Rappers Delight Club
| Company type | Collective |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Headquarters | Silver Spring , United States |
Key people | David Goldberg (educator), Joseph Mitra (sound engineer) |
| Products | Rap music recordings |
The Rappers Delight Club consisted of a fluctuating ensemble of young rappers from elementary and middle schools in Silver Spring, Maryland. They gained recognition primarily through their contribution to the British funk/rock ensemble The Go! Team’s 2007 release, Proof of Youth, where they featured on the track titled "Universal Speech".
History
Taking their name from the iconic Sugar Hill Gang hit "Rapper's Delight", this collective emerged from a rap education initiative at Glenallan Elementary School, spearheaded by educator David Goldberg alongside sound engineer Joseph Mitra. Participants, aged between five and twelve years, crafted their own lyrics and performed rap vocals over sampled beats. Their songwriting often centered around everyday childhood experiences such as sports and playground fun.
Their sampling repertoire included works by Sufjan Stevens, Jens Lekman, The Go! Team, as well as the theme from the Sesame Street segment Elmo's World. After their joint effort on "Universal Speech" for Proof of Youth, the group went on to create their own remix of the track. In 2009, they released "I Don't Wanna Grow Up...Yet", which incorporated samples from Tom Waits’ song on his 1992 album Bone Machine. Their last known recording was "You'd Better Ask Somebody" in 2010. Sadly, all their musical works were lost due to a server migration failure on MySpace, the platform that previously hosted their content.
Songs
- "You'd Better Ask Somebody", 2010
- "I Don't Wanna Grow Up...Yet", 2009
- "Universal Speech" (with The Go! Team), 2007
- "Universal Speech (RDC Remix)", 2007
- "Tick Tock", 2006
- "We’re Not Done", 2006
- "Hum", 2006
- "When We Were Kids", 2006 (versions 1 and 2)
- "First Ladies Anthem", 2006