The Sugarhill Gang Podcast: Recent Episodes
The Sugarhill Gang
In 1979, The Sugarhill Gang released “Rapper’s Delight”, catapulting Hip Hop culture from New York City park jams to a global movement that changed the world forever. Over the years they continued their meteoric rise as rap pioneers, and are still played everywhere from cookouts to the White House.
The Sugarhill Gang Podcast feature the original and touring members of the group Master Gee, Wonder Mike, Hendogg and DJ Dynasty talking with their guests about everything from Hip Hop history, never before heard stories, building a musical legacy and the black experience in America and worldwide.
MC Serch's legacy in Hip Hop goes back over 30 years as a battle MC, an artist, a record executive and a radio show host. He's been responsible for a number of notable moments including working with Nas to get him his first record deal.
We discuss everything including the time he dissed Mr Magic on stage, getting Nas his first record deal, getting shot at after a rap battle and the time MC Hammer put a hit out on him.
MC Serch has stories for days and this episode has no shortage of them. If you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did, send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
DJ Q Bert is a supreme technician when it comes to the art of turntablism. He has been in the game for over 30 years and is considered in the elite of elite in his craft.
We discuss everything from his early days and how he started out, what DJing means to the world of Hip Hop and we even talk about aliens. This episode is not one to be missed.
DJ Q Bert is a real artist and is super passionate about his craft, so this was a special episode for us. If you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did, send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
Premium Pete is a man of many talents. A podcast pioneer, brand consultant, media personality, speaker, founder of food brands, sneaker head and all round well connected good guy.
Pete talks about everything from his early days as a podcaster with Combat Jack, his love of Hip Hop and how the music changed his life, how he turned his passion for sneakers and food into business opportunities and if that wasn't enough he drops some serious jewels on the podcasting game.
Pete is a genuinely great guy and we loved talking to him. If you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did, send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
DJ A-Trak is a bonafide star in the DJing world. At the young age of 15 he won the world famous DMC World DJ Championship and since then has risen to global stardom as a touring DJ for Kanye West, producing for huge artists like Drake, Common and Kid Cudi, forming his own group Duck Sauce with Armand Van Helden and running his own successful record label Fools Gold.
We discuss everything from his early start in turnablism, working as a tour DJ and what it take to runs a successful record label on his own terms.
A-Trak, for all his success, is a humble and thoughtful individual and we loved talking to him. If you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did, send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
Cipha Sounds made his name in radio, but by no means is that where his talents end. He has also worked in Music Management, A&R, TV, podcasting and now is a well established stand up comedian.
We discuss Cipha's career in radio starting as an intern, starting the first hip hop podcast with his fellow host Peter Rosenberg, working at record labels and how he transitioned to becoming a stand up comedian.
Cipha is funny, smart and knows his way around a podcast. If you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did, send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
Tito Puente Jr is a Latin music sensation. His fusion of jazz, latin, salsa, merengue and mambo music brings energy to any stage that he steps on. He is also the son and namesake of someone very special to us, Tito Puente, The King of Latin Music, who played the drums on one of our early records Sugarhill Groove.
We spoke about Tito's early days growing up around music, going on tour with his dad and how that helped him craft his own career in music. We also share stories about his father and how Tito is continuing on his amazing legacy.
This was a fun and energetic conversation and if you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did, send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
Kardinal Offishall is true pioneer of the Candian Rap Scene. From grass roots he has helped move the culture forward in Canada and it has led him to work with some of the greats like Akon, Lady Gaga and Dave Chappelle.
Kardinal is passionate about his craft and it really comes through as we discuss his roots, being a driving force of hip hop in Canada and some the challenges around that journey. We also talk about his friendship with Dave Chappelle who went on to use a Kardinal Offishall record on his Netflix special.
We enjoyed chopping it up with Kardinal and iIf you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did, send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
Shortee Blitz is widely considered as one of the best DJs to come out of the UK and we completely agree. Not only does Shortee rock the clubs, he has a radio show which he hosts with DJ MK and is the resident DJ on the TV show Don’t Hate the Playaz, which we’ve had the opportunity to have been guests on.
We get into his life as DJ, his really insightful views on the music industry and how artists can prosper and he shares his story on how he ended up DJing for an impromptu performance by Jay Z
Shortee is smart, polite and funny and we loved chatting to him. If you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did, send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
Aloe Blacc is best known for his huge hits, ‘I Need a Dollar’, ‘The Man’ and ‘Wake Me Up’ with the late great Avicii. But as an unbelievably talented artist he’s also a producer, musician, philanthropist and an actor. He also loves his hats!
Aloe was so generous with his time and his stories as we discussed everything from working with Forest Whitaker on the TV show, Godfather of Harlem, how he turned his hand to production, how covid has affected his work and we even get a little treat when Aloe Blacc sings for us.
It was a pleasure to have Aloe on the show and if you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did, send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
Elisabeth Njoroge is a saint amongst humans. With her organisation, The Art of Music, Elisabeth’s mission is to provide the kids of the Korogocho slum in Kenya with opportunities to better themselves and their community.
This was a really enlightening conversation as we talk about Elisabeth’s work with over 500 children that are part of the programme. We discuss the work she is doing, how music has been instrumental in helping her with her work and she also shares some stories that would surprise you.
Elisabeth is doing amazing work and it was important to us to have her on our show. If you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did, send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
DJ EFN is a hip hop legend. He is one of the pioneers of the Miami hip hop scene and a huge contributor to its continued success. Not only that he is one half of the super successful podcast Drink Champs with his co-host N.O.R.E.
DJ EFN has deep roots in hip hop and we get into it all. We talk about Drink Champs, Revolt TV, how he started his career as a mixtape DJ, his work in fashion, A&R, TV and as a record label executive.
It was an honour to have DJ EFN on the show and if you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did, send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
Bill Bailey and Oti Mabuse paid us a huge tribute when they danced to Rapper’s Delight on the hit UK TV show, BBC's Strictly Come Dancing 2020 and then went on to win the whole show!
Bill is a well established comedian and actor, Oti is a seasoned dance professional and just full of amazing energy. We talk about everything from the show and how their dance routine came about, Brexit and performing on the road.
This episode was so fun, jam packed with stories and plenty of laughs! If you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did, send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
For over 30 years Digital Underground has been a staple in Hip Hop, with huge smash hits such as The Humpty Dance and Same Song. So we were blessed to have Money B, one of the early members and Young Hump who took the mantle from Shock G, the man who started Digital Underground, on this episode of our podcast.
We share so many stories on this episode including how Shock G’s vision shaped the group, developing Tupac at the beginning of his career, working with Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd, and their deep connection to NWA.
This episode is full of stories and laughter and if you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did, send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
Roni Size is a legend and a pioneer of Drum & Bass, so much so that he won the prestigious Mercury Prize for the debut album New Forms with his collective Roni Size & Reprazent when the sound was still coming up through the underground. There is no doubt that this achievement was a huge driving force to the huge sound that Drum & Bass has become today.
We get into it all with Roni. His come up and how he along with a handful of DJs and producers really brought Drum & Bass to the masses, we also talk about his feelings on BLM, Brexit and of course winning the Mercury Prize.
Roni is a humble and thoughtful guy, one that we have also been lucky to have seen on the festival circuit. If you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did, send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
Dalico is made up of 2 greats. Grammy award winning producer Dallas Austin who has worked with some of the most iconic artists in music including Boyz II Men, TLC, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Gwen Stefani, Duran Duran and that just scratches the surface and his partner is Corey Enemy, who is an internationally renowned EDM DJ and no stranger to production working with the likes of Lady Gaga, Steve Aoki, Dizzee Rascal, David Guetta and Chris Brown.
We get into both of their careers, what has influenced their music, production techniques and there are plenty of stories exchanged about their experiences working in the industry.
This was a unique episode with 2 producers who have made their stamp in the music industry in their own rights and have come together to make a super producer group. If you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did, send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
Raheem Devaughn goes by many names, The Love King of R&B, Mr Midnight, Smokey Temptations to name just a few, but we like to call him the modern day Marvin Gaye and it's fair to say that The Sugarhill Gang are huge fans of Raheem.
This is a conversation between music lovers, we talk about influences, the creative process, and how music can move culture and people. Raheem also turns the tables and asks some really important questions about our journey, which we were happy to answer.
We were really happy to have the chance to talk with a real artist and if you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did, send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
Talib Kweli wears many hats; rapper, entrepreneur, activist, podcaster, label executive, educator and cultural icon. Talib has a rich history in Hip Hop and is an outspoken positive voice for our culture so having him on the show for us was a no brainer.
Over the years Talib’s music and message has remained conscious, positive and made to help activism. We talk a lot about how he approaches his music, where he gets his inspiration, the Black Lives Matter Movement and Talib tells us the one MC that he believes would be his equal match on a Verzuz battle.
As a well established podcaster, Talib also helps us out with really insightful advice on podcasting and how we can develop this craft.
Talib is smart and thoughtful and this was an eye opening and educational experience . If you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did, send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
Press play and the unmistakable deep bass voice of Chali 2na welcomes you to this episode of The Sugarhill Gang Podcast. Chali is the co-founder of the legendary group Jurassic 5.
For 30 years Chali has been recognised as a legend in the game. We talk about Jurassic 5 being an underground act, their approach to making music, and how getting dissed by a high school sweetheart started his rap career.
Chali is an amazing guy and this episode is full of good vibes. If you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did, send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
Our guest on this episode, Akua Naru is a rapper, producer, social activist and public speaker and in our humble opinion a true artist. Akua was exposed to music at a very young age in church where she started to write and perform poetry.
Akua quickly evolved into performing Hip Hop finding her voice as a political and pro-black artist. We discuss the message in her music, being an independent artist, travelling and living all around the world and performing with no shoes.
Akua is a positive force in black culture and music and this was a really uplifting episode for us. If you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did, send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
Our great friend, the Human Beat Box, Doug E. Fresh is on this episode of The Sugarhill Gang Podcast. We have known this man for a long time so this was a really personal one for us.
Doug has been in the industry almost as long as we have and has seen it all so we get into everything from how he started, forming the Get Fresh Crew, struggles in the industry, new music and of course there are plenty of stories of being on the road together.
We have so much respect for this man, he always shows love and if you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did, send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
R.A. The Rugged Man is our guest on this episode. This is a really raw interview with a man who started his music career at 12 years old and since then has worked some of the biggest and best names in Hip Hop including Wu-Tang Clan, Tech N9ne, Rakim, Mobb Deep, Talib Kweli and Brother Ali.
R.A. has built a real underground cult following and we discuss how he has managed to do this, work with huge artist and stay relevant after all these years in the game. We also go deep and talk about losing family members, conspiracy theories, moving to Germany with his family and so much more.
R.A. The Rugged man is real one with a long history in the game and we loved speaking with him . If you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did, send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
Our guest on this episode, Godfrey is one of the realest and funniest comedians on the planet. Not only is he a prolific comedian but has made his mark as an actor appearing in film such as Soul Plane, Original Gangstas and Zoolander. He is also a fellow podcaster with his own show, In Godfrey we Trust.
This conversation went from how Godfrey started in comedy, performing on stage, working with Bernie Mac, racial issues, dealing with fans and everything in between.
This was a high energy, wide ranging and funny chat with a great guy. If you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did, send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
Very few people make us feel a great as Chubb Rock does, so having him on this episode was an absolute honour and pleasure. Chubb is best known for his smash hits "Treat 'Em Right", "Just The Two of Us" and "The Chubbster” all of which made it to No 1 of Billboard’s Top Rap Singles.
We go through all the ups and downs of his career, how he changed from being Pre Med in school to being a music icon and how he helped launched the careers of legendary producers Trackmasters and Lady of Rage. Chubb’s Hip Hop roots and knowledge run deep and we have a real history lesson with him.
Chubb Rock is an old friend of ours and a kindred spirit, so this was a joy to record. If you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did, send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
Speech has carved himself a legendary path in Hip Hop as a solo artist and as a founding member of the group Arrested Development, with huge hits like ‘Mr Wendal’, ‘Tennessee’ and the smash ‘People Everyday.’
This was a wide ranging and uplifting conversation where we talk about everything from the origins of Arrested Development, how he puts a forward positive message in his music, working with Spike Lee and working with inmates in prisons.
Speech’s contribution to Hip Hop is huge, he is an innovator and it was a true pleasure to have him on the show. If you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did, send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
The Godfather of Noise and our good friend Rahzel joins us on this episode. Rahzel is one of the reasons that beatboxing is on the hip hop map and is a true connoisseur of the music we all love. This is a gem of an episode.
Rahzel’s roots in Hip Hop run deep and we have a real history lesson with him. We get into all the highs and lows of his career, how a beatbox / drumming battle with Questlove got him into the Roots and how his influence is felt across the world.
He is a through and through hustler and we couldn’t be more proud of what he has achieved in his career! If you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did, send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
In this episode we are joined by one of the smoothest soul legends, the UK’s Omar, who penned the timeless classic “There’s Nothing Like This” and still drives the UK’s music scene forward decades later.
We really get into Omar’s history and deep family roots in music, he gives us his take on the BLM movement and as a real artist he lets us into his process of making music. Omar also gives us a treat towards the end of the episode.
We’ve had the privilege of performing on the same bill as Omar a few times and he’s the genuine article! If you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did, send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
Fatman scoop has been one of the most recognisable voices in clubs since his 1999 breakout hit “Be Faithful”. Since then he’s been on huge records like Mariah Carey’s “It's Like That”, Ciara’s “Level Up” and Missy Elliott’s “Lose Control” which won him two Grammy Awards.
Like us, his music has stood the test of time and is played at every party, plus he’s known for having the illest of live shows, touring worldwide and bringing that energy.
We talk about Scoop being a student of Doug E Fresh (he’s on a future episode), leaving his legacy in the world, what it takes to really rock a live show and Scoop even has some questions for us.
If you enjoyed our conversation with another bonafide hit maker and host of his own podcast “Make Noise with Fatman Scoop” make sure you send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
Is The Sugarhill Gang interviewing DJ Cassidy or is DJ Cassidy interviewing The Sugarhill Gang? It’s a bit of both on this episode when we catch up with the New York City DJ known for keeping everybody rocking through the lockdown with his YouTube series “Pass The Mic” which features dozens of iconic artists across generations.
We also talk to Cassidy about his phenomenal knowledge of music, hear stories about his journey from a New York City DJ that had a chance meeting with P Diddy, to DJing for Barack and Michelle Obama, J-Lo, Jay Z, Beyonce and many others. One of his stories even involves us hearing about when Nile Rodgers first heard Rappers Delight… that one caught us off guard!
Sugarhill Gang is the tree and there are so many being many branches - DJ Cassidy is definitely one of them! If you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did, send us a DM right now to @therealsugarhillgang and tell us your favourite moment.
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
We love Bob Sinclar! When we hit the road again as a group some 12 years ago, Bob was one of the first acts to collab with us on “The La La Song”. So it was only right that we have him on the show and show that love in person.
We talk about Bob’s career, inspiring the career of Pitbull (thank you Drink Champs Podcast), mental health, the pandemic and starting his career as a hip hop DJ in Paris. This isn’t your average multi-platinum mega producer!
We still rock Bob Sinclar’s hits like “World Hold On”, “Love Generation”, and “Rock This Party” when we’re out on tour, so if you love Bob like we do and enjoyed this episode, send us a DM now @therealsugarhillgang - we wanna hear about your favourite moments!
We love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!
Big Daddy Kane is hip-hop royalty and lives on the top 5 MC lists of most of your favourite rappers. So it was only right we jump on with our friend Kane and have our first real sit down conversation after years of dapping it up on tours. It’s a really special conversation.
Kane’s speaks on his amazing career, starting as a battle rapper, taking Jay Z on the road and asks us a dope question about hearing one of our songs in a very famous Adam Sandler movie. It was a fresh question and we’re sure you’ll love the answer.
If you love Kane as much as we do, make sure you send us your thoughts on Instagram @therealsugarhillgang - we love you for lovin’ us. Enjoy the show, Cuzzo!