The Fatback Band were one of the earliest groups to bridge the gap between funk and hip-hop — their 1979 track "King Tim III (Personality Jock)" is sometimes cited as the first rap record, predating "Rapper's Delight" by a few weeks. "Do the Bus Stop" (1975) is from their earlier, purely instrumental funk period: a tight, driving groove designed for the dance floor, with a clean, punchy drum break that would prove irresistible to hip-hop producers.

Grandmaster Flash used the break in "The Message," one of the most important records in hip-hop history. That association alone would have been enough to cement its legacy, but the break appeared in tracks by Run-DMC, LL Cool J, and EPMD as well. The Fatback Band's dual role — as both proto-hip-hop artists and as providers of essential sample material — makes them one of the genre's most important but underrecognized contributors.