On this day March 28 1981 Rapture by Blondie hit number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 where it stayed through April 10. The track made history as the first song with rap lyrics to ever reach number 1 in America blending new wave disco and hip hop into something completely original for its time.
Fronted by Debbie Harry the band gave a shoutout to hip hop pioneers like Fab Five Freddy and Grandmaster Flash and brought elements of the underground New York rap scene to a mainstream audience. Rapture helped bridge the gap between genres and introduced many listeners to rap for the first time.
80s insight: The music video for Rapture was also one of the first rap influenced videos to air on MTV and featured appearances by Fab Five Freddy and artist Jean Michel Basquiat.
Fronted by Debbie Harry the band gave a shoutout to hip hop pioneers like Fab Five Freddy and Grandmaster Flash and brought elements of the underground New York rap scene to a mainstream audience. Rapture helped bridge the gap between genres and introduced many listeners to rap for the first time.
80s insight: The music video for Rapture was also one of the first rap influenced videos to air on MTV and featured appearances by Fab Five Freddy and artist Jean Michel Basquiat.
