Keith LeBlanc was a drummer whose work can be heard on early hip-hop records by The Sugarhill Gang and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, as well as on tracks by such artists as Nine Inch Nails and R.E.M.
- Died: April 4, 2024 (Who else died on April 4?)
- Details of death: Died after an illness at the age of 69.
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Keith LeBlanc’s legacy
LeBlanc began working as a session drummer at Sugar Hill Records, the profoundly influential record label where hip-hop first found its foothold in popular music. LeBlanc drummed on the self-titled debut by The Sugarhill Gang – the album that included the first Top-40 rap single, 1979’s “Rapper’s Delight” – though he didn’t drum on that track. He also worked on The Sugarhill Gang songs “8th Wonder” and “Apache,” and he was featured on the iconic 1982 Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five album, “The Message.”
While LeBlanc was working at Sugar Hill Records, the standard for hip-hop began to transition from live bands to electronic music with live vocals, and drummers were eclipsed by drum machines. He learned to program drum machines, a skill he would use extensively both as a session drummer and in his solo career. His biggest solo hit came in 1983 when he released “No Sell Out,” featuring samples of Malcolm X (1925–1965) speaking over LeBlanc’s electronic beats. It was an early use of sampling in hip-hop and helped influence the genre’s shift from lightweight topics to social commentary. LeBlanc released several solo records, including the acclaimed “Major Malfunction” in 1986.
While he continued his solo career, LeBlanc also played drums and programmed drum machines for many prominent artists, perhaps most notably on the influential 1989 album “Pretty Hate Machine” by Nine Inch Nails. LeBlanc’s musicianship can be heard on songs including the single “Head Like a Hole.” He also worked on R.E.M.’s “Green,” ABC’s “How to Be a… Zillionaire!” Seal’s self-titled debut, Annie Lennox’s “Diva,” and the Tina Turner (1939–2023) LPs “Wildest Dreams” and “Twenty Four Seven,” as well as other notable albums in the 1980s and ‘90s. He was a member of the industrial hip-hop group Tackhead and the blues-influenced Little Axe.
Notable quote
“[I]n the Sugar Hill days, there was quite a lot of collaboration. You never got paid for it, but I was always coming up with ideas for Sylvia [Robinson], and she liked a lot of them. And you never got paid for that. Got some brownie points [laughs].” — from a 2023 interview for Burning Ambulance
Tributes to Keith LeBlanc
Full obituary: Variety
