Missed, the Passing of Sylvia Robinson

Sylvia Robinson was the mother of Hip Hop. When rap hit the streets in the 70's, artist and record producer Sylvia Robinson decided to give this fledgling music a record opportunity. She signed Master Gee, Wonder Mike and Big Bank Hank to create the "Sugerhill Gang," and cut what is considered to be the first hip hop album.

It was her vision for what the future could be and love of the sound that she was hearing that created the sound of the streets.

via Daily Mail:

Sylvia Robinson, the woman some call the mother of hip-hop, has died at 76.

She hit with the sexually charged Pillow Talk but was later known as one of hip-hop's early founders as the record label owner that put out Rapper's Delight, rap's first mainstream success.

Along with her late husband, Joe, Robinson was the owner of Sugar Hill Records. In 1979, it released the song that would become widely known as rap's first hit, "Rapper's Delight," by the Sugar Hill Gang.

The song was released as hip-hop was just beginning to emerge as a genre; for the most part, it was a budding phenomenon bubbling on New York City streets. Robinson recognized the potential of the music and wanted her struggling label to capitalize on it.

'She saw where a DJ was talking and the crowd was responding to what he was saying, and this was the first time she ever saw this before,' her son Joey said in a 2000 interview with NPR.

It turned out she was right. After gathering three rappers (Master Gee, Wonder Mike and Big Bank Hank) to record the 15-minute song, the party groove became a sensation.

...But Sugar Hill Records would continue to play a part on the early years of hip-hop with a roster that included Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five.

Rest in Peace Mother of Hip Hop Sylvia Robinson.