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This was Blondie's tribute to the emerging hip-hop scene in NYC. First #1 rap single in the US. Blondie was part of the downtown punk/art scene where hip-hop from the Bronx started to mix into the club scene. The DJ in this video is the painter Jean Michel Basquiat, who also experimented in hip-hop. The dancing guy is graffiti artist Fab Five Freddy, who went on to host Yo! MTV Raps.
Wouldn't say it was the first "rap single" because Rapture is not a Rap song. It's a Pop song that contains rap verses. To be more accurate, Rapture was the first Top 40 #1 song in the U.S. to contain rap in the song. Unfortunately, the first rap single in the U.S. was by Vanilla Ice and his rap song, Ice Ice Baby released a decade after Rapture in 1990
Blondie, Debbie Harry, Fab-Five-Freddy, famous artist Basquaint and dancer William Barne all in the same video, it's a snapshot in time or the bronx and Brooklyn and different artists hanging out. That's why I like it.
Singer Debbie Harry of the band "Blondie" became friends with Bronx-based hip-hop artists in the late 1970s. Debbi Harry went to a rap event in the Bronx one night in 1978, and she was impressed by the skill and excitement as MCs like Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five Fab 5 Freddy, rhymed lyrics over the beats of spinning records and people lined up for a chance to take the microphone and freestyle rap. Debbie Harry went to a few more such events, before deciding to write a rap song of her own in late 1979. She decided to combine what she had seen and heard in the Bronx with Chic-inspired disco music. The title "Rapture" was an obvious pun on rap.
I remember when this first came out and I saw the video. We were all like, "What the hell is this?" LOL! I have good memories of this tune though. Reminds me of 6th Grade in early 1981 just before MTV launched it's first airing. I had a huge crush on Debbie Harry. Blondie was awesome New Wave genre music.
You need to react to this song wearing glasses with a 1980 lens. For millions of Americans this song was a game changer by introducing rap to the mainstream. The song went to #1. It's totally unprecedented and deserves a lot of respect for what it accomplished over 40 years ago.
1981. You have to remember, rap had only been around a few years. She was in real early. You had Grandmaster Flash, the Sugarhill Gang and not much else. That video is over 40 years old. MTV didn't exist yet.
Blondie was already established. Keeping one ear on the street she picked up a new style of song. It was mostly practiced on the coasts and most Americans had never heard of this new musical style called Rap. It was performed in LA and Mostly NYC. She took an unknown art form and introduced it to the world!!! Blondie was cutting edge in music. How ironic, probably the most influential Rap song in history is sung by a blonde white woman. Lol
There was no rap on MTV (at all!) until this hit single from Blondie, at the height of their fame, opened the door to other artists. Blondie did this on purpose, as they themselves were fans of, and friends with, a lot of the early rap artists in the NYC scene, some of whom have cameos in the video.
Name checking Fab 5 Freddy was huge, as rap was years away from the mainstream. I was starting high school when this came out and there was a sense that Blondie, as pop a band that came up from the underground, knew where the next thing was going to be. They were right. Someone made a mashup of this song and The Doors' "Riders on the Storm" called "Rapture Riders". It's brilliant.
@@chrisharris7931 Autoamerian was released in 1980. Rapture was released as a single and video in January 1981. It was shown on the first day MTV came on air in August 1, 1981. Video #49 ever played on MTV, and as someone said, the first rap song ever played on that channel.
Rapture was the first song that was aired on MTV in 1981 that contained rap. The first actual rap song aired on MTV was Rock Box by Run DMC, which aired in 1984.
This song has history all over it. Rap and Hip Hop were in their infancy growing in mostly The Bronx and Brooklyn in NYC. Debra Harry and her guy Chris were at CBGB where they were being exposed to these and other artists. They put it all together into this song with a gotcha title. The guy in the white tux (man from mars) was the choreographer for the whole thing and the main dancer. The graffiti artists were legendary Fab Five Freddie a founding rapper, in it. So much and so danceable. This was the first Rap/HipHop based song to go to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. That’s a huge milestone. It opened the door to the mass audience and it was amazing. This is one of those songs like Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody where you don’t get it at first then wonder in it’s amazement. Blondie was amazing and still going, I believe, though like me a little older a little slower.
Debbie Harry was a trend setter. First rap song on MTV if I remember correctly. Her next big hit was The Tide is High, which was was a reggae Caribbean song that she took to #1.
Debby Harry was definitely a visionary, (or maybe just a bit strange). Your reaction mirrored mine when I first saw this video over 40 years ago, lol. I had the good fortune to witness a couple of her concerts and she is a true professional and still puts on a great show even into her 70's!☮☮☮
I was a little kid when I first heard it and learned the words thought it was so cool but as a kid I thought “Maxwells Silver Hammer” was a fun song…kids like weird
This was at the very cusp of hip hop hitting the mainstream. Debbie had a few friends that were pioneering the sound in the outer boroughs, and she decided to give it a go. This was the first song featuring hip hop to be a Billboard #1. It sounds funny in 2021, but this one is historical as far as music evolution.
When I taught at an inner city charter school, most of my students were black and were shocked as hell to when I told them the first popularizer of Rap (MTV) was a white woman...
You don't understand the historic significance of this song. RAP was unknown to the masses until Blondie did this song. It was right when MTV was all the craze and this Blondie hit introduced RAP to millions of young music fans. All the early RAP artists owe her a huge debt of gratitude for promoting the genre. BTW, do most RAP lyrics make sense to you?
And Debbie didn't have to say, "b*tch, f*ck, kill the cop, etc., etc., etc., to have a hit Rap song. And she can sing in tune too. What was the last time you heard a Rapper that can sing? Me, Never!
@@usware5240 I can't believe YOU said that. I'll prove it. Name a Rapper that had a #1 Hit, before Debbie Harry. Uh, country music doesn't count, and neither does Elvis, he was never considered a Rapper. LMAO!!!
Loved that open-mouthed reaction! This is THE song that introduced most of America to rap for the very first time. We had no idea what we were hearing, but we liked it. Whatever the merits of the song musically and lyrically, it's worth knowing about for its historical significance.
@@daveborder7751 Thanks for that information. That's why I was careful to say "most" of America. There was some awareness of rap at that time but it was very limited. Rapture was the megahit that exposed most popular music listeners here to the genre for the first time.
Jean Michel Basquiat, Fab Five Freddy, and the list goes on. Epic list of game changing legends who all hung out together and created unique art. I'm so glad that Gen X experienced the best of everything. Experimental expression and equal support
the guy dancing in the white suit and top hat was rapper fab five freddy and the man standing by debbie harry when she syarts to rap by the stereo player is jean michel basquiat famous artist debbie knew some cool people
@@ThomasFromTN I believe it is FFF. The one who was supposed to appear was Grandmaster Flash but he failed to do so, so Jean Michel Basquiat filled in for him.
Blondie was rapping before Run-DMC, NWA or Beastie Boys. If you think her lyrics were weird, check out the Message or Rapper's Delight. Rap at that time was just about words that rhymed a lot more than it was about brilliant word play.
If you think Grand Master Flash and The Furious 5 song the message is just about words that rhyme you are a fool. That was the first rap song that spoke about reality.
You wouldn't understand ma'am because the year was 1980 when that song came out... You see rap music had just gotten started the year prior in the year 1979 by group called the Sugar Hill Gang with the rap song titled Rappers Delight... Another recommendation by the way I think you would enjoy... All early rap sounded somewhat weird to the modern ears of today simply because rap music haven't fully developed into the rap as we know it today... All though she wasn't a legitimate rapper, Blondie was the first female ever at that time to rap in her song lyrics... And also this is the lady who inspired Madonna...
The world has gotten so rigid and conformist the last 40 years. It's all about copying behaviour, style of dress, even poses on Instagram are staged/rehearsed. It's no wonder that when exposed to a free spirit today's young people seem confused. When this came out, we knew the lyrics weren't serious but it didn't matter. It was a fun song and Blondie were an edgy band who did their own thing. That's something people back then coveted. Individualism and creativity was considered cool.
This is probably one of the first times the mainstream heard rap. The context that's probably missing for you on this one was the music/street/arts scene in NYC at that period of time. Blondie got flak for also delving a bit into what some saw as disco back then. If you look where disco originated it was in the gay clubs and black artists in the more underground music scene. Debbie Harry was familiar with what was happening in clubs & street scenes in NYC back then & wasn't afraid to delve into or introduce some of it in her music. She should get cred for that. The lyrics during her rap? Yeah, they were nonsensical even back then but this song was a hit for them.
I'd say Rapture probably extended the "rap" reach a bit broader to the American music audience. The song that got America's attention to rap was in 1979 by the Sugarhill Gang and their song, taken from Chic's Good Times bass line and rhythm section, Rapper's Delight.
your reaction was pretty much the same as the entire world's back in 1981... Most people had never heard rap before, and Blondie was a group that had spurned out dependable rock hits for half-a-decade... Suddenly here was Debbie, America's sweetheart at the time, "rapping" a song about a man-from-mars eating cars bars and guitars. It was a worldy simultaneous WTF ? and it really set the tone for the 80's as all kinds of crazy weird lyrics accompanied by even stranger videos began to take center stage.
You don't understand it. You groove to it. It was the first time rap was brought mainstream in America and hit #1. People LOVED this song & still do. Some songs aren't meant to be understood. They are meant to be fun and/or funky. You gotta give Debbie some respect! She brought punk and rap to mainstream! She's also an accomplished actress artist & American icon.
A few things to remember about this song and its video: 1) This song went to #1 in March, 1981. Rap was new. This was the first rap song to hit #1. The first rap to chart at all was just 14 months earlier. People were still experimenting with the new genre. 2) Videos were new. MTV debuted 5 months after this song was #1. At the time, the visual aspect of videos definitely took a back seat to the audio. There were plenty of early videos that, like this one, were silly and made absolutely no sense within the context of the song. Sure, it's silly, but it has a lot of nostalgia value for folks my age.
Rapture is not a "rap" song. It's a pop song that contains some rap verses. Rap/Hip-Hop in the U.S was not new in 1981. The song, an actual rap song, that introduced mainstream America to rap music was Rapper's Delight by The Sugarhill Gang in 1979. Rap/Hip Hop started in the mid-1970s in the Bronx, and it is credited to DJ Kool Herc.
@@billw715 1) I'm fully aware of "Rapper's Delight and referenced it in my post. 2) Excuse me for not being pedantic enough to suit you. Yes, a song that had some Rap in it, not an entire record containing only Rap; and it was only "new" to mainstream audiences. Does the correction satisfy you? Is there anything else I can do to placate you? Perhaps I should flog myself?
@@rmar67 It's wrong to point out that Rapture is not a rap song? Get over it. Talk about making a mole hill into a mountain. How you interpret a comment is based on your own security with yourself. If you feel what was written was pedantic- of course, that is your choice. If this is your world-view, then don't make posts and don't make posts that are vague or contain some inaccuracies. I don't know you so don't be so sensitive. It's the words in the post. Just as you are educating people in your post so am I. Think of it like an addendum and not an attack. Chill out. "1) You state "'I'm fully aware of "Rapper's Delight and referenced it in my post." It's not all about you! My response is not a direct reply to you per say, but to those who read your posts. 2) Sure, you make reference to "The first rap to chart at all was just 14 months earlier." If you were around during this time or aware of music during this era, then yes, one will comprehend what you are speaking about in terms of the song released "14 months earlier." Yes, you are speaking to someone like me who comprehends your reference. However, that was 40 Years ago and there are generations now that don't have a "CLUE" as to what song you are talking about! So to reference Rapper's Delight with its title is to educate those who can't read your mind or in between the lines to your "vague reference" about a song "14 months earlier," for them and for their knowledge to know what in the world you are talking about. This is wrong and something to get uptight about? 2) Stating Rapture is not a rap song is a fact. It's not a "Rap" song. 3) Sure, Rap was new to "mainstream America" and introduced to "mainstream America" in 1979 with Rapper's Delight, an actual rap song. Blondie incorporated Rap into it's song Rapture with several verses into the pop song track in 1981. The song reaching #1, introduced a broader American audience to this format. 4) Rap is said to have started around 1973 in the Bronx by DJ Kool Herc. If you were part of this scene, Rap/Hip-Hop was not new in 1979 or in 1981. But, again, The Sugarhill Gang and Blondie were able to crack the Top 40 and introduce Rap and a form of Rap into the mainstream American music audience. There were other artists such as New Wave bands who also had rap verses in their tracks. Haircut 100 - Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) (1981); Duran Duran - New Religion (1982); Wham (George Michael) - Wham Rap (Enjoy What You Do) (1982) and the Tom Tom Club and their homage to Rap - Wordy Rappinghood (1981).
Your reaction to this was just like mine 40 years ago, What is this? Didn't know what it was but I learned to love it. On the punk rock side, the Ramones Blitzkrieg bop is short but will have you moving from start to finish.
i just learned how the Ramones got their name from Paul McCartney telling girls his name was Paul Ramon (french) and there’s more but you probably know the story already
This was the time of real multi cultural diversity that allowed real creativity! New York was a melting pot of sounds that each culture were influenced by! Hip Hop borrowed from Krautrock and No Wave, Rap from Jamaican Toasting, No Wave from Jazz and Salsa! Punk from Rap as with his song! it was a very creative time because there wasn’t a deliberate movement to divide the communities as there is now with cultural appropriation stopping music growing in new and exciting ways! Many in this video went on to influence the art scene for many years! It was chaotic, but it was fun time for music!
You're missing the point it's not about the lyrics, it's about that it was the first rap video 1981 shown on MTV or anywhere, it's historical. Blondie performed in NYC clubs with the Sugarhill Gang in 79-80. The first rap song to chart at number one in the United States. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapture_(Blondie_song)
Everyone dancing in the clubs back in the day remembers the long club mix (about 10 mins) which breaks down a third of the way in after the first part of the rap, then builds back up to the second part and sounds waaaaay better. Pretty ground breaking at the time Angela.
Ahh Rapture- Most rap music then was not on record it was cassettes that were recorded at the jams in New York, and then passed around- and it was FUN. No talk about about killing and drug dealing, so this was just silly fun, like a lot of rap then. Also Chris Stein the guitar player and Debbie Harry were good friends with Fab 5 Freddy, LEE 163 and a lot of the main players in old school NY hip hop/ graffiti culture before it became big, and they helped Freddy with the score to the seminal hip hop movie/doc Wildstyle - Those who know, know. Blondie are respected among most the pre industry people in NY hip hop music, and the graff scene for actually going up to the south bronx, seeing hip hop in its embryonic stages, being inspired and helping put hip hop into the mainstream. The graffiti writers in the video and people name checked in the rap are real scene people from that NY era.
I can help with this because I was (kinda) there. Meaning, I was a teenager growing up outside NYC when this came out. As others said, this was literally the first exposure that MOST of America got to rap of any kind. If you didn’t live in or around NYC, and/or were Black, you were still a couple of years from hearing real rap on the radio and many years away from seeing it on TV. BUT THAT’S NOT WHAT MAKES THIS SONG COOL. This song’s real story is in it’s lyrics and video. It’s the story of the wild, rich artistic community in downtown, NYC at that moment. Debbie mentions her friend Fab Five Freddie in her first line. He was one of the true OGs of hip hop, but he was much more. He was deep in the art and music scene in the late 70s early 80s. But blink and you’ll miss it. When Debbie is saying that line, at around the 2:00 mark, she’s saying it to The late, great artist JEAN MICHEL BASQUIAT!! That was HIM playing the DJ. Probably for free cuz, friends. He was also close friends with Fab Five Freddie since before any of them were famous. And you can tell the scene is super awkward for him. Anyway, there’s surely more cameos in the video, but I dig the time capsule-ness of it. The moment! Please understand that even then, we knew the rhymes were wack (do they still say that?) but in hind sight, I give Blondie credit. It was a love thing.
Every now and then I break out rapping “you get in your car and you drive real far and you drive all night….” I’ll never forget those lyrics. I don’t remember if I thought it was weird. I know I thought it was fun, but I was like 11 or 12 when it came out.
My girlfriends and I would hit the disco floor with our 5 inch heels and disco dresses. When women could feel pretty and a new dress every weekend. Blonde was so big and great to dance to. ❤✌💃💃💃💃
Early April 2023 this song came out 1980. According to Rolling Stone magazine this is officially the very first commercially successful rap song. I enjoyed all her music, never found anything funny with it. And still it's not too bad for 43 years old. Just another old Caucasian enjoying his music.
Before this song rap didn't get any exposure on MTV. But after this it kicked the door open for rap. In fact Fab 5 Freddy ( the guy doing graffiti on the walls) became host of Yo' MTV Raps and the rest is history.
I find these younger generations are unable to understand metaphor or using words to paint a feeling or vibe. The 'eating' metaphor might be all about materialism, consumerism...
The one thing that is really significant about this song is that it's one of the first pop songs that used rap. This set the music industry on an entirely new direction. It's also the hidden meaning in the name of the song....RAP ture.
This song by Blondie(band) is so significant to modern music that it is worth a quick wiki read. Without this song, todays music might be quite different.
Hi. Just take it for wat it is, a fun song. It doesn't have to have a meaning. In the rap, she starts by singing "Fab five freddy. . ." I believe that was him in the beginning scratching.
Debbie Harry is the singer in the band named Blondie. This was early, early rap, although you could check out some Bob Dylan from the early 60s for something special with his song Subterranean Homesick Blues. Your confusion is a positive. That's what great, influential songs should do to you.
@@dalee72 i no that i was at 3 of her concerts in the 70s and 80s and have every album shes made.theres an old saying. dont try to teach your granny to suck eggs.
..."Class of 76"...Blondie hung in NY City with the Disco crowd, Pop Rock, Street Rappers and anyone else she could hang with...This song was the 1st Rap Song to hit the Charts...The lyrics that make no sense comes from her Punk Rock influences and of course the beat kept a Disco influence...The Black Dancer in the White Suit was a tribute to a Real Black Dancer that performed constantly in the NY theatres and many of the steps he was dancing was created by him...Thanks!
LMFAO, when she starts rapping ... gets 'em everytime. Just like it got us in '81 when she broke that shit out on the mainstream pop airwaves for the VERY first time. IT was like ... ??? ...WTF was that? I have no clue but I think I like it!
Debbie is a Goddess, Blondie changed my music brain in 78-79, Cant even put them in a genre box. She had been introduced to the graffiti and hip hop culture in NY, she made friends in that scene and wanted to feature it. She could have done anything. Dont need to really understand it but the context of what led to this and how ground breaking it was is just something many 50 somethings like me grew up with and lived through. What a ride 🎶
This track was written after Fab 5 Freddy took her to a rap event in the Bronx one night. They had returned again and again to the event. They decided to combine what they had seen and heard in the Bronx with Chic-inspired disco music. This track was released in 1979-1980 and the first rap song to ever top the US charts
@@JoeMartinez_LA_LostSoul I know my history, just because part of the song contained a rap element, doesn't make it a rap song. It was the first time rap was heard in the radio in the mainstream, but let's not get it twisted by calling it a rap song. Linkin Park featured rap verses as did Rage Against the Machine, but neither falls in the "rap" genre.
What is sad about this reaction is that it comes across as really conservative....What is interesting about the lyrics is that in the first lines Deborah gives props to Fab Five Freddy...The person who she is singing to at the onset of the video is none other than Jean-Michel Basquiat...and other coming up graffitti artists of the time. This is an experimental funk based song inspired by the band Chic....the lyrics are laden with various themes and references to artists musicians and scenes that were a part of the amazing downtown creative scene in New York City in the 1980's. Deborah Harry was very enthusiastic and supportive of lesser known Rap and Hip hop artists at the time. When she appeared on TV shows such as Saturday Night Live or Solid Gold she ensured that underground Black rap and hip hop artists were able to perform a long side her and get the exposure they deserved.....
You're giggling! I think that's what we all did the first time we heard it! I had a great beat, and the weirdness was too cool at the time. Sadly, I still remember all of the lyrics all these years later! 😂😂😂😂😂
It should be noted that, as well as performing the track, Debbie Harry is also credited as songwriter (along with her partner and fellow band member, Chris Stein).
Blondie is great, but if you want to talk about rock bands fronted by serious women rockers, we need to talk about The Pretenders lead by Chrissie Hynde. "Middle of the Road" is a good place to start with them, I'm sure if you react to it, other folks will suggest some of their other hits.
Stop the Giggles making me giggles in stitches, I love your reactions there funtastical hilarious, song is unique, gotta have a right paradigm shift, then go left, your Confusery , priceless. This is a fun classic. Thanks again Stitches your funny.♥️♥️♥️😆