Rapper’s Delight by The Sugarhill Gang became the first Hip-Hop single to reach the Billboard Top 40 January 5, 1980

“Rapper’s Delight” is a 1979 hip-hop track by the Sugarhill Gang, produced by Sylvia Robinson. Although it was shortly preceded by the Fatback Band’s “King Tim III (Personality Jock)”, “Rapper’s Delight” is credited for introducing hip-hop music to a wide audience, reaching the top 40 in the United States, as well as the top three in the United Kingdom and number one in Canada. It was a prototype for various types of rap music. The track interpolates Chic’s “Good Times”, resulting in Chic’s Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards suing Sugar Hill Records for copyright infringement; a settlement was reached that gave the two songwriting credits. The track was recorded in a single take. There are five mixes of the song.
… [source: Wikipedia]