A WEEKLONG CELEBRATION, WITH THE CAMDEN MUSIC FESTIVAL TAKING PLACE THIS SATURDAY 4-9 SEPTEMBER
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A WEEKLONG CELEBRATION, WITH THE CAMDEN MUSIC FESTIVAL TAKING PLACE THIS SATURDAY 4-9 SEPTEMBER |
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Camden, London (6th September) – London’s prestigious Music Walk Of Fame today inducted hip hop legends The Sugarhill Gang, immortalised on the Camden pavement in recognition of their achievements and celebrating 50 years of hip-hop.
At today’s ceremony, which took place on a sunkissed Camden High Street, the crowds heard from The Sugarhill Gang members Master Gee, Hendogg, DJ T Dynasty and Ethiopian King. Plus tributes from friends and collaborators, musicians Scorpio and Melle Mel, as well as “heavyweight champion of hip-hop” DJ Shortee Blitz, and British broadcaster and photographer Norman “Normski” Anderson. Messages of support from Chuck D, Stormzy, Ice Cube and Idris Elba were also read out. The Music Walk of Fame honours artists and trailblazers from around the globe, from all eras, genres, and ages, with a stone on the Camden based trail. Later this week Eddy Grant, Buzzcocks, Billy Bragg, Shalamar and The Kinks will all receive their recognition, culminating in the first ever annual Camden Music Festival on Saturday 9th September.
Lee Bennett, Founder of The Music Walk of Fame, said: “We celebrate 50 years of hip-hop, but in reality hip-hop was truly born when this outfit from New Jersey brought sampling, turntable culture to the masses with their iconic ‘Rapper’s Delight’. The Sugarhill Gang is what this project is all about – celebrating the unsung heroes, the innovators, the scene setters, the barrier breakers, all rolled into one group, known forever as The Sugarhill Gang.”
One of The Sugarhill Gang’s founding members, Master Gee, said: “I just want to say on behalf of Mike and Hank, that this is a mind-blowing experience for us. There was no way when Sylvia Robinson came to us and told us about what she wanted to do, that this was going to be the result of it. I was seventeen… I thought we’d cut the record, be big in the New York metropolitan area, I would go to 12th grade and try to figure out what I was going to do with my life. I was totally wrong – we’re in another part of the world being recognised for something I used to do in people’s basements.” Before welcoming The Sugarhill Gang to the stage, fellow hip-hop pioneer Grandmaster Melle Mel of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five told the crowds, “Hip-hop was very competitive by nature. So, when the song first came out and when we first went over to Sugar Hill Records, The Sugarhill Gang was like our mortal enemies. But time and talent definitely has a way of turning a situation into a totally different situation. To this day, I would walk through a wall for Master Gee because he showed himself to be a real man as well as a great musician.
He added, “As time goes by, 10, 20, 30 or 40 years, the one song that I know from hip-hop that you could put on at any time and get the same reaction that you got the first time you heard the song, was the one and only ‘Rapper’s Delight’.” As the first commercially successful hip-hop group, The Sugarhill Gang were recognised for releasing one of the earliest successful hip-hop singles over 40 years ago, ‘Rapper’s Delight’ introduced Hip-Hop to a broader audience and helped establish the genre’s presence in mainstream music. Becoming the first rap song to enter the UK Official Charts (peaking at number 3), the track had a long lasting effect on popularising hip-hop culture within the UK. The group legitimised rap and hip-hop as genres and established acceptance for these genres within mainstream music and its audiences. The group played a crucial role in bringing different aspects of hip-hop culture – graffiti, breakdancing and fashion – to the eyes of commercial audiences, which consequently had an incredible impact on the growth of the genre. With over 4 decades behind them they continue to influence hip-hop and rap, being sampled and referenced in a multitude of modern releases.
The Music Walk of Fame Schedule Thursday 7th September – Celebrating his 75th year, Eddy Grant is given the recognition he so deserves. The British singer songwriter began pioneering multi-racial British group The Equals in the 1960s, before finding solo success, including Electric Avenue, a response to the 1981 Brixton riots and becoming a vital black British voice. He was also responsible for helping secure the release of Nelson Mandela with seminal hit ‘Give Me Hope Joanna’.
Friday 8th September – Punk band Buzzcocks are awarded their stone for their extraordinary career and influence. And a stalwart of British musical and public life. The Kinks are also to be honoured during their 60th anniversary year, an integral British rock band formed in the 1960s, known for their influential hits like ‘You Really Got Me’ and ‘Lola’, with Ray Davies as the frontman and primary songwriter.
Saturday 9th September – Stalwart of British musical and public life, Billy Bragg will receive his own award for his 40 year career as a singer songwriter and activist. As a founder of Red Wedge, a collective of musicians, he galvanised the UK youth with the policies of the Labour Party, as a voice against the Conservative Leader, Maggie Thatcher. US R&B legends, Shalamar complete the line up. Their dance hits soundtrack generations – ‘Take That to the Bank’, ‘Make That Move’, ‘The Second Time Around’, ‘I Can Make You Feel Good’ to name just a few – and they also brought moonwalking and body popping to the UK via a famous Top Of The Pops appearance.
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