Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five (music group)

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five was an American hip-hop group that is considered highly influential in the genre. Primarily active in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the group featured DJ Grandmaster Flash, along with five rappers billed as the Furious Five.

The group is best known for its hit single, "The Message," which is regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop songs of all time. The group released several other singles, including "Freedom" and "White Lines," over the course of two albums, The Message (1982) and On the Strength (1988). In 2007, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Background

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five formed in the late 1970s in the Bronx, New York. The group included DJ Grandmaster Flash (who was born Joseph Saddler) and five rappers from the Bronx: Melle Mel (born Melvin Glover), Cowboy (born Keith Wiggins), Kidd Creole (born Nathaniel Glover, brother of Melle Mel), Mr. Ness (also known as Scorpio and born Eddie Morris), and Rahiem (born Guy Williams), who collectively were known as the Furious Five. Grandmaster Flash was born on January 1, 1958, in Barbados and grew up in the Bronx. When he was a teenager, he began deejaying at dances and block parties. Around 1977, Grandmaster Flash collaborated with renowned rapper Kurtis Blow. He then teamed up with the Furious Five.

Soon after forming, the group became popular in the Bronx hip-hop scene, in large part due to Grandmaster Flash's groundbreaking turntable techniques and the Furious Five's exceptional rapping. The group eventually became the top deejay crew in the Bronx.

Among the turntable techniques that Grandmaster Flash developed were cutting, back-spinning, and phasing. Cutting involves switching tracks on the beat. Back-spinning is turning records to repeat bits of sound. Phasing involves manipulating turntable speeds. DJs continue to use these techniques.

Overview

In 1979, the group released the single "We Rap More Mellow" under the name the Younger Generation. That same year, the group cut the single "Superappin" under its proper name. The group then signed with the Sugar Hill Records label, and released the single "Freedom" in 1980. The single was a success, breaking into the Top 20 of Billboard's R&B chart and selling more than 50,000 copies. The group then released the single "Birthday Party," which was also successful. In 1981, Grandmaster Flash alone put out the single "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel." The song features Grandmaster Flash's cutting technique and is a collage of other songs, including recordings by Queen, Blondie, and Chic.

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five left its biggest mark on the hip-hop world in 1982 with the single "The Message." The single, which clocks in at more than seven minutes, features lyrics about drugs, prostitution, prison, and dying young. According to the pop culture magazine Rolling Stone, "The Message" is regarded as the first recorded song to convey the truth about American inner-city life. The single was a huge hit, reaching number four on Billboard's R&B chart and selling a half million copies in just one month.

"The Message" was a huge influence on other hip-hop artists, including N.W.A., the Notorious B.I.G., and Jay-Z. Rolling Stone placed "The Message" at number fifty-one on its "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list. The magazine also placed the song at number one on its "50 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time" list.

Several months after the release of "The Message," Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five came out with the band's debut album, also titled The Message (1982). In addition to the title track, the album includes the songs "She's Fresh," "It's Nasty," "Scorpio," "It's a Shame," "Dreamin,'" and "You Are." The album received critical praise.

In 1983, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five released the single "White Lines." The following year, the group broke up when Melle Mel left the group because of tensions between him and Grandmaster Flash. Melle Mel formed a new group, which was also named the Furious Five. Grandmaster Flash tried his hand at a solo career. He released several albums, including They Said It Couldn't Be Done (1985), The Source, (1986), and Da Bop Boom Bang (1987).

In 1987, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five reunited for a charity concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The group then recorded another album, On the Strength, which was released in 1988. The album includes the title track, as well as the songs "Gold," "Cold in Effect," "Yo Baby," "The King," "Fly Girl," "Magic Carpet Ride," "Leave Here," "This Is Where You Got It From," "The Boy Is Dope," and "Back in the Old Days of Hip-Hop." The album was not well received, and the members of the group again went their separate ways. The following year, Wiggins died in the Bronx.

The surviving members of the Furious Five reunited in 1994 to join a rap package tour with Blow and legendary hip-hop group Run-D.M.C. The following year, Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel appeared on a cover of "White Lines" by synth pop group Duran Duran.

In 2007, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five made history when it became the first hip-hop group to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In 2009, Grandmaster Flash released the album The Bridge: Concept of a Culture. Several rappers joined Grandmaster Flash on the album, including Snoop Dogg, Q-Tip, KRS-One, and Big Daddy Kane.

In 2016, a series chronicling the emergence of hip-hop in the Bronx in the late 1970s premiered on Netflix. On the show, Grandmaster Flash is portrayed by actor Mamoudou Athie. Grandmaster Flash served as an associate producer and consultant for the show.

Kidd Creole was arrested and charged with the murder of a homeless man in New York City in 2017. He was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to sixteen years in prison in 2022.

Bibliography

Ankeny, Jason. "Grandmaster Flash: Biography by Jason Ankeny." AllMusic, www.allmusic.com/artist/grandmaster-flash-mn0000738402/biography. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

Fernandez, Maria Elena. "So What Exactly Is 'The Get Down'? Let Grandmaster Flash Explain." Vulture, 11 Aug. 2016, www.vulture.com/2016/08/grandmaster-flash-explains-what-the-get-down-is.html. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

"The 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time: Jay Z, Eminem, Tupac, Biggie and More: 1. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, 'The Message': The Message, 1982." Rolling Stone, 5 Dec. 2012, www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-50-greatest-hip-hop-songs-of-all-time-20121205/grandmaster-flash-and-the-furious-five-the-message-19691231. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

"Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five." Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, 2007, www.rockhall.com/inductees/grandmaster-flash-and-furious-five. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

"Home." Grandmaster Flash, grandmasterflash.com/#grandmaster-flash. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

"Kidd Creole Convicted of Manslaughter in 2017 Stabbing." AP, 6 Apr. 2022, apnews.com/article/entertainment-grandmaster-flash-new-york-nyc-state-wire-hip-hop-and-rap-17963fbb51fd111cd073937c524de9fb. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

"The Official Website of Hip Hop Pioneers the Furious 5." The Furious 5, www.thefurious5.com/. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

Wynn, Ron. "Grandmaster Flash/Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five: On the Strength." AllMusic, www.allmusic.com/album/on-the-strength-mw0000195049. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

Wynn, Ron. "Grandmaster Flash/Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five: The Message." AllMusic, www.allmusic.com/album/the-message-mw0000458035. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.