It didn't matter that Flash didn't want to release "The Message" or that four of the Furious Five didn't rap on it. Melle had already rapped a whole verse from "The Message" in the middle of "Superrappin'." But "Superrappin'" is an uptempo party song, so it's a weird diversion when Melle starts talking about "you'll grow in the ghetto, living second-rate, and your eyes will sing a song of deep hate." On "Superrappin'," immediately after Melle finishes his story about a young man hanging himself in a jail cell, he goes right into "one two three four five six seven, rap like hell and make it sound like heaven." A song like "Superrappin'" exists as something aspirational, a way to imagine a life beyond the squalor that Melle describes on that verse. In fact, he'd been rapping many of the exact same lines.
Melle Mel had been rapping devastation and desperation for a long time. "The Message" didn't make sense to Flash. Flash was dead-set against releasing "The Message," the song that would become his group's biggest hit and most enduring legacy. Most of the time, he barely even got a say in what his group was doing.
"The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel" is an exceptional record, partly because it captures a master at work and partly because it's the only record of its kind, the sole moment where Flash really got to assert himself in a recording studio. In one testy moment, Sylvia Robinson once told Flash, "In the real world, no one knows you from a can of paint." But at Enjoy, and then at Sugar Hill, Flash was just a name on a record. In the early days of hip-hop, the DJ was king, and the rappers were just there to complement what he was doing. Grandmaster Flash was the man who put the group together, the unquestioned headliner. The band played on almost all the label's records, doing the work that samples would do in later years.
GRANDMASTER FLASH AND THE FURIOUS FIVE LIVE CRACK
Sugar Hill had a crack in-house live band, one capable of replicating the grooves of the funk and disco hits of the day. If I list such a record, it will have to be pretty rare or interesting."Superrappin'" was a local hit in New York, so Sugar Hill Records owners Joe and Sylvia Robinson, flush with cash after the international success of "Rapper's Delight," lured Flash and the Five away from Enjoy and started putting out their singles. Good (G) - Frankly, these records are in pretty rough shape, but are playable. The outer sleeve is often split a few inches or has substantial shelf wear, and it may include writing. The scratches will affect the sound, but not cause skipping. They typically have more prominent hairline scratches that cause appreciable surface noise, and they may have one or two scratches that can be felt with a fingernail. Very Good (VG) - records that get this grade are still quite listenable, but they show signs of wear that dull their shine. The inner sleeve may not be original or may have more prominent splitting. The outer sleeve typically has more prominent shell and ring wear, but is intact with no splits. The label may have minor wear and spindle marks.
GRANDMASTER FLASH AND THE FURIOUS FIVE LIVE PLUS
Very Good Plus (VG+) - Records that get this grade still have much of their shine, but include some scratches and scuffs that are superficial and cannot be felt with a fingernail. As far as I can tell, the inner sleeve is original and has minimal splits in the seams. The sleeve may have minor creases and/or very light shelf wear or factory cutouts. The label is clean and virtually undamaged, with only minor spindle marks. The vinyl is still very shiny and has only a few superficial scuffs. Sleeves with cutouts or punch holes never get this grade.Įxcellent (EX) - This is a record in very, very good shape that was likely played but was handled very carefully. It basically means the record/sleeve looks new and has only the most minor imperfections and shows almost no signs of ever being played. Near Mint (NM) - I use this grade sparingly. Mint (M) - This grade is only applied to sealed records. I grade records according to the following criteria: EX/EX where the first grade is for the disc and the second grade is for the sleeve.
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