Rapper's Delight" is number 251 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and number 2 on VH1's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs. It is also included on NPR's list of the 100 most important American musical works of the 20th century. It was preserved in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress in 2011. Songs on the National Recording Registry are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The song was recorded in a single take. There are three versions of the original version of the song: 14:35 (12" long version), 6:30 (12" short version), and 3:55 (7" shortened single version). 


Year:
2004
3:30
136 
#2

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I said a hip hop,
Hippie to the hippie,
The hip, hip a hop, and you don't stop, a rock it
To the bang bang boogie, say, up jump the boogie,
To the rhythm of the boogie, the beat.
Now, what you hear is not a test - I'm rappin' to the beat,
And me, the groove, and my friends are gonna try to move your feet.
See, I am Wonder Mike, and I'd like to say hello,
To the black, to the white, the red and the brown,
The purple and yellow.  But first, I gotta
Bang bang, the boogie to the boogie,
Say up jump the boogie to the bang bang boogie,
Let's rock, you don't stop,
Rock the rhythm that'll make your body rock.
Well so far you've heard my voice but I brought two friends along,
And the next on the mic is my man Hank,
C'mon, Hank, sing that song!

Check it out, I'm the see-A-S-A, the N-O-V-A,
And the rest is F-L-why,
You see I go by the code of the doctor of the mix,
And these reasons I'll tell you why.
You see, I'm six foot one, and I'm tons of fun
When I dress to a T,
You see, I got more clothes than Muhammad Ali
And I dress so viciously.
I got bodyguards, I got two big cars
That definitely ain't the wack,
I got a Lincoln Continental and a sunroofed Cadillac.
So after school I take a dip in the pool,
Which is really on the wall,
I got a color TV, so I can see
The Knicks play basketball.  Hear me talk about
Checkbooks, credit cards, mo' money
Than a sucker could ever spend,
But I wouldn't give a sucker or a bum form the Rucker
Not a dime 'til I made it again.  Everybody go
Ho-tel, Mo-tel, Whatcha gonna do today? (Say what?)
''cause I'm a get a fly girl,
Gonna get some spank n' drive off in a def OJ.  Everybody go
Ho-tel, Mo-tel, Holiday Inn,
Say if your girl starts actin' up, then you take her friend.
Master Gee!  My mellow!
It's on to you, so whatcha gonna do?

Well, it's on'n'n'on'n'on on'n'on,
The beat don't stop until the break of dawn.
I said M-A-S, T-E-are, a G with a double E,
I said I go by the unforgettable name
Of the man they call the Master Gee.
Well, my name is known all over the world
By all the foxy ladies and the pretty girls.
I'm goin' down in history
As the baddest rapper there ever could be.
Now I'm feelin' the highs and you're feelin' the lows,
The beat starts gettin' into your toes
You start poppin' your fingers and stompin' your feet
And movin' your body while while you're sitting in your seat
And then damn!  Ya start doin' the freak, I said
Damn!  Right outta your seat
Then you throw your hands high in the air,
Ya rockin' to the rhythm, shake your derriere
Ya rockin' to the beat without a care,
With the sureshot MCs for the affair.
Now, I'm not as tall as the rest of the gang
But I rap to the beat just the same.
I got a little face, and a pair of brown eyes
All I'm here to do, ladies, is hypnotize
Singin' on'n'n'on'n'on on'n'on,
The beat don't stop until the break of dawn
Singin' on'n'n'on'n'on on'n'on,
Like a hot buttered pop da pop da pop dibbie dibbie
Pop da pop pop, don't you dare stop
Come alive why'all, gimme whatcha got
I guess by now you can take a hunch
And find that I am the baby of the bunch
But that's okay, I still keep in stride,
''cause all I'm here to do is just wiggle your behind
Singin' on'n'n'on'n'on on'n'on,
The beat don't stop until the break of dawn.
Singin' on'n'n'on'n'on on'n'on,
Rock rock, why'all, throw it on the floor
I'm gonna freak you here, I'm gona freak you there,
I'm gonna move you outta this atmosphere.
''Cause I'm one of a kind and I'll shock your mind
I'll put TNT in your behind.  I said
One, two, three, four, come on, girls, get on the floor
A-come alive, why'all, a-gimme whatcha got
''Cause I'm guaranteed to make you rock
I said one, two, three, four, tell me, Wonder Mike
What are you waiting for?

I said a hip hop,
The hippie to the hippie
The hip hip a hop, and you don't stop, a rock it
To the bang bang boogie, say up jump the boogie,
To the rhythm of the boogie, the beat.
A Skiddleebebop, we rock, scooby doo,
And guess what, America, we love you
''Cause you rocked and a rolled with so much soul,
You could rock 'til a hundred and one years old.
I don't mean to brag, I don't mean to boast,
But we like hot butter on our breakfast toast
Rock it up, Baby Bubba!
Baby Bubba to the boogie da bang bang da boogie
To the beat, beat, it's unique
Come on everybody and dance to the beat!

A hip hop
The hippie to the hippie the
Hip hip a hop and you don't stop, rock it
Rock it out, Baby Bubba to the boogie da bang bang
The boogie to the boogie, the beat.
I said, I can't wait 'til the end of the week
When I'm rappin' to the rhythm of a groovy beat
And I attempt to raise your body heat.
Just blow your mind, so you can't speak
And do a thing but a-rock and shuffle your feet
And let it change up to a dance called the freak
And when you finally do come into your rhythmic beat,
Rest a little while so you don't get weak.
I know a man named Hank
He has more rhymes than a serious bank
So come on Hank, sing that song,
To the rhythm of the boogie, the bang bang da bong!

Well, I'm Imp the Dimp, the ladies' pimp,
The women fight for my delight.
But I'm the grandmaster with the three MCs
That shock the house for the young ladies
And when you come inside, into the front,
You do the freak, spank, and do the bump
And when the sucker MC try to prove a point,
We're a treacherous trio, we're the serious joint!
A-From sun to sun and from time to time
I sit down and write a brand new rhyme
Because they say that miracles never cease
I've created a devastating masterpiece
I'm gonna rock the mic 'til you can't resist,
Everybody, I say it goes like this
Well, I was walking home late one afternoon
A reporter stopped me for an interview
She said she's heard stories and she's heard fables
That I'm vicious on the mic and the turntable
This young reporter I did adore,
So I rocked some vicious rhymes like I never did before
She said, "Damn, fly guy, I'm in love with you
The Casanova legend must have been true"
I said, "By the way, baby, what's your name?"
Said, "I go by name of Lois Lane
And you could be my boyfriend, you surely can,
Just let me quit my boyfriend called Superman."
I said, "He's a fairy, I do suppose
Flyin' through the air in pantyhose
He may be very sexy, or even cute,
But he looks like a sucker in a blue and red suit,"
I said, "You need a man man who's got finesse
And his whole name across his chest
He may be able to fly all through the night,
But can he rock a party 'til the early light?
He can't satisfy you with his little worm,
But I can bust you out with my super sperm!"
I go do it, I go do it, I go do it, do it, do it.
An' I'm here an' I'm there, I'm Big Ban Hank, I'm everywhere
Just throw your hands up in the air
And party hardy like you just don't care
Let's do it, don't stop, why'all, a tick tock, why'all, you don't stop!
Go ho-tel, mo-tel, whatcha gonna do today? (Say what?)
I'm gonna get a fly girl, gonna get some spank, drive off in a def OJ,
Everybody go, "Ho-tel, mo-tel, Holiday Inn"
You say if your girl starts actin' up, then you take her friend
I say skip, dive, what can I say?
I can't fit 'em all inside my OJ,
So I just tak half, and bust 'em out,
I give the rest to Master Gee so he can shock the house
It was twelve o'clock one Friday night
I was rockin' to the beat and feelin' all right
Everybody was dancin' on the floor
Doin' all the things they never did before
And then this fly girl with a sexy lean
She came into the bar, she came into the scene
She travelled deeper inside the room
All the fellas checked out her white Sassoons
She came up to the table, looked into my eyes
Then she turned around and shook her behind
So I said to myself, it's time for me to release
My vicious rhyme I call my masterpiece
And now people in the house, this is just for you
A little rap to make you boogaloo
Now the group you hear is called Pha

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The Sugarhill Gang

The Sugarhill Gang is an American hip hop group, known mostly for its 1979 hit "Rapper's Delight," the first hip hop single to become a Top 40 hit. The song uses an interpolation of the instrumental track from the classic hit "Good Times" by Chic as its foundation. more »

2 fans

Written by: Edward Bernard, Giles Goodman, Mark Summers, Nile Rodgers

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


10 facts about this song

Historical Significance
"Rapper's Delight" by The Sugarhill Gang is widely considered the first rap song to become a mainstream hit, confirming hip-hop's place in the mainstream music scene.
Record Label Information
The song was released on Sugar Hill Records, an American record label known for its significance in the development of hip-hop music.
Recording Session
The track was reportedly recorded in a single take. It highlights the emphasis in early hip-hop on improvisation and spontaneity.
Track Length
Originally, "Rapper's Delight" was over 14 minutes long. This was unusual for pop music at the time and is a testament to hip hop's roots in DJ-led parties where longer tracks were common.
Sampling Controversy
The song samples the bassline of Chic's "Good Times," which led to legal action from the group. This case was pivotal in the music industry, leading to changes in how samples were used and who would receive credit and financial compensation for them.
Chart Performance
"Rapper's Delight" peaked at No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, but it performed significantly better overseas - reaching No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart.
Cultural Impact
Despite controversy surrounding its originality, "Rapper's Delight" is one of Rolling Stone Magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and is often used in popular culture as a representative song of the early hip-hop genre.
Songwriting Credits
The song was originally credited to all members of the Sugarhill Gang, but it was later revealed that Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers wrote some of the lyrics. This fact highlighted the common practice in the early hip-hop community of borrowing lines from other MCs, which later became controversial as hip-hop evolved.
Sales Achievement
"Rapper's Delight" was the first rap single to be certified Gold by the RIAA, selling over 2 million copies.
Group Formation
The members of The Sugarhill Gang were individually chosen by producer Sylvia Robinson in 1979 specifically to record "Rapper's Delight," making them one of the first manufactured bands in hip-hop history.

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