I am loving these little shorts. Props to Ed Piskor!

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

(via)

“Flash’s legendary kitchen routine from Wild Style. Bob James refused to clear the “Mardi Gras” break for later releases, so most, including the retail DVD, feature some limp studio band replaying it and faking scratches. The original mix wasn’t on Youtube so I ripped it from my old VHS bootleg.“

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 4 MC’s – Live At Audubon Ballroom 1978

Peace to Rahiem. (via)

KRS-One touches upon issues similar to the ones he expressed at the Hip-Hop Museum inaugural event. Tell ‘em Teacha!

“Before we can even discuss an institution, let me discuss your welfare first. Have you eaten today? Have you showered today icon? Are you getting your money like you’re supposed to icon? Do you have legal representation? What about health insurance? Before we can even discuss a museum, a college, a hall of fame? While our icons are dying before our faces? This is what the argument is. Only Hip-Hop can build Hip-Hop’s museum. And this is not about icons. If you really feel Hip-Hop in your heart, you are Hip-Hop. But if you really feel Hip-Hop in your heart, then you don’t get your Hip-Hop from a CD. You walk up on Kool Herc and you say “Thank You” and out of your own love, reach in your pocket and hand him something. Honor those who created this whole thing. There has to be a higher level of respect for Flash, Bam and Herc.”

Live in Athens, Greece last month. Video a little choppy but it looks like they were having an extra good time.

Guitar Center Brooklyn is located on 139 Flatbush Ave. Link

Grandmaster Flash Feat. Mr. Cheeks, Grandmaster Caz & Tito – Can I Take You Higher

Peace to K7 & Strut Records

The wait is over. The first major Grandmaster Flash studio album for 20 years has now been completed and is due for release on Flash’s Adrenaline City Entertainment label and Strut Records in Spring 2009. Entitled The Bridge: Concept Of A Culture, the album is the result of two years’ solid writing and recording. “As a DJ, I’ve been blessed to see many different people, places and styles,” Flash explains. “The album title represents all the bridges I’ve crossed worldwide.”

The album features a stellar line-up of guest vocalists and MCs with Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, Q-Tip, KRS-One, Big Daddy Kane among the many contributing tracks and guest verses.

The Bridge: Concept Of A Culture will be released on March 3rd 2008.

Tracklisting:

1. “Welcome”
2. “Shine All Day” (Feat. Q-Tip, Jumz, & Kel Spencer)
3. “We Speak Hip Hop” (Feat. KRS-One, Afasi, Kase-O, Maccho, Abass)
4. “Here Comes My DJ” (Feat. DJ Kool & DJ Demo)
5. “Bounce Back” (Feat. Busta Rhymes)
6. “Swagger” (Feat. Red Café, Snoop Dogg & Lynn Carter)
7. “What If” (Feat. KRS-One)
8. “Unanswered (Interlude)”
9. “Tribute To The Breakdancer” (Feat. MC Supernatural)
10. “Grown & Sexy” (Feat. Mr. Cheeks)
11. “When I Get There” (feat. Big Daddy Kane & Hedonis Da Amazon)
12. Connection (Interlude)
13. “I Got Sumthin’ To Say” (Feat. Lordikim, J-Flo & Almighty Thor)
14. “Can I Take You Higher” (Feat. Mr. Cheeks, Granmaster Caz & Tito)
15. “Unpredictable” (Feat. Syndee & Big Daddy Kane)
16. “Those Chix” (Feat. Byata, Princess Superstar & Hedonis Da Amazon)
17. “Bronx Bombers” (Feat. Lordikim, Almighty Thor & Mann Child)
18. “Zuka The Sound” (Interlude)
19. “Oh Man” (Feat. Syndee & Natacha Atlas)

Not sure why we never threw this up. Lots of great footage and timely interviews with community organizers and artists like Grandmaster Flash, Doug E Fresh, Roxanne Shante, Schoolly D, and more. Major takeaway: Life is fresh, crack is wak. (last seen on Bronx Rap)

update: as Conga points out, it’s dutch

Was reading through the most recent Wired magazine and came across this short excerpt about Grandmaster Flash inventing turntabilism. Although I don’t think that’s the correct term for what he pioneered, I’m always down for classic hip-hop getting press. Link

Turntabilism, 1973
Grandmaster Flash
Hip-Hop Pioneer
Community room of Kool Herc’s building, 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, New York City

The DJs at the time were picking up the arm and dropping it down exactly on the break of the song. But I was dancing, and I noticed everybody’s head was bobbing at the same time, and then suddenly everyone’s heads would go into disarray, and then come back together again. I found this to be very strange. From that moment, I decided to come up with a science that would allow me to have full control to manually edit the beat. I came up with the science called the Quick Mix theory. It consisted of me having to do something that DJs at the time never did: placing my fingertips on the vinyl. I was ridiculed for a long time. I was told that I ruined needles, ruined styluses, ruined records, and also that placing my fingers on the vinyl was something DJs never did because I’d make the record filthy. But I knew that I had to do it to have full control over the vinyl.