1981 20/20 SPECIAL ON RAP MUSIC

[@TheFoundationhiphop]

Someone accused me of "taking someone else's video". I did not. This footage has been online for almost a decade, and I could have "taken" it long ago. I traded footage with someone, and this is what was given to me. There are at least 2 other versions of this online.

[@Airsteven23]

Once it’s online it’s online forever so ??? Nothing they can do

[@joannabmarketing]

Somebody's always hatin'!

[@ayeone1822]

Fuck em.....I saw "Your" post and clicked on it...not their shit! Do you! #💯

[@TheFoundationhiphop]

@CULTURE VULTURE I wasn't speaking of you.

[@geelaydagangsta2868]

If u didn't post it I would have never seen it and I'm a first generation B Boy, so appreciate YOU Bro "F" them haters probably not even a part of the culture but have the most negative shit to say

[@EastCoastMike]

Back when boom boxes needed 10 D sized batteries. The good ol days

[@donovans6472]

lol

[@antoniotula262]

Lol, it got Expensive & the cheap batteries didn't last!!

[@Star-by1tn]

😅😆😀😅 I used to put my batteries in the freezer wrapped in aluminium foil thinking it would recharge the batteries 😀😃😄

[@Star-by1tn]

The bigger the boom box you had the more clout you had‼😅

[@dittofeelings4797]

Bollll yesss!!!!!

[@PopO51968]

I remember these same interviewers were saying that Rap was going to last no more than 10 years, just like Disco. They were wrong!!!!!

[@TheFoundationhiphop]

They gave it less than a year originally

[@jeffcard1A]

disco was fueled by cocaine. Hip-Hop was fueled by passion.

[@TheFoundationhiphop]

@@jeffcard1A and cocaine

[@jeffcard1A]

@@TheFoundationhiphop 'The Passion of the Cocaine' coming soon to a theater near you

[@TheFoundationhiphop]

@@jeffcard1A lol 😆

[@RFJersey]

What a beautiful time in American history.

[@BKaneNp8]

40 years later.... Hip Hop Don’t Stop!

[@marpar3971]

Actually it did with this mumble rap bull shit

[@IKARIking67]

@@marpar3971 Not according to this year's grammy nominations for Best Hip-Hop album. All lyricist.

[@clarencesimmons8580]

I'm almost loved hip-hop Music.

[@TheDtruth29]

and is dominating every genre of music

[@erickthefantabulous1]

Damn man way to make me feel old Shut out to the people who live through this era and are still here PS Yeah I was on the city bus with a big boom Box

[@korancebland]

"You never thought that Hip-Hop could take it this far." Biggie Smalls Thanks Jayquan for the upload.

[@DribsandDrabs]

YOU MEAN THANKS FOR THE STEAL. "The Foundation", IS A PIECE OF CRAP TO STEAL SOMEONE ELSE'S VIDEO, CUT THEIR WATERMARK OUT, THEN REPLACE IT WITH ANOTHER. THAT'S WHY THE NAMES AT THE BOTTOM ARE CUT OUT. WHAT A SLEEAZEBALL.

[@rrogers5077]

First thing I thought of. Its bitter sweet though. Watching cities being Gentrified and a rebranding of our culture via kylie and the Kardashians. Remember when she was criticized for promoting a biggie tee withe family permission?

[@FloridaGeorgia]

I love it! Every time you see real footage of the first rap stars, you'll see that MC Sha Rock was right there!

[@deefunkstrong7818]

Sha rock!!!!! 💪🏾❤️💯

[@d.j.el-magnifico3511]

These kids now a days will never really understand.....

[@frontlineservicesdetroit4555]

No they REALLY don't

[@DrummerJacob]

@@frontlineservicesdetroit4555 Your parents and their generation said the same about you.

[@thatstheguy07]

Saddest thing is they don’t even wanna.

[@rashkhan2436]

For sure!

[@mikegee3991]

During the 70s and 80s I lived on Convent Ave, right next to the City College of New York in the same building as Kurtis Blow, so I knew him before rap music existed. These documentaries don't mention that before groups like sugar hill gang made records. In the NYC there were outside jams in the parks and community centers where DJs were playing cutting break beats and MCs were rapping. This was going on for almost 10 years before a rap record was made. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of footage because nobody thought it would be worth anything and also, the lack of a device to record. So the pre-rap record era of hip hop is basically undocumented.

[@yeahisaidit5633]

Mannnnnnn no security no guns no naked women just good ol fashion hip hop!

[@randee4550]

Trust me, they had all that, back then. Especially the drugs, guns, and naked women.

[@SmartBrandon72]

@@randee4550 Yeah They Had "Em, It Just Wasn't Exposed & Exploited During Performances Like Today..

[@yeahisaidit5633]

@@randee4550 I know ! But it wasn’t apart of the culture ! As it is today! You can’t hear one song on the radio with a mention of that bs !

[@randee4550]

@@yeahisaidit5633 I don't know, bro. I'm from this era. MC's literally revolved around those topics. Smoking "cheba", copping "black", having a ".44 caliber, in my hand", "puff a little cheba, sniff a little blow". This was regular shit, back then..

[@billyjacc]

@@randee4550 For sure.. I had family in Jamaica Queens as well as North Bronx and used to visit up there and seen a few jams in the playgrounds and blocks. I'm from West Philly and heard many Emcees throw out sound wild @$$ lyrics. Schooly D was one of em, and when dudes like him, Steady B, and few lesser knowns went to the recording studios, their label said " NO", and dudes like Schooly with his own label took their sounds to the radio stations..., it was a resounding " HALE NO.!" lol

[@djbhe]

I remember watching this when it aired. I was 10 growing up on the southside of Chicago. Memories!!!!!!

[@ntrock22]

Yes. Memories! South Side!!!

[@Militantreturns]

And about 40 years later rap is the most dominant music on earth

[@superdude7459]

WOW!

[@rahsillyyoo]

right lol

[@thebestchannel5456]

Rap is Horrible now!🤣

[@CP-kb1du]

@@thebestchannel5456 Spot on , Mumble trash horrid videos

[@phillipcotton833]

Even as a black man I never saw THAT coming.

[@GoDaddy562]

Feel like artist of today need to sit down and absorb some media like this.

[@maccagrabme]

Nah, they wouldnt be interested and wouldnt understand it. The spirit, the struggles, the poverty and hunger for creativity has long gone for this generation.

[@caininmilton1267]

I was just talkin bout dat with my older cousin yesterday whos 19 yrs older than me,all dees young rappers dyin and they are just beginners in their career,what happen to fun happy Rap.

[@lrrich8023]

Would they absorb it or laugh at it you think? I don’t think a lot of them would care, which is why a lot of their product is whack.

[@Nimisiskrash]

I literally remember watching this with my grandmother 🤙🏾

[@Susie4Jesus]

Best music generation ever! Im 53 and white and I couldn’t get enough of this music- never liked rock or country music. I’m lucky to have lived in that generation! Rap, RnB hip hop forever! I miss that music so much I wish they would bring it back for this generation- kids don’t know what they missed! Oh yeah and the only radio station I could get to hear it was WAWA back in Milwaukee on the AM station wow.

[@Maurice572]

I love the old footage back in those days of Hip Hop. I missed those days, I am not from the Bronx, but still I boogie down! Thanks bro JayQ for your Foundation Lessons 🙏 P. S. Grandmaster Melle Mel from Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five and Sha Rock from the Funky 4 + 1 More With DJ Breakout & DJ Baron are my favorite MC's greatest of all time 😍👍

[@xoacatl]

Woooow! This is 40 y.o. footage! The infancy of hip hop!

[@MrDeaconEarl]

At first I was gonna say, "no it's not" and then I realize, "oh, yeah. It is. I forgot. I'm getting old."

[@ronaldmurphy9152]

i'm 66 years old and I new the minute Debbie Harry made that corny song, she would be used as a seminal figure in rap. I was 31 then, and here it is, just like everything else

[@DOTHERIGHTTHING1989]

Every rap song from then sounds corny today.

[@tonytuffers]

I wouldnt say it was corny at all, Debbie Harry's Raptured exposed Rap to Rock heads, the type of crowd that wouldnt really dig rap music found themselves liking it whetether they wanted to or not, it was a huge win for hip hop, likewise Queen's - Another one bites the dust

[@ronaldmurphy9152]

​@@DOTHERIGHTTHING1989 like I said I was 31 years old when it came out, and it was corny to me then. and every rap song from back then does not sound corny today, Most music sounds corny regardless of the era, we just remember the certain ones that we liked to hear.

[@ronaldmurphy9152]

@@tonytuffers If your idea of success for black people is doing something that whites will like an accept, then you already off on the wrong foot.

[@tezzingtonsir28]

The impact that it had was this. A lot of white people had never heard about rapping until they saw one of the biggest stars of that era rapping. Don't take it from me. Take it from rappers from the era themselves. Stop hating and enjoy the music. Old hater!

[@steadylee8899]

Great stuff Jay. Some nice clips I have missed. Wish I could go back to those days, when hip hop was done from the heart. Best days of my life. Thanks for all you do Jay. Old school 4 life

[@15twoe]

I remember this episode of 20/20! This was huge back then! Brings back so many memories! This truly reminds me that hip hop is dead!

[@dazallison411]

It's (Hip-Hop & Rap) come along way.. been exploited, ridiculed, capitalised on & gone through many iterations... sometimes for the better & sometimes for the not so good, but it's still here.. I'm glad I know its origins & experienced its growth & development in the UK.

[@titanjake8640]

Yesss......swagger jacking is the #1 killer to the culture if you ask me...there are no Gatekeepers that say no. They just want $$$$

[@mdkvisions]

DAZ you from covent garden mr?

[@dazallison411]

@@mdkvisions No.. from the North of England

[@titanjake8640]

Shout out to crazy legs!! I miss the 80s like this as everybody got along!!! We were happy. Music was uplifting and we built each other up. View now.... competition division and tearing down each others character. It is so sad

[@jsolethedj]

Classic footage. Authenticity at its best

[@wandawells5596]

I’m singing with them playing double Dutch, good ole times

[@talkdattrashimmapullyacard4396]

😘

[@vale-y1i]

It's impressive how prophetic this special is. Not because Hip Hop music has been the dominant music over the past 30 years, but because the producers realised that it was here to stay and didn't suggest it was a passing fad. (PS I recall a friend telling me in 1984 that Hip Hop was "played out"...LMFAO ;-)

[@KtotheG]

Once LL and The Beastie Boys blew up, it was over...Thank you, Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin...

[@zenjizenji4150]

Pure History for all to See and Learn from!🤔🤔🤔

[@NeverForget1776]

Rakim was the linguistic master of the 80s rap

[@frafilipo9829]

Awesome material!!!! THANKS😊

[@RLMansion]

I remember white people being so scared of the music and the culture back then.... until they realized they could exploit it.

[@JustK009]

Facts upon Facts

[@truthoverfacts9254]

Sounds like a racist statement.

[@nihilityjoey]

Bit of a silly statement. Loads of white people loved rap from the beginning.

[@russelladams7134]

@@truthoverfacts9254 The White record companies exploited the culture. I am 53 years old and I remember the White folks back in the late 1970's and early 1980's were listening to REO Speedwagon, Boston, Chicago, Kiss, Lynnard Synryd, Smashing Pumpkins, Donnie and Marie and other Rock and Pop bands while us Black folks was listening to Cameo, Prince, Parliament, Luther Vandross, BT Express, DeBarge and the early rap groups like Whodini, Sugar Hill Gang, Kurtis Blow, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Run-DMC, The Fat Boys and others. Let's keep it real. Blacks and even Puerto Ricans created Hip Hop and Rap music. Music shouldn't have to be segregated but that was my experience growing up. As I got older I was listening to MTV and VH-1 and I was digging Tears For Fears, ZZ Top, Duran Duran, Madonna, Huey Lewis and the News but in my early early childhood I was listening to R&B music and Hip Hop. I grew up in Atlanta.

[@thisislaflaretv5250]

@@truthoverfacts9254 it's the truth. Who owns the record companies

[@johnnymorera3199]

Man I love these videos those were the best days of my life growing up before crack cocaine hit the neighborhoods and all the lyrics change drastically I'm 50 years old

[@TheFoundationhiphop]

Me too

[@kookiexshookie2215]

Our music . All over the world .now othere claiming it.

[@LittleBrother-t6n]

9:33

[@nycsongman9758]

What about our reading/ math scores, though ?

[@dwayneturner9395]

@@nycsongman9758 name an "unintelligent" GREAT MC. Rakim? Nope. Jay, Pac, Kane, Busta,Nas, Andre? Nope. To the Kendrick and Coles? These are no dummies!!! I promise. And best believe half the ones i named know the Mathematics!

[@dwayneturner9395]

@@LittleBrother-t6n HIP-HOP = South Bronx! Blacks/Puerto Ricans

[@nycsongman9758]

@@dwayneturner9395 It's certainly cool for us to disagree, Dwayne. I just happen to believe that, pretty much since its inception, and with few exceptions, rap, and the image that it has portrayed to our super-impressionable youth, for US Blacks, has been a colossal net *loss.*

[@deidragreer4958]

I love this one and juss to think that this was 40 years ago WOW!!!😊

[@EdgeO419]

"music with no melody"... literally plays a song with a melody

[@armme3510]

Exactly

[@PlatinumHustle]

🤣🤦🏾‍♂️

[@sbrooks904]

Are you gonna act like you don’t know what he meant?

[@EdgeO419]

@@sbrooks904 What he meant is what alot of white people said about rap in the 80's and 90's that rap is just repetitive drum beats with no musical merit. This 'no melody' nonsense was Music snobbery at its finest and it's not true. The song he plays after he says that literally has a bass melody you can clearly hear and a little rhodes riff. Almost every popular rap song has the same melodic and rythmic structures as most pop songs do.

[@DrummerJacob]

@@sbrooks904 thats what most kids do these days.

[@darrylclaxton7473]

Wow I still have that boombox. JVC 550JW. Love the 80s

[@ants8527]

Wow Jay you really dug up a Gem, I've seen quit a few documentaries based on news reporters doing stories on 80s rap music, But I never seen this 1 👍👍👍 Dam 1981 I was 6 years old and the only rap song I heard at that age was that song called '' Ya Momma'' lol😂🤣😂 when I 1st heard Planet Rock in 1982" is when I started listening to real Rap music 😎

[@TheFoundationhiphop]

Ya Mama by Wuf Ticket

[@ants8527]

@@TheFoundationhiphop yep i think that was the group name lol😂

[@C-Lyfe85]

To be honest with you by the time they did this report. The mainstream media was already 8 years late. By 1981 hip hop Had almost been around a Whole Decade.

[@ants8527]

@@C-Lyfe85 yeah I know they were behind by some years. Of course mainstream media only decided to shine a light on Hip Hop at that time only because of Debbie Harry aka Blondie Thanks to Fab 5 Freddy at the time as well And those were the good old days when Hip hop at that time just belonged to young Inner city black kids And teens I remember!😎

[@kieshtinthaplacetobe]

Thank you for posting thisl This reminds me of the house parties my parents used to have years ago,

[@FUNNYMANERICWHITE]

Yes lol . I remember in the early 80s my parents still had disco lights and parties down the basement

[@wesleypugh6860]

I was born in 72 and I am amazed at how hip hop has grown .. But to see it come from this to gangs , molly , lean , guns and murders .. How Sway 😥

[@wesleypugh6860]

To see it in its pure form is a thing of beauty ..

[@adamneme4613]

That's not hip hop. That's Satan's music industry political agenda.

[@umarscamartistjohnson1784]

Nigga and it wasn’t in the late 70s/80s ?? How sway

[@umarscamartistjohnson1784]

@@adamneme4613 obviously you don’t know hip hop/ from rap 🤔

[@wesleypugh6860]

@@umarscamartistjohnson1784 Fuck are you talking bout ?

[@wildboy700]

I love hip hop and I'm glad to be apart of this generation. It's an honor.❤❤❤

[@berserko2008]

Rap originally had soul...... so beautiful and such feeling....... the way for the Black man to fight back through poetry and song....... it's just so catchy......👍👍💯💯

[@sleepnoises]

Thank you for this! Much respect and gratitude

[@JDiggiti]

and this is why we have RAP Culture today . the media focused on Rap instead of Hip Hop Culture . Great Video . Thank You for posting it

[@Mr.Taylor56]

The revolution will not be televised. Can't film what you think and how you feel on the inside.

[@adamneme4613]

Rap was the most enduring and adaptable part of hip hop. Facts. Breakin and graffiti had sever limitations in their flexibility to endure an ever changing pop audience. Rap is the last great gift blacks gave to world civilization. Rap is not a genre now, it is a former of music. Do you sing or rap. God bless rap.

[@JDiggiti]

@@adamneme4613 RAP is the easiest to duplicate & water down for the POPULAR audience . Todays skill level is at its lowest with only a few New people Mastering the art but 10,000 rappers

[@stephenheath8465]

Didn't mention the DJ Big journalistic FAIL lol

[@stephieakaheavenwasherethe2160]

I love this & rap 🎶. This is Hugh Downes too in the intro. I had the great honor to sit behind the set of 20/20 in NY & personally meet him. He passed away in 2020. After filming, I will never forget how special he made me feel by approaching me with a warm smile, shaking my hand & talked with me. I will never forget him for his kindness. The class & integrity of broadcasting has since left with him & seems no more today. Hugh, God's speed to you kind gentleman & thank you for making a young girl so very happy with your introduction. ♥️🙏🗽

[@ProjectCarTV]

Back When You Had To Chain Your Boom Box Up Outside The Grocery Store

[@wotabottle]

Thank you for the upload. It's important.

[@Jophlo78]

So many people like myself have dedicated their entire lives to this culture and it is beautiful to see the growth and evolution of it all.

[@russelladams7134]

Today's rap music isn't about anything anymore. What the radio stations play is garbage. Cardi B ,Megan The Stallion, DJ Chose, Black Youngsta, Money Bag Yo are all just average.

[@Jophlo78]

@@russelladams7134 Your viewpoint is very misinformed and displays ignorance.

[@russelladams7134]

@@Jophlo78 Man I've been listening to Hip Hop since the beginning. Today's music ain't classified as Hip Hop. It's just Rap music. Let's get that understood. Rappers today that are on mainstream radio don't have have clever metaphors and storytelling rhymes like back in the day. There are a handful of dope rappers like J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Big KRIT, and Dee-1 but their music don't get played too much on mainstream radio. The rappers today don't compare to the rappers like Big Pun, Tupac, DMX, Heavy D, Public Enemy, LL Cool J,and others. Rappers today all sound the same with very shallow and limited concepts. Female rappers like Cardi-B and Megan Thee Stallion all talk about getting money from guys using their sex appeal. All they talk about is money and sex. A lot of the young male rappers are on major drugs like Lean, Molly,and Percocets. The rappers in the 1980's and 1990's didn't do so much drugs. Nas said it on his album back in the early 2000's Hip Hop is dead. It's just Rap music now. Hip Hop music stopped being innovative around 2005 or so. You have dedicated your entire life to this culture so I assume you are in your 40's or 50's?? I may be wrong. The music of today lacks creativity and soul. That goes for R&B music as well. The music of today hasn't been innovative and game-changing. Only a select few like Drake or a Meek Mill or The Game when he first came out have been Game Changers. Back in the day rappers did their rhymes for the love while rappers today just do it for the fame,clout and money. Everybody is a rapper today and the market is oversaturated. Back in the early 1980's and the 1990's the market wasn't so saturated and commercial. I compare the rap music of today as an apple. The apple was ripe back in the 1990's up until 2004. Now it isn't so ripe. It is almost rotten. I really don't have anything else to say. I still listen to the radio for the morning shows because I like the radio personalities but I can care less about the music. Only 3 out of ten songs played on the radio I really like. The rest is just average. I listen to other music like Neo Soul, Jazz or Old school R&B and some underground Hip Hop. Again you said you have dedicated your whole life to the culture so I assume you are in your 40's or 50's. Another question I have to ask is Why many women have fake booties, fake eye lashes, fake hair, fake nails?Back in the 1980's and early 1990's women had more of a natural beauty and their body was authentic and well proportioned. My viewpoint displays the truth and not ignorance and you should sir should know this if you have dedicated your entire life to the culture.

[@shahnawazsooba7904]

Beautiful to see the growth and evolution of it? Are you serious? Look what rap has become today.

[@Jophlo78]

@@shahnawazsooba7904 I'm not referring to "Rap", I'm speaking on Hip Hop. Not "Trap" either, nor do I turn to radio or what's currently trending. Hip Hop is alive and well.

[@carlosramirez7018]

Let's not forget to thank 20/20 for always delivering great documentaries.

[@mikehwilliams17]

That was a dope find. It is always great to see film footage of some of the first Rap pioneers. It is a shame the reporter did not mention anything about the DJ. He did bring up the dancing but to leave the DJ out. That is the back bone to all this.

[@TheFoundationhiphop]

The Dj took a backseat when rap records became a reality. By 81 the Rapper was the star. The reporters reported what they saw.

[@mikehwilliams17]

Yes that is so true and I understand why that had to be. Not being able to clear samples back then and the use of the house bands was easier to get the records out. So the DJ gets the push to the back.

[@gittemal]

I remember when this originally aired!

[@nolahahnshouse3389]

40 years later rap/hip hop is the number one music in the world!

[@kevinjonesmusic]

At 8:10 is that Bruce Leroy’s little brother from the “Last Dragon” on the far right? At 8:18 the kid at the desk looks like Chris Rock.

[@theFRACTALREIGN]

This new "Rap" music surely has fascinated the youth culture! I hope it grows into something big

[@tg3grant704]

I was 10 in 1981 and remember every bit of this .boombox with the double cassette

[@michaelgraves7718]

Hey that was the famous artist Basquiet in Blondi video as the DJ. 👍🏾

[@rauldiaz7309]

Yes. Also Subway artist legend LEE was in there too. Back to the camera with blue -white striped wind breaker. Rocking a LEE piece, accordingly. 👌

[@stet8826]

This is great footage. Respect to the foundation for uploading this. 🔥🔥🔥🔥👍👊🇬🇧

[@kollusion1]

Keep them gems coming, some great footage here.

[@commercialrealestatecoach]

Thank You, Hip Hop - my favorite American art form that's inspired so much of my lifestyle.

[@eljusticiero322]

The recording session of Showdown taped, Amazing!

[@DBankx]

Those were really good times

[@robbholmes9215]

Not for everybody

[@jeffreyfoss7369]

Wait..did you hear G'ma say, "All he wanna do is slip in my bed"?

[@billyjacc]

My little sister gasped and said " Ooh! You hear what that old lady said?" 😁... Even though it was '81, we were still ( In some ways) a bit more conservative than the kids today.

[@djkellykel3383]

Great upload Brother Jayquan! You are the best hip hop historian hands down. Appreciate your channel and all of this great content.#Salute

[@them3rkcr3w65]

Dope content ! Putting us on history

[@perrynnlynch3811]

Thanks for the upload. Great stuff. Hard to be believe that this was 40 years ago.

[@hassanburton669]

GOOD LOOKS JAY EXTRA STRENGTH SHOUT OUT TO KURTIS BLOW AND ALL THE EARLY PIONEERS....RESPECT.

[@jeremiahwoods1845]

Those were the days right there

[@gaffle-411]

I’ve NEVER seen this one. Hidden gem!

[@adolfminolo4757]

In Philly, they only played rap on Saturdays on a.m. radio. Then certain radio stations tried to monetize their policy of playing "No Rap"! However, I was all in from day 1. I love it!!

[@tennaj1367]

I can see someone using his old school opening monolog for the beginning of new school song ! I was waiting for a dope beat to DROP !!! LOL : )

[@Reevesbeatz1]

Thanks so much for the upload!!!

[@tochiRTA]

WOW! what a goldmine! I can't believe this was made in '81! A) They're so accurate in their assessment of the music, it's insane and B) It makes it seem like hip hop was already mainstream

[@TheFoundationhiphop]

It was to a degree. For what mainstream was at the time. It had already hit American Bandstand

[@tsimmons1974ts]

Soooo Glad I was blessed to have grown up during that era 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

[@Cameo718.]

Curator extraordinaire always bringing it!!

[@TheDocTats]

Great find! Miss people walking around with huge boom boxes!

[@tonyjones3710]

The genre was just a few years old when this came out!!!!

[@Slimc74]

Great video. Man i miss the days when rap was fun, and about real life. When the only beef you heard was about Roxanne

[@99alfailiwaqain51]

Peace, Jayquan dug deeper than an archaeologist for this ☝️! Master of Archives....Peace7

[@lawearsmith9851]

Thank you for sharing 😊

[@jamesjones2173]

40 years ago

[@PapaIrie]

Pure niceness!!! Thanks for uploading!

[@grindewest5940]

That white dude rapping was the 1st drake😂😂😂

[@Rmepapi69]

Or Vanilla Ice. 🤣

[@grindewest5940]

@@GEN_X_ you got me fd up I was making a joke stupid I'm black and 40 years old I know all about 80's rap

[@leemd5049]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@christophermcwhorter551]

I remember hearing all this incredible music at the skating rinks when I lived in Orlando Fl. then all the teen clubs around Atlanta Ga in the late 70s and early 80s. The stories the music would tell.....

[@jasonparker8277]

Love it! They included B-Boy’ing..because rap was not separated from Hip-Hop yet. 1981, Beginning of the Reagan era, Cold War, right before Crack, AIDS, etc. Those MCs were fighting against crime and gangs...now “rappers” are fighting to be considered more ignorant that the next.

[@guesswhoscomingtoyoutube]

U make me MAD cause you are so RIGHT

[@scinnyc]

Thanx for posting this. Every hip hop fan and students of hip hop like myself need to see this

[@charlesstevensiii7762]

The ONLY disagreement I have with this the last statement "Anyone can rap"

[@misterb1336]

Nah today's rap music proves anyone can do it

[@DribsandDrabs]

Tekashit Snitchnine is millionaire off rapping so yea anyone can rap. 😔

[@ryublueblanka]

"Anyone can rap. My granmama can rap" - Andre3000

[@joannabmarketing]

Oh yes, Blondie!! Debbie Harry! I enjoyed this video! Wow, I have Kurtis Blow & many other Legends on my Facebook friend's list. Will tag a few of them.

[@HeavyMental1000]

You mean to tell me Blondie was really among the first to make a crossover hip hop songs?! Holy heck I would have never thought that. How did this go under my radar!??

[@RenR70]

The story goes that she was friends with Fab 5 Freddy who took her to the Hip Hop clubs in NY, she later wrote the song for him with no intention of releasing it, Fab told her she should & the rest is history.

[@BallparkHunter]

When she hosted SNL in 1981 she invited the Funky 4 + 1 to make an appearance. They became the first rap group on the show--a full 5 1/2 years before RUN DMC and to appear on a national TV show in the US. Deborah Harry was apparently a big rap fan.

[@antoniotula262]

Blondie was baaad back in 70s. I remember days @ Empire, roller skating to Good Times & Sugar Hill. Different world then.

[@MrJuly1990ish]

How old are you? Lol!! The song "Rapture" was a big hit for Blondie back in the day. The single is from their "Autoamerican" album, which was release in the fall of 1980.

[@BallparkHunter]

@@MrJuly1990ish I was 4-years-old in 1981, barely remember that time, but I do enjoy some old-school rap songs.

[@christianjuarez4689]

This special was ahead of its time both stylistically and in terms of substance.

[@watchtv5754]

i was like 5 year old when this came out. I'm sure I remember watching this on the news. Hehe

[@mrfinnie6999]

I would love to see the full video of Showdown , Sugar Hill and the Furious Five.

[@sgtcreasegrease]

This is a dope upload. Had no idea this existed.

[@billyjacc]

Ahhh... I was in the 8th grade when I saw this on channel 6 in Philadelphia. Kudos to you Brother Jay.

[@beemocha]

This warmed my heart. So proud to be born & raised in the city where hip hop was born 🗽 #NYC

[@hadbl12]

And just thought they said it wouldn’t last..... 40+ plus years later and it’s still going strong

[@bigsheed9003]

I disagree, not every one can rap.

[@scinnyc]

Nowadays they can. Doesn't mean it's quality rap though

[@maccagrabme]

@@scinnyc Is it even rapping though?

[@scinnyc]

@@maccagrabme Just because it's trash rap doesn't mean that it's not rap. But it damn sure isn't hip hop though

[@TechnologyTidbits]

I remember when this came out. THANK YOU, SO SO MUCH.

[@franciscoburgos787]

Back when rap was clean and pure. Before it was corrupted by the gangster lifestyle

[@Mr._Moderate]

The "gangster lifestyle" is the result not the cause 👍

[@bryanwalton6200]

@@Mr._Moderate thats bullshit. tell that to those greedy ceos who had that meeting to destroy positive rap

[@jamesday6182]

Its all about having street cred" the major labels dont care about nothing but a dollar

[@mr.johnson6897]

To make it so ill, many of those old school rappers were hoods! They just didn't promote it on wax like the future generations.

[@ChrisWilliams-ht5ml]

No, it's the gangsta lifestyle of rap being put in your face by the mainstream, plenty hip-hop music with the art base still! You like gangsta and trap Muzik and UENO IT!

[@DavidSheltonKCDJUnique]

Thanks man for bringing this out. They said this was a fade. I know you remember that. Thanks again.

[@TheFoundationhiphop]

I remember

[@andrecurry6294]

Forty years !! 😎🙏👏 can you believe y'all! . My people truly bless this world 🌎

[@punkyagogo]

Respect for mentioning Funky 4+1 and even playing That's The Joint in the background! Easily my fav Sugarhill group.

[@creamone]

"Hip Hop Music is here to stay" Boogie Down Bronx,

[@jasonwhite7452]

Man I remember my sister Sheila blasting The Real Roxanne on her JVC Boom Box back in the day! It was that and The Whispers - Rock Steady that she was constantly pumping out of that thing! No complaints!