It was the first #1 song to feature rap. It was the first video played on MTV that featured rap. But it wasn’t from The Sugarhill Gang, Grandmaster Flash, or the Funky 4. In this bonus episode of Bring the Noise, we’ll look at the history of 1981’s Rapture from the band, Blondie. SHOW NOTES:Rapture Music Video No Exit Music Video ft. Coolio, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Prodigy, and Havoc Spotify playlist for this episode 

Bring the Noise, presented by The Space Monkey X Audio Workshop

Bonus Episode: Rapture

After Rapper’s Delight introduced the world to the underground hip-hop scene, more and more record labels began releasing rap singles. Many preferred the Disco Rap standard created by the Sugar Hill Gang, while others were trying to stick to their hip-hop jam roots. One group did a little bit of both to make their mark – the Funky 4+1. In this episode of Bring the Noise, we’ll follow the Funky 4 as they form around a duo of DJs, record their first single, and then go on to make history as the first rap crew to be seen on national television. Their story has more ups and downs than a Coney Island roller coaster, so hang on tight for this episode of Bring the Noise: A History of Early Hip-Hop! Be sure to subscribe and review the show wherever you get your podcasts! Follow The Space Monkey X Audio Workshop on Twitter and Instagram for show updates, as well as occasional old school hip-hop photos and facts. If you have Spotify, search for “Bring the Noise Podcast” and you’ll find a new playlist after each episode with songs from the featured artist, as well as others mentioned in the show. Or you can just click here for the latest playlist. This episode contains a lot of rare tracks, so the Spotify list is not very complete. Be sure to check out this special YouTube playlist to hear all the music mentioned in this episode. SHOW NOTES Spotify Playlist for Episode 4 YouTube Playlist for Episode 4 The Funky 4+1 My Copy of That’s the Joint The Funky 4+1 on Saturday Night Live The Funky 4+1 perform at The Kitchen in 1980 Stoop Rap from Beat Street NAS & AZ Stoop Rap Sprite Commercial Bomb’s Aren’t Cool – Music Video Shown in U.S. Schools (1986) Lil Rodney C Performing His Single, Paid King Heroin – Jazzy Jeff US Girls in Beat Street Sha-Rock Live & Direct Facebook Page

Episode 4: That’s the Joint

Tracing a line through rap history is virtually impossible. With so many precursors and proto versions, it’s hard to say definitively what impacted the musical form. But on this episode of Bring the Noise, we look at a strong contender – the radio DJ. In fact, if it wasn’t for these early jocks having an influence on one particular club DJ, rap music might not even exist today. And in a rare instance of the influencer becoming influenced by their proteges, a few radio DJs even tried to get in the rap game…with varying degrees of success. Learn more on the latest episode of Bring the Noise: A History of Early Hip-Hop! Be sure to subscribe and review the show wherever you get your podcasts! Follow The Space Monkey X Audio Workshop on Twitter and Instagram for show updates, as well as occasional old school hip-hop photos and facts. If you have Spotify, search for “Bring the Noise Podcast” and you’ll find a new playlist after each episode with songs from the featured artist, as well as others mentioned in the show. Or you can just click here for the latest playlist. This episode contains a lot of rare tracks, so the Spotify list is not very complete. Be sure to check out this special YouTube playlist to hear all the music mentioned in this episode. SHOW NOTES:The Bring the Noise Spotify Playlist for Episode 3 YouTube Playlist for Episode 3 featuring more music from the show DJ Hollywood: The Original King of New York (medium.com) Maurice “Hot Rod” Hulbert Paul “Fat Daddy” Johnson Robert Weston Smith AKA Wolfman Jack Gary Byrd Gary Byrd in the 1970s Gary Byrd today Frankie Crocker Anthony Holloway AKA DJ Hollywood Hollywood (Left)Hollywood on the micHollywood promo photo from the 1980s Douglas “Jocko” Henderson Jocko in his Ace from Outer Space Rocket Ship Show space suit Jocko Fan Club Card – 50,000 members strongPamphlet for the Get Ready program established by Jocko in the 1980s My copy of Jocko’s Rhythm Talk CORRECTION: In the section about DJ Hollywood’s record releases, his first single was Shock, Shock the House, not Shock, Shock the World. Sorry for the confusion.

Episode 3: Rhythm Talk

When the DJ superstars like Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash moved from the house parties to the dance clubs, it left a hole in hip-hop that only an act of God could fill. Like the Biblical flood, new MCs and DJs came onto the scene and struggled to keep their head above water in the hopes they too could become famous. But for three young MCs, the best way for them to make their name was to go mainstream and release the first rap record, Rapper’s Delight. On this episode of Bring the Noise, we look at the world-dominating success, as well as the trials and tribulations, of the first Top 40 rap group, Sugarhill Gang. Be sure to subscribe and review the show wherever you get your podcasts! Follow The Space Monkey X Audio Workshop on Twitter and Instagram for show updates, as well as occasional old school hip-hop photos and facts. If you have Spotify, search for “Bring the Noise Podcast” and you’ll find a new playlist after each episode with songs from the featured artist, as well as others mentioned in the show. Or you can just click here for the latest playlist. SHOW NOTES: The Bring the Noise Spotify Playlist for Episode 2: Rapper’s Delight I Want My Name Back (Amazon rental/purchase) I Want My Name Back (iTunes rental/purchase) I Want My Name Back (YouTube rental/purchase) Master Gee interviewed on ThaFoundation.com Wonder Mike interviewed on ThaFoundation.com Bassist Chip Shearin on playing the backing track for Rapper’s Delight at NoTreble.com Nile Rodgers interview with POPBOXTV Nile Rodgers interviewed about Rapper’s Delight in The Washington Post The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: Viva Lost Wages (Originally aired 11/13/1995) Big Bank Hank and Grandmaster Caz talk Rapper’s Delight rhymes from “And You Don’t Stop: 30 Years of Hip-Hop History” “Making Peace with Big Bank Hank” by Grandmaster Caz on Cuepoint Sugar Hill Gang featuring Grandmaster Caz at the Video Music Box 25th Anniversary Concert (July 2008) Sugar Hill Gang on Jimmy Kimmel Live (10/24/2019) Rapper’s Delight performed by Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant My copy of Rapper’s Delight in the classic Sugar Hill Records sleeve Sadly, my copy is one of the later releases, so only Edwards and Rodgers are given credit 

Episode 2: Rapper’s Delight

New York City in the 1970s was a pretty rough place to live. So in order to escape from the trials and tribulations of The Big Apple, people attended house parties to dance their cares away. But no one could have predicted that a young Jamaican immigrant working as a house party DJ would change the world of music forever. 

Episode 1: The Birth of Hip-Hop

Episode 0: Bring the Noise Coming Soon

Exploring the early days of hip-hop based on the record collection of the host, Rob Lammle

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Bring the Noise, presented by The Space Monkey X Audio Works...

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