Rap music first gained popularity In 1979 when the seminal record "Rapper's Delight" by New York rap group The Sugar Hill Gang was released to wide acclaim. Earlier the same year the first true rap album, "King Tim III," had been released by the Fatback Band. In the 1980s New York new wave outfit Blondie helped to popularize rap music with their smash hit single "Rapture."
By the late 1980s Los Angeles had developed its own burgeoning rap music scene. In the early part of the decade, influential New York DJs, such as Michael "Mixxing" Moore, had moved to Los Angeles with the intention of bringing the vibrant New York hip hop scene to the West Coast. Early pioneers of the West Coast scene include Dr Dre, Ice T and the highly acclaimed rap group NWA.
Hip hop and rap music also emerged in Atlanta during the 1980s, when the club scene was at the height of its popularity. Rap music from Atlanta and the surrounding area is often referred to as "Southern Hip Hop." This scene gave birth to the hugely successful rap group Arrested Development, who were influential in bringing socially conscious rap to the mainstream. Other artists of note include Goodie MOB and Outkast.
With the increasing popularity of old school rap in the 1980s, rock and pop groups were lining up to collaborate with the new stars of the hip hop scene. The first and most famous of these collaborations was "Walk This Way" by popular rap group Run DMC and rock legends Aerosmith. In the early nineties a selection of artists from the grunge rock scene collaborated with rap musicians for the soundtrack of the cult film "Judgment Night"