One of the co-founders of the hip-hop group The Sequence has died.
Gwendolyn “Blondy” Chisolm was 66 years old.
Her family told People magazine that Chisolm died in Atlanta on April 6 after a brief illness.
Chisolm’s sister, Monica Scott, said in a statement, “My sister gave a lot of herself to the music industry. 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.”
The Sequence was co-founded by Chisolm, Cheryl “The Pearl” Cook and Angela “Angie B” Brown in 1979, Rolling Stone reported. Brown, who died in 2025, was also known as Angie Stone.
Stone died in a car crash near Montgomery, Alabama. Chisolm, according to her family, worked with Tyler Perry on Stone’s funeral, People reported.
Chisolm was raised in Columbia, South Carolina, and grew up with the other members of The Sequence, and were all cheerleaders at C.A. Johnson High School. The cheers became the bedrock of their music, Chisolm told Rolling Stone in 2017.
Stone and Chisolm also sang together in their church choir.
The Sequence was the first female hip-hop group to sign with Sugar Hill Records.
Their song “Funk You Up” still has life, after being sampled by or inspiring several artists, including En Vogue, Erykah Badu and Bruno Mars, People and Rolling Stone said.
They produced three albums before breaking up in 1985.
According to her obituary, Chisolm was editing her book, “The First Blonde in the Hop Hop Game,” and was excited about an event at the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville that was going to include The Sequence.
She left behind her sister, brother, uncle, aunts, nieces and nephews, her obituary said.
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