The Sugar Hill Records Story [Box Set]

Sugar Hill Records was the first rap and hip-hop label, giving many listeners their first exposure to the urban rhyming and scratching that transformed pop music during the '80s. Like most indie labels, they had troubles with finances and distribution; eventually, that situation resulted in their records remaining out of print during the rise of the hip-hop during the late '80s and '90s. The five-disc Sugar Hill Records Story remedies this situation by collecting all of the label's classic A-sides, many in their full-length mixes, on one set. Tracks by the Sugarhill Gang, Grandmaster Flash, and the Treacherous Three are commonplace and remain excellent, but the true revelation of the box set is how strong largely forgotten cuts by Spoonie Gee, the Funky 4 + 1, Trouble Funk, the Sequence, Super Wolf, and West Street Mob are -- these are supremely funky, infectious and inventive cuts, which have been made familiar through samples and quotations on modern rap records. Another surprise is how integrated this music is -- male and female rappers trade lines without hesitation, and there is none of the misogyny or violence that characterized gangsta rap. But that doesn't mean the old-school rap on The Sugar Hill Records Story sounds dated -- much of this bright, elastic electro-funk has provided the foundation for '90s hits by the likes of the Beastie Boys and Dr. Dre. But the most surprising thing of all is how The Sugar Hill Records Story barely loses momentum over the course of five discs. There is the occasional dull spot or oddity (check out the bizarre B-52's rip-off "At the Ice Arcade" by the Chilly Kids) that interrupts the flow, but the music is consistently strong, even on the fifth disc. It was inevitable that The Sugar Hill Records Story would be an important historical document, but what makes it truly essential is how rich, diverse, and timeless the music actually is.



DISC 1

1. Rapper's Delight (Long Version)- Sugarhill Gang

2. Funk You Up (Long Version)- The Sequence

3. Rapper's Reprise (Jam-Jam)- Sugarhill Gang w/ The Sequence

4. Super-Wolf Can Do It (Short Version)- Super-Wolf

5. Hot Hot Summer Day- Sugarhill Gang

6. And You Know That (Short Version)- The Sequence

7. Freedom- Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

8. Monster Jam- Spoonie Gee & The Sequence

9. Baby Let's Rap Now (Part 2)- The Moments

10. People Get On Up- Positive Force



DISC 2

1. 8th Wonder- Sugarhill Gang

2. That's the Joint- Funky 4 + 1

3. The Birthday Party- Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

4. Check it Out- Wayne & Charlie (The Rapping Dummy)

5. The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash On The Wheels of Steel- Grandmaster Flash

6. Showdown- The Furious Five Meets The Sugarhill Gang

7. Let's Dance (Make Your Body Move)- West Street Mob

8. Spoonie is Back- Spoonie Gee

9. Apache- Sugarhill Gang

10. It's Nasty (Genius of Love) (Short Version)- Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five



DISC 3

1. Hey Fellas (Long Version)- Trouble Funk

2. Sing a Simple Song- West Street Mob

3. It's Good to Be the Queen- Sylvia

4. The Lover in You- Sugarhill Gang

5. The Message- Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

6. Whip it- Treacherous Three w/ Philippe Wynne

7. Scratchin- Crash Crew

8. Ooh Baby (Short Version)- West Street Mob

9. Scorpio- Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

10. Making Cash Money- Busy Bee

11. Here Comes the Bride- The Sequence



DISC 4

1. Message II (Survival)- Melle Mel & Duke Bootee

2. Breaking Bells (Take Me To The Mardi Gras)- Crash Crew

3. Yes We Can-Can- Treacherous Three

4. The Word is Out- Sugarhill Gang

5. New York New York- Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

6. Girls- Sugarhill Gang

7. Kick It Live from 9 to 5- Sugarhill Gang

8. Break Dance Electric Boogie- West Street Mob

9. All Night Long (Waterbed)- Kevie Kev (Waterbed Kev)

10. At the Ice Arcade- Chilly Kids

11. White Lines (Don't Don't Do it)(Long Version)- Grandmaster Flash/Melle Mel

12. We Are Known as Emcees (We Turn the Party's Out)- Crash Crew



DISC 5

1. Jesse- Grandmaster Melle Mel

2. Beat Street- Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious Five

3. Livin' in the Fast Lane- Sugarhill Gang

4. We Don't Work for Free- Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious Five

5. Step off- The Furious Five

6. Xmas Rap- Treacherous Three

7. Busy Bee's Groove- Busy Bee

8. Turn it Up- Treacherous Three

9. The Down Beat- Sugarhill Gang

10. Vice- Grandmaster Melle Mel

11. Outta Control- Miracle Mike & The Ladies of the 80's

12. Street Walker(Original Version)- Mass Production w/ Grandmaster Melle

13. The Message ('97 Dungeon Mix)- Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five



Bitrate: 192 kbps