Keith LeBlanc, Sugar Hill Records House Band Drummer, Passes Away at 69

The outstanding Keith LeBlanc, who started his career as the drummer for Sugar Hill Records’  house band and rhythm section, has passed away after a battle with an undisclosed illness. LeBlanc was a drummer on many early Hip-Hop classics by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5 and the Sugar Hill Gang.

His 1983 composition “No Sell Out“ is considered to be one the earliest sample-based records in popular music, and is credited as the first song to use Malcolm X vocals over a drum machine beat. He was a part of the iconic track “Unity,“ which paired James Brown with a Hip-Hop artist for the first time, which was none other than Afrika Bambaataa.

LeBlanc’s 1986 debut solo album Major Malfunction kickstarted a whole new genre of industrial music and influenced countless musicians. Throughout his extensive career, LeBlanc released a number of solo projects, and collaborated with a wide array of renowned rock and roll groups like Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode and The Rolling Stones.

May he rest in peace.