Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
Grandmaster Flash -- is a hip-hop pioneer who made the South Bronx a mecca for urban music worldwide. His innovation on the turntables -- cutting, looping and scratching -- would have a massive impact and music for decades to come. Flash's work behind the decks spawned the genre that is known today as turntablism.
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Grandmaster Flash played famous underground parties with fellow legends Melle Mel and Kurtis Blow in their hometown. Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five were among the first to host hip-hop battles, and Melle Mel was the first to coin the term "MC" in hip-hop. During this time Flash, Melle Mel and DJs like Afrika Bambaataa took the world by storm with their new culture and lifestyle.
In 1979 Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five were signed to Sugar Hill Records and released 'Freedom,' which reached gold status, prior to the outfit's most recognizable hit, 'The Message,' which came three years later and went platinum. In 1981 Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five opened for seminal punk band the Clash at a legendy stint in New York City's Times Square.
Flash showcased his mixing skills with 'The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel,' combining elements of Queen's 'Another One Bites the Dust', Chic's 'Good Times' and pieces of Blondie's 'Rapture.' It is heralded as a landmark release. This art form is still embraced by DJs today such as Z-Trip , Green Lantern and Diplo.
At what might be considered the peak of Flash's career, he appeared in the movie 'Wild Style' and took legal action against the Sugar Hill label in a royalty dispute. The group called it quits in '84, with Grandmaster Flash continuing as a solo artist.
Grandmaster Melle Mel & the Furious Five carried on without Flash and released the megahit 12" single 'White Lines.' The group obscured Flash's noninvolvement in the project. However, the group is being inducted to the Rock and Rock Hall of fame together.
Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five reuninted in 1987 and again in 1988. The final reunion came in 1994. The series of regroupings were ill-received on the whole. Although Flash's hits are still played in clubs worldwide, sampled profusely and held in high regard today.
In 1995 Grandmaster Flash and the Five joined a rap package tour that also including hip-hop contemporaries Kurtis Blow and Run-D.M.C. 'The Message' was famously sampled by Ice Cube on 'Check Yo Self ' and Diddy on 'Can't Nobody Hold Me Down.'
Nearly a decade and a half after the release of anti-cocaine anthem 'White Lines,' Duran Duran covered the revolutionary track on their version on their 'Thank You' album. Flash and Melle Mel joined them on the new version. The song was also featured in the instant cult classic film 'Shaun of the Dead.'
Grandmaster Flash is still active in the hip-hop community today, playing the DJ circuit in New York. He also recently started a clothing line called G.Phyre and recently was bestowed BET's 'I Am a Hip Hop Icon' award. Flash's music has been tastefully intergrated into video games like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and modern films like Happy Feet.
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Exclusive Interview
Was the reaction to the group positive at first?
Grandmaster Flash: [Laughs] Early on, I was ridiculed for what I did. People would ask, "Why is he repeating that part over and over again? Why is he making those noises?"
How would you sum up your career?
Grandmaster Flash: I look at myself as a scientist, and I look at the Furious Five as innovators ahead of their time.
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