Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were a pioneering rap group that emerged in the late 1970s in the Bronx, New York. The group consisted of Grandmaster Flash (Joseph Saddler) on the turntables and five MCs: Melle Mel (Melvin Glover), Kidd Creole (Nathaniel Glover), Raheim (Guy Todd Williams), Cowboy (Keith Wiggins), and Scorpio (Eddie Morris). They were among the first to popularize rap music and helped to establish it as a legitimate genre.
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five began performing together in the mid-1970s, and quickly gained a reputation for their innovative use of turntables and mixing techniques. Flash was known for his skillful use of the turntable as a musical instrument, using it to create new sounds and rhythms by manipulating the records he was playing. The MCs, in turn, used their rhymes and lyrics to tell stories about life in the inner city, addressing issues such as poverty, violence, and social injustice.
In 1979, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five released their debut single, “Superrappin'”, which quickly became a hit in New York City. The following year, they released their first full-length album, “The Message”, which included the title track, a seminal rap classic that tackled issues of poverty, racism, and social inequality. The song became an instant hit, reaching number four on the Billboard R&B chart and establishing Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five as one of the most important groups in hip-hop.
Over the next few years, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five continued to release a series of influential singles and albums, including “Freedom”, “The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel”, and “New York New York”. They also became known for their electrifying live performances, which often included elaborate stage shows and choreographed dances.
However, as the group’s popularity grew, so did tensions within the group. In 1983, Melle Mel left the group to pursue a solo career, and the remaining members continued to record under the name “Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five”. They released several more albums throughout the 1980s, but never achieved the same level of success as their earlier work.
Despite their relatively short career, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five had a profound impact on the development of hip-hop music and culture. They helped to popularize rap music and establish it as a legitimate art form, and their innovative use of turntables and mixing techniques laid the foundation for the DJ culture that would become a hallmark of hip-hop. Their music also tackled important social issues and gave voice to the struggles of inner-city communities, paving the way for future generations of socially conscious hip-hop artists.
