American hip-hop group formed in Englewood, New Jersey in 1979. Lineup: Big Bank Hank (Henry Jackson, 1956-2014), Wonder Mike (Michael Wright), and Master Gee (Guy O'Brien). Among the very first hip-hop groups to achieve commercial success.
"Rapper's Delight" (1979), an 11-minute-plus single built on Chic's "Good Times" bassline, was the first hip-hop single to reach the US Top 40 and the first to be widely heard outside of the New York metropolitan area. The group released three subsequent studio albums but never approached "Rapper's Delight" commercially. Inducted into the Hip Hop Hall of Fame in 1999.
