Rapper’s Delight Trivia

• This was the first rap song to enter the US Top 40. Rap was considered a fad at the time, and many people thought it would soon go away.

• The beat that plays throughout the song was taken from "Good Times" by Chic.

• The group was put together by Sylvia Robinson, owner of Sugarhill Records, to take advantage of the rap music that was gaining popularity at New York City block parties. She picked 3 local rappers for the group. None of them had much credibility, and weren't part of the "Crews" that were rapping and dancing at the block parties. Some members of the early Hip Hop scene thought the group was a sham, but it became very popular in clubs and had a huge impact.

• Many different mixes of various lengths have been released. Radio stations usually play the shortest version, which runs 4:55.

• "Big Bank" Hank Jackson, one of the 3 rappers in the group, stole the Superman part from MC Grandmaster Caz, a rapper who was part of a crew called the Cold Crush. Hank worked as a manager for the Cold Crush and was a bouncer at a club where they played. He used the rap to get in the group, and even used the part where Caz spelled out his nickname - "Casanova." Caz feels he was never given proper credit.

• This was used in the 1998 Adam Sandler movie The Wedding Singer. It is sung by an old lady.

• The 3 rappers in the groups each say their name in this. They are Big Bank Hank, Wonder Mike, and Master Gee.

• In 2001, this was used in commercials for Dasani water.

• At first, this was not released on an album, only as a 12" single, because Sugarhill Records did not think an entire album of rap music would sell. It has since appeared on numerous compilation albums.

• The Sugarhill Gang was not able to follow this up with another hit. They faded away soon after this was released, returning in the '90s to play nostalgia shows. They released a children's rap album in 1999 called Jump On It.

• In 1998, The Sugarhill Gang performed this for a Turner Broadcasting party. Turner used the performance in a commercial for The Goodwill Games, but did not have the group's consent and was ordered to pay the group almost $3 million in a 2001 judgment.

• Kid Rock sampled this on his 1998 hit, "Bawitdaba."

• This was covered by the Def Squad (Redman, Keith Murray, Erick Sermon(EPMD)) in 1998 on the El Nino album which was released on Def Jam. It was called "Def Squad Delite," and the verses were partly changed. It also appeared on the compilation In Tha Beginning...there was rap (1997 Priority), where different hip hop artists covered famous old hip hop hits. (thanks, Benjamin - Berlin, Germany)

• The 2002 hit "The Ketchup Song" (known in Spanish as "Asereje"), is about a guy who loves this song but doesn't understand the lyrics, so he makes up his own. What he makes up translates into the lyrics of "The Ketchup Song."