New York, NY -- Deborah Harry might have been the first mainstream singer to use rap on Blondie's 1980 track, "Rapture," but that doesn't mean she thinks of herself as a hip-hopper.

Harry is gearing up for the release of a new album in April and admits she can't really say she qualifies as a true rapper, she just has a huge affection for the style.

In her words, "I try my best to be a white girl trying to pay homage to a form that I think is truly incredible."

Harry says Blondie tries to incorporate some rap into every album they record and "it's always been a part of our tradition."

While her role as a rap pioneer doesn't necessarily elicit props from hip hop heavy hitters these days, the singer says, occasionally, people come up to her and tell her that "Rapture" was the first rap song they ever heard.

Although Harry finds their classification of "Rapture" as rap "very interesting and a little strange," she concedes that she's very proud of the song as a whole.

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