The Sugarhill Gang

Master Gee and Big Bank Hank

Big Bank Hank, Wonder Mike, Joey Robinson 
Jr. and Melle Mel

Sugarhill Gang

8th Wonder

Rappin' Down Town

Livin' in the Fast Lane

Henry Lee Jackson was born on January 11, 1956 in the Bronx, New York. By his early twenties, Jackson had worked as a manager for rap group The Mighty Force MC's, which included rap pioneer  and then teenager Curtis "Grandmaster Caz" Fisher. While working in Englewood, New Jersey's Crispy Crust Pizza, Jackson met Joey Robinson, son of All Platinum Records owners Joe and Sylvia Robinson. 

After seeing Kevin "Lovebug Starski" Smith rap and DJ at New York's Harlem World nightclub one night in 1979, R&B singer-turned-record company owner Sylvia Robinson got the idea to record the burgeoning art form. Robinson, who lived in Englewood with husband Joe, encouraged Joey Jr., the oldest of the couple's three children, to find local rappers. Joey discovered Jackson in Crispy Crust that July. Jackson subsequently auditioned for mother and son, still wearing his pizza apron, in the backseat of Robinson's car, during which, New Jersey- native Guy "Master Gee" O'Brien walked by with a friend. After overhearing the discussion revolving around rap, O'Brien's friend, Mark Green, suggested to the Robinsons that O'Brien should audition as well. After O'Brien joined Jackson in the car and delivered his own impromptu raps, the group relocated to the Robinson's home, where Englewood rapper Michael "Wonder Mike" Wright offered to audition as well. When Sylvia, who was interested in signing a solo performer, found that she was unable to choose between the three, she decided to make them a trio. 

Joe Robinson borrowed money from music executive Morris Levy, who was also reputed to be working under the auspices of Genovese crime family head Vincent Gigante (3), to finance Sugar Hill Records, which released the newly-formed Sugarhill Gang's first song, "Rapper's Delight".  Recorded on August 2, the September 16 (2) release went on to sell 14 million copies. The single's success led to the group serving as the opening act for Parliament Funkadelic within weeks of its hitting record stores. 

However, "Rapper's Delight" faced heavy criticism due to its lack of originality. Jackson's verses were taken from Fisher's rhyme book and the music was sampled from disco group Chic's hit "Good Times -- without permission. O'Brien and Wright, however, did write their verses. Chic members Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, who composed "Good Times", filed a copyright infringement suit against Sugar Hill Records and were subsequently confronted at a recording studio by four armed men. The two eventually reached a settlement with the label which gave them all of the writers' credits and royalties for "Rapper's Delight". 

The record company capitalized on the song's popularity by releasing The Sugarhill Gang's self-titled debut album on February 7, 1980. O'Brien and Wright would write Jackson's lyrics. The group's continued success prompted several other rap groups to sign with Sugar Hill Records, including: Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five; Funky Four Plus One; Treacherous Three, which included Kool Moe Dee; Crash Crew; The Sequence, which included future R&B star Angie Stone; and the West Street Mob. 

The Sugarhill Gang's sophomore album, 8th Wonder, was released on November 24, 1982, following a European tour. 8th Wonder features the hit "Apache", which would be sampled two decades later on rapper Nasir "Nas" Jones' song "Made You Look".

Despite phenomenal sales, the members of The Sugarhill Gang received a very small fraction of the proceeds. The majority of the profits went to Joe Robinson, who co-owned Sugar Hill Records with Morris Levy, and to Sylvia Robinson, who acted as manager and owned the group's publishing company, Sugar Hill Music Publishing, Ltd. 

The group's third and fourth albums, Rappin' Down Town and Livin' in the Fast Lane, were released in 1983 and 1984, respectively.

O'Brien fathered a son, Guy O'Brien Jr. with Sylvia Robinson's niece, but bristling over low financial compensation, he refused to renew his contract with Sugar Hill in 1984. Needing income, he took a job as a door-to-door magazine salesman, eventually working his way up to owning his own sales group. 

Wright followed O'Brien's lead in 1985 and refused to resign his contract as well. He eventually provided for his five children with a house painting business that he founded. 

Meanwhile, looking to make up for Sugar Hill Records' waning prosperity, Joe Robinson secured a distribution deal for the label with MCA Records through Gambino crime family associate Salvatore "Sal the Baker" Pisello. The deal, however, bankrupted Sugar Hill, which folded in 1986. Following a Justice Department investigation into shady music business practices, Pisello was eventually sentenced to four years in prison for tax evasion. In 1990, Levy died of cancer before he could begin a 10-year sentence for extortion conspiracy. Robinson, who died in 2000, was introduced to Pisello by Rocco "The Butcher" Musacchia, an alleged lieutenant of Genovese crime family capo Frederick "Fritzy" Giovanelli. 

All three members of The Sugarhill Gang reunited in the mid-1990s at the urging of Joey Robinson Jr. However, after two live performances, O'Brien quit again citing an unfavorable contract. Following O'Brien's departure, Joey Robinson joined the group and began calling himself "Master Gee". 

Wright quit the group again in 2005 and resumed recording music and performing with O'Brien. That same year, Joey Robinson Jr. trademarked the names "The Sugarhill Gang", "Master Gee" and "Wonder Mike". In 2009, O'Brien and Wright successfully sued for the right to use their respective stage names but were unable to reclaim the name "The Sugarhill Gang", prompting them to begin using the group name "Rapper's Delight". 

Jackson died from cancer on November 11, 2014. Joey Robinson Jr. died the following year.

The Sugarhill Gang - Apache

The Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight

Related: 

The Immortals: Big Bank Hank