Watched the documentary I Want My Name Back this afternoon after we got back from Bike MS – it’s the story of The Sugarhill Gang, the first rap artists to hit big, way back in 1979. Of course if you are old like me, you remember when their first hit, Rapper’s Delight, was all over the airwaves for a long, long time. And if you aren’t old, chances are you’ve heard it anyway as it’s a classic.
The documentary basically details their quick rise to fame, but then largely sits on their history after, in getting royally screwed by their record label, even to this very day in many respects. While the list of bands getting screwed by record labels is long and likely will never end (even though the current state of the industry with some humble pie being served back to those rich d-b’s in spades has to make many of us happy in some ways) – the Sugarhill Gang are sadly just one among many in that respect.
The documentary is interesting in that like so many music history shows, it has the inevitable ‘Behind the Music‘ feel to it – young artists start out, hit it big, then for whatever the reason, a few years in fizzle out. Then (like here) many hit the skids or flame out, and some never come back, or settle for the occasional ‘where are they now’ info program or article as they get older.
With Rapper’s Delight – this was a huge hit and huge in other ways – it put rap into a much bigger stage and broad acceptance. But the dark side was the shrewd owners of the label and their corrupt, mafia-involved backers who inevitably put their name on everything, retained publishing rights and basically pulled the rug out the minute they wanted to dump the band yet keep all the spoils.
Setting aside the actual story of the band (watch the movie!) – a couple things were a bit disappointing about the documentary for me:
1) there’s little to no other artists making cameos in the movie. There are a couple, but by and large either the filmmakers blew this off, didn’t have the contacts to get in touch with anyone, or simply didn’t think of it? When I compare it with the Fishbone documentary of a few years ago – even though that one was disappointing (for somewhat different reasons) – at least they got Laurence Fishburne to narrate at least part of it, and they got other L.A. bands to make some appearances in it to acknowledge the debt they owe Fishbone and their influence. Here, largely nothing on that front.
2) The second disappointment for me is a bit unclear, because the movie doesn’t really investigate much of it. Why wasn’t there some attempt to help them out from the greater music community? I realize the band’s members had problems and mostly left the biz for many years – and were in most ways too intimidated by the label to do anything for themselves – but didn’t they know anyone else? Or were they too early and had to suffer being the early pioneers without the greater community to back them up later? Not sure but it’s a major gap in the movie to me…
I think the filmmakers could have focused more on investigating and documenting their legacy and less on the legal and personal problems? Just my .02. But there is some redemption by the end, and at minimum, it’s great that Wonder Mike and Master Gee are back in the studio and back on tour, doing what they love and were intended to do – entertain!
candybowl
