Blondie

Lead singer of group Blondie, Debbie Harry was a bleach blonde rule-breaker making her mark on the New York club and punk scene. In January 1981, when she dropped the single "Rapture" and kicked her legendary verse, all eyes were suddenly focused on rap music. The song quickly became a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Harry wasn't a culture vulture she was a cultural transporter. But as an outsider, she didn't simply ingest what could; she also gave credit where it was due. By mentioning Hip Hop architects/"it" boys Fab Five Freddy and Grandmaster Flash in the song, she became one of the earliest artists to build a musical bridge between the lives of young people in the ghetto and everyone else. Later that year, when she hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live and brought on the Funky 4 + 1 More including Sha-Rock for a sensational first-time-ever televised rap performance, she made history as one of the earliest artists to push Hip Hop toward the mainstream.