Since the beginnings of rap music are largely undocumented and go back much further than the release of "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang in 1979, I really have no idea who the first "official" female rapper was. But I can tell you one thing. It wasn't Debbie Harry of Blondie ("Rapture," 1980). And, for that matter, it wasn't Teena Marie either ("Square Biz," 1981), though she once mentioned in an interview that she was.
So while I can't be sure that Sequence were the first female rappers that existed, I am certain that they were the first successful ones. The pioneering trio from South Carolina (Cheryl Cook, Angela Brown, Gwendolyn Chisholm) landed a highly-coveted record contract in '79 on rap's first label, Sugarhill records (a feat which for most rappers at that time was a dream come true). While at Sugarhill, the girls, better known as Cheryl the Pearl, Angie B, and Blondie, released a few R&B chartmakers -- songs like "Funk You Up" and "Funky Sound (Tear the Roof Off)" which are still rocked at house parties today.
Sequence fits right along on these pages, for those of you who may be wondering why I'm tackling hip hop on a page about funk, soul, disco, and rare groove. Rap music was directly born out of the disco movement, and the ladies' hot 12"s were enjoyed by anyone who was at a hip discotheque or basement party in the early 80s. And why not? Their style was as funky as their male labelmates the Sugarhill Gang, Spoonie Gee, or Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, for example. Plus, these ladies had an edge over the guys because they sang too. After all, singing was a skill that Spoonie Gee just did not have!
Despite the success these ladies had in the midst of the very male-dominated beginnings of rap music, and despite the road this group paved for later female rap artists like Salt-N-Pepa and Queen Latifah, the Sequence remain completely forgotten in the history of hip hop. Perhaps this reminder will remind somebody.
Unless otherwise noted, all written material copyright 1999, Melissa A. Weber.
No part of these pages may be reproduced on another site without my prior written consent.
Links:
none found
Real Audio:
Funk You Up, 1979
Funky Sound (Tear the Roof Off), 1981
Monster Jam by Spoonie Gee & the Sequence, 1980
Selected Discography:
Sugar Hill Presents the Sequence by the Sequence, Sugarhill, 1980
The Sequence by the Sequence, Sugarhill, 1982
All 12" singles by the Sequence
Find The Sequence Music:
Get CDs from Amazon.com
Get vinyl from Gemm.com
|
