The Message: The Best of Grandmaster Flash & the Sugarhill Gang [Import]

1. Message - Grandmaster Flash

2. White Lines (Don't Do It) - Grandmaster Flash

3. Step Off - Grandmaster Flash

4. Pump Me Up - Grandmaster Flash

5. Its Nasty (Genius of Love) - Grandmaster Flash

6. Jesse - Grandmaster Flash

7. Message 2 (Survival) - Grandmaster Flash

8. Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel - Grandmaster Flash

9. Rappers Delight - The Sugarhill Gang

10. Eight Wonder - The Sugarhill Gang

11. Hot Hot Summer Day - The Sugarhill Gang

12. Showdown - The Sugarhill Gang

13. Apache - The Sugarhill Gang

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
13 crucial cuts from the birth of Hip Hop available at low price. Including the 3 top 10 Grandmaster Flash hits plus arguably the most important record in hip hop and DJ History 'The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on The Wheels Of Steel.' Although The Sugarhill Gang never achieved the worldwide fame of their label mates, they did have the first proper Rap hit with 'Rappers Delight' (included here). BMG. 2002.

Tracks:

Step Off Megamix - Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious Five
Freedom - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5
The Birthday Party - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
Showdown - The Furious Five Meets The Sugarhill Gang
It's Nasty (Genius Of Love) - Grandmaster Flash & Furious Five
The Message - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
Scorpio - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
Message II (Survival) - Melle Mel & Duke Bootee
New York New York - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
White Lines (Don't Don't Do It) - Grandmaster & Melle Mel
Beat Street - Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious Five

Amazon.com

Is there a rap fan out there who didn't like "The Message"? It took rap in an entirely new direction: while others were content to ride the "Double Dutch Bus" down to the disco, the Furious Five spoke out about social decay. The chorus of "The Message" ("Don't push me, 'cause I'm close to the edge / I'm trying not to lose my head / Sometimes it makes me wonder how I keep from going under") describes the effect of Reaganomics in ways that Dan Rather never could. Of course, Grandmaster Flash and company weren't against partying. In fact, they cut some of the best party tracks in the genre's history ("Freedom," "The Birthday Party"), along with some battle raps ("Step Off," "Showdown") to complete the package. Copyright restrictions probably kept the beat-edit classic "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel" off the track listing. Still, one glaring omission isn't reason enough not to pick this up. --Todd Inoue

Customer Reviews:

GRANDMASTER FLASH & FURIOUS FIVE.......2007-05-17

AN ABSOLUTE MUST FOR RAP OLD SCHOOLER'S. DELIVERY TIMEFRAME IS OUTSTANDING.

Sure-fire Collector's Item.......2007-03-12

I can't imagine a rap fan out there who would argue that Grandmaster Flash & Furious Five were not one of the best of all-time. Recognized as one of the pioneers of rap, particularly for turning rap into mainstream music, Grandmaster Flash should be respected for his work and ability to work with multitude of talents. "The Message" has to be regarded as one of the most popular rap songs of all time, and possibly in any type of music. That hit has been re-made, mixed, and sampled so much that even youngsters that were born after the hit was recorded will recognize the sounds. "Step Off" was also a hit during the break-dance era of the '80's, and many fans found that song more enjoyable than given credit for. Speaking of enjoyable hits, who didn't enjoy "Beat Street" (from the movie Beat Street) back in those days? It has to be regarded as one of the most fun rap songs to memorize, and "New York, New York" is another one that many enjoy rapping themselves. "White Lines" is a hit that many initially had no idea what the meaning of the song was supposed to be, but many figured it out after a while, once drug usage in urban areas of the country became heavily exposed to the mainstream audiences. Original lyrics, street-cred, hip beats/sounds, and strong social messages... Nothing seems to be missing in this compilation. If you like old school, make sure you add this one!

The Beginning of an Era .......2006-07-18

If you consider yourself a hip-hip fan (espically if you listen to most of todays garbage pop fake hip-hop, this is a must that you have this in your collection. Grandmaster Flash was one of the pioneers of hip-hop and even though this collection of songs was taken from the early 80's, it still holds up with its rawness. Its a shame that hip-hop has reached what it is today and the just arent enough hip-hop artist that do it just for the love of the music. Its a cruel world today in the music bizz, as most of the hip-hop artist of today are creations of some billion dollar record company and signs them to be the next MTV music hit. If you want raw, no nonsense hip-hop from the early days before artist cared about being #1 on TRL, this is a great place to start. ENJOY

Grandmaster cuts faster.......2005-11-01

Extraordinary music. Listen to what DJ GM Flash puts together: the grooves are so carefully fashioned and leap out at you time and again. In particular I've never heard a funkier slap bass sound - ever.

And let's talk MCs. Why don't rappers these days attack the mike anymore like these guys did? Are they afraid it's not cool to be energetic? Well no wonder no one dances to rap music anymore. But when you listen to this - the grooves and the punchy vocals - you will definitely move your body.

Only problem is: when you get hold of any other Hip Hop after this you'll be disappointed that the DJs don't cut as fast and clean as this Grandmaster.

The Quintessential 'Best Of' Collection.......2005-06-14

Like many of you, I've only heard "The Message" prior to purchasing this incredible 'best of' collection. As you probably know, Grandmaster Flash and company were recording the most popular rap songs in the early 80s. Most of these songs are stunningly wild and fun party jams. But in 1982, they released "The Message", which is considered to be the first rap song to be pushed from a novelty party jam, to a chilling prophecy, featuring effective social commentary. Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five built a rock solid bridge for Run-D.M.C. to step in, and push their "Message" even further, which eventually brought the hardcore edge to hip-hop. Whether you know it or now, their presence is still felt to this day, since hip-hop hasn't made that drastic of a leap since Run-D.M.C. (that's quite debatable). It also helped that the production was flawlessly perfect. It featured dub, electro, and R&B that was sure to hook nearly every listener of urban radio.

So if you're in the same boat as me, you're probably asking yourself, "Are their any other good songs from Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five?". Well, the answer is yes. This is probably the best single disc best of collection you'll find from these guys. These are long infectious party jams. Many of which include the artillery of a large emcee battle, such as the epic Furious Five / Sugarhill Gang collaboration of "Showdown". A song I didn't think I'd like given the title, "The Birthday Party", actually turned out to be one of my favorites. Although, "It's Nasty (Genius of Love)" would have to be one of the most under-appreciated rap songs of all time. It's got one of the most clever attacks on the compilation, and will surely please any and all hip-hop lovers. They do tackle a bit more social commentary on tracks like "New York New York" and "White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)". The latter features hard hitting lyrics about the dangers of drug use, and probably the most effective lyrics in it's time, given the subject matter. The only knock I have on the album is the first track, "Step Off Megamix". It's merely a "megamix" of their most popular songs thrown into one track (recorded in 1994). It would have been nicer if they would have thrown in a old-school jam up front, or at least put this track at the end, since the original versions shine much brighter throughout the remainder of the album.

Overall, if you're into old-school rap, this is a great listen. It's chalk-full of groundbreaking historical material. If you're at all interested in the evolution of rap, from the pre-Run-D.M.C. days, then you owe it to yourself to check this out. One could only be happier about the completeness of this collection.

The Message: The Best of Grandmaster Flash & the Sugarhill Gang

Average customer rating:

These are Short Edits of Message and Rapper's Delight

The Message: The Best of Grandmaster Flash & the Sugarhill Gang
Grandmaster Flash
Manufacturer: BMG UK & Ireland
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music

East Coast | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

Old School | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

Rap & Hip-Hop | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00006JTC8
Release Date: 2002-10-29

Tracks:

Message - Grandmaster Flash
White Lines (Don't Do It) - Grandmaster Flash
Step Off - Grandmaster Flash
Pump Me Up - Grandmaster Flash
It's Nasty (Genius of Love) - Grandmaster Flash
Jesse - Grandmaster Flash
Message 2 (Survival) - Grandmaster Flash
Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel - Grandmaster Flash
Rapper's Delight - The Sugarhill Gang
Eight Wonder - The Sugarhill Gang
Hot Hot Summer Day - The Sugarhill Gang
Showdown - The Sugarhill Gang
Apache - The Sugarhill Gang

Album Description

13 crucial cuts from the birth of Hip Hop available at low price. Including the 3 top 10 Grandmaster Flash hits plus arguably the most important record in hip hop and DJ History 'The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on The Wheels Of Steel.' Although The Sugarhill Gang never achieved the worldwide fame of their label mates, they did have the first proper Rap hit with 'Rappers Delight' (included here). BMG. 2002.

Album Details

13 Crucial Jams from These Two Pioneering Rap Groups, Including Grandmaster Flash's "The Message", "White Lines", "it's Nasty" and the Ever Important "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel", as Well as Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" and "Apache".

Customer Reviews:

These are Short Edits of Message and Rapper's Delight.......2003-10-17

This is the third album I've got now with a 3:xx minute version of Rapper's Delight, where I'm looking for the original 15:xx minute version. Same for The Message -- a shortened version, not the original. Booooo.