Politics and race stopped Cymande in their tracks. 50 years later they’re being recognised as fathers of hip hop

You might not have heard their name but you’ve probably heard their music. London band Cymande’s unique blend of funk, jazz, soul and reggae didn’t garner widespread success in the 70s and the band broke up. But by the early 90s, their self-titled debut record had become known as a “sacred crate” in New York City amongst the DJs and artists pioneering what was then a new genre: hip hop. London DJ Norman Jay – who has seen Cymande’s music rise from the ashes – watched on as hip hop giants such as the Fugees, Wu-Tang Clan and De La Soul sampled the songs he grew up listening to. He describes Cymande’s track Bra, which was sampled by De La Soul on the track Change in Speak, as “proto hip hop”. Loading YouTube content “If you don’t know Bra, go online, YouTube, check it out and then you’ll get a penny-drop moment,” he said. A range of early hip hop artists used the band’s soulful music to create hits. Loading YouTube content The Fugees used Cymande’s track Dove on their song The Score. Wu-Tang also sampled the same track in their song Problems. French artist MC Solaar’s hit Bouge De...