The Mean Machine was a rap group composed of Puerto Ricans who rapped in both English and Spanish. They are known for their only single, Disco Dream, released as a 12" 33 RPM single in 1981 on the Sugar Hill Records label. The group is often cited as the first bilingual rap group, and is possibly the first ever Latino rap group. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Disco Dream was a track released in 1981 by early Sugar Hill Records rap group The Mean Machine. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... Sugar Hill Records was the name of a rap music label that was founded in 1974 by husband and wife Joe and Sylvia Robinson with financial funding of Morris Levy, the owner of Roulette Records. ... Latin rap is not a homogeneous musical style but rather a term that covers all rap by Latinos as in Chicano Rap, Hip Hop Latino, and Hip Hop en espanol. ...

History

The best description of the group is one written (at least partially) by former group member Mr. Schick, found on OldSchoolHipHop.com:

"The Mean Machine went through a few members in the late 70s, before settling to the final four members at the end of 1979. About a year and a half later, they were knocking on the doors of Sugar Hill Records and auditioning for Sylvia Robinson and her crew. They rapped in both English and in Spanish making them one of the first bilingual rap groups around. Sylvia loved the idea of making a bilingual rap record and released their first single "Disco Dream" in the summer of 1981. Many of the lyrics used on the track were actually borrowed from Son of Sam of the Harlem World Crew with his permission. Hispanics all over the country went crazy over the group when they heard Spanish rap for the first time. This of course lead to the opening of doors to Latin America. The group was shelved by Sugar Hill following a radio interview they did with Frankie Crocker at New York’s WBLS. One of the members said something about the label that didn’t sit well. The group split up and hasn’t recorded since." Sugar Hill Records was the name of a rap music label that was founded in 1974 by husband and wife Joe and Sylvia Robinson with financial funding of Morris Levy, the owner of Roulette Records. ... Sylvia Robinson (born Sylvia Vanderpool, 6 March 1936 in New York) is a singer, musician and producer, and record label executive. ... Disco Dream was a track released in 1981 by early Sugar Hill Records rap group The Mean Machine. ... Latin rap is not a homogeneous musical style but rather a term that covers all rap by Latinos as in Chicano Rap, Hip Hop Latino, and Hip Hop en espanol. ... Frankie Crocker was an infamous New York DJ. On the air, he sometimes called himself the Chief Rocker, and he was as well known for his boastful on-air patter as for his off-air flamboyance. ... WBLS is an Urban Adult Contemporary FM radio station that is licensed to New York City, operating on 107. ...

Members

• DJ Julio (Steven Santiago)
• Jimmy Mac (James McLean)
• Mr. Nice (Jose Semprit)
• Mr. Schick (Daniel Rivera Jr.)

Also, before a keyboard flare on the single, the group says in unison "Cool Cliff" which could be their DJ, but no reference can be found to this name in relation to the group anywhere on the internet.

Cool Cliff was Julio's 10 yr old son who rapped with us on stage once and a while.