Rapper's Delight

The Sugarhill Gang

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). 


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I said a hip hop, the hippie, the hippie
To the hip hip hop-a, you don't stop
Rock it out, baby bubba to the boogie, the bang-bang
The boogie, to 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
You 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
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's try to prove a point
We're Treacherous Trio, we're the serious joint
A-from sun to sun and from day to day
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 coming home late one dark afternoon
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 the name, 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 who has 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
And I'm here and I'm there, I'm Big Bad Hank, I'm everywhere

Just throw your hands up in the air
And party harder like you just don't care
Let's do it, don't stop, y'all, a-tick tock, y'all, you don't stop
A-go hotel, motel, whatcha gonna do today? (Say what?)
Yes, I'm gon' get a fly girl, gonna get some spankin'
Drive off in a def OJ
Everybody go, "Hotel, motel, 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 take half, and bust 'em out
I give the rest to Master Gee so he can shock the house

I said M-A-S, T-E-R, 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 your movin' your body while you're sitting in your seat

And then damn, ya start doin' the freak
I said, bam, 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-and-and-on-and-on-on-and-on
The beat don't stop until the break of dawn
Singin' on-and-and-on-and-on-on-and-on
Like a hot buttered pop-da-pop-da-pop, dibbie dibbie
Pop-da-pop-pop, you don't dare stop
Come alive y'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-and-and-on-and-on-and-on
The beat don't stop until the break of dawn
Singin' on-and-and-on-and-on-on-and-on
Rock, rock, y'all, throw it on the floor

I'm gonna freak you here, I'm gonna 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 the t-t-tickets in your behind, a-said
One, two, three, four, come on, girls, get on the floor
A-come alive, y'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?

Said-a hip hop, the hippie, to the hippie
The hip hip hop and you don't stop rockin'
To the bang-bang, the boogie, say up jump the boogie
To the rhythm of the boogie, the beat

A skiddleebebop, we rock, a 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 out, a-Baby Bubba
Baby Bubba to the boogie, the bang-bang, the boogie
To the beat, beat, it's so unique
Come on everybody and dance to the beat

Have you ever went over a friend's house to eat
And the food just ain't no good?
I mean the macaroni's soggy, the peas all mushed
And the chicken tastes like wood
So you try to play it off like you think you can
By saying that you're full
And then your friend says, "Mama, he's just being polite
He ain't finished, uh-uh, that's bull"

So your heart starts pumpin' and you think of a lie
And you say that you already ate
And your friend says "Man, there's plenty of food"
So he piles some more on your plate
While the stinky food's steamin', your mind starts to dreamin'
Of the moment that it's time to leave
And then you look at your plate and your chicken's slowly rottin'
Into something that looks like cheese

Oh, so you say, "That's it, I gotta leave this place
I don't care what these people think
I'm just sittin' here makin' myself nauseous
With this ugly food that stinks"
So you bust out the door while it's still closed
Still sick from the food you ate
And then you run to the store for quick relief
From a bottle of Kaopectate
And then you call your friend two weeks later
To see how he has been
And he says, "I understand about the food
Baby Bubba, but we're still friends"

With a hip hop, the hippie, to the hippie
The hip hip hop and you don't stop the rockin'
To the bang-bang, boogie, say up jump the boogie
To the rhythm of the boogie, the beat

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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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