AMG graded Sugarhill Gang sold yesterday at Goldin for $28,060! Goldin's description below:
"Graded Excellent 8 with Subgrades: Packaging: 8, Media: 8 by AMG (50006421). "Now, what you hear is not a test, I'm rapping to the beat" as Goldin Auctions is offering a piece of hip hop history in the form of this single-sided test pressing 12-inch vinyl record copy of the 1979 groundbreaking hip hop classic, "Rapper's Delight," by the Sugarhill Gang. This is the very song that served as the "birth of hip hop."
This test pressing of the single that is credited with spreading the gospel of hip hop across the mainstream is single-sided, meaning it only plays on one side. Test pressing consists of a small batch of limited quantity records created during the production process to ensure quality and accuracy of the final product contained within, serving as a quality control step before mass production, speaking to the scant examples available. As far as we know, less than 10 copies of this record exist. This is the first time this piece has come to auction, adding further allure to this culturally historic piece.
This offered 12-inch, 33RPM test pressing features handwritten labels, as this example features "Rapper's Delight Sugarhill Gang," written across the label in black marker by an unknown hand. As test pressings are highly coveted by vinyl enthusiasts, this specimen from the early days of hip hop is no exception.
The importance of this test pressing cannot be overstated or ignored, as "Rapper's Delight" served as the introduction of hip hop to a mainstream audience, escaping the confines of the Bronx and New York City to the entire world. The song, which was recorded in one take, peaked at #36 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in January 1980, becoming the first hip hop or rap record to achieve mainstream success. Across the globe, the song caught on like wildfire, reaching #1 in Canada, #1 in the Dutch Top 40, and #3 in the UK Singles Chart, spreading the nascent genre of music across the globe and paving the way for other hip hop and rap artists."
