Those that know me know that im a big fan of the original recorded Hip Hop,and that my favorite group from the first recorded era of rap (1979 - 1982) is Grandmaster Flash & the Furious 5. Even though these cats are house hold names , not many people really know who did what in the group , or much of their discography, outside of The Message , Whitelines and maybe Freedom. Ever since I have been on the web (for about 11 years now) , I have tried to educate people about what I call the Original school of Hip Hop , specifically GMF & The F5.Well first let's clear up some commonly misunderstood points. Grandmaster Flash was the Dj. He never rapped. People thank Flash for making the Message, because it changed thier lives and the face of rap. The Message did just that , but the only member of the group to actually perform on the song was Melle Mel. The Message is the song that actually destroyed the group. But let's go back. GMF & The F5 are : Grandmaster Flash - DJ , Melle Mel - MC , Scorpio aka Mr.Ness - MC , Kidd Creole - MC , Keith Cowboy (r.i.p)- MC and Rahiem - MC. Rahiem is actually a very good singer , who made legitimate and official r&b songs with the group and solo.
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On the recordings (Sugar Hill label 1980 - 1983), Flash didn't scratch or perform until 1981s "Adventures On The Wheels Of Steel". He also co - produced "Flash To The Beat". But on Freedom , Birthday Party , Show Down , It's Nasty , The Message , The Message II Survival , White Lines etc. Flash didn't perform. Many times he wasn't even in the studio for the recordings. Flash shined on tour and in concert , but the musical back drop for those recordings was the Sugar Hill Band (Doug Wimbish , Keith Leblanc , Bernard Alexander , Ed Fletcher aka Duke Bootee). Flash also scratched on "It's A Shame" from the Message lp. The voices on the recordings were the Furious 5!The Message had been floating around Sugarhill records for some time. In fact it was a demo that the writer Ed Fletcher aka Duke Bootee created in his mothers New Jersey basement. It had a drum track , and was more spoken word like a Last Poets song. Sylvia Robinson (Sugar Hill records founder) tried to give the track to the Sugar Hill Gang , but they didnt want it. No one did. The Furious 5 hated the track. After several months Sylvia convinced Melle Mel to do the track. Ed Fletcher wrote the hook and all the verses except the last one (a child is born). Sylvia , upon hearing Melle Mel and Ed Fletcher recording the song, suggested that Mel use his last verse from a song called "Super Rappin'" , that the group had recorded for Enjoy Records in 1979. Mel added that last verse and Hip Hop and history were changed. The Furious 5 only performed the arrest skit at the end of the song.
The Message changed the game. It is still revered as the most important rap song ever,and it's hard to argue with that claim. It's in the library of congress along with recordings of Thomas Edison and the first men to land on the moon. It was the perfect record , and told first hand the plight of the Black man in America in 1982. The last verse is eerily prophetic. This record made lots of money , but the Furious 5 did not. Claims were made , law suits filed and the group split a year after the Message. Flash , Kidd Creole and Rahiem left Sugar Hill for Elektra and Melle Mel , Scorpio and Cowboy stayed at Sugarhill. Both factions picked up extra members , but it wasn't
the same.The group has reunited and recorded throughout the years,but that original magic was never rekindled. Regardless GMF & The Furious 5 set the template. The game is prosperous today because of the bricks that they laid 30 years ago. I have embedded a player below with some of thier hits , and some of thier lesser known gems. Listen to the multi part harmonies , the cadence , the splitting of words and trading off. Listen to Rahiems falsetto , Scorps harmonizing , Mels superior word play , Cowboys cadence and Creoles delivery. This is the soundtrack to my youth. Only Earth , Wind & Fire defines my childhood years as profoundly. People throw the word Hip Hop around an awful lot these days. This is what Hip Hop sounds like..... Enjoy...
In 1980 my mom was playing this slow joint called "Let Me Be The Clock". I knew it was Smokey even at 10 years old - this cat has one of the most recognizable voices in music. I have never heard this song on the radio , or really anywhere else except when I play the lp (my moms original joint that I helped myself to). The lp was called "Warm Thoughts" , and Smokey is in pimp mode on the cover. Who else is down with this joint?...it's not even available on cd.
