Hip-hop as the world knows it likely wouldn’t exist without the early contributions of pioneering DJ/producer Grandmaster Flash — and we may not even know who Grandmaster Flash is without Debbie Harry. As co-founder of the New York City new wave band Blondie, Harry was always ahead of her time; the “it” girl of the ‘70s and ‘80s. She devised a way to not only bridge the gap between genres, but also elevate Black voices and talents.

Along with a booming art scene that birthed the likes of Jean-Michel Basquiat and was the apex for Andy Warhol and Peter Max, New York City in the ‘70s was home to one of the most eclectic and exciting eras of music. From disco and hip-hop to new wave and punk, the city was a buzzing epicenter of all things cool — and nothing was cooler than Blondie. Fronted by the lithe but commanding former Playboy Club bunny, the band managed to retain its punk rock ethos while soaring to mainstream pop fame with songs such as “Call Me” and “Heart of Glass,” both No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits.

In January 1981, as hip-hop was still blossoming, Blondie released the second single off their fifth album Autoamerican, “Rapture,” an intriguing amalgamation of new wave, rap and disco. There’s a line in the song where Harry raps (yes, raps): “Fab Five Freddy told me everybody’s fly/DJ spinnin’ I said, ‘My my,’ Flash is fast, Flash is cool/François c’est pas, Flash ain’t no dude. (That last lyric has also been noted as “Flash et Nous Deux”.)

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