The rap ballad has existed since the earliest days of recorded rap, but has always fit best and achieved more success on full-length albums. All Platinum/Sugar Hill Records vocalist Craig Derry speaks with wisdom and confidence when he speaks of rap’s first full length outing: the self-titled Sugar Hill Gang album released in February of 1980.

“Sylvia (Robinson) knew what she was doing," Derry says. "She knew that the kids were buying rap records, but she wanted to go after the adults as well, so she put “Here I Am” – a song that I sang lead on, on the album and the B-side of the “Rappers Delight” 45. She told radio DJ’s and program directors that it was (Sugar Hill Gang rapper) Big Bank Hank singing lead,”

Sugar Hill Records founder Sylvia Robinson was likely correct in her theory because the album peaked at #37 on the Billboard R&B chart (there was no Hip-Hop chart at the time). Even though there was no rapping on “Here I Am,” the fact that it was promoted as a ballad sung by rappers was one of the earliest notions that rappers could at least have the perception of communicating romantically.

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