GRANDMASTER FLASH AND THE FURIOUS FIVE
randmaster Flash and the Furious Five are the best known of the groups of rap’s first phase. Few groups can boast both one of the all-time greatest DJs (Grandmaster Flash) and one of the all-time greatest MCs (Melle Mel), as well as four other skilled MCs (Cowboy, Kid Creole, Mr. Ness/Scorpio, and Rahiem).
Grandmaster Flash was a DJ prodigy from the South Bronx whose claim to fame in the mid-1970s was being the fastest to mix from break to break, a skill he also helped refine by designing his own mixers.
Realizing, as he puts it, that he “was not going to be an MC” since he was
“totally wack on the mic,” Flash endeavored “to find someone able to put a vocal entertainment on top of this rearrangement of music.” 14 The first MC he enlisted was a gregarious and tough crowd-pleaser named Keith Wiggins, who went by the name Cowboy because of his bowed legs. He was soon followed by Kid Creole and Melle Mel, two brothers whose birth names were Nathaniel and Melvin Glover. Eventually to these three MCs were added Scorpio, a.k.a. Mr. Ness, and Rahiem (who came from the Funky Four)—thus bringing the total of the group to a furious five.
They played everywhere, amassing a major reputation as live performers. The many tapes of their shows suggest how deserved that reputation was. Although they released a 12-inch under the name The Younger Generation, under their own name their first release was
“Superrappin” (1979). Given that the center of the group had always been Flash, the record revealed the kinds of changes that would quickly occur.
Jeff Chang describes how Flash was relegated to the role of spectator, with a house band performing the instrumentals. “For the length of
‘Superrappin,’” he writes, “the tension between what rap was—a live performance medium dominated by the DJ—and what it would become—
a recorded medium dominated by the rappers—is suspended.” 15
Of the group’s MCs, Melle Mel is the acknowledged master. His best effort under Flash’s name is undoubtedly “The Message,” a dystopian series of urban vignettes that remains one of the most affecting raps ever recorded. Under his own name he also recorded widely, with perhaps his best track being “White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It),” the double-negative subtitle of which suggests what an ambivalent antidrug song it is, if it can finally be called “antidrug” at all.
FROM LIVE AT THE AUDUBON BALLROOM (12/23/78) Keep on
Keep on to the break of dawn Like this, y’all, like that
Let the funk machine cause a heart attack ………
Don’t stop
Keep on to the heart drop Fly girls, rock the house Fly kids, rock the house
Let’s rock, y’all, you don’t stop Keep on to the break of dawn Grandmaster’s in the house
Cooling out, turn the motherfucker out Audubon, rock on To the beat, y’all, freak freak December twenty-third Audubon, rock on
December twenty-third Audubon, rock on
December twenty-third Audubon, rock on
To the beat, y’all, freak freak And you don’t stop, you keep on And then you rock to the rhythm of the rhythm of the rock You can rock the hands right off the damn clock You rock to the rhythm, you just don’t quit Because the music is on that be the serious shit ………
He’s the Jimmy Dean of the mean machine Cutting a side with a gangster lean Though his name is not found in the hall of fame He’ll shock and amaze and make you feel ashamed Grandmaster’s number one,
Grandmaster’s number one ………
To the beat that makes you want to freak To the highs that make your nature rise To the sound that makes you want to get down Is a song that makes you want to go on Like hot butter on—say what? The popcorn Females, what you want to do?
Go on, go on, because the beat don’t stop ’til the break of dawn Everybody, are you with me?
To the beat, y’all, freak freak And I’m Melle Mel and I rock so well From the World Trade to the depths of hell I rock with the best with the most
finesse I took the top, I left the rest So rock, y’all, and don’t stop Keep on to the break of dawn
You say Napoleon lost at Waterloo And Custer lost and Lee did too But Flash is a man that can’t be beat Because he never ever heard the word
“defeat”
………
You say unh, I like it You say unh, I love it So what the fuck of it?
To the beat, y’all, it don’t stop You say, sex is good, sex is on If it wasn’t for sex you wouldn’t be born Think about it
…………
One time, two time
Three times for your mind
Kick off your shoes and relax your feet And dance to the rhythm of the sure shot beat ………
He’ll rock you high, he’ll rock you low He’ll tell a sucker-nigger right where to go Rock, rock, y’all, you don’t stop And then you dip dip dive, so-socialize You clean out your ears, you open your eyes You pay at the door as a donation To hear the best sounds in creation
………
Yes, yes, y’all—freak, freak, y’all To the beat, y’all, it don’t stop We’re bona fide, we’re qualified To hypnotize and tranquilize
And transact and double back
So we can keep the wack from off our track ………
You go on and on and on-on and on ’Cause the beat won’t stop ’til everybody’s gone Rock the spot to the crack of dawn Like hot butter on the popcorn …………
And when you rock the hip and when you rock the hop Then you hip-hop and don’t you dare stop FROM SUPERRAPPIN
[All]
It was a party night, everybody was breakin The highs was screamin and the bass was shakin And it won’t be long ’til everybody knowin that Flash was on the beat box goin, that Flash was on the beat box goin, that Flash was on the beat box goin And …
And … And …
And … Sha-na-na
[Melle Mel] Italian, Caucasian, Japanese Spanish, Indian, Negro, Vietnamese MCs, disc jockeys
To all the fly kids and the young ladies Introducing the crew you gotta see to believe We’re [All in succession] one, two, three, four, five [All]
MCs [Mel] I’m Melle Mel and I rock so well [Mr. Ness] And I’m Mr.
Ness because I rocks the best [Rahiem] Rahiem, in all the ladies’
dreams [Cowboy] And I’m Cowboy to make you jump for joy [Kid Creole] I’m Creole—[All] solid gold The Kid Creole, [All] playing the role—[Mel] dig this— [Mel] We’re the Furious Five plus Grandmaster Flash Giving you a blast and sho’ nuf’ class So to prove to you all we’re second to none [All] We’re gonna make five MCs sound like one [Mel]
You gotta dip-dip-dive, [Ness] so-so-socialize [Rahiem] Clean out your ears [Cowboy] and then open your eyes [Creole] And then pay at the door as a donation [All] To hear the best sounds in creation [Mel] He’s a disco dream [Ness] of a mean machine [Rahiem] And when he cuts the sides [Cowboy] you see what we mean [Creole] You see his name is not found in the hall of fame [All] But he’ll shock and amaze and make you feel ashamed [Mel] He’ll mix a lime from a lemon [Ness]
from a lemon to a lime [Rahiem] He cuts the beat [Cowboy] in half the time [Creole] And as sure as three times two is six [All] You say Flash is the king of the quick mix [Mel] We’re five MCs [Ness] and we’re on our own [Rahiem] And we’re the most well-known [Cowboy] on the microphone [Creole] And we throw down hard and we aim to please [All] With finesse to impress all the young ladies [Mel] We got rhymes galore [Ness] and that’s a fact Rahiem] And the satisfaction’s
guaranteed [Cowboy] to cause a heart attack [Creole] We are the best as you can see [All] So eliminate the possibility [Mel] That to be an [All in succession] E-M-C-E-E
[All] Is not a threat to society [Mel] Say, step by step, [All] stride by stride [Mel] I know the fly young ladies would like to ride [Mel] In my
Mercedes, [All] young ladies [Mel] In my Mercedes, [All] young ladies [Mel] If my Mercedes break down and dull my grill Well I [All] drive up in a new Seville [Mel] If my Seville break down I take it all back Well I [All] dull my grill in a new Cadillac [Mel] If my Cadillac break down, it’s just too much Well I [All] shock your mind in a new
Stutz-Stutz Mel] And if my Stutz-Stutz break down I make another choice Well I [All] dull my grill in a new Rolls-Royce Mel] And if my Royce break down I’ll be out in the rain [All in succession] And then forget it, forget it, forget it, forget it, forget it Take the train, take the train, take the train [All]
Can’t, won’t, don’t stop rockin to the rhythm ’Cause I get down, ’cause I get down, ’cause I get down [Kid Creole]
Ladies who don’t know my name And you fellas who don’t know my game Yes, I’m called the Prince of Soul But others call me the Kid Creole The MC delight, young ladies bite When I’m on the mic I rock the house right I’m the dedicated prince, heart of solid gold Rockin to the rhythm while I’m playin the role A cool calm customer, the master plan It takes a sucker’s man to try to jump my hand And the things I do and what I say Affect a lot of people in the strangest way Makes them clap their hands and say “all right”
It’s Creole to the broad daylight Mister Ness, my mellow, what it look like With you on the mic
[Mr. Ness]
Let’s a-rock, y’all, let’s a-rock the house Because the Furious Five are gonna turn it out So young ladies, if you think you heard You heard the best rap, you heard the best word Yes, it’s true that we got the fuss Because it can’t be the best unless it came from us There’s five of us and we take no stuff We comin through the city, we comin through rough We number one—ain’t nothing you can do And if you wanna get down we’ll rock you too So freak for me, y’all, ya don’t stop Come on, come on, and let me see ya rock-rock Cowboy, they say you’re from the Bronx So why don’t you rock the beat and add a little spunk [Cowboy]
Yes, yes, y’all, you don’t stop A-come on fly girls, I wanna hit the top I am the C-O-W-B-O-Y
Why, the man so bad that you can’t deny You better watch your woman
’cause I’ll tell you why ’Cause I’m Cowboy, I might give her a try They call me Keith-Keith, the young ladies’ relief Known as the man of
romance to make you dance Can any of you ladies stand a chance?
I’m Cowboy and I’m shocking the house, you say You say one, two, one more is three And Melle Mel, come on, what you got for me?
[Melle Mel]
To the hip-hop, a hip-hop
A-don’t stop, don’t stop that body rock Just get up out your seat, get ready to clap Because Melle Mel is starting to rap Ever since the top at my very first party I felt I could make myself somebody It was something in my heart from the very start I could see myself at the top of the chart Rapping on the mic, making cold, cold cash With a jock spinnin for me called DJ Flash Signin autographs for the young and old
Wearing big time silver and solid gold My name on the radio and in the magazine My picture on the TV screen
It ain’t like that yet but—huh!—you’ll see I got potential and you will agree I’m comin up and I gotta step above the rest ’Cause I’m using the ladder they call success You say 1-2-3-4-5-6-7
Rap like hell and make it sound like heaven 7-6-4-5-3-2-1 A-come on, Rahiem, come and get some [Rahiem]
Yes, yes, y’all, ya don’t stop—come on Come on—huh—I wanna hit the top I’m a one of a kind, a man supreme I know I’m in all of the ladies’
dreams I’m the R-A-H to the I-E-M
I put a wiggle in your butt if you tell me when I’m the son of a gun with a hell of a fire Fly girls can mess around and take you all higher My clientele climb the great big boost I’ma give it up and turn it loose—
huh!
All you fly girls that don’t know my game Come up and talk to me and we’ll tell you all the same When you wake up in the night in a hell of a dream You know you been possessed by the voice of Rahiem, in all the ladies’ dreams [Melle Mel]
And making more currency than any MC
If your dream will turn to reality ………
THE MESSAGE [Chorus 2x]
It’s like a jungle, sometimes it makes me wonder How I keep from going under
[Melle Mel]
Broken glass everywhere
People pissing on the stairs, you know they just don’t care I can’t take the smell, can’t take the noise Got no money to move out, I guess I got no choice Rats in the front room, roaches in the back Junkies in the alley with a baseball bat I tried to get away but I couldn’t get far ’Cause a man with a tow truck repossessed my car Don’t push me ’cause
I’m close to the edge I’m trying not to Lose my head
Uh-huh-huh-huh-huh [Chorus]
Standing on the front stoop, hanging out the window Watching all the cars go by, roaring as the breezes blow Crazy lady, living in a bag Eating out of garbage cans, used to be a fag hag Says she danced the
tango, skip the light fandango A zircon princess seemed to lost her senses Down at the peep show watching all the creeps So she could tell the stories to the girls back home She went to the city and got so-so-siditty She had to get a pimp, she couldn’t make it on her own Don’t push me ’cause
I’m close to the edge I’m trying not to Lose my head Huh-huh-huh-huh [Chorus 2x]
My brother’s doing bad, stole my mother’s TV
Says she watches too much, it’s just not healthy All My Children in the
daytime, Dallas at night Can’t even see the game or the Sugar Ray fight The bill collectors, they ring my phone And scare my wife when I’m not home Got a bum education, double-digit inflation Can’t take a
train to the job, there’s a strike at the station Neon King Kong standing on my back Can’t stop to turn around, broke my sacroiliac A
mid-range migraine, cancered membrane Sometimes I think I’m going insane, I swear, I might highjack a plane Don’t push me ’cause
I’m close to the edge I’m trying not to Lose my head [Chorus 2x]
My son said, “Daddy, I don’t wanna go to school ’Cause the teacher’s a jerk, he must think I’m a fool And all the kids smoke reefer, I think it’d be cheaper If I just got a job, learned to be a street sweeper Dance to the beat, shuffle my feet Wear a shirt and tie and run with the creeps
’Cause it’s all about money, ain’t a damn thing funny You got to have a con in this land of milk and honey”
They pushed that girl in front of the train Took her to the doctor, sewed her arm on again Stabbed that man right in his heart Gave him a transplant for a brand new start I can’t walk through the park ’cause it’s crazy after dark Keep my hand on my gun ’cause they got me on the run I feel like an outlaw, broke my last glass jaw Hear them say,
“You want some more?” Living on a seesaw Don’t push me ’cause I’m close to the edge
I’m trying not to
Lose my head—say what?
[Chorus 4x]
A child is born with no state of mind Blind to the ways of mankind God is smiling on you but he’s frowning too Because only God knows
what you’ll go through You’ll grow in the ghetto living second rate And your eyes will sing a song of deep hate The places you play and where you stay Looks like one great big alleyway You’ll admire all the number book-takers Thugs, pimps, and pushers and the big money-makers Driving big cars, spending twenties and tens And you wanna grow up to be just like them—huh Smugglers, scramblers, burglars, gamblers Pickpockets, peddlers, even panhandlers You say, “I’m cool, huh, I’m no fool”
But then you wind up dropping out of high school Now you’re
unemployed, all non-void Walking round like you’re Pretty Boy Floyd Turned stickup kid but look what you done did Got sent up for a eight-year bid Now your manhood is took and you’re a Maytag Spend the
next two years as an undercover fag Being used and abused, served like hell ’Til one day you was found hung dead in a cell It was plain to see that your life was lost You was cold and your body swung back and forth But now your eyes sing the sad, sad song Of how you lived so fast and died so young, so Don’t push me ’cause
I’m close to the edge I’m trying not to Lose my head Huh-huh-huh-huh [Chorus 2x]
[All]
Yo, Mel, you see that girl, man?
Yeah, man
—Cowboy!
Yo, that sound like Cowboy, man That’s cool
Yo, what’s up, money Yo
Hey, where’s Creole and Rahiem at, man?
They upstairs cooling out
So, what’s up for tonight, y’all?
Yo, we could go down to the Fever, man Let’s go check out Junebug, man
Hey, yo, you know that girl Betty?
Yeah, man
Her mom’s got robbed, man What?
Not again!
She got hurt bad
When this happen? When this happen?
[Screeching tires—Police enter scene]
Freeze! Don’t nobody move nothing, y’all know what this is! Get ’em up!
What?
Get ’em up!
Man, we down with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five What is that? A gang?
Naw, man!
Look, shut up! I don’t want to hear your mouth Excuse me, officer, officer, what’s the problem?
Ain’t no—you the problem! You the problem!
You ain’t got to push me, man
Get in the car! Get in the car! Get in the godda—I said get in the car!
WHITE LINES (DON’T DON’T DO IT) White lines
Vision dreams of passion Blowin through my mind
And all the while I think of you Pipe cries A very strange reaction
For us to unwind
The more I see the more I do
Something like a phenomenon—Baby Tellin your body to come along But white lines…
Blow away…
Ticket to ride, white line highway Tell all your friends they can go my way Pay your toll, sell your soul Pound for pound, costs more than gold The longer you stay the more you pay My white lines go a long way
Either up your nose or through your vein With nothing to gain except killing your brain [4x]
Freeze!
Rock!
Blow!
High—higher, baby
High—get higher, baby High—get higher, baby And don’t ever come down
—Freebase!
Pipe line
Pure as the driven snow Connected to my mind
And now I’m having fun, baby Pipe cries
It’s getting kind of low
’Cause it makes you feel so nice I need some one-on-one, baby
Don’t let it blow your mind away—Baby And go into your little hideaway
’Cause white lines Blow away…
A million magic crystals
A million magic crystals