The Sugarhill Gang’s 1979 single Rapper's Delight is widely credited with bringing hip hop into the mainstream. Released on September 16, 1979, it became the first rap single to reach the U.S. Billboard Hot 100’s top 40.
Produced by Sylvia Robinson for Sugar Hill Records, the recording introduced a broad pop audience to an extended rap performance. The group’s members—Big Bank Hank, Wonder Mike, and Master Gee—delivered rhymes over a groove based on Chic’s Good Times. Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards later received songwriting credit after the interpolation was disputed.
Rapper's Delight was not the first hip hop recording ever made. Fatback Band’s King Tim III (Personality Jock) appeared shortly beforehand, and rap had already developed through live parties in the Bronx. Rapper's Delight was significant because it moved the culture from local scenes and club performances into commercial radio and international charts.
The song reached number 36 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, number four on the U.S. R&B chart, and number one in Canada. It was added to the National Recording Registry in 2011 and inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2014.