Leland Robinson Sr. Remembers His Late Brothers' Influence on Sugarhill Records

The various members of the Robinson clan are vying for control of Sugarhill Records on First Family of Hip Hop, which is currently being run by Leland Robinson, Sr. But long before he took the reins of the legendary company, his brothers, Joseph Robinson Jr. and Rhondo Robinson, were in control. The duo worked at the company that made hip hop a household name when it was founded in the '70s by their parents, Joseph and Sylvia Robinson.

Although Joey and Rhondo passed away in 2015 (from cancer) and 2014 (from multiple organ dysfunction syndrome), respectively, their presence is still felt in the series, as they are often mentioned by the music mogul family. To this day Leland still fights back tears while discussing his brothers' influence on both himself and the label.

"Both of my brothers meant a lot to me and to Sugarhill," Leland explained to The Daily Dish. "They basically did most of the work. But those guys are well missed. We lost both of them in two years time. It's unbelievable."

Joey served as the executor of Sugarhill Music Publishing while Rhondo was in the role of vice president of Sugarhill Music. Leland recalled just how vital they were to the company's day-to-day operations. "Joey was more the corporate, the more of the stay-on-top of things [guy]. I learned a lot from him," he said. "Rhondo was doing his own thing as well. Like, you know, every kid wants to do their own thing and Rhondo did his own thing. He had his own publishing company. But I did learn a lot from both of those guys."

Learn more about Leland and his family every Sunday at 9/8c. 

Who Is Leland Robinson Sr.?