Hits

AMG Review of Hits

Marisa Brown
All Music Guide

The Sugarhill Gang only released a couple of hit records in their heyday, and from those, only a couple of hit songs, not the least of which is the now ubiquitous "Rapper's Delight," which is of course included here on Flashback's ten-song best-of compilation. Because of the relatively small repertoire, one would think that a collection such as Hits would be sure to include all of them, but surprisingly both "Apache" and "Showdown," the latter with Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, are left out, making room for the lesser-known "Down Beat" and "On the Money." All in all, it's an acceptable album, but as the Sugarhill Gang's songs don't always wear well with time and often seem corny and trite, the reason for excluding the tracks people actually know in turn for ones they don't is perplexing. Better to go for the 1996 Rhino compilation The Best of Sugarhill Gang instead.