Sugarhill Gang Drops Animated Video for “Rapper’s Delight” 45th Anniversary Celebration

American hip-hop trio The Superhill Gang recently dropped an animated video of their timeless single "Rapper's Delight" to commemorate its 45th anniversary. 

The video, which filmmakers Yere Sara Serna and Jko Sánchez created, premiered on YouTube late last month. Flaunting colorful visuals and classic beats, it takes viewers back to the late 70s and early 80s when hip-hop was a fusion of funk, disco, and other musical styles. 

Initially released in September 1979, "Rapper's Delight" put the Sugarhill Gang on the map. It was among the first hip-hop tracks to attain mainstream success in the charts. 

According to The Washington Post, the track peaked at No. 4 and No. 36 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles and the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. Back then, that was a first for a rap song. 

"Rapper's Delight" also made way for hip-hop to become the dominant music genre in the US and inspired future generations of artists.  

In an interview with The Guardian, six-time GRAMMY Award winner Questlove revealed that he listened to "Rapper's Delight" for the first time when he was only eight, and it changed the game for him. He spent most of the night memorizing the song's lyrics to show off the next day at school. 

"By lunchtime the next day I was a celebrity at school – I was performing it for girls who were impressed, and that's when I realised the magic of: 'I perform and people pay attention, and that's a good feeling.'" The legendary drummer shared.

Questlove added that "Rapper's Delight" influenced his career as a performer. 

 "It's kind of weird how Rapper's Delight wound up planting a seed for the rest of my performative life." He said.

"Rapper's Delight" is credited for influencing many other artists, including Pitbull, Kendrick Lamar, Beastie Boys, and Lil' Kim.