Sylvia Vanderpool Robinson (born March 6, 1936) is a singer, musician, music producer, and record label executive, most notably known for her work as founder/CEO of the seminal hip hop label Sugar Hill Records. She is credited as the driving force behind two landmark singles in the genre. The first was “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five. The second was “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang, which was the first rap song to be released by a hip hop act.
Sylvia Robinson proceeded Russell Simmons and Sylvia Rhone. Robinson was a R&B pioneer in songwriting and production. She was a better songwriter (than her male peers) and she didn’t let sexism stagnate her, instead, she launched her own empire! Robinson also had success as a singer.
Black female music executives owe Robinson a debt of gratitude. She paved the way!
In 1979, producer Sylvia Robinson heard hip-hop music at a birthday party in Harlem and had a hunch that it would be commercially successful.
“She put these three guys together who had never met each other before, had the backing track all ready and created a record in a matter of minutes,” says Dan Charnas, a former rap industry executive who chronicles the history of hip-hop in a book, The Big Payback.
The group that Robinson put together, Charnas says, would become the Sugarhill Gang, and the track they recorded was “Rapper’s Delight,” the first hip-hop single to break into the Top 40 chart.
“Basically, it’s a record that created an industry,” Charnas says. “Nobody thought the stuff that was in the streets was even music. It was stuff that people did at parties. But Sylvia Robinson had the notion that she could turn it into a record. And she did, and it was extremely successful, due in no small part to her own production genius.”

Sylvia Vanderpool Robinson (born March 6, 1936) is a singer, musician, music producer, and record label executive, most notably known for her work as founder/CEO of the seminal hip hop label Sugar Hill Records. She is credited as the driving force behind two landmark singles in the genre. The first was “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five. The second was “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang, which was the first rap song to be released by a hip hop act.
Sylvia Robinson proceeded Russell Simmons and Sylvia Rhone. Robinson was a R&B pioneer in songwriting and production. She was a better songwriter (than her male peers) and she didn’t let sexism stagnate her, instead, she launched her own empire! Robinson also had success as a singer.
Black female music executives owe Robinson a debt of gratitude. She paved the way!
In 1979, producer Sylvia Robinson heard hip-hop music at a birthday party in Harlem and had a hunch that it would be commercially successful.
“She put these three guys together who had never met each other before, had the backing track all ready and created a record in a matter of minutes,” says Dan Charnas, a former rap industry executive who chronicles the history of hip-hop in a book, The Big Payback.
The group that Robinson put together, Charnas says, would become the Sugarhill Gang, and the track they recorded was “Rapper’s Delight,” the first hip-hop single to break into the Top 40 chart.
“Basically, it’s a record that created an industry,” Charnas says. “Nobody thought the stuff that was in the streets was even music. It was stuff that people did at parties. But Sylvia Robinson had the notion that she could turn it into a record. And she did, and it was extremely successful, due in no small part to her own production genius.”