Throwback Thursday: Watch Funky Four Plus One Rock NYC's The Kitchen ca. 1980

Funky Four Plus One enjoyed a short, but monumental run as one of hip-hop's earliest crews, ascending upon us from the far reaches of The Burning Bronx at a time when the nation was just starting to catch the breeze blowing out from NYC. Today, we've got a friendly reminder of what the legendary five-piece left behind. Namely, a marathon of party rhymes, loose choreography and swagger that would put most contemporary MCs to shame.

All of this was perfectly on display one night in 1980 when they lent their ultra-coveted stage show to a bill at downtown NYC's legendary cultural hub The Kitchen, casting their tag-team lyricism over a surging crowd gathered to celebrate the contributions of female MCs and artists at an event called Dubbed In Glamour, which also featured heavyweights like Debbie Harry, Anya Phillips, Vivienne Dick and of course FFPO's Sha-Rock, who put on a verbal clinic for the ages. Their ties to downtown NYC's blossoming hip-hop and art community eventually landed the crew as Harry's musical guest on Saturday Night Live just a year later, solidifying them as the very first hip-hop group to perform on national television; a wholly earned accolade. You can watch Funky Four Plus One perform "Rappin' And Rockin' The House" at The Kitchen below.

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