Grandmaster Flash And The Sugarhill Gang - Grandmaster Flash & The Sugarhill Gang

Advantages: Full-length versions of classics, empowering, intelligent, good natured.
Disadvantages: Old School, dumbed down lyrics occasionally, very rough around the edges

...Hip-Hop culture was born in the Ghetto communities to express the experiences of young blacks living with various oppressions, poverty, police harrasment and the fear of crime. In the best hands Hip-Hop has been a very political and revolutionary music, raising its fist against the establishment and coaxing the downtrodden to raise up and fight the system. For me I decided to review the band who did it before anyone else- before Paris, before Krs-One, before Public Enemy, there was Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, back in the early 80's. Da Band In the early 80's, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were one of the first Rap groups to sign a record deal with SugarHill Records. From the New York ghetto, the Rap group was composed of lead rapper Melle Mel, backing rappers Mr. Ness, Cowboy, Kid Creole, Raheim (who... Read review

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Advantages: Classic Hip Hop
Disadvantages: Long tracks. Songs are off-putting

...Released in 1980, "Sugarhill Gang" is the debut album from the pioneering Hip Hop group The Sugarhill Gang. It came after they introduced the sound of Hip Hop back in 1979 with their #4 single "Rapper's Delight" (the first in this style to go mainstream, but second if you include The Fatback Band's "King Tim III" from the same year). The group however were not the inventors of Hip Hop, and I don't really wish to go into all that, but it's important to note that the foundations of it are in New York, whereas thse are New Jersey natives. 1. "Here I Am" You have to compare this to "Bad News" and "Passion Play" (from later on) as they go for another song, rather than a rap, and here it is a lot more tollerbale than what you hear before, which is reassuring as you wouldn't like it to spoil the whole of the album. However it still isn... Read review

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Advantages: Classic Hip Hop
Disadvantages: Ballards are weak

..."The Message" is the debut EP from one of the legendary Hip Hop group (the first of this genre to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame), Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five. The EP came as a result of the popularity of their single "The Message", which went out a very different message from what Hip Hop was about at the time, 1982. The group consists of Grandmaster Flash, the DJ, and the MCs: Melle Mel, Kid Creole, Cowboy (now deceased), Scorpio and Rahiem, who do all of the vocals for the recording. These were some of the pionners in the genre and created staple phrases which were heard during most Hip Hop tracks of the time, and Cowboy of the group is known for inventing the term 'Hip Hop' after immitating the marching of soldiers in a scat style, and prior o this the genre of music was simply called 'Disco Rap'. Had... Read review

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