Zapp
Zapp
Zapp unleashes funky, high-energy music with a contagious groove built for dancing, loving and good times. Made up of masterful musicians who have been getting down together since the late 1970s, the group’s sizzling chemistry can be attributed to the fact that it has always been a joyful family affair. The band started with Lil Roger and Lil Lester in 1962, which became Lil Roger and the Vels, grew into Roger and the Human Body from 1974-1978, then became a full-fledged movement as Zapp.
Since Zapp’s beginnings, its heartbeat has always been the vibrant imagination of the three Troutman Brothers – older brother Larry and two younger brothers Roger and Lester – who jammed together before becoming a quartet called Roger and the Human Body. This early quartet included the duo of Roger and Lester, Ralph Shepard and Chris Croom, whose premiere recording experience was with Capitol Records in 1975- 1976, when they worked on Sun’s debut album as well as the debut of Roger and the Human Body. Hired as studio musicians, Roger and Lester were fundamental to both projects and had already been experimenting with the talkbox just as it was first gaining fame thanks to mega stars like Stevie Wonder, Peter Frampton and Earth, Wind & Fire.
Sugar Hill Gang
Though the Sugarhill Gang inaugurated the history of recorded hip-hop with their single "Rapper's Delight," a multi-platinum-seller and radio hit in 1979, the group was cooked up to cash in on a supposed novelty item. Music industry producer and label owner had become aware of the massive hip-hop block parties occurring around the New York area during the late '70s, so she gathered three local rappers (Master Gee, Wonder Mike, and Big Bank Hank) to record a single. Infectious and catchy, "Rapper's Delight" borrowed the break from 's "Good Times" and became a worldwide hit, eventually selling more than eight million copies. Most industry people figured rap for a short-lived trend, and though they were dead wrong, the Sugarhill Gang certainly didn't carry the torch; despite several modest hits ("8th Wonder," "Apache"), the trio faded quickly and was gone by the mid-'80s, only returning in 1999 with Jump on It, a rap album for children.
The Furious Five
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five emerged from the South Bronx in 1976, when Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel, Kidd Creole, and Keef Cowboy began performing together at parks and parties. With the addition of Scorpio and Rahiem, the group became one of hip-hop’s pioneering acts, helping bring the culture from the streets to recorded music with early releases including “Superrappin,” “Freedom,” and “The Message.” Their innovative live performances and groundbreaking music helped establish hip-hop as a major force in popular culture. Though the group later split into separate factions, they reunited in 1987 and continued performing and recording. Their legacy was recognized with the 2005 Bronx Walk of Fame, a VH1 Hip Hop Honors award in 2006, induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, and “The Message” being inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2012.
Zapp unleashes funky, high-energy music with a contagious groove built for dancing, loving and good times. Made up of masterful musicians who have been getting down together since the late 1970s, the group’s sizzling chemistry can be attributed to the fact that it has always been a joyful family affair. The band started with Lil Roger and Lil Lester in 1962, which became Lil Roger and the Vels, grew into Roger and the Human Body from 1974-1978, then became a full-fledged movement as Zapp.
Since Zapp’s beginnings, its heartbeat has always been the vibrant imagination of the three Troutman Brothers – older brother Larry and two younger brothers Roger and Lester – who jammed together before becoming a quartet called Roger and the Human Body. This early quartet included the duo of Roger and Lester, Ralph Shepard and Chris Croom, whose premiere recording experience was with Capitol Records in 1975- 1976, when they worked on Sun’s debut album as well as the debut of Roger and the Human Body. Hired as studio musicians, Roger and Lester were fundamental to both projects and had already been experimenting with the talkbox just as it was first gaining fame thanks to mega stars like Stevie Wonder, Peter Frampton and Earth, Wind & Fire.
Sugar Hill Gang
Though the Sugarhill Gang inaugurated the history of recorded hip-hop with their single "Rapper's Delight," a multi-platinum-seller and radio hit in 1979, the group was cooked up to cash in on a supposed novelty item. Music industry producer and label owner had become aware of the massive hip-hop block parties occurring around the New York area during the late '70s, so she gathered three local rappers (Master Gee, Wonder Mike, and Big Bank Hank) to record a single. Infectious and catchy, "Rapper's Delight" borrowed the break from 's "Good Times" and became a worldwide hit, eventually selling more than eight million copies. Most industry people figured rap for a short-lived trend, and though they were dead wrong, the Sugarhill Gang certainly didn't carry the torch; despite several modest hits ("8th Wonder," "Apache"), the trio faded quickly and was gone by the mid-'80s, only returning in 1999 with Jump on It, a rap album for children.
The Furious Five
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five emerged from the South Bronx in 1976, when Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel, Kidd Creole, and Keef Cowboy began performing together at parks and parties. With the addition of Scorpio and Rahiem, the group became one of hip-hop’s pioneering acts, helping bring the culture from the streets to recorded music with early releases including “Superrappin,” “Freedom,” and “The Message.” Their innovative live performances and groundbreaking music helped establish hip-hop as a major force in popular culture. Though the group later split into separate factions, they reunited in 1987 and continued performing and recording. Their legacy was recognized with the 2005 Bronx Walk of Fame, a VH1 Hip Hop Honors award in 2006, induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, and “The Message” being inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2012.
