On this day March 28 1981 Rapture by Blondie hit number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 where it stayed through April 10. The track made history as the first song with rap lyrics to ever reach number 1 in America blending new wave disco and hip hop into something completely original for its time.
Fronted by Debbie Harry the band gave a shoutout to hip hop pioneers like Fab Five Freddy and Grandmaster Flash and brought elements of the underground New York rap scene to a mainstream audience. Rapture helped bridge the gap between genres and introduced many listeners to rap for the first time.
80s insight: The music video for Rapture was also one of the first rap influenced videos to air on MTV and featured appearances by Fab Five Freddy and artist Jean Michel Basquiat.