From 1982 Album: The Message.[Artist info below]...\r
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DJ Grandmaster Flash and his group the Furious Five were hip-hops greatest innovators, transcending the genres party-music origins to explore the full scope of its lyrical and sonic horizons. Flash was born Joseph Saddler in Barbados on January 1, 1958; he began spinning records as teen growing up in the Bronx, performing live at area dances and block parties. By age 19, while attending technical school courses in electronics during the day, he was also spinning on the local disco circuit; over time, he developed a series of groundbreaking techniques including cutting (moving between tracks exactly on the beat), back-spinning (manually turning records to repeat brief snippets of sound), and phasing (manipulating turntable speeds) — in short, creating the basic vocabulary which DJs continue to follow even today.\r
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Flash did not begin collaborating with rappers until around 1977, first teaming with the legendary Kurtis Blow. He then began working with the Furious Five — rappers Melle Mel (Melvin Glover), Cowboy (Keith Wiggins), Kid Creole (Nathaniel Glover), Mr. Ness aka Scorpio (Eddie Morris), and Rahiem (Guy Williams); the group quickly became legendary throughout New York City, attracting notice not only for Flashs unrivalled skills as a DJ but also for the Fives masterful rapping, most notable for their signature trading and blending of lyrics. Despite their local popularity, they did not record until after the Sugarhill Gangs smash Rappers Delight proved the existence of a market for hip-hop releases; after releasing We Rap More Mellow as the Younger Generation, Flash and the Five recorded Superappin for the Enjoy label owned by R&B legend Bobby Robinson. They then switched to Sugar Hill, owned by Sylvia Robinson (no relation), after she promised them an opportunity to rap over a current DJ favorite, Get Up and Dance by Freedom (the idea had probably been originally conceived by Crash Crew for their single High Powered Rap).\r
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That record, 1980s Freedom, the groups Sugar Hill debut, reached the Top 20 on national R&B charts on its way to selling over 50,000 copies; its follow-up, Birthday Party, was also a hit. 1981s The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel was the groups first truly landmark recording, introducing Flashs cutting techniques to create a stunning sound collage from snippets of songs by Chic, Blondie, and Queen. Flash and the Fives next effort, 1982s The Message, was even more revelatory — for the first time, hip-hop became a vehicle not merely for bragging and boasting but for trenchant social commentary, with Melle Mel delivering a blistering rap detailing the grim realities of life in the ghetto. The record was a major critical hit, and it was an enormous step in solidifying rap as an important and enduring form of musical expression.\r
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Following 1983s anti-cocaine polemic White Lines, relations between Flash and Melle Mel turned ugly, and the rapper soon left the group, forming a new unit also dubbed the Furious Five. After a series of Grandmaster Flash solo albums including 1985s They Said It Couldnt Be Done, 1986s The Source, and 1987s Da Bop Boom Bang, he reformed the original Furious Five lineup for a charity concert at Madison Square Garden; soon after, the reconstituted group recorded a new LP, 1988s On the Strength, which earned a lukewarm reception from fans and critics alike. Another reunion followed in 1994, when Flash and the Five joined a rap package tour also including Kurtis Blow and Run-D.M.C. A year later, Flash and Melle Mel also appeared on Duran Durans cover of White Lines. Except for a few compilations during the late 90s, Flash was relatively quiet until 2002, when a pair of mix albums appeared: The Official Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on Strut and Essential Mix: Classic Edition on ffrr. \r
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Updated & Extended Info Here:\r
