I Want My Name Back

2 Reviews

Director Roger Paradiso's technically modest but compelling film on the Sugarhill gang serves as a much needed cautionary tale of the record industry. Master Gee and Wonder Mike sold millions of records, but relatively little of the profits went into their pockets. Years later, the rappers attempted a comeback only to find that label execs had trademarked both the group’s name and their own stage names. Exploited and defrauded, the originators of hip hop tell their side and continue their attempts to reestablish themselves in this telling documentary.

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Release Date:
Running Time:	85 minutes
Country:	United States
Language:	English

synopsis

When three young men from New Jersey—Michael "Wonder Mike" Wright, Henry "Big Bank Hank" Jackson and Guy "Master Gee" O'Brien—went into a studio in 1979 and cut the 14-minute single "Rapper's Delight" under the moniker of the Sugarhill Gang, little did they know the song would change the face of the music business. Selling over eight million records, they were the first rap group to reach international fame and brought hip-hop and the rap culture into mainstream consciousness. The trio disbanded in 1985 and is the subject of the documentary, I Want My Name Back, chronicling a 30-year battle to reclaim their rights and recognition as hip-hop pioneers.