While most folks who are grounded in hip-hop history credit Bronx, New York, DJ Kool Herc with being the father of the genre, there's no denying that Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were rap's Johnny Appleseeds -- the first to disseminate the sound to the musical mainstream. Beginning in 1978, the group began performing at guerrilla parties and underground clubs around its Bronx stomping grounds, quickly generating interest from across the Atlantic -- and across the Harlem River, where they won fans in the burgeoning punk and New Wave scenes.

Flash (born Joseph Saddler), the group's DJ and conceptualist, is considered the father of scratching -- a sonic element that has been incorporated by virtually every crew to emerge in the three decades since the release of the groundbreaking 'The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel,' the first disc to showcase turntablism. The Furious Five (Melle Mel, Scorpio, Raheim, Kid Creole and Cowboy) had a series of ubiquitous hits -- 'The Message' and 'White Lines' were the first songs to bring socially conscious ideas to the otherwise party-centric genre -- but disintegrated acrimoniously in 1984, with members splintering off in several directions. Their influence, however, continued unabated despite incursions as varied as gangsterism and digital sound -- making Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five the logical choice to become the first hip-hop act to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Flash and three of his Furious Five waxed poetic to Spinner about how they scratched and rapped their way into history ... and why one of them thinks that today's hip-hop stinks like bad eggs.

What was your reaction to being selected for the Rock Hall after so many close calls?

Grandmaster Flash: Well, the first time we were nominated, I was like, "Yaaaay!" Then it was like, "No, you're not going in." Then, when we were nominated again, there was less of a "Yay." This time, I got a call the day before the announcement from someone on the board that we got in. I always thought it was impossible, that all the other organizations had embraced hip-hop, but that this particular organization wouldn't. It's bigger than Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, though. Hip-hop is in there now, and that's what really counts.

Was the reaction immediately positive when you guys came out doing what you did?

GF: [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?"

Well, why were you doing it?

GF: I think for me, it was frustration. The DJs at that time would let the record play, and eventually it would arrive at the part I would enjoy. What I noticed was the part where the least band members played was where the audience got the most excited. But that part was, like, ten seconds long, and that really pissed me off [laughs]. I was like, there must be a way, if I listen intently to some rock, jazz, blues, punk, funk -- every genre -- there was a part with the fewest band members playing. That's where my quest began -- to create a bed of music that connects all the genres. It was called "the get-down part" at that point, then later "the break." Now, songs are one big break.

Is there one track in particular you're proudest of?

GF: Probably 'Superrappin'.' That showcased this formula that the Furious Five created, called the switchover, where you'd have five individuals sound like one. Melle might say "eenie," then Creole might say "meenie" -- you have to visually see it to really appreciate it, but this particular formula became famous. Soon, every MC group was following that formula, that switchover science. It affected a lot of artists who came after us.

If you were a stranger inducting Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, how would you sum up your career?

GF: Wow. Well, I personally look at myself as a scientist, and I look at the Furious Five as innovators ahead of their time. Ahead of our time, mostly.

Do you feel the group gets the proper respect?

GF: Absolutely. I can't remember a period of time when I wasn't mentioned by people who are asked about who inspired them. When I walk the street, kids who weren't even born when I was making records know who I am. It's a much bigger business now, of course, but it's wonderful to know that I created an industry.


How did you find out you were being inducted into the Hall?

Melle Mel: I sleep with the television on, and most nights I have it tuned onto [CNN] Headline News. That's what I want to hear when I wake up and that's how I heard about this. I haven't been able to sleep the same since.

How do you see the current state of hip-hop?

MM: Right now, it's a little kid-ish for me. It hasn't grown up. Being 45, I can't relate to a lot of what's being said, but I've been working on a new album to try and express that -- that hip-hop has put all its eggs in one basket and that them eggs are starting to go bad.


Do you think the Furious Five get the respect that's deserved?

Scorpio: The Furious Five legacy is always there because it's really a blueprint for what's gone on ever since. You can't go to a show without the MC saying, "Put your hands in the air." It's there in the work of just about every hip-hop artist. Grandmaster Flash is one of the greatest DJs of all time, and I think people realize that.

What do you hope the induction will do for you?

S: We've all got plenty of things going on -- I'm doing jingles and commercials. But I think it's cool to get the spotlight back on the Furious Five, even if it's only for 15 minutes. We can renegotiate our hip-hop lifetime contract [laughs].


Are you planning to perform at the ceremony?

Raheim: We're definitely looking forward to it. I've been in the studio reconstructing our live show from back then. Let me put it this way -- we're gonna provide the same spectacle we were always known for. You will be fully entertained.

Do you think the group has gotten its due?

R: Unfortunately, the group came along at a time before hip-hop was a multibillion-dollar commodity. Once that happened, once it could be sold, the content changed. I don't know if a group like the Furious Five could have the same success now.

--David Sprague


More exclusive Rock Hall interviews:

R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe

The Ronettes' Ronnie Spector

Van Halen's Sammy Hagar

Patti Smith