Song Clearance Sheet
5 sources citedRapper's Delight
Hip-Hop1970s111BPM
B minKey
More around 110 BPM → · More in B minor →
Tempo/key via GetSongBPM →
The verdict
Documented Sampling History
A confirmed path to license through the credited songwriters and the Sugar Hill catalog, plus the replayed “Good Times” bassline. The serious uncredited-authorship story — Big Bank Hank’s verse lifted from Grandmaster Caz’s notebook — is documented in the Receipts, not the verdict.
Used by independents?
Yes — used by Giacca & Flores on the independent nu-disco label No Definition in 2015 (“Delight”).
Quick Facts
Released1979
GenreHip-Hop
LabelSugar Hill Records
ProducerSylvia Robinson
More infoWikipedia → · Discogs →
Who you need to ask
The credited songwriters — Big Bank Hank, Wonder Mike & Master Gee (plus the Chic “Good Times” writers for the bass line)
Wikipedia → · checked Jul 2026
The current administrator — Not confirmed — Sugar Hill’s catalog has a complex post-collapse history; needs a Songview/Discogs lookup
History → · checked Jul 2026
Has it been reused?
Yes — hip-hop’s first Top 40 hit (~5 million copies); its “Good Times” bass line makes it one of the most recognizable records in pop history.
Do they allow reuse?
No standalone policy found; a confirmed set of credited writers and the established Chic “Good Times” interpolation lineage.
Related Songs
Same album, answer records, and songs worth knowing about
The 1979 disco hit whose bass line was replayed for this record
Who Owns It
Licenses explained →The two permissions you need, and who holds them
The credited songwriters (of record)Big Bank Hank, Wonder Mike & Master Gee
The uncredited actual writerGrandmaster Caz (Casanova Fly)
The recording (current administrator)Not confirmed
Receipts
Every public mention of terms, policy, or past deals we've found
The record has the evidence of the theft baked into it
Big Bank Hank had managed Bronx MC Grandmaster Caz; Hank’s entire verse was lifted almost wholesale from Caz’s own notebook — even keeping a line spelling out Caz’s former stage name letter by letter. Caz received no credit or royalties. Presented as documented history; no lyrics reproduced.
Wikipedia (Grandmaster Caz) · read it →
The bass line was replayed, not lifted from Chic’s master
The iconic bass line from Chic’s “Good Times” (already in this catalog) was newly performed by session bassist Chip Shearin — a re-play, not a direct digital sample of Chic’s recording.
The Boombox · read it →
Caz reclaimed his story decades later
In 2000 Grandmaster Caz released “MC Delight” addressing the theft; he later reconciled personally with Big Bank Hank before Hank’s death in 2014. Caz now serves on the Kennedy Center’s Hip-Hop Council as its Hip-Hop Ambassador — real vindication distinct from the royalties he never received.
Ambrosia for Heads · read it →
A confirmed independent-artist sample
LA producer duo Giacca & Flores sampled it on “Delight” (2015), released on No Definition — an independent nu-disco label (Redux Saga group), not connected to Universal, Sony or Warner.
WhoSampled · read it →
Can You Use It for Free?
How to check PD →Is it public domain?No
Sample History
—
Times sampled
Built on Chic’s “Good Times” bass line
Covers
1979
First flip
Who to Contact
SH
The credited songwriters / Sugar Hill catalog
The confirmed credited writers (Caz’s uncredited authorship is in the Receipts)
What they'll chargeNobody's shared numbers yet
Don't Want the Hassle?
Sample something pre-cleared insteadCheck Tracklib →
Find a similar sound that's 100% freeBrowse the catalog →
References
Every source cited on this page — 5 in total
Was this page helpful?
Page history · 2 updates
Jul 2026Page created — full research (SEO Batch)
Jul 2026BPM/Key pending a separate manual keyfinder pass