Hip Hop Be Bop

Divine (Harris Glenn Milstead) was an actor, singer, and drag queen who originally appeared in movies such as Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, Polyester, and Hairspray plus various avant-garde performances alongside San Fransisco drag collective, The Cockettes.

In the early 1980s, Divine recorded several Hi-NRG singles including, amongst others, Native Love, Shoot Your Shot, and Love Reaction produced by Bobby Orlando before gaining global success courtesy of the Barry Evangeli and Stock, Aitken & Waterman produced singles, You Think You’re A Man and I’m So Beautiful.

In 1984, the production duo of Danny Weiss (The Players Association) and Bobby Orlando aimed for the hip hop/electro market with Divine Madness. Rather than a stand-alone release, the track featured vocal samples from Divine’s previous releases and was a favourite for the b-boys at the time.

Sadly, Divine passed away in 1988, just before an appearance on the US sitcom, Married With Children.