Wham Rap! released

Teenager George Michael was inspired by Britain's early 80s recession to write a song about the upside of being on the dole. Contending that unemployment provided free time to immerse oneself in London's booming club culture, Wham Rap! was rather subversive. It was also one of the first British pop singles to avail itself of the still new hip-hop style, and if Michael's rhyming skills were the essence of Englishness, they seemed cool at the time.