Message from Beat Street: The Best of Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel & the Furious Five

by Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel & the Furious 5

Overview

A diplomatically titled Rhino compilation, Message from Beat Street: The Best of Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel & the Furious Five is a no-brainer collection featuring the absolute best of the group's four years on Sugar Hill -- from the national breakout with 1980's "Freedom" to the beginning of the end, Melle Mel & the Furious Five's rap-on-film classic, "Beat Street." Backed by the party-pleasing productions of Joey and Sylvia Robinson plus gorgeous grooves courtesy of the Sugar Hill house band (guitarist Skip McDonald, bassist Doug Wimbish, drummer Keith LeBlanc), Grandmaster Flash and company recorded most of rap's popular classics from the early '80s, providing a crucial bridge from the street-party aesthetic of the late '70s to Run-D.M.C.'s mid-'80s breakout. Rappers Melle Mel, Scorpio, Cowboy, Kid Creole, and Raheem were tied to old school delivery (carefully and slowly phrased), but they did it better than all the others and had the DJ as well as the tracks to match. Flash & the Five also had the most diversity of any other early rap group, encompassing the refreshing Furious Five/Sugarhill Gang collaboration "Showdown" (more a posse track than a battle), a gritty street-level snapshot of modern life (rap's all-time classic "The Message"), and the vocoder paranoia of "Scorpio." Rhino could've done a better job without too much trouble (simply swapping an ineffective new Megamix with the DJ landmark "Adventures on the Wheels of Steel" would go a long way), but Message from Beat Street is still the best introduction to the authors of old school's greatest hits. ~ John Bush

Product Details

Release Date:	04/19/1994
Label:	Rhino
UPC:	0081227160623

Tracks

1. Step Off Megamix
2. Freedom
3. The Birthday Party
4. Showdown
5. It's Nasty (Genius of Love)
6. The Message
7. Scorpio
8. Message II (Survival)
9. New York New York
10. White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)
11. Beat Street

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Grandmaster Flash   Primary Artist,Rap,Vocals
Melle Mel & the Furious 5   Primary Artist
Melle Mel   Primary Artist,Rap
Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five   Primary Artist
Mr. Ness   Primary Artist,Primary Artist,Guest Artist
Duke Bootee   Primary Artist,Guest Artist
The Sugarhill Gang   Primary Artist,Guest Artist
Grandmaster Melle Mel   Primary Artist
Cowboy   Primary Artist,Rap
Guy Todd Williams   Rap
Melvin Glover   Rap
Kid Creole   Rap
Nathaniel Glover   Rap
Keith Wiggins   Rap
Joseph Saddler   Rap
Scorpio   Rap
Raheem   Rap

Technical Credits

Geoff Gans   Art Direction
Kory Ward   Composer
Daniel Hersch   Remastering
E. Morris   Composer
Edward Fletcher   Composer,Lyricist,Producer
Michael Ochs   Archivist,Photography
The Furious Five   Composer
Melvin Glover   Composer,Lyricist
Raymond Boyd   Photography
Reggie Griffin   Composer
Tina Weymouth   Composer
Gordon Skene   Musician
The Sugarhill Gang   Composer
Tom Tom Club   Composer
Guy Williams   Composer
Danny Glover   Composer
Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five   Composer
Grandmaster Flash   Performer,Instrumentation
Grandmaster Melle Mel   Producer,Performer
Ted Myers   Project Director,Project Supervisor
Chris Frantz   Composer
Eric Neff   Project Assistant
David McLees   Producer,Reissue Producer
Leon Huff   Composer
Ray Smith   Composer
Michael Johnson   Composer,Producer
Anthony Jackson   Composer
Jigsaw Productions   Producer
Nathaniel Glover   Composer
Gary Peterson   Research
Sanny X   Mixing,Engineer
Leland Robinson   Arranger,Producer
Sevie Bates   Design
Eddie Morris   Composer
Tyrone Armstrong   Composer
Shannita Williams-Alleyne   Liner Notes,Project Assistant
Clifton Chase   Composer,Lyricist
Larry Johnson   Composer,Producer,Producer
Sylvia Inc. Productions   Producer
Joey Robinson, Jr.   Producer,Reissue Producer
Mr. Ness   Performer
John "Ecstasy" Fletcher   Composer
Jiggs Chase   Composer,Lyricist,Producer
Patrick Milligan   Research
Sylvia Robinson   Composer,Lyricist,Producer
Bill Inglot   Producer
Keith Wiggins   Composer
Kenny Gamble   Composer
Chris Clarke   Remastering
Eric "ET" Thorngren   Composer
Gary Stewart   Project Assistant
Joseph Saddler   Composer
Scorpio   Composer
Melle Mel   Producer