The Controversial Rise Of Hip-Hop's First Record Label

Although the Robinsons get the blame, they worked with some mobsters who really controlled the business and the money. Giving the black Robinsons the blame is terrible and should be rectified.

Syvia was shystie when it came to paying her artist their proper royalties.

SHG's "money problems" were that they were getting paid only a fraction of what they were owed on this huge record, cause sylvia and joe (who controlled the money) kept it all for themselves. the record sold millions, but the rappers themselves were broke.

Pussies and Panzies tend to forget Facts, History and Reality. Corporation may be dirty but it’s what brings things into the light like it or not. It’s a candy cane dream to think “ oh a nice producer will pay the artists fairly and not get rich and have the money for themselves “ yes then the corporation dies and the street artist goes back to the street and fades into obscurity because that is just how music is, beyond the industry just in reality itself. How many phenomenal mind blowing artists do you think are out there right now you never heard of? The truly talented artists pay their dues, get the knife in the back from their first couple of production companies then have the skill to make it on their own. Sylvia Robinson began as a music talent, paid her dues and did just that many times over and a Black Owned Business paid talent and kept its business as long as it could in a vicious market. Step off the Queens name before you catch one off the keyboard.

They should had been added Grand Master Caz to the writers credits

Sylvia brought Hip-Hop to the mainstream and that deserves respect. Her sons are still douchebags tho.

You got it all wrong. This isn’t the full story. I respect your grind and watch your videos, but just know , I’ll be contacting you. In honor of the 50 year legacy of the MOST influential genre in music, the FULL truth deserves to be told. Hidden figures, people behind the scenes, people who ACTUALLY, LIKE ACTUALLY were responsible for setting things in motion. People who never got the credit they rightfully deserve. This is for my grandfather. By any means, I’m going to tell his story that’s a promise.

Sugar Hill record were clandestined owned by the Mobb

We all knew Hank stole Grandmaster Caz lyrics and the musician never got paid and names wasn't on the record bad business

Donna just died and they did get dirty

There is much better info about this.. and the most interesting part is Caz telling the story of how his rhymes were literally stolen word for word by Hank from the sugarhill gang.
Hip Hop was alive and kickin, as a subculture. And as every subculture, someone will always come along (the Hebrews had the strings in this one also, as they milked hiphop for years to come)to pimp it out.
Robinson was the face but the real money - as with every record company - went to other people.

Joe Robinson a promotions man that's one way of saying it lol! He was a bona fide gangster the money behind sugarhill records and big bank hank was security not a rapper he clearly stole lyrics grand Master Caz said so in a interview Sylvia Robinson was a very savvy business women and promoter check out hip hop uncovered documentary on FX probably the best hip hop documentary I have seen

Rapper’s Delight was a one-talk live recording, where Sylvia paid a 17 yo musician $75 to play the bassline to Chic’s “Good Times” for them to rap over. Good Times was released June 1979 and Rappers Delight Sept 1979. So, they basically stole the main part of a new hit record, only months old.

Nile Rodgers heard the record while at a NYC club named Leviticus, approached the DJ for info about the record. Him and Bernard Edwards sued Sylvia & Joe for an out of court settlement and authorship rights going forward. It was a long time ago, but Good and Rapper’s Delight in 1979, that theft was pretty blatant. I’m sure Bernard wasn’t thrilled, as he created that bassline.

I assume Sylvia said let’s get the money first and worry about the rest latter, which was risky. If Nile & Bernard were real azzholes and really had pursued it thru litigation, they possibly could have been awarded all the publishing in court going forward, which would have been a windfall. That $100M would have been Nile’s and Bernard’s. Wonder is anyone has asked him about this. He probably didn’t know the record would generate that amount of money in the future, as most musicians thought rap was a fad that would fade. Ironically, disco music was the fad that faded and rap is still around after 50 years.

5:55 Young Kool Moe Dee in the middle without the Star Trek shades, as LL called them 😂.

To be honest, I feel a bit disappointed that right from the start, management in hip-hop were largely fucking over their artists. Is it fair that the artists only ever saw less than 1% of the monies from their own work, and the label and their families all became rich? No wonder Ice Cube and Dr. Dre and others became so determined to have more control.

(c)rap and hip hop are unintelligent FAKE form of mus..ops random noise. Disco-funk and soul are the REAL THING!

You have the story wrong from the start. Until you include Positive Force the band who played on the record it’s wrong. They are on the Album cover.

Nah it wasn’t yo m Tv rap, it was Hot tracks then video music box. Yo M TV raps wasn’t the first to show hi hop videos it was Hot Tracks!!!! Hot tracks came out first. There’s a lot of mis information about hip hop and it’s origin. When you hear the origin of hip hop its not really from the point of view of the people who really originated it. Also you didn’t even mention one of the first DJ’s that First aired a hip hop song William rosco Mercer ( 98.7) in NYC… come on get y’all history right. I met Mr. Mercer my self before he pasted. He was an awesome Brother and should not be forgotten. Y’all have to stop this repackaging stuff ….,

Tought my young ass stuff i aint know existed or people or groupls like who sugar hill amd ect

L u sa

Interesting story about Sugar Hill and Rapper's Delight....and the beginning of the genre. I still have Rapper's Delight and The Sequence albums. I wonder what they're worth now? Still play; no scratches on them.

Big Bank Hank definitely stole lyrics. Casanova Fly was Kas, not Hank. He even stole the rhyme about never letting an emcee steal your rhymes.

Roulette records was a partner? Wasn't they involved in the mob?

I think Enjoy came first.

Hello Yassine 👋🏾 keep up the great work my boy 💪🏾💪🏾💯💯💯💯

I like how to do your research and the content you put out..I learned something new here..

Lies... sugar hill put hip hop on the map.
It was the artist that signed distribution deals with other companies that ruined many artist.
Sugar hill fell because of Fud spreading by white false Jews. Fact.

How can you even mention Sylvia Robinson without mentioning “pillow talk” and how can you mention scratching without mentioning “grand wizard theodore”??? Also, talking about “rappers delight” you forgot to mention how Nile Roger’s sued the hell out of them for stealing parts of his creation “good times”. Lastly, hank did in fact steal rhymes from grand master caz; this is not an “allegation” this is FACT..

This is how misinformation gets started by people that are just looking to make a few Pennies from half done YouTube videos…

And we say it’s the Jews that run hip hop and use black rappers

it's not really accusations that they didnt write it the mf spells his name but it's not even his name lmao

I think hip hop shoulda remained local.

Sounds about like the same thing that Ray Kroc did to the founders of McDonald's

They were also pioneers of the music video in hip hop, there were many productions made under there label x2 😂

Once Sugar Hill Records owned hip-hop. If they had paid artists fairly, they might still own it.

Doug Wimbish from Living Color? Wow

Success is a dead god Plutus 🌷🌑👍 rest in the good news 💐 Okay bye

That's weird, because the first song that I heard with a rap in it was George Duke in 1977 "reach for it" I think was the name of the song...

👩🏽‍💻✔Well Well Done 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾.

I remember an old head telling me that story about how Sylvia and Joe drove around NYC asking people if they “Rapped” and that’s how the Sugar Hill Gang. And yes the lyrics in Rapper’s Delight are stolen from Grandmaster Caz aka Casanova Fly.
Sylvia and Joe are still the Godparents of Hip Hop! Great content.

Sylvia pushed the genre no Doubt but she did like every other executive and rrobbed the artist of publishing and money

Excellent

Correction!!! Silvia Robinson bought a bunch of contracts from Bobby Robinson. Namely:
The Furious Five, The Funky Four Plus 1, The Treacherous Three, Spoonie Gee)

The FEARLESS FOUR went to Electra Records.

Preachers delight the original Mercedes ladies the 1st. Female rap group

👑👑🙏🏾🙏🏾♥️🙏🏾🙏🏾👑👑

I don't understand why Sylvia and Sugar Hill records is
Titled "controversial rise".
She put down the slab and literally paved the way. 
After that, a bunch of culture vulture copycat independent
record labels started, in rap.