In 1980, Hip-Hop took its first baby steps into the album format, The Sugarhill Gang’s self-titled album “The Sugarhill Gang” was the first full-length hip-hop/rap album ever.
The album “The Sugarhill Gang” was released on February 7, 1980. Sylvia Robinson, founder of Sugar Hill Records, didn’t think people were ready to buy an entire long-player featuring nothing but rap music at the time. So along with a bunch of songs in the style of “Rapper’s Delight” they included a full side’s worth of R&B ballads and instrumental disco records.
“The Sugarhill Gang” tracklist
- “Here I Am”
- “Rapper’s Reprise (Jam, Jam)”
- “Bad News Don’t Bother Me”
- “Sugarhill Groove”
- “Passion Play”
- “Rapper’s Delight” [4:55 – shortened single version]
Read: The first hip-hop music video was The Sugarhill Gang “Rapper’s Delight”
Kurtis Blow also released his self-titled album that September of 1980, his album was the first hip-hop/rap album to be released by a major label.