"The Breaks," by Kurtis Blow: Gold Single Award Presented to Phonogram, Inc. / Mercury Records by RIAA

Mercury Records, "The Breaks," by Kurtis Blow. Gold single award presented to Phonogram, Inc. / Mercury Records by RIAA, 1980

Built on a rhythm track similar to the Sugar Hill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight,” recordings and live performances of “The Breaks” featured humorous lyrics and an enthusiastic background audience whose members can be heard laughing and shouting in true party spirit. This  culminated in the now-classic call-phrase: “Everybody in the house say ‘Ho!.” One of the biggest hits of 1980, “The Breaks” was the first 12-inch Hip-Hop single to receive a gold record award by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).  Peaking at Number 4 on the R&B charts, the song also successfully crossed over into the pop arena, reaching Number 87 on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles list. “The Breaks” played an instrumental role in the rise of Hip-Hop party culture throughout the United States.

In 1979, Kurtis Blow became the first rapper to be signed by a major record label, Mercury Records. His first single “Christmas Rappin’” sold more than 400,000 copies and became a holiday staple. With his second release “The Breaks” in 1980, Blow earned the first gold record ever for a rap artist and launched the careers of The Fat Boys and Run-DMC. He went on to accomplish many other firsts including being the first rap artist to star in a national television commercial (Sprite, 1986), making the first rap video (“Basketball,” 1984), and acting in a soap opera (One Life to Live, 1991). He is also the founder of the International Hip-Hop Museum.