Hip Hop Be Bop

The Gigolo Rapp was labelled as the ‘first authentic west coast hip hop track’ and was the very first release for Rappers Rapp Disco Co. out of Hollywood, California. It served as the debut release for both Disco Daddy (Michael Khalfani) and Captain Rapp (Larry Glenn) and used the music from Give It To Me Baby by Rick James.

KPFJ, a local radio station, decided to sponsor a rap contest with the aim of determining if they should play more of it on the air. Disco Daddy entered the competition in the Carolina West nightclub in L.A. as an unknown entity and battled an artist named T-Ray (Tray), who would later change his name to Ice T, but he lost the first contest. It was so popular that the station sponsored another one the following week and this time he would leave victorious. Following the contest he was approached by Duffy Hooks and offered a recording contract with Rapper’s Rapp Records and the rest is history.

He was partnered with another newcomer, Captain Rapp, for the label’s debut release, The Gigolo Rapp in 1981, which was named after a popular dance at the time called The Gigolo. The record became a local success but unfortunately the father and son team of Duffy and Jerry Hooks were unprepared for it’s popularity and had no money to release the record nationally so, after a falling-out, the group left the label and the masters were eventually sold to California Gold Records.

The track was then released under a fictitious name, Capt. Crunch & The Funky Bunch, which prevented both artists from collecting any money from royalties or touring.