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The Sequence

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The Sequence
OriginColumbia, South Carolina, US
Genres
Years active1979–1985
LabelsSugar Hill
Past members

The Sequence was an American female hip-hop trio from Columbia, South Carolina, who formed in 1979. The Sequence is noted as the first female hip hop trio signed to the Sugar Hill Records label in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The group consisted of Cheryl Cook, known as "Cheryl The Pearl", Gwendolyn Chisolm, known as "Blondy", and lead singer and rapper Angie Stone, known as Angie B, who were all high school friends.

History

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Formation and early years

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As childhood friends, Angela Brown, Gwendolyn Chisolm, and Cheryl Cook grew up in the Saxon Homes Projects in Columbia, South Carolina.[1] Brown and Chisolm sang in their church choir and also participated in local dance competitions.[1] They attended and graduated from C.A. Johnson High School.[2] By the age of nineteen, Chisolm was working as an employee at a local Super Saver Foods.[1] Her manager promised her tickets and backstage passes to a concert by The Sugarhill Gang for her twentieth birthday.[1] Chisolm arrived at the concert and found out that there were no tickets set aside for her or her group mates. However, the group were invited backstage by Lil' Rodney C as he began flirting with Brown.[1] While backstage, the group met Sylvia Robinson who was the CEO of hip hop label Sugar Hill Records.[1] They auditioned for Robinson who signed them to the label as their first female act.[1][3]

1979–1981: Sugarhill Presents the Sequence

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In 1979, the group adopted stage names: Angie B. (Angela Brown), Blondy (Gwendolyn Chisolm), and Cheryl the Pearl (Cheryl Cook); and began recording their debut album. They released their debut single "Funk You Up" in December 1979. The song became one of the first original hip hop songs to released without sampling.[4] "Funk You Up" peaked at number fifteen on the Hot Soul Singles.[1] Shortly after the release of the song, The Sequence went on tour with The Sugarhill Gang. In 1980, The Sequence released their debut album Sugarhill Presents the Sequence, which received positive reviews from music critics.[5] Later that year, they released two more singles: "Monster Jam" and "And You Know That". The album's third single "Funky Sound (Tear the Roof Off)", a remake of the single "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)" (1976) by Parliament, peaked at number forty-three on the Hot Soul Singles chart.

In 1981, the group began writing and recording background vocals for other music acts on Sugar Hill Records. They wrote and provided background vocals for "Sing a Simple Song" and "Let's Dance (Make Your Body Move)" by West Street Mob, the latter of which peaked at number eighty-eight on Billboard's Hot 100 chart and number eighteen on the Hot Soul Singles. Cheryl the Pearl co-wrote "8th Wonder" (performed by The Sugarhill Gang) and "Let Your Mind Be Free" (performed by Ferrari).

1982–1985: The Sequence and The Sequence Party

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In 1982, The Sequence released their self-titled second album, which peaked at number fifty-one on the Black LPs chart. The album featured a mixture of hip hop songs and ballads. The album's first single "I Don't Need Your Love (Part One)" peaked at number forty on Billboard's Hot Soul Singles chart. Following the release of the single, the group toured once again with The Sugarhill Gang. Following the conclusion of the tour, they began recording their third album. In late 1982, they released a single titled "Here Comes the Bride". In 1983, they released their third album The Sequence Party. The Sequence followed up with the release of their single "I Just Want to Know". In 1985, they released their final singles: "Funk You Up '85" and "Control".

Disbandment and aftermath

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In 1985, the group refused to renew their recording contract after a dispute with Sugar Hill Records CEO Sylvia Robinson.[1] The group's dispute with the label stemmed from not being paid their royalties from the songs they wrote and recorded. The group also felt like the money from their royalties were being used to support other musical acts on Sugar Hill Records.[1] In addition to royalty dispute, Angie B. refused to renew her contract without a ten-thousand dollar advance, which lead to an internal dispute amongst the group members.[1] The group ultimately disbanded and went their separate career paths. Blondy worked at a telemarketing firm in Hackensack and worked with Sugar Hill Records co-founder Joe Robinson.[1] Cheryl the Pearl left the music industry to pursue a career in home health care.[1] Angie B. pursued a solo music career and also began working at Kiss-FM radio station in New York.[6] In 1988, Angie B. began performing as Angie Stone, carrying the last name of her first husband Rodney "Lil' Rodney C" Stone. She formed a music group called Vertical Hold in the same year. The group disbanded in 1996.

In September 2011, Blondy and Cheryl the Pearl reunited and release a single entitled "On Our Way to the Movies". In 2013, Angie Stone and Cheryl the Pearl reunited and performed "Funk You Up" at the annual Essence Festival.

Legacy

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The Sequence have been recognized as the first female hip hop act in music history. Their debut single "Funk You Up" has become the source of heavy music sampling. Elements of "Funk You Up" have been used by Dr. Dre for his 1995 single "Keep Their Heads Ringin'",[7] 1997 "Whatever" remix by En Vogue, 2003 "Love of My Life Worldwide" by Erykah Badu, 2014 "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars. In December 2017, the group filed a Federal Copyright Infringement claim against Bruno Mars, claiming that "Uptown Funk" makes use of their 1970s hit "Funk You Up".

In 2016, The Sequence voiced their frustration after feeling snubbed by the VH1 Hip Hop Honors: All Hail the Queens.[8] VH1 came under fire as they credited Salt-N-Pepa as "the first true female hip-hop group", despite The Sequence debuting in 1979.[8]

Discography

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Albums

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  • Sugarhill Presents the Sequence (1980), Sugar Hill
  • The Sequence (1982), Sugar Hill – No. 51 Black Albums
  • The Sequence Party (1983), Sugar Hill

Compilations

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  • Funky Sound (1995), P-Vine
  • The Best of the Sequence (1996), Deep Beats
  • Monster Jam: Back to Old School, Vol. 2 (2000), Sequel

Singles

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  • "Funk You Up" (1979), Sugar Hill – No. 15 Black Singles
  • "Monster Jam" (1980), Sugar Hill – with Spoonie Gee
  • "And You Know That" (1980), Sugar Hill
  • "Funky Sound (Tear the Roof Off)" (1981), Sugar Hill – No. 39 Black Singles
  • "Simon Says" (1982), Sugar Hill
  • "I Don't Need Your Love (Part One)" (1982), Sugar Hill – No. 40 Black Singles
  • "Here Comes the Bride" (1982), Sugar Hill
  • "I Just Want to Know" (1983), Sugar Hill
  • "Funk You Up '85" (1984), Sugar Hill
  • "Control" (1985), Sugar Hill
  • "Love Changes" (1982), Sugar Hill
  • "On Our Way to the Movies" (2011), Distrophonix

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m The Sequence: The Funked-Up Legacy of Hip-Hop’s First Ladies. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on March 27, 2025
  2. ^ Hogan, Ed. "The Sequence". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Piskor, Ed (2013). Hip Hop Family Tree. Fantagraphics. ISBN 978-1606996904.
  4. ^ Greenberg, Steve; Light, Alan [ed.] (1999). The VIBE History of Hip Hop. Three Rivers Press. p. 28. ISBN 0-609-80503-7
  5. ^ The Sequence - Sugarhill Presents the Sequence. AllMusic. Retrieved on March 27, 2025
  6. ^ Angie Stone Music Review. New York Times. Retrieved on March 27, 2025
  7. ^ Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists: Book of Rap Lists. 1999. Macmillan. p. 30. ISBN 0-312-24298-0
  8. ^ a b Angie Stone Has an Issue With the 2016 Hip-Hop Honors. BET. Retrieved on March 27, 2025
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