Amir Questlove–Thompson

I mean, you could watch American Bandstand or Soul Train where they might be lip syncing. Occasionally on Soul Train, they play live, but... Back then, it was slim pickings. Either Friday night, you watched a midnight special. Sometimes, a rock concert would come on Sunday nights. But basically, SNL was just a It was a rare moment in which you got to catch a really cool band.

So even like Devo coming on, like I was eight years old when they did the Jaco Homo song. Are we not men? We are Devo. And like me and my cousins minds were blown, you know. So practically any group that came on in the first five to six years, I was an instant fan of.

So even like Devo coming on, like I was eight years old when they did the Jaco Homo song. Are we not men? We are Devo. And like me and my cousins minds were blown, you know. So practically any group that came on in the first five to six years, I was an instant fan of.

So even like Devo coming on, like I was eight years old when they did the Jaco Homo song. Are we not men? We are Devo. And like me and my cousins minds were blown, you know. So practically any group that came on in the first five to six years, I was an instant fan of.

Okay, so Saturday Night Live is the first time that America and the world will get to see what hip-hop culture is. The very first rap performance on TV. is when Deborah Harry hosts the show in 1981 and brings on a Sugar Hill act called The Funky Four Plus One More.

Okay, so Saturday Night Live is the first time that America and the world will get to see what hip-hop culture is. The very first rap performance on TV. is when Deborah Harry hosts the show in 1981 and brings on a Sugar Hill act called The Funky Four Plus One More.

Okay, so Saturday Night Live is the first time that America and the world will get to see what hip-hop culture is. The very first rap performance on TV. is when Deborah Harry hosts the show in 1981 and brings on a Sugar Hill act called The Funky Four Plus One More.

And she took a liking to this group, even though there were other popular groups at the time, like there was Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and the Sugar Hill Gang, both like platinum hits and really music and culture changing songs at the time. But she took a liking to this group because... it was similar to Blondie, a band that had a woman in the lead of it.

And she took a liking to this group, even though there were other popular groups at the time, like there was Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and the Sugar Hill Gang, both like platinum hits and really music and culture changing songs at the time. But she took a liking to this group because... it was similar to Blondie, a band that had a woman in the lead of it.

And she took a liking to this group, even though there were other popular groups at the time, like there was Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and the Sugar Hill Gang, both like platinum hits and really music and culture changing songs at the time. But she took a liking to this group because... it was similar to Blondie, a band that had a woman in the lead of it.

And so she took a liking to them. And for me, that's such an SNL move where, you know, those first 10 years, um, They weren't about, well, who's the most popular person to bring ratings in? It was always like the cool factor, like, okay, who's the most popular person now? Who's the person under that person that we could give a boost to?

And so she took a liking to them. And for me, that's such an SNL move where, you know, those first 10 years, um, They weren't about, well, who's the most popular person to bring ratings in? It was always like the cool factor, like, okay, who's the most popular person now? Who's the person under that person that we could give a boost to?

And so she took a liking to them. And for me, that's such an SNL move where, you know, those first 10 years, um, They weren't about, well, who's the most popular person to bring ratings in? It was always like the cool factor, like, okay, who's the most popular person now? Who's the person under that person that we could give a boost to?

And that's like a prime example of how cool, how SNL always had their finger on the pulse of ratings. you know, who's next.

And that's like a prime example of how cool, how SNL always had their finger on the pulse of ratings. you know, who's next.

And that's like a prime example of how cool, how SNL always had their finger on the pulse of ratings. you know, who's next.

And, you know, as a result come 20 years later, a lot of those first time acts, you know, your, your, your early hip hop groups, like, you know, them getting run DMC before run DMC was run, run DMC or them getting Prince before Prince was Prince or the talking heads or Devo, whoever, like a lot of those risks that they took in the first 10 to 15 years, those guys will wind up being like the household names and, and,

And, you know, as a result come 20 years later, a lot of those first time acts, you know, your, your, your early hip hop groups, like, you know, them getting run DMC before run DMC was run, run DMC or them getting Prince before Prince was Prince or the talking heads or Devo, whoever, like a lot of those risks that they took in the first 10 to 15 years, those guys will wind up being like the household names and, and,

And, you know, as a result come 20 years later, a lot of those first time acts, you know, your, your, your early hip hop groups, like, you know, them getting run DMC before run DMC was run, run DMC or them getting Prince before Prince was Prince or the talking heads or Devo, whoever, like a lot of those risks that they took in the first 10 to 15 years, those guys will wind up being like the household names and, and,

the fiber of the mainstream once SNL becomes the mainstream instead of the underground. But yeah, with Deborah Harry using her power to bring attention to a culture that no one knew about, that is a prime moment of the SNL effect and how it builds American entertainment culture.