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Sugar Hill Records (hip-hop label)

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Sugar Hill Records
Parent companyWarner Music Group (Americas and Japan)
BMG Rights Management (rest of world)
Founded1979; 47 years ago (1979)
FounderJoe Robinson
Sylvia Robinson
Milton Malden
Defunct1986
DistributorsRhino Entertainment (in Americas and Japan)
Universal Music Group (in the rest of world in physical)
BMG Rights Management (in the rest of world in digital)
Genre
Country of originUnited States
LocationEnglewood, New Jersey

Sugar Hill Records was an American record label specializing in hip hop music that was founded in 1979 by husband and wife Joe and Sylvia Robinson with Milton Malden and funding from Tony Riviera and Morris Levy, the owner of Roulette Records.[1][2]

History

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Sugar Hill was co-founded by Sylvia Robinson and Joe Robinson in Englewood, New Jersey in 1979. Joe had parlayed a music publishing company that he established years before in New York into Red Robin, Fury, Fire, Enjoy, All Platinum, Stang, Vibration, and Turbo Records before establishing the Sugar Hill label. Artists on these early labels included his wife Sylvia Robinson, of Mickey & Sylvia fame (who had success in the 1950s with "Love Is Strange"), The Moments ("Love on a Two Way Street"), Brother to Brother, Shirley and Company ("Shame Shame Shame"). Sylvia Robinson also had a long history in the music business: as a singer, musician, songwriter, and producer, making hits for Ike and Tina Turner, Sylvia & Company, and The Moments. It was her decision to pursue rap records at Sugar Hill after seeing Lovebug Starski perform at the Harlem World in 1979.[3] Their son, Joseph Robinson, Jr. (who went by "Joey") also worked as an executive at the label and played a part in recruiting The Sugar Hill Gang.[4][5]

Beginnings

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The Sugar Hill label's first record was "Rapper's Delight" (1979) by The Sugarhill Gang,[6] who had been signed and produced by Sylvia Robinson. The 12-inch record was the label's first top 40 hip hop single. Afterwards Super Wolf,[7][6] The Sequence, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Funky Four Plus One, Crash Crew, Treacherous Three, West Street Mob, and Spoonie Gee joined the label. R&B group The Positive Force released record from Sugar Hill Records also. Sugar Hill's in-house producer and arranger was Clifton "Jiggs" Chase. The in-house recording engineer was Steve Jerome.

Success

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They enjoyed several years of success. Sylvia produced several music videos and a young Spike Lee making his first music video for the song "White Lines" (performed by Melle Mel and the Furious Five).

Sold out

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A distribution deal with MCA Records ended up in protracted litigation, and, finally, the label closed down in 1986.[8] In 1995, Rhino Records purchased all the released and unreleased masters owned by the Sugar Hill label, covering the Americas and Japan, with Castle Communications (now known as Sanctuary Records, a division of BMG Rights Management) taking the international rights.[9][10] In 2002, the company's Sugar Hill Studios (originally called "Sweet Mountain Studios") in Englewood, New Jersey was destroyed by a fire.[11] "Rapper's Delight", "The Message", and many other Sugar Hill hits were recorded there. Master tapes from the All Platinum years, as well as Sugar Hill recordings, were reportedly destroyed in the fire.[12]

Label overviews

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  • Old School Rap – The Sugar Hill Story (To the Beat Y'all) (3-CD, 1993, Sequel Records)
  • The Best of Sugar Hill Records (1-CD, 1994, Hot Classics)
  • The Message: The Story of Sugar Hill Records (4-CD, 1994, Castle Music) [UK Only]
  • The Sugar Hill Records Story (5-CD+12", 1997, Rhino Records) [re-released in 1999 without the 12-inch]
  • The Best of Sugar Hill Records (1-CD, 1998, Rhino Records) [different compilation than above]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "The Sugar Hill Records Story - Various Artists - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  2. ^ "Record Industry Probe Examines Small N.J. Firm : East, West Coast Grand Juries Looking Into Sugar Hill Label". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  3. ^ Charnas, Dan (October 17, 2019). "The Rise and Fall of Hip-Hop's First Godmother: Sugar Hill Records' Sylvia Robinson". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  4. ^ Weingarten, Christopher R. (July 14, 2015). "Joseph Robinson Jr., Sugar Hill Records Exec, Dead at 53". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  5. ^ "Sugarhill Records exec Joseph Robinson Jr. dies from cancer". AP News. July 15, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  6. ^ a b "Data" (PDF). www.bsnpubs.com. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  7. ^ "Super Wolf". AllMusic. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  8. ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 328/9. ISBN 0-7535-0252-6.
  9. ^ "Rap Label Sugar Hill Finds No Delight In Royalties Row - Law360". Law360.com. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  10. ^ "BMG to acquire Sanctuary Records - including Black Sabbath catalogue". Music Week. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  11. ^ Newman, Maria (October 12, 2002). "Fire Razes a Pioneering Rap-Music Recording Studio". The New York Times. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  12. ^ Watkins, Grouchy Greg (October 12, 2002). "Sugar Hill Studios Burns Down". allhiphop.com. AllHipHop.com LLC. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
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