This day in Hip-hop recognizes the late, great Henry Lee Jackson, better known as Big Bank Hank of the legendary rap group, The Sugarhill Gang.
Jackson's humble beginnings traces back to his days as music manager working at a certain Bronx nightclub under the employment of Hip-hop icon, Grandmaster Caz and his group The Mighty Force MC's. Years later, Jackson was currently managing for a local group, The Cold Crush Brothers, when he was approached by Sylvia Robinson, upon hearing Jackson rapping. After which, Jackson donned the title, “Big Bank Hank” and the iconic rap trio Sugarhill Gang was formed.
At age twenty-two, Jackson contributed greatly to the group's memorable self-titled album released February, 1980. The record featured the breakout single, “Rapper's Delight”, which reached #36 on the US pop chart, as well as #4 on R&B. While the song isn't the first to feature rapping, Big Bank Hank is considered among the pioneering figures introducing Hip-hop onto the mainstream audience.
Big Bank Hank gained tremendous applause for a specific verse, wherein the rapper narrates a vividly-devised, comic-inspired hook, seemingly targeted against a metaphoric Superman and spoken to Lois Lane. On this subject, Jackson is well-known for his chant, “Ho-tel, Mo-tel, what you gonna do today/ I'm gonna get a fly girl, gonna get some spank n' drive off in a def O.J.”
Jackson passed away on November 11, 2014 at age fifty-eight, but his legacy lives on as a Hip-hop pioneer, as well as a prominent figure born out of its earliest days.
By Jods Arboleda for RAPStation.com
