The Sequence

The Sequence was the 1st female old school hip hop trio signed to the Sugar Hill label in the late-1970s and early-1980s. The group consisted of Cheryl Cook (Cheryl The Pearl), Gwendolyn Chisolm (Blondie), and lead singer/rapper Angie Brown Stone (Angie B.). The group originated from Columbia, South Carolina as a group of high school cheerleaders.^[1]

The trio was noticed when they bum rushed a performance by the Sugarhill Gang and sang for them and Sylvia Robinson backstage.^[2] Their most notable single was "Funk You Up" (1979), which was the first rap record released by a female group and the second single released by Sugar Hill Records.^[3] Elements of "Funk You Up" were later used by Dr. Dre for his 1995 single "Keep Their Heads Ringin'".^[4]

The group backed Spoonie Gee on the single "Monster Jam" (1980).^[3] Their single "Funky Sound (Tear the Roof Off)" (1981) was a remake of the single "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)" (1976) by Parliament. The groups other charting single was "I Don't Need Your Love (Part One)" (1982). Angie Stone subsequently became a member of Vertical Hold and later a solo artist. In September 2011, without Angie Stone, Cheryl Cook and Gwendolyn Chisolm released a single entitled "On Our Way to the Movies". "On Our Way to the Movies" contains a sample of The Staple Singers' song "Let's Do It Again"

Discography^[5]

Albums

• Sugarhill Presents the Sequence (1980), Sugar Hill
• The Sequence (1982), Sugar Hill - #51 Black Albums
• The Sequence Party (1983), Sugar Hill

Compilations

• Funky Sound (1995), P-Vine
• The Best of the Sequence (1996), Deep Beats
• Monster Jam: Back to Old School, Vol. 2 (2000), Sequel

Singles

• "Funk You Up" (1979), Sugar Hill – #15 Black Singles
• "Monster Jam" (1980), Sugar Hill – with Spoonie Gee
• "And You Know That" (1980), Sugar Hill
• "Funky Sound (Tear The Roof Off)" (1981), Sugar Hill – #39 Black Singles
• "Simon Says" (1982), Sugar Hill
• "I Don't Need Your Love (Part One)" (1982), Sugar Hill – #40 Black Singles
• "Here Comes the Bride" (1982), Sugar Hill
• "I Just Want To Know" (1983), Sugar Hill
• "Funk You Up '85" (1984), Sugar Hill
• "Control" (1985), Sugar Hill
• "Love Changes" (1982), Sugar Hill
• "On Our Way to the Movies" (2011), Distrophonix

References