The Sugarhill Gang Albums (4)
What The Critics Say
While they didn't garner the critical praise of their label cohorts, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, the Sugarhill Gang still produced their share of memorable slices of early hip-hop. Helping to bring Sylvia Robinson's Sugar Hill Records into the limelight, the label's namesake group erred more on the funk side of the hip-hop equation, plying a steamy, all-night mix of go-go grooves, straight funk singing, and rapping. 8th Wonder features the hits "Apache" and the title track, as well as such slick funk burners as "Hot Hot Summer Day" and the incredible bit of uptown dance alchemy "Funk Box" (shades of Prince here). 8th Wonder may not be as good a starting point for newcomers as roundups on Rhino and Sequel, but it certainly will be one fans won't want to miss. ~ Stephen Cook, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Although the Sugarhill Gang didn't invent hip-hop, they were the first rap act to have a huge international hit. Released in 1979, "Rapper's Delight" was millions of listeners' first exposure to hip-hop -- before that, very few people outside of New York even knew what hip-hop was. The Sugarhill Gang were also among the first rap acts to record a full-length LP; when this self-titled debut album came out in 1980, the vast majority of old-school MCs were only providing 12" singles. So The Sugarhill Gang is a historically important album even though it is a bit uneven. While "Rapper's Delight" and "Rapper's Reprise" (which features the Sequence, hip-hop's first all-female group) are excellent, most of the material is merely decent. And the ironic thing is that half of the songs aren't even rap. "Bad News Don't Bother Me" and "Here I Am," both of which find the Sugarhill Gang singing instead of rapping, are romantic R&B slow jams -- and "Sugarhill Groove" is a sleek disco-funk number that hints at Roy Ayers. So this LP can hardly be called the work of hip-hop purists; in 1980, Sugarhill Records leader Sylvia Robinson (herself a veteran R&B singer) evidently felt that putting out an all-rap album would be risky. But, while The Sugarhill Gang isn't a masterpiece, it's still an album that hip-hop historians will find interesting. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The longtime reissue label Rhino Records made a transition from faithful historian to active participant in the world of modern music with Jump on It!, the first new album by the Sugarhill Gang in more than 15 years. Combining their recent emphasis on old-school rap and children's records, label executives brought Big Bank Hank, Master G, and Wonder Mike back together to record an album of updated Schoolhouse Rock-type raps. Each of the ten songs are message tracks, beginning with the title track, a shout-out to kids that they're never too young to start reaching for their dreams. Other tracks focus on either specific educational subjects ("ABC's," "The Vowels," "Last Day of School") or on subjects more generally beneficial for kids' well-being ("Fireworks," "Sugar Hill Groove," "My Little Playmate"). As fun and educational as Jump on It! is for kids, though, this album is a non-starter for hip-hop fans. The trio's raps haven't progressed beyond (and may have even fallen back from) "Rapper's Delight," and from the sounds of it, Jump on It! was recorded in much the same way as all the classic material from Sugar Hill Records -- the music credits go to the Sugar Hill House Band, though individual members aren't listed. It's a much better tack than trying to update the Sugarhill Gang for the late-'90s hip-hop world, but this children's album doesn't make any kind of transition to adult audiences. ~ Keith Farley, All Music Guide
'Livin' in the Fast Lane'
Release Date 1/1/1984
Tracks 7
Label Sugar Hill
See Album Tracklist and Review
