Henry Lee Jackson (January 11, 1956 – November 11, 2014), known by his stage name Big Bank Hank, was an American

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

recording artist and manager. Also known as Imp the Dimp, he was a member of the trio

the Sugarhill Gang The Sugarhill Gang is an American hip hop group formed in Englewood, New Jersey, in 1979. Their hit " Rapper's Delight", released the same year they were formed, was the first rap single to become a top 40 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, rea ...

, the first hip hop act to have a hit with the cross-over single "

Rapper's Delight "Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 rap song that serves as the debut single of American hip-hop trio the Sugarhill Gang, produced by Sylvia Robinson. Although it was shortly preceded by the Fatback Band's " King Tim III (Personality Jock)", "Rapper ...

" on the pop charts in 1979. He contributed to many documentaries based on the rap music industry. Lyrics to his verse from "Rapper's Delight" were allegedly plagiarized from rhymes written by Grandmaster Caz.

Biography

Hank was born as Henry Lee Jackson on January 11, 1956. He grew up in

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, near

DJ Kool Herc Clive Campbell (born April 16, 1955), better known by his stage name DJ Kool Herc, is a Jamaican-American DJ who is credited with being the founder of hip hop music in the Bronx, New York City, in 1973. Nicknamed the Father of Hip-Hop, Campbe ...

and Coke La Rock, as well as other rap performers. He won several championships in

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

Bronx Community College The Bronx Community College of the City University of New York (BCC) is a public community college in the Bronx, New York City. It is part of the City University of New York system. History The college was established in 1957 through the effo ...

, where he graduated with an A.S. degree in

oceanography Oceanography (), also known as oceanology, sea science, ocean science, and marine science, is the scientific study of the ocean, including its physics, chemistry, biology, and geology. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of to ...

. Unable to attain a position in oceanography, he worked the doors of a Bronx nightclub called The Sparkle, where he became a music manager for Grandmaster Caz and his group the Mighty Force MC's. While working at a

pizzeria A pizzeria is a restaurant focusing on pizza. A pizzeria may offer take-away, where the customer orders their food either in advance or at the restaurant and then takes the prepared food with them in a pizza box. A pizzeria may deliver food to ...

, Jackson did his job so well that when the owner of the shop expanded his business to Englewood,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, he brought Jackson over to head the Crispy Crust store. While managing for a local hip hop group, the Mighty Force MC's (including Grandmaster Caz), Jackson was discovered by Sylvia Robinson. She was out trying to find an act for the new hip-hop trend she had discovered through her son and she heard Jackson rapping some of Grandmaster Caz's rhymes by chance when she visited Crispy Crust Pizza in Englewood. According to a 2014 ''New York Post'' article, when Robinson asked him to join the group she was forming, Jackson went to Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers for rhymes, and Caz gladly gave him his notebook, hoping to eventually get something in return. However, since the Sugarhill Gang's inception, stated again in a 2014 interview, Caz has disputed this story, saying that Jackson did not ask him for permission to use his rhymes until after the record had been made. Jackson, now called "Big Bank Hank," was 24 years old at the time

's self-titled album was released. In his ''New York Times'' obituary of Hank,

Jon Caramanica Jon Caramanica (born 1975) is an American journalist and pop music critic who writes for ''The New York Times''. He is also known for writing about hip hop music. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York, Caramanica received his bachelor's degree ...

quotes Wonder Mike: "He was boisterous — he filled the room. Ralph Kramden-type stuff."

Death

A resident of

Tenafly, New Jersey Tenafly () is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 15,409, an increase of 921 (+6.4%) from the 2010 census count of 14,488, which in turn reflected an ...

, Hank died at the age of 58 at

Englewood Hospital and Medical Center Englewood Hospital is an acute care 294-bed teaching hospital in Englewood, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. In spring 2024, the medical center received an 'A' Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group patient safety organization. ...

in nearby Englewood on November 11, 2014, from cancer.Petrick, John; and Levin, Jay
"Rapper Big Bank Hank of Englewood-based Sugar Hill Gang dies at age 57"
, ''

The Record (Bergen County) ''The Record'' (also called ''The North Jersey Record'', ''The Bergen Record'', ''The Sunday Record'' (Sunday edition) and formerly ''The Bergen Evening Record'') is a newspaper in New Jersey, United States. Serving Bergen, Essex, Hudson and ...

'', November 11, 2015; accessed November 12, 2015.
"Trail-blazing rapper Big Bank Hank, whose 1979 hit "Rappers Delight" with the Englewood-based group the Sugar Hill Gang was considered the first commercially viable rap single to shoot up the charts, died Tuesday morning at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center. He was 57 and lived in Tenafly."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hank, Big Bank 1956 births 2014 deaths Deaths from cancer in New Jersey People from Tenafly, New Jersey Rappers from the Bronx The Sugarhill Gang members Bronx Community College alumni Rappers from New Jersey