The success of "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang proved that hip-hop was no longer confined to clubs, neighborhood block parties and homemade tapes. Several New York-based record labels popped up, including Enjoy and Disco Fever, which offered some competition to Sugar Hill Records and their roster. While these smaller labels had support from within the rap community, it seemed the outside world wanted a slicker sound. 1980 releases such as "The Breaks" and "Rapture", by Kurtis Blow and Blondie, respectively, were hugely successful. 1980 was also the year that all female crew Sequence hit the charts.

The Breaks

In September of 1980, Kurtis Blow released "The Breaks" on Mercury Records. A joyful party jam full of shout-outs, whistles and crowd sounds, it sported a call-and-response lyrical style and slamming beat. The record quickly became hugely popular, and went to sell more than a million copies.

The Breaks Lyrics

These are the original handwritten lyrics for "The Breaks" by Kurtis Blow. Written on notebook paper, the right edge of the page is rough where the sheet was torn from its binding. However, while there is some creasing and slight wear at corners and edges, the page is remarkably intact, and Blow's catchy lyrics (written in his sprawling hand) are still legible.



Rapture single

In 1980, new wave/pop group Blondie released "Rapture", in which vocalist Deborah Harry rapped about hip hop pioneers Grandmaster Flash and Fab 5 Freddy. The song reached No.1 on the pop charts and received massive airplay, thereby introducing rap (albeit a new wave, poppy version) to mainstream music listeners around the world.



The Sequence

From the heretofore male-dominated (and New York - centric) world of rap, South Carolina crew Sequence (the trio behind songs like "Funk you up" and "Monster Jam") made a name for themselves on the Sugar Hill label, releasing the first-ever rap record by an all-female group. As this handbill demonstrates, female rappers such as Sequence (and Sha-Rock of the Funky Four Plus One) were already making their mark on hip hop, paving the way for others to come, such as Roxanne Shante, Salt-N-Pepa and MC Lytle.