Sylvia Robinson: The Godmother Of Hip Hop

Introduction: In this episode, we delve into the life and legacy of Sylvia Robinson, the music executive and producer who brought hip hop to the masses and changed the music landscape forever. Sylvia was the founder of Sugar Hill Records and was responsible for producing some of the biggest hip hop hits of all time.

Segment 1:

• Ed Anderson, a DJ at the station, was asked to play the song during the last hour of his show.
• The song became an instant hit and went viral, with people calling the station to ask what it was.
• The song was a commercial success and peaked at number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100, number one in Canada and the Netherlands, and number three in the UK.

Segment 2:

• Sylvia changed the name of her label from All Platinum to Sugar Hill Records after the success of the Sugar Hill Gang.
• She went on to sign successful acts such as the Treacherous Three, Funky Four Plus One, and others.
• Sylvia even produced some of the music videos for her artists, including working with a young Spike Lee.
• She signed Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five to create the hit song "The Message", which was considered one of the greatest songs of all time by Time Magazine.

Segment 3:

• Despite the success of Sugar Hill Records, not everyone was happy about it.
• The originators of hip-hop didn't understand how three inexperienced MCs not from the birthplace of hip-hop could create its first commercial success.
• Sylvia knew that for the evolution of hip hop, she had to put out fun and great music, but she also had to get out what was going on in the streets.

Segment 4:

• Sugar Hill Records fell on hard times due to competition, and financial and legal problems.
• Many of the founding hip-hop pioneers were going commercial, and new players in the game, including LL Cool J, Run DMC, and the Beastie Boys, were entering the scene.
• Sylvia and her husband Joe would divorce, and Sylvia would create a new label with a group from New Jersey called the New Style.
• The group would resurface two years later under a new name, Naughty by Nature.

Conclusion:

• Sylvia passed away in 2011 due to heart failure and was 76 years old.
• In 2022, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame due to her contribution of bringing hip hop to the masses.

The Black Is America podcast, a presentation of OWLS Education, was created and is written, researched, and produced by Dominic Lawson.

Executive Producer Kenda Lawson

Alexandria Eddings of Art Life Connections created cover art. 

Sources to create this episode include National Public Radio, St. Louis Public Radio, BBC 4, American Masters, Billboard .com, and more. For a complete list, look in the show note of your podcast player or our website www.blackisamericapodcast.com.

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