The year was 1981. Hip-Hop and Rap were still in their formative years, being cultivated and refined in small urban pockets across the country; barely breaking through cultural and commercial walls [it was only a year earlier that radio recognized Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight”]. But one middle-aged white woman would alter the course of popular music forever, ushering that muzzled sound into the mainstream.

Long before Iggy Azalea was being blasted for the misappropriation of black culture [long before she was even born for that matter], Debbie Harry dropped a laughable, quintessential 80’s verse on what would become the first chart topper to ever feature rap. Reaching number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 and staying there for two weeks, Blondie’s disco-funk groover “Rapture” was not just a commercial success for the punk-pop pioneers but it served as a jumping off point for the underground and unrecognized hip-hop community. While the flow of the pale blonde may have left much to be desired, young artists still took notice, realizing they now had a legitimate stake in the industry. Acts like Wu-Tang credit “Rapture” as their first introduction to the style.

And it’s legacy still lives on today, seeing new life in the viral “Drive Like A Boss” ad for Acura. So press play and do what you can to avoid the man from Mars as he’s eating cars…