Sylvia Robinson | Black Music Month

It was September 16, 1979. Rap music had been around for roughly seven years, but many in the music industry believed it to be a passing trend that was not a profitable investment. Then the revolutionary song, an original 12-inch vinyl release lasting just under 15 minutes, changed everything. 

“Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang sold 96,000 copies in a single day. It reached number one in the United Kingdom, Canada, and the Netherlands. This song wasn’t just influential in the United States; it became a global sensation. This success was ultimately led by a woman who does not receive nearly enough credit for her contribution to hip-hop. 

Sylvia Vanderpool Robinson was born in 1936 in New York City. She went to Washington Irving High School, where she showcased her love for the blues. Sylvia began recording music in 1950 for Columbia Records and went by Little Sylvia.

In 1956, Mickey Baker and Sylvia recorded the rock single “Love Is Strange” by Jody Williams and Bo Diddley. The song peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.  After the duo split up in 1959, she resumed her solo career under the name Sylvia Robinson after marrying Joseph Robinson and made one of her biggest hits “Pillow Talk” in 1973. 

The couple founded Sugar Hill Records in 1979, named after a historic African American neighborhood in Harlem, New York. Sylvia brought together three relatively unknown rappers including Master Gee, Wonder Mike, and Big Bank Hank to form the Sugar Hill Gang and record their improvised rhymes.

Sylvia later signed the Furious Five and Grandmaster Flash and produced the song “The Message,” which highlights the harsh realities of poverty, unemployment, and inequities in education. It wasn’t just a catchy song that had a great beat; it commented on real problems that needed to be addressed. The fact that Sylvia pushed for this song to be made demonstrates not only her love for music but also her passion for producing meaningful records and using music to raise awareness on real issues. 

In 2000, Sylvia Robinson received a Pioneer award for founding Sugarhill Records and her career in singing at the 11th Annual Rhythm and Blues Awards Gala. In 2022, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Today, Sylvia Robinson is rightfully known as the “Godmother of Hip-Hop.”