January 5, 1980 –
The Sugarhill Gang’s Rapper’s Delight, was the first hip-hop song to made it to the Top 40 on this date.
The Fatback Band used an original beat on their song Kim Tim III, making Rapper’s Delight the first rap song to use a sample, which of course was done without permission because no precedent existed for clearing a sample. The beat that plays throughout was taken from Good Times by Chic, a song that was in the crates of every DJ who played at the block parties where rap got its start. The Good Times groove was easy to loop, creating a breakbeat that was perfect for MCs. The Sugarhill Gang wasn’t the first to borrow it – Queen used the bassline in their song Another One Bites The Dust.
The Haus of Dcaligari 