Question
In 1979, musician and studio owner Sylvia Robinson was looking to make a rap record. According to legend, none of the MCs who performed in New York City clubs were willing to record their rhymes. They considered rapping a strictly in-person activity. That’s why when Robinson overheard a worker at a New Jersey pizza shop rapping, she asked him to audition on the spot. Henry Lee Jackson, who became known as Big Bank Hank, got the gig. He became a member of the Sugarhill Gang. Not long after, “Rapper’s Delight” was recorded and released. The rest is history.
But the origin of Big Bank Hank’s lyrics has been a point of contention for decades. When he was discovered by Robinson, Hank was not an MC. His connection to hip-hop was that he managed the Cold Crush Brothers, a Bronx rap group featuring a rapper named Grandmaster Caz. According to Caz, a large portion of the lyrics Hank rapped in the pizza shop and on the record belonged to him. In “Rapper’s Delight,” Hank references Caz’s full MC name, “Casanova Fly,” more than once. At one point he even spells it out. For Hank’s part, he neither confirmed nor denied using Caz’s rhymes up until his death in 2014.
What is the central idea of this passage?
A
Although Grandmaster Caz was a pioneering MC, there’s no evidence supporting his claim that he wrote Big Bank Hank’s lyrics.
B
Because active MCs refused to record, a performer with debatable credibility achieved fame with the Sugarhill Gang.
C
Opportunity can present itself at any time, so it’s important to be prepared to capitalize on it.
D
Sylvia Robinson made a mistake when she decided to hire Big Bank Hank to join the Sugarhill Gang.
But the origin of Big Bank Hank’s lyrics has been a point of contention for decades. When he was discovered by Robinson, Hank was not an MC. His connection to hip-hop was that he managed the Cold Crush Brothers, a Bronx rap group featuring a rapper named Grandmaster Caz. According to Caz, a large portion of the lyrics Hank rapped in the pizza shop and on the record belonged to him. In “Rapper’s Delight,” Hank references Caz’s full MC name, “Casanova Fly,” more than once. At one point he even spells it out. For Hank’s part, he neither confirmed nor denied using Caz’s rhymes up until his death in 2014.
What is the central idea of this passage?
A
Although Grandmaster Caz was a pioneering MC, there’s no evidence supporting his claim that he wrote Big Bank Hank’s lyrics.
B
Because active MCs refused to record, a performer with debatable credibility achieved fame with the Sugarhill Gang.
C
Opportunity can present itself at any time, so it’s important to be prepared to capitalize on it.
D
Sylvia Robinson made a mistake when she decided to hire Big Bank Hank to join the Sugarhill Gang.
Answers
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GPT-4o mini
B. Because active MCs refused to record, a performer with debatable credibility achieved fame with the Sugarhill Gang.