Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five

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Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five.jpg
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
Background information
Also known as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5 MC's
The Younger Generation
Flash and the Five
Origin New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres Hip hop, funk, electro
Years active 1978–1982, 1987–1988
Labels Enjoy!, Sugar Hill, Elektra
Associated acts Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious Five
Past members Joseph "Grandmaster Flash" Saddler
Melvin "Melle Mel" Glover
Nathaniel "The Kidd Creole" Glover Jr.
Eddie "Mr. Ness/Scorpio" Morris
Robert Keith "Cowboy" Wiggins (deceased)
Guy "Rahiem" Williams


The group rose to fame in the early 1980s with their first successful single "Freedom" and later on with their magnum opus "The Message", which is often cited as among the most influential hip hop songs. However, in 1983, relations between Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel became strained and the group disbanded. A reunion was organized in 1987, and it released a new album. Afterward, the sextet disbanded permanently.



Formation and early years (1978–1979)[edit]

Prior to the formation of the Furious Five, Grandmaster Flash worked with the "L Brothers" which consisted of "Mean Gene" Livingston, Claudio Livingston and Grand Wizzard Theodore.[2] Flash practiced while Grand Wizard Theodore watched until Flash enabled the much shorter Theodore the opportunity to hone his craft as an aspiring DJ by placing a crate of records in front of the turntables so Theodore could stand on to reach the turntables. However, it wasn't until 1977 that he began collaborating with rappers. Flash then recruited his friend Cowboy, Kidd Creole and Melle Mel. The trio called themselves the Three MC's who are the first emcee group as it relates to rap as we know it today. Cowboy created the term hip hop.[3] [4] [5] He created the term while teasing a friend who had just joined the U.S. Army, by scat singing the words "hip/hop/hip/hop" in a way that mimicked the rhythmic cadence of soldiers marching.[6] [4] Cowboy later worked the "hip hop" cadence into a part of his stage performance.[7] [4] Mel was the first rapper to call himself "MC" (Master of Ceremony). The 3 emcees worked with Flash, who went on to bring in Mr. Ness/Scorpio (Eddie Morris) and Raheim (Guy Williams). After the formation of the Furious 5, Flash also worked with rapper Kurtis Blow doing parties in Queens. During the time Flash worked with Kurtis Blow, it was mainly due to internal disputes with the emcees, so for a short time prior to the formation of the Cold Crush Brothers in 1981, DJ Charlie Chase was the Furious 5's DJ.




In 1980, the group had their Sugarhill Records debut with "Freedom", reaching #19 on the R&B chart and selling over 50,000 copies.[10] The follow-up "Birthday Party" went on to become a hit as well.[10] In 1981 Grandmaster Flash released "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel", This was a multi deck live recording of one of Grandmaster flash's routines featuring, Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" and Chic's "Good Times". It also marked the first time that scratching & turntable trickery had been actually recorded on a record.

In 1982 the group released "The Message," which was produced by Clifton "Jiggs" Chase and Ed "Duke Bootee" Fletcher, the latter of whom co-wrote the song alongside Melle Mel. It provided a political and social commentary and went on to become a driving force behind conscious hip-hop. The song peaked at #4 in the R&B chart and #62 in the pop chart, and established hip-hop's credibility in mainstream music. Other than Melle Mel, however, no members of the group actually appear on the record.

Their debut album was also named The Message, and it went on to become a prominent achievement in the history of hip-hop.[1][8][9]

Breakup (1983–1986)[edit]


The royalties dispute split the group, and Melle Mel left, soon followed by Mr. Ness/Scorpio and Cowboy after "White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)" was a hit, where they formed Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five and released the album Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five in 1984. Meanwhile, Grandmaster Flash, Kidd Creole, and Raheim left for Elektra Records and included to the group three new members "The Lord LaVon" (Kevin L. Dukes - Phenomenal writer, Rapper and Bassist),Russell Wheeler (Rapper - "Mr. Broadway") and "Larry-Love" (Larry Parker - Dancer). They worked under the name "Grandmaster Flash" on They Said It Couldn't Be Done, The Source, and Ba-Dop-Boom-Bang. The additional members The Lord La Von, Larry Love and Mr. Broadway formed the "Furious Five" but they could not use the name as Sugar Hill Records owned the rights.


Reunion and waning popularity (1987–1988)[edit]

The Kidd Creole







It['s] not a question of whether we could get together or not [...] I just don['t] think that we could get a deal. The record company people just don['t] see a market for us.[13]

Legacy and Influence[edit]


They have influenced many musical acts[15] such as The Cold Crush Brothers, Run-D.M.C., Whodini, Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions, KRS-One, EPMD, Stetsasonic, Doug E. Fresh, Salt-n-Pepa, Ultramagnetic MC's, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, Eminem, Pharoahe Monch, Busta Rhymes, DJ Quik, Beastie Boys, Hieroglyphics, Too Short, Wu-tang Clan, Digital Underground, NWA, Tupac Shakur, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Ludacris,[16] Heavy D, among many others. Ice Cube recorded a song titled "Check Yo Self" with Das EFX, the remix of which sampled the music of "The Message."


Studio albums


  3. ^ "Origins of Hip Hop with Busy Bee Starski". 
  6. ^ "Origins of Hip Hop with Busy Bee Starski". 
  7. ^ "Origins of Hip Hop with Busy Bee Starski". 
  10. ^ a b , Grandmaster Flash Biography, iTunes
  12. ^ Vibe, Dec 1994 - Jan 1995, p.73
  13. ^ a b Hartsfeld, Jermaine (2002-02-15). "GRANDMASTER MELLE MEL INTERVIEW". Tha Foundation. Retrieved 2009-07-07. 
  14. ^ Internet Archive Wayback Machine
  15. ^ All Music History
  16. ^ Rap Genius

External links[edit]