The Sugarhill Gang vs. Grandmaster Flash
The Sugarhill Gang vs. Grandmaster Flash
Maïsman
About The Sugarhill Gang vs. Grandmaster Flash
The Sugarhill Gang: The Sugarhill Gang is an American hip hop and Funk group, known mostly for their biggest hit, "Rapper's Delight", the first hip hop single to become a Top 40 hit. The track uses the bass line from "Good Times" by Chic as its foundation. The members, all from New York City, called themselves Wonder Mike, Big Bank Hank, and Master Gee. They were assembled into a group by producer Sylvia Robinson who also founded Sugar Hill Records along with her husband record mogul Joe Robinson. This pioneering group inaugurated the history of recorded hip-hop with their single "Rapper's Delight", a multi-platinum seller and radio hit in 1979. The group was created to profit on a supposed novelty item. New Jersey-based producer and indie label owner Sylvia Robinson had become aware of the massive hip-hop block parties occurring around the New York City area during the late '70s, so she gathered three locals form her town of Englewood, NJ: Guy O'Brien, who was the original Master Gee; another local rapper, Michael Wright, who called himself Wonder Mike, and non-rapper Big Bank Hank. The vocalists were then teamed up with three session musicians, including future Living Color bassist Doug Wimbish. Together, they recorded all the Sugarhill Gang’s work. "Rapper's Delight" borrowed the main bassline from Chic's "Good Times" and became a worldwide hit, reportedly selling more than eight million copies. For some time, the trio developed a poor reputation within certain social circles: The fact that they were essentially amateurs assembled by Sugar Hill Records upset many hip-hop pioneers who had been paying dues in the street party circuit. According to many, Big Bank Hank’s entire verse on “Delight” was “borrowed” from a notebook of rhymes written by Grandmaster Caz, a local rapper with the Cold Crush Brothers, for whom Hank was the manager. Allegedly, this was done on the promise that he’d help Cold Crush get a record deal. It never happened, and the Cold Crush Brothers were relegated to being a cult phenomenon. Also, Chic’s Nile Rodgers filed a lawsuit for copyright infringement over “Delight” (the first such of legal battles for rap, with many to come); it was settled out of court, leaving Rodgers with a large cut of all future royalties. Despite the embarrassment, the group endured. Grandmaster Flash: Joseph Saddler (born January 1, 1958 in Bridgetown, Barbados), better known as Grandmaster Flash, is a 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 artists so honored. Flash played illegal parties and also worked with rappers such as Kurtis Blow and Lovebug Starski. He formed his own group in the late 1970s, after promptings from Ray Chandler. The initial members were Cowboy (Keith Wiggins), Melle Mel (Melvin Glover) and Kid(d) Creole (Nathaniel Glover) making Grandmaster Flash & the 3 MCs (with Melle Mel being the first rapper ever to call himself an "MC"). 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, also used the name Mr. Ness) to create Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Soon gaining recognition for their skillful raps, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five pioneered MCing, freestyle battles, and invented some of the staple phrases in MCing. The group performed at Disco Fever in the Bronx beginning in 1978. 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.[citation needed] Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five were signed to Bobby Robinson's Enjoy Records and in 1979 released the classic "Superrappin'". They later signed to Sugar Hill Records and released numerous singles, gaining a gold disc for "Freedom," and also toured. The classic "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel," released in 1981 was the best display of Flash's skills (combining elements of Blondie's "Rapture," Michael Viner's Incredible Bongo Band's "Apache," Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" and Chic's "Good Times." It also marked the first time that record scratching had been actually recorded on a record. 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. Other than Melle Mel, no members of the group actually appear on the record. It went platinum in less than a month. In 1983, Flash appeared in the movie "Wild Style" and sued Sugar Hill over the non-payment of royalties. The group split between Flash and Mel before disintegrating entirely. Flash, Kid Creole and Rahiem signed to Elektra Records and continued on as simply "Grandmaster Flash" while Mel and the others continued on as "Grandmaster Melle Mel & the Furious Five." In 1984, Mel released a 12" single, "White Lines," which stole without crediting the bassline to Liquid Liquid's "Cavern" and went on to become one of his signature songs. Although frequently credited on the records, Flash doesn't actually appear on "The Message", "White Lines", or many of the other Furious Five songs (if you don't hear scratching on a track, then Flash isn't on it).[citation needed] Mel notably appeared on Chaka Khan's I Feel for You (winning the first of his three Grammy awards) and both in the movie and on the soundtrack of the film "Beat Street". Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five reformed in 1987 for a charity concert, and in 1988 to release an album that did poorly. Melle Mel closed out the decade by winning two more Grammy awards for his work with Quincy Jones. There was another reunion, of a kind, in 1994, although Cowboy died in 1989. Grandmaster Flash has a clothing line, "G.Phyre", and has signed a deal with Doubleday who will publish his memoirs. He hosts a show on Sirius Satellite Radio & he recently won the BET I Am A Hip Hop Icon award. Melle Mel (now known as Mele Mel) has a clothing line with Sedgwick & Cedar. He released the childrens book/cd/dvd "Portal In The Park" in November 2006 and he released his first ever solo album "Muscles" on January 30, 2007. The first single & music video is "M3 (The New Message)", released on the 25th anniversary of "The Message". Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five was the first hip-hop/rap group ever inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on March 12, 2007 by Jay-Z.
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