R.I.P. Big Bank Hank of The Sugarhill Gang

Henry Jackson, better known by his alias Big Bank Hank as one-third of the pioneering hip-hop group, The Sugarhill Gang, passed away early this morning. He was 57 years old. According to TMZ, Hank had been suffering from cancer.

Big Bank Hank began his rapping career in the early ’70s, and alongside fellow Sugarhill members Master Gee and Wonder Mike, broke down barriers for hip-hop when their 1979 single “Rapper’s Delight” reached Top 40 radio.

R.I.P.