588 - Keith LeBlanc: The World's First Hip Hop Session Drummer - Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros.
October 26, 2020

588 – Keith LeBlanc: The World’s First Hip Hop Session Drummer

Keith LeBlanc may not be a household name, but that’s not for good reason. Highly regarded as the first hip hop session drummer, his career took shape when he started working with the Sugar Hill Gang on their eponymous LP, which included the song Rapper’s Delight, one of the first hip hop songs ever.

Keith’s ability to adapt put him (and Pumpkin “E-Roll” Bedward) at the forefront of hip-hop, pioneering the use of drum machines on tracks. His innovations landed him gigs as the house band at Tommy Boy Records, world tours and his beats being sampled for countless hip-hop songs for decades.

And the rest, as they say, is history…

Keith LeBlanc talks about:

  • The music he grew up listening to
  • How he got into the funk/hip-hop scene
  • Learning a new way to practice due to an injury
  • How playing along with records makes you a better drummer
  • The lesson he tries to pass on when he teaches

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