Sylvia Robinson
Greatest success: Sugarhill Records
After forging a respectable career as an R&B star, Robinson founded Sugarhill Records in the mid-70s. Recognizing the potential in New York City’s burgeoning hip-hop scene, she put together The Sugarhill Gang and released the single “Rapper’s Delight.” Sugarhill Records would go on to become the first hip-hop-centric label, releasing music from the genre’s early stars– including Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, the Treacherous Three, Melle Mel, the Funky Four+1 and The Sequence.
