On this day in 2007 (March 12), Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five became the first band to be admitted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were the first hip-hop group to do protest rap. They are also one of the most influential groups that have ever been put together. The group from the Bronx, New York, was made up of Grandmaster Flash (real name Joseph Saddler), Melle Mel (Melvin Glover), Kid Creole (Nathaniel Glover), Mr. Ness aka Scorpio (Eddie Morris), Raheim (Guy Williams), and the late Cowboy (Keith Wiggins).
Their thought-provoking 1982 song “The Message” was the first rap song to talk about social issues, at a time when Grandmaster Flash, who doesn’t rap, is thought to have invented the turntable tricks that DJs use in hip-hop music.
Jay-Z gave the induction speech at the ceremony, which took place at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. He talked about how important the group was to hip-hop both musically and culturally. After that, the founding members gave heartfelt speeches and then sang “The Message” with a lot of energy.
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In March 2007, Melle Mel told The Associated Press, “The fact that we’re in the Hall of Fame says a lot.” “People try to put hip-hop music on its own, but it doesn’t work that way. We belong with all the great bands in music history. It makes hip-hop even more acceptable.”
The Rock Hall’s decision to honor Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five made it possible for other rappers to get the same honor. Since then, 10 rap groups have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Run-DMC won in 2009, Beastie Boys in 2012, Public Enemy in 2013, NWA in 2016, Tupac Shakur in 2017, The Notorious B.I.G. in 2020, Jay-Z in 2021, LL Cool J in 2021, and Eminem in 2021. (2022).
The song “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five was saved at the U.S. Library of Congress in January 2003, four years before they were inducted.
