name	Melle Mel
background	solo_singer
birth name	Melvin Glover
alias	Grandmaster Mele MelMele Mel
birth date	May 15, 1961
origin	The Bronx, New York
genre	Native American Rap, Hardcore Rap, East Coast Rap Old School Rap, Funk Rap, Electro Rap
years active	1978–present
label	Enjoy RecordsSugar Hill Records,
associated acts	Grandmaster Flash and the Furious FiveThe Sugarhill Gang
website	grandmastermelemel.com
notable instruments	}}

Grandmaster Mele Mel (born Melvin Glover, May 15, 1961), also known as Melle Mel (), is an American hip-hop musician — one of the pioneers of old school hip hop as lead rapper and main songwriter for Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.

Biography

Melvin Glover was the first rapper to call himself "MC" (Master of Ceremony). Other Furious Five members included his brother The Kidd Creole (Nathaniel Glover), Scorpio (Eddie Morris), Rahiem (Guy Todd Williams) & Cowboy (Keith Wiggins). While a member of the group, Cowboy created the term "hip-hop" while teasing a friend who had just joined the US Army, by scat singing the words "hip/hop/hip/hop" in a way that mimicked the rhythmic cadence of marching soldiers.

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five began recording for Enjoy Records and released "Superrappin'" in 1979. They later moved on to Sugarhill Records and were popular on the R&B; charts with party songs, like "Freedom" and The Birthday Party". They released numerous singles, gaining a gold disc for "Freedom," and also toured. In 1982 Melle Mel began to turn to more socially aware subject matter, in particular the Reagan administration's economic (Reaganomics) and drug policies, and their effect on the black community. A song entitled "The Message" became an instant classic and one of the first glimmers of conscious hip-hop. Mel recorded a rap over session musician Duke Bootee's instrumental track "The Jungle". Some of Mel's lyrics on "The Message" were taken directly from "Supperrappin'". Other than Melle Mel, no members of the Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five actually appear on the record. Bootee also contributed vocals (Rahiem was to later lip-sync Bootee's parts in the music video). "The Message" went platinum in less than a month and went on to become arguably the greatest record in hip-hop history. It was the first hip-hop record ever to be added to the United States National Archive of Historic Recordings. Mel would also go on to write songs about struggling life in New York City ("''New York, New York''"), and making it through life in general ("''Survival (The Message 2)''"). Grandmaster Flash split from the group after contract disputes between Mele Mel and their promoter Sylvia Robinson in regard to royalties for "The Message". When Flash filed a lawsuit against Sugar Hill Records, their label, the factions of The Furious Five parted.

Mel became known as "Grandmaster Melle Mel" and the leader of the Furious Five. The group went on to produce the anti-drug song "White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)" (the unofficial music video starred up-and-coming actor Laurence Fishburne and was directed by then unknown film student Spike Lee). The record was falsely credited to "Grandmaster + Melle Mel" by Sugarhill Records in order to fool the public into thinking Grandmaster Flash had participated on the record. Mel then gained higher success appearing in the movie ''Beat Street'', with a song based on the movie's title. He became the first rap artist ever to win a Grammy award for "Record of the Year" after performing a memorable rap on Chaka Khan's smash hit song "I Feel for You" which introduced hip-hop to the mainstream R&B; audience. Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious Five had further hits with "Step Off", "Pump Me Up", "King of the Streets", "Jesse", and "Vice", the latter being released on the soundtrack to the TV show Miami Vice. "Jesse" was a highly political song which urged people to vote for then presidential candidate Jesse Jackson.

In 1988, after an almost 4 year layoff, Mel and Flash reunited and released the album "''On The Strength''", but with up-and-coming new school artists such as Eric B. & Rakim, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions, and Big Daddy Kane dominating the hip-hop market, the album failed miserably. Mel performed with The King Dream Chorus and Holiday Crew on "King Holiday" aimed at having Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday declared a national holiday. Mel also performed with Artists United Against Apartheid on the anti-apartheid song Sun City aimed at discouraging other artists from performing in South Africa until that government ended its policy of apartheid. Mel ended the decade by winning two more Grammy awards for his work on Quincy Jones "Back On The Block" & "Q - The Autobiography of Quincy Jones" albums.

In 1996, he contributed vocals to the US edition of Cher's hit "One By One". Their version is only available on the maxi CD format.

In 1997, Melle Mel signed to Straight Game Records and released ''Right Now''. This album featured Scorpio from the Furious Five and Rondo. The album barely sold at all in the US and the UK. This album took more of a harder rap style.

In 2001, he released the song "On Lock" with Rondo on the soundtrack of the movie ''Blazin'' under the name Die Hard. Die Hard released an album of the same name in 2002 on 7PRecords.

On November 14, 2006, Mel collaborated with author Cricket Casey and released the children's book "The Portal In The Park", which comes with a bonus CD of his rapped narration. It also features two songs by a then unknown Lady Gaga. The book was re-released in 2010. She performs with Mel on "World Family Tree" and "The Fountain of Truth". Also in 2006, Melle Mel attended professional wrestling school and in 2007 stated in an interview with allhiphop.com that "I'm going to try to take some of John Cena's money and get with WWE and do my thing".

On January 30, 2007, Mel released his first ever solo album, ''Muscles'' The first single and music video was "M3 - The New Message". On March 12, 2007, Melle Mel and The Furious Five (joined by DJ Grandmaster Flash) became the first rap group ever inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In his acceptance speech, Mel implored the recording industry members in attendance to do more to restore Hip Hip to the culture of music and art that it once was, rather than the culture of violence that it has become. He added, "I've never been shot, I've never been arrested, and I've been doing Hip Hop all my life. I can't change things all by myself. We need everybody's help, so let's do it and get this thing done."

On October 10, 2008 Mel appeared on Bronx based culinary adventure show ‘Bronx Flavor’ alongside host Baron Ambrosia. In the episode entitled Night at the Bodega he appears as a spiritual mentor to sway the Baron from his over-indulgent ways and get him on the right path to success.

In April 2011, it was revealed that he would take part in a new Hiphop/Pro Wrestling collaboration, the Urban Wrestling Federation with taping of the first bout "First Blood" taking place in June 2011.

Discography

Albums

1982 ''The Message'' - (with 'Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five')

1984 ''Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five'' (aka ''Work Party'')

1985 ''Stepping Off'' - (as 'grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five')

1988 ''On the Strength'' - (with 'Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five')

1989 ''Piano'' - (as 'Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five')

1997 ''Right Now'' - (As 'Grandmaster Mele-Mel & Scorpio')

2001 ''On Lock'' - (As 'Die Hard')

2006 ''The Portal In The Park'' - (As 'Grandmaster Mele Mel' with appearance by Lady Gaga)

2007 ''Muscles'' - (As 'Grandmaster Mele Mel')

2009 ''Hip Hop Anniversary Europe Tour'' - (As 'Grandmaster Melle Mel')

Singles

1979 ''We Rap More Mellow'' - (As 'The Younger Generation') 1979 ''Flash to the Beat - (As 'Flash and the Furious 5') 1979 ''Supper Rappin''' - (As 'Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five') 1980 ''Freedom'' - (As 'Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five') 1980 ''The Birthday Party'' - (As 'Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five') 1981 ''Showdown'' - (As The Furious Five Meets The Sugarhill Gang) 1981 ''It's Nasty (Genius of Love)'' - (As 'Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five') 1981 ''Scorpio'' - (As 'Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five') 1981 ''The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel'' - (As 'Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five') 1982 ''The Message'' - (As 'Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five') 1982 ''Message II (Survival)'' - (As 'Melle Mel & Duke Bootee') 1983 ''New York New York'' - (As 'Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five') 1983 ''White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)'' - (As 'Grandmaster & Melle Mel' / 'Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five' / 'Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel') 1984 ''Continuous White Lines'' - (Remix - as 'Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five) 1984 ''Jesse'' - (As 'Grandmaster Melle Mel) 1984 ''Beat Street Breakdown'' aka ''Beat Street'' - (As 'Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five') 1984 ''Step Off'' - (As 'Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five') 1984 ''We Don't Work for Free'' - (As 'Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five') 1984 ''World War III'' - (As 'Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five' / 'Grandmaster Melle Mel') 1985 ''King Of the Streets'' - (As 'Grandmaster Melle Mel') 1985 ''Pump Me Up'' - (As 'Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five') 1985 ''Vice'' - (As 'Grandmaster Melle Mel') 1985 ''The Mega-Melle Mix'' - (As 'Melle Mel') 1988 ''Gold'' - (As 'Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five') 1988 ''Magic Carpet Ride'' - (As 'Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five') 1994 ''Sun Don't Shine in the Hood'' - (Split 12" single with ''Da Original'' as 'The Furious Five') 1995 ''The Message '95'' - (Remix - as 'Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five' 1997 ''The Message'' - (Remix - as 'Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five') 1997 ''Mama'' - (As 'Grandmaster Mele-Mel & Scorpio') 1997 ''Mr. Big Stuff'' - (As 'Grandmaster Mele-Mel & Scorpio') 2003 ''Where Ya At?'' - (As 'Melle Mel') 2007 ''M-3'' - (As 'Grandmaster Mele Mel')

2011 ''Markus Schulz Presents Dakota feat. Grandmaster Mele Mel & Scorpio'' - Sleepwalkers

Collaborations

''What's the Matter with Your World?'' - (with Van Silk) 1989 ''What Order'' - (with Keith LeBlanc) 1996

''RSVP'' - (with Nikkole) 2005

In 1986 Melle Mel also made a guest appearance on the songs "MC Story" by MC Chill and Emanon (The Baby Beatbox) and the single "Susie" collaborating with Afrika Bambaataa on "Who do you think your funkin with".

References

External links

Melle Mel Biography

Radio interview with Mele Mel on NPR

http://redlinemusicdistribution.com/2005red/melemeltext.htm Article on ''Muscles'' and discography

Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:African American musicians Category:African American rappers Category:American rappers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five members

ar:ميلي ميل es:Melle Mel fr:Melle Mel it:Melle Mel pt:Melle Mel

Name	Grandmaster Flash
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Joseph Saddler
Birth date	January 01, 1958
Origin	South Bronx, New York
Genre	Hip hop, old school hip hop, funk
Years active	1970–present
Label	Sugar Hill Records, Enjoy Records, Elektra Records
Associated acts	Grandmaster Flash and the Furious FiveThe Sugarhill Gang }}

Joseph Saddler (born January 1, 1958 in Bridgetown, Barbados), better known as King Grandmaster Flash, is an American hip hop musician and DJ—one of the pioneers of hip-hop DJing, cutting, and mixing.

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, becoming the first hip hop/rap artists to be so honored.

Biography

Joseph Saddler's family migrated to the United States from Barbados, in the Caribbean, and he grew up in The Bronx, New York. He attended Samuel Gompers High School, a public vocational school, where he learned how to repair electronic equipment. Saddler's parents played an important role in his interest in music. His parents came from Barbados and his father was a big fan of Caribbean and black American records. As a child, Saddler was fascinated by his father's record collection. In an interview, he reflected: "My father was a very heavy record collector. He still thinks that he has the stronger collection. I used to open his closets and just watch all the records he had. I used to get into trouble for touching his records, but I'd go right back and bother them." Saddler's early interest in DJing came from this fascination with his father's record collection as well as his mother's desire for him to educate himself in electronics. After high school, he became involved in the earliest New York DJ scene, attending parties set up by early luminaries.

He is also a nephew to the late Former Feather Weight Champion of the World Sandy Saddler.

Innovations

Grandmaster Flash carefully studied the DJing styles and techniques of earlier DJs, particularly Pete Jones, Kool Herc, and Grandmaster Flowers. As a teenager, he began experimenting with DJ gear in his bedroom, eventually developing and mastering three innovations that are still considered standard DJing techniques today.

Backspin Technique ("Quick-Mix Theory") a.k.a. Beat Juggling: Early New York party DJs came to understand that short drum breaks were popular with party audiences. Aiming to isolate these breaks and extend them for longer durations, Grandmaster Flash learned that by using duplicate copies of the same record, he could play the break on one record while searching for the same fragment of music on the other (using his headphones). When the break finished on one turntable, he used his mixer to switch quickly to the other turntable, where the same beat was queued up and ready to play. Using the backspin technique, the same short phrase of music could be looped indefinitely.

Punch Phrasing ("Clock Theory"): This technique involved isolating very short segments of music, typically horn hits, and rhythmically punching them over the sustained beat using the mixer.

Scratching: Although the invention of record scratching is generally credited to Grand Wizzard Theodore, Grandmaster Flash perfected the technique and brought it to new audiences. Scratching, along with punch phrasing, exhibited a unique performative aspect of party DJing: instead of passively spinning records, he manipulated them to create new music.

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five

Grandmaster Flash played parties and collaborated with rappers such as Kurtis Blow and Lovebug Starski. In the mid 1970s, he formed his own group. The original lineup consisted of Cowboy (Keith Wiggins), Melle Mel (Melvin Glover) and Kid(d) Creole (Nathaniel Glover), and the ensemble went by the name "Grandmaster Flash & the 3 MCs". Two other rappers briefly joined, but they were replaced more permanently by Rahiem (Guy Todd Williams, previously in the Funky Four) and Scorpio (Eddie Morris, a.k.a. Mr. Ness) to make Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Quickly gaining recognition for their skillful raps, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five pioneered MCing and freestyle battles. Some of the staple phrases in MCing have their origins in the early shows and recordings of the group. In 1977, the new group began performing regularly at Disco Fever in the Bronx, one of the first times a hip-hop group was given a weekly gig at a well-known venue. In fact, it is claimed that Cowboy created the term "Hip hop" 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 marching soldiers.

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were signed to Bobby Robinson's Enjoy Records and in 1979 released their first single, "Superrappin'." The following year they signed to Sugar Hill Records and began touring and releasing numerous singles. The seminal "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel", released in 1981, is a 7-minute solo showcase of Grandmaster Flash's virtuosic turntable skills, combining elements of Blondie's "Rapture," Michael Viner's Incredible Bongo Band's "Apache," Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust," Chic's "Good Times," and the group's own "Freedom." It is also the first documented appearance of record scratching on a record. That year, the group opened for The Clash and were poorly received by an audience unaccustomed to the new style. The group's most significant hit was "The Message" (1982), which was produced by in-house Sugar Hill producer Clifton "Jiggs" Chase and featured session musician Duke Bootee. Unlike earlier rap tunes, "The Message" featured a grim narrative about inner city violence, drugs, and poverty. In 2002, its first year of archival, it was one of 50 recordings chosen by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry, the first hip hop recording ever to receive this honor. Critics praised the song's social awareness, calling the chorus "a slow chant seething with desperation and fury." Other than Melle Mel, however, no members of the group actually appear in the song. Rahiem lip-synced Duke Bootee's vocal in the music video. The same year, Grandmaster Flash appeared in the movie "Wild Style" and sued Sugar Hill over the non-payment of royalties. Tensions mounted as "The Message" gained in popularity, eventually leading to a rupture between Melle Mel and Grandmaster Flash. Soon the group disintegrated entirely. Grandmaster Flash, Kid Creole, and Rahiem left Sugar Hill, signed with Elektra Records, and continued on as simply "Grandmaster Flash", while Melle Mel and the others continued on as "Grandmaster Melle Mel & the Furious Five".

Although frequently credited on the records, Grandmaster Flash doesn't actually appear on "The Message," "Freedom," or many of the other Furious Five songs. Although Grandmaster Flash provided the central element of the group's sound when performing live (in addition to giving the group its name), there was little room for his turntablism in early singles driven by the grooves of live session musicians. Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five reformed in 1987 for a charity concert, and in 1988 they released a new album. The group reunited again in 1994, although Cowboy died in 1989.

Today, Grandmaster Flash is the owner of a clothing line, "G.Phyre." In 2008 he released a memoir, ''The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash: My Life, My Beats''. He hosts a weekly show on Sirius Satellite Radio (Friday Night Fire with Grandmaster Flash) and was presented with the BET "I Am Hip Hop Icon" award in 2006.

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were the first hip-hop/rap group inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on March 12, 2007 by Jay-Z. In 2008, he remixed the single "Into the Galaxy" by the Australian group, Midnight Juggernauts.

It has been said that "his pioneering mixing skills transformed the turntable into a true 'instrument', and his ability to get a crowd moving has made his DJ sets legendary."

Grandmaster Flash appears in the video game DJ Hero as a playable character along with original mixes created for the game.

On his last album, The Bridge, appears the Spanish hip hop group Violadores del Verso.

Grandmaster Flash is currently working on his 12th album, set for release this spring.

Awards

Grammys

2012 Hall of Fame for Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five single “The Message.”

Urban Music Awards

2009, Lifetime Achievement Award

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

2007, Inductee

BET Hip Hop Awards

2006, I Am Hip Hop Icon Award

Discography

Albums

Album information
align="left"	* Released: 1982	* Last RIAA certification: Platinum	The Message (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five song)>The Message", "It's Nasty"
	* Released: 1984	* Last RIAA certification:	* Singles:
	* Released: April 26, 1985	* Chart Positions: #35 Top R&B;/Hip Hop	* Last RIAA certification: Gold	* Singles: "Girls Love The Way He Spins", "Sign Of The Times", "Alternate Groove", "Larry's Dance Theme"
align="left"	* Released: 1986	* Chart positions: #145 US, #27 Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums,	* Last RIAA certification: Gold	* Singles: "Style (Peter Gunn Theme)", "Behind Closed Doors"
	* Released: 1987	* Chart positions: #197 US, #43 Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums	* Last RIAA certification: Gold	* Singles: "U Know What Time It Is", "All Wrapped Up"
	* Released: 1988	* Chart positions: #189 US	* Last RIAA certification: Gold	* Singles: "Gold", "Magic Carpet Ride"
	* Released: 1997	* Chart positions: Did Not Chart	* Last RIAA certification:	* Singles: "Spring Rain"
	* Released: 1998	* Chart Positions: Did Not Chart	* Last RIAA certification:	* Singles:
	* Released: January 29, 2002	* Chart positions: Did Not Chart	* Last RIAA certification:	* Singles:
	* Released: May 7, 2002	* Chart positions: Did Not Chart	* Last RIAA certification:	* Singles:
	* Released: February 24, 2009	* Chart positions:	* U.S. Sales: 2,607	* Last RIAA certification:	* Singles: Swagger feat. Red Cafe, Snoop Dogg & Lynn Carter	* Singles: Shine All Day feat. Q-Tip, Jumz & Kel Spencer

Singles

1979 - Superappin' (Enjoy 6001) Side A - Superappin'; Side B - Superappin' Theme

1980 - Freedom (Sugar Hill SH-549) Side A - vocal; Side B - instrumental

1981 - The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel (Sugar Hill SH-557)

1981 - Scorpio (Sugar Hill SH 118) Side A - vocal; Side B - instrumental

1982 - Flash To The Beat (Sugar Hill SH 574)

1984 - Jesse (Sugar Hill SH 133) Side A - vocal; Side B - instrumental

1984 - We Don't Work For Free (Sugar Hill SH 136) Side A - vocal; Side B - instrumental

1988 - Gold (edit) (Elektra EKR 70)

1996 - If U Wanna Party (feat. Carl Murray) (JAM 1002-8)

References

External links

Grandmaster Flash Official Page

Official website of 2009 album The Bridge

Grandmaster Flash Biography

Grandmaster Cuts Faster

Grandmaster Flash interview from Chaos Control Digizine

Davey D of Hard Knock Radio Interviews Grandmaster Flash

Grandmaster Flash interview on Fresh Air

Grandmaster Flash interview April 2009

Interview

Article

Pop Matters: interview

Brian S Redd Interview

DJ Tutor Interview

Category:1958 births Category:Living people Category:American hip hop record producers Category:Hip hop DJs Category:American people of Barbadian descent Category:Barbadian musicians Category:People from Bridgetown Category:African American rappers Category:Musicians from New York City Category:People from the Bronx Category:Fury Records artists Category:Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five members

da:Grandmaster Flash de:Grandmaster Flash es:Grandmaster Flash fr:Grandmaster Flash it:Grandmaster Flash nl:Grandmaster Flash pl:Grandmaster Flash pt:Grandmaster Flash ru:Грэндмастер Флэш fi:Grandmaster Flash sv:Grandmaster Flash tr:Grandmaster Flash