The rapper and singer-songwriter, a foundational figure in early hip-hop with the group’s 1979 hit “Funk You Up,” has died.
Gwendolyn “Blondy” Chisolm, the rapper and songwriter who co-founded the pioneering hip-hop group The Sequence, has died. She was 66. Billboard confirmed her death followed a brief illness.
Formed in 1979 with Cheryl “The Pearl” Cook and the late Angie Stone, The Sequence was among the first female rap groups signed to Sugar Hill Records. Their single “Funk You Up” became an immediate hit, helping to establish a blueprint for women in the genre during its formative years.
Chisolm’s death arrives just over a month after Angie Stone’s passing in March, marking a profound moment of loss for the group’s legacy. In a statement, Chisolm’s family remembered her as a creative force whose work continues to resonate. Her contributions are cemented in the foundational layer of hip-hop history.
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