Gwendolyn “Blondy” Chisolm, the rapper and singer-songwriter who co-founded the Sequence, has died, Rolling Stone has confirmed. She was 66.
Chisolm formed the hip-hip group with Cheryl “The Pearl” Cook and Angie Stone in 1979 and quickly scored a hit with “Funk You Up.” (Stone died in March 2025 at the age of 63 following a car accident). As Billboard reports, Chisolm endured a brief illness prior to her death on Monday, April 6.
“My sister gave a lot of herself to the music industry,” Chisolm’s sister Monica Scott said in a statement shared with the publication on behalf of the Chisolm and Scott families. “Everyone knows her famous lyrics and melodies, which continue to bring joy to millions of people. She was a creative force who touched countless hearts.”
Raised in Columbia, South Carolina, Chisolm grew up with her group mates and attended C.A. Johnson High School, where they were all cheerleaders. As teenagers, the extracurricular activity gave them the cheers that became the basis for their music. “‘Funk You Up’ comes from a cheer,” Chisolm told Rolling Stone in 2017. “‘Funk You Up’ was [sings]: ‘We’re gonna blow you, right on out. We’re gonna blow you right on out.’” Chisolm also sang with Stone in their church choir.
The Sequence became the first female hip-hop act to sign with Sugar Hill Records and released three albums before disbanding in 1985. “Funk You Up” was notably interpolated by Dr. Dreon “Keep Their Heads Ringin’” and influenced Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk.”
The trio made their way to the label after finding a way backstage at a Sugarhill Gang concert. Chisolm had received the tickets from her boss at the Super Saver she worked at, but had to defy her mother’s wishes in order to attend. “[My mom] said, ‘If you walk out this door, don’t you ever come back,’” she said. “I never went back.” After all of that, the tickets weren’t waiting at the box office like she believed they would be when she got there.
Luckily, Stone knew just what to say to get her way. “We didn’t even know who he was or where he was taking us. All we knew was we were going in,” Chisolm said. “And when he was talking to us, we go, ‘Oh, and by the way, we can sing and rap better than the Sugarhill Gang.’” Their confidence took them a long way.
Chisolm no longer needed her old dream of joining the Army and becoming a drill sergeant. She went on tour, recorded albums, and traveled alongside the Sugarhill Gang. The hip-hop revolution was blooming across America and they were pioneers within it. It wasn’t all sweet. Chisolm and her group mates have spoken openly in the past about being cut out of the financial success of their music. “It hurts to know that, here you is, busting your ass, can barely feed yourself, can barely pay your bills, and everybody’s just going on, and people making millions of dollars off something you created,” she said. “That’s a hurting feeling.”
The legacy of the Sequence lives on through their hits, from “Funk You Up” to “Funky Sound (Tear the Roof Off)” and “I Don’t Need Your Love (Part One).” Chisolm will be honored in a private memorial at a later date.
“We’re heartbroken right now,” Scott told Billboard. “But we take comfort in knowing that her beautiful spirit lives on through the songs she shared with the world. We hope the world will remember her as a passionate artist and a voice for a generation. You can honor her memory by turning up her music.”
