The Message

It has some fun synths

Grandmaster Flash and his Furious Five took disco samples, astrofunk, and the spoken word conversational style of the new burgeoning genre of rap and made something interesting and accessible for the masses. Credited as one of the cornerstones of hip-hop, The Message became part of the zeitgeist and changed the landscape of popular music. If it wasn't for a couple of misplaced R&B tracks in the middle of the album it would have garnered a near perfect score. This album is just as American as Dolly's Coat of Many Colors that I reviewed yesterday. The stories are similar but told from different perspectives, showing once again that music is the great equalizer.

Dentro de todo me gustaron las canciones. Fue un buen disco. Me la bajó muchísimo que no estaba en spotify.

This album did not age well. It's a laugh compared to current rap albums. Of course. they did it earlier... not my music.

I'm aware of these guys but only know 1 song ("The Message") on this one and then the "White Lines" song on a different album - and have them both liked on Spotify. "She's Fresh" - this one just didn't grab me. Sounds like a not very good Rick James copy. I did like "It's Nasty" - cool sample from Tom Tom Club. And "Scorpio" was pretty cool with the robotic voice - that seems like it's probably one of the early uses of that vocal technique - but not really sure. Didn't really like "It's a Shame (Mt. Airy Groove)". Wasn't expecting some of these songs. For example, "Dreamin'" is a song imitating and admiring Stevie Wonder. It's not a rap song at all, it's a pretty straightforward, and honestly pretty cheesy, early 80s R&B song. "You Are" is similar and it's a religious song. I guess at the time, rap was still a new style and so they weren't only doing rap songs. I didn't realize that. Spotify had the "expanded edition" of this album and I did end up liking the songs "Message II (Survival)" and "New York, New York" - so I'll treat this as a 9 song album for purposes of scoring it. They were both old school rap songs. These songs would have been better to have been included on the original album instead of "Dreamin'" and "You Are". Liked songs on Spotify: 5/9 Rating: 3/5

Very fun time here, it gets very funky and has such a distinctive groove at the outset and ends very strong with a hit that would go on to appear in many thing I have seen growing up. Seems like they were true pioneers in pushing hop hop into a new direction which is kinda corny for sure, its like being at a school DARE assembly at its worst but comes off as genuine and endearing at its best. Some of the slower tracks lose the momentum but I wouldn't call them bad, just out of place. Overall the style, the funk, the raps, they all become more than the sum of their parts.

surprising. not a lot of the sound choices that i tend to despise on this era of music. fun, dynamic, adventurous. more interesting and gratifying than expected

I like everyone knew the title track, but didn’t know what else to expect- it probably wasn’t this! It’s a bit of a mess really, trying to be several genres at once with varying degrees of success. The funk songs at the start are ok but nothing special, and the Stevie Wonder soul in the middle pretty bad. The quality is in the rap at the end, where The Message is by far and away the best song. There’s some decently interesting commentary on urban decay in New York there, but not enough to recover the album.

Another album that defied my expectations. Rather than hip-hop, I’d say the majority was more funk and soul, with considerably more singing than rapping. The main exceptions were ‘It’s Nasty’, which was all right, and the title track, the album’s only bona fide classic track. I did enjoy some of the others, though. ‘She’s Fresh’ was a fun, upbeat, funky opener, and ‘It’s a Shame’, Stevie Wonder tribute ‘Dreamin’’, and jazzy soul ballad ‘You Are’ were pretty decent too. The other track, ‘Scorpio’ was an interesting (albeit irritating) outlier, a very synth-heavy song with vocoded vocals. Decent 3 stars overall.

Disco trás algumas melodias interessantes com referências de soul music, apesar de ser um álbum de hip hop.

Very nice.

Very interesting to see the beginnings of hip hop, as this album is a 1982 release that clearly has some elements that are 100% hip hop adjacent. The album starts quite strong with the two very funky, groovy and fun songs "She's Fresh" and "It's Nasty", with the second one featuring some actual rapping and both of them having very uplifting trumpets, bass and singing. The following song is "Scorpio", which as far as I can see, it is considered to be the worst of the album, and I have to disagree. Not that it is the best, not at all, but it has a nice bass. Certainly the lack of any melody and the robotic voice can be off-putting, yet I think it isn't really a bad song. Then comes "It's a Shame (Mt. Airy Groove)" a decent song but has a bland beat, a bit of a dull choruses and some mediocre breaks. What I do really like about it is the political criticism and the gentle and indirect praise to communism (" 'Cause to share shows that you care for everybody"). Afterwards are the truly worst songs of the album, "Dreamin'" and "You Are", both of them being slow, romantic and quite corny cuts. At least the first one has the hilarious line "We believe anything that you see", which is funny because the track is an ode to Stevie Wonder. The other one is very basic, boring and has an unnecessary christian messaging. Thankfully, the album ends with two great songs, "The Message" and "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel". The first one is the only pure hip hop song of the album, containing only rapping with very good flows and a simple but groovy beat, making it a highlight of the album. The last one is a nice mix of different songs, creating a nice funky, groovy and fun ending. However, I do have a little problem with the song: there are moments where it sounds muffled, like if it was badly recorded, and I find them to be unpleasant to listen to. Other than that, is a nice track. Overall, I think it is a nice album. It has its very funky, groovy and fun moments, though I am not too crazy about it, considering it has some really low points.

Brilliant.

It's fine. Not perfect, but OK.

some real nice pieces and gotta recognize how influential it was

An important album, but not a particularly good one. Lots of filler.

I thought I was expecting hip hop but I got a lot of soul.

Ah, the 80s.

How many albums have we gotten now that were the ones that changed hip-hop into a serious political genre? It's very clearly a movement multiple artists worked on, instead of one definitive moment changing the game forever. This is in my opinion as an album the one that does this the least though. It's very funky and disco like, it wasn't until the fourth song I started noticing some meaning in the lyrics. Lucky for them I actually quite like this genre of music, however I think they don't excecute it all that well. It's a difficult album to rate, cause there are songs I like and there are songs I really hate, and I think the album suffers a bit too much from the low points. The highs don't compensate enough, in my opinion. The title track is great, but it's also so different from the rest of the record, I don't even understand it.

An interesting journey of an album with some very high highs and some very low lows. The first few songs and ofc the message were really fun to listen too. There were some tracks in the middle that I feel veered off course a bit too far. Still fun experience

'Fresh' and 'the message' absolutely cook. Funky, cool, great delivery and musicianship. This is the origins of hip hop I personally love. Too much of the rest is filler but when good it's great.

Weird album. A couple of 5-star tunes like The Message and It's Nasty and some legitimately bizarre 1-star filler, like the love ballad for Stevie Wonder. This is what happens when a singles band/genre tries to cash in with an LP. I would recommend a singles compilation instead for a better representation of this ground-breaking band, or at least as ground-breaking as a band that applies the Village People framework to building individual personas can be. Side note, about how this music was made: - Like all early rap records, this is a live band pretending to be a DJ scratching out a break beat. The musicians here were a band from Connecticut, and after Sugarhill records' implosion they were recruited by a now-legendary reggae producer, Adrian Sherwood, to move to London and start the still chronically under-appreciated political funk/industrial band, Tackhead. They also powered many other projects for Sherwood's On U Sound record label. These guys deserve all the accolades and then some. Unfortunately, the dummer Keith LeBlanc died in 2024 - let's not let Doug Wimbush or Skip McDonald go unrecognized in their lifetimes. - Grandmaster Flash, being a DJ who was replaced by a band for these recordings, does not appear on this album. I believe there is only one recording from this era that he does appear on - the classic, Smithsonian-worthy single "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash On The Wheels Of Steel."

Although I've known their name for decades, I don't think I've actually heard much before this album by the hallowed Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, except of course the title track. I'm really impressed with how much funk they unleashed on several of the songs--especially "She's fresh", but also the electro-funk of "Scorpio" and the bonus track "The adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the wheels of steel"--which helps makes the *very* dated-sounding rap rhyming patterns a lot more palatable and entertaining, and also nice to get a non-George-Clinton-associated album with great bass lines. About half of the album are duds, mainly the non-rap-oriented ballads "It's a shame", the Stevie-Wonder tribute "Dreamin'", and "You are", but despite that it's an impressively fun and well-produced album.

Love love love it all. Great samples and though it was good then, it sounds even better now after you've heard rap go in a different direction. Love especially the last track where he works the wheels of steel... nice Tom Tom Club and Blondie choices too.

This has gotta be the funniest album I’ve heard in a while. They rap about how men are greedy because money (true), there’s a song about how they dream of meeting Stevie Wonder because he’s the best (also true), and there’s a part in another song about loving your mother. It’s wholesome and wacky. It’s 80s rap at its best.

Not my cup of tee.

This album has more corn than all the Midwest and it’s fuckin’ awesome

Dude this record kicks ass. Grandmaster Flash was a pioneer, and his talent is on full display here. This type of early electronic hip hop is otherworldy. Everything on this album is fantastic. The turntables, drums, mixing, bass, lyrics/vocals, sound quality, like, goddamn. Especially love the bass on "It's a Shame." The whole album just sounds amazing and fresh. Standout tracks are "It's Nasty" "Scorpio" and "The Message." "Dreamin'" was kind of a... weird choice..... they were like "Hey, wait! What if we just paused the whole album to glaze Stevie Wonder for a hot minute?" Kinda brought the album to a screeching halt, but ok. Same with "You Are," it gets weirdly religious and preachy. And it's slow. And I just wanna jammmmm now. These two tracks kill and otherwise really really good album for me. I think The Message is a 9/10 even with those two lame tracks. Gotta go with my heart, I love the rest of it so much it's a 5.

Good

Wow. For a hip-hop fan, I let this album slip by me way too long. Flash bends genres to his will throughout this record - disco, funk, R&B - so much inspiration beget so much more for decades. Fantastic album.

The Message is considered a classic song - deservedly so. But the rest of this album is trash.

I enjoyed this one for the most part.. she’s fresh, it’s nasty, Scorpio and the message is great of course. Different times

In het eerste nummer hóór je de disco in hiphop overgaan. Want daar zijn we beland, de kinderjaren van de hiphop. Het klinkt allemaal aandoenlijk gedateerd, en de sfeer is positief. Vol enthousiasme drukken ze op alle knopjes, verkennen ze vrolijk alle gekkigheid die ze uit kunnen halen. Inclusief geijkte thema's als mooie meiden en maatschappijkritiek. Over gekkigheid gesproken, die ode aan Stevie Wonder, menen ze het nou of nemen ze Zijne Wonderheid in de zeik? Ze hebben er zelfs een ballad op gezet. Maar dan komen we aan de eigenlijke boodschap, in het laatste nummer. Kortom: het is een explosie van creativiteit, en het gaat ergens over. Erg leuk.

De waarde van The message voor de commerciële rap is al erg vaak beschreven. Dan gaat het met name over het titelnummer en It's Nasty. En eerlijk is eerlijk. Deze nummers klinken heerlijk, zijn erg creatief en hebben zeker hun waarde voor de commerciële rap gehad. Gelukkig laat wiki het derde geniale nummer niet volledig onbenoemd. Scorpio is een erg vroege betekenisvolle electroplaat. Ik herken die electro zeker, maar waardeer ook vooral de combinatie met het acid-geluid. Zijn Grandmaster Flash en zijn vrienden trouwens ook begonnen met die zogenaamd gevoelige ballad die zo'n twintig jaar lang verplicht was op elk pop-album? Net als bij al die andere albums, geldt hier: schoenmaker, blijf bij je leest. Dat zou een trendsetter zijn die minpunten oplevert. Ik kan dus niet elk nummer zo sterk waarderen, maar dit album biedt drie baanbrekende nummers, die ik zelf nu nog regelmatig luister en is daarmee vijf sterren waard.

Ik hoor hier in track 2 Mc Miker G en DJ Sven in. Dat moest ik dus wel even opzoeken en dat valt niet mee als je dat soort generieke namen net niet goed spelt, net als die track "Holiday Rap". Verder varieert het nog best wel, te beginnen met een funky disconummer, dan de Holiday Rap en vervolgens een Kraftwerkiaanse elektrotrack. Dat had ik toch niet helemaal verwacht. Tot zover vermaak ik me nog. Vervolgens komen er 3 smartlappen, die ze echt beter weg hadden kunnen laten. Dreamin is een ode aan Stevie Wonder, maar dat hadden ze toch beter Stevie zelf kunnen laten doen. Het is dat het dan eindigt met the Message, waar het allemaal om draait. Dat is een grondlegger of voorloper zeggen ze altijd. Daar hebben we nu al die rap aan te danken, en bedankt. Ik zou er bijna minpunten voor geven, maar dat heb ik al voor dat verschrikkelijke middenstuk gegeven. En the Message is toch wel iconisch, met zijn vrolijke mix van elektronika, funk en rap. Ik hou het op een iconische 3 uiteindelijk.

Kjennskap: 20% Artig nok, men helt greit at hiphop'en har utviklet seg.

Cerramos la semana con hip hop, un clásico de éste libro. Nuevamente, unos desconocidos para mí. Tuve que buscar el disco en YouTube porque por copyright está incompleto en Spotify y eso me agradó. Respecto al álbum, comienza bien arriba, algo disco, algo Prince. Gran disco para cerrar semana completa. Gracias y hasta el martes

Crazy that I've never heard this in full. Of course I had heard the hits before - "The Message", "She's Fresh", "It's Nasty", but I'm ashamed that I never realized that they were from Grandmaster Flash. Or were they? What I didn't expect was the story behind the album being more interesting than the album itself. Sorry if this will be long, but I found it to be very interesting! First things first, this group considered themselves to be more DJs than rappers. Back in 1978, Flash was in charge of the beats, and Scorpio, Melle Mel, and Kidd Creole did the breakdancing as hip-hop was being formulated in the Bronx (Melle Mel and Kidd Creole were the first rappers to call themselves "MCs", no joke). That eventually evolved into the Furious Five as they brought on Cowboy and Rahiem to the ensemble. More importantly, as others have pointed out, there's SEVEN guys on the cover, not six. It's been an adventure attempting to identify everyone (there's NO information online and not even on the sleeve), and thanks to AI and me double checking, it appears that, from right to left, it's: Melle Mel, Scorpio, Grandmaster Flash, Rahiem, Cowboy, Kidd Creole, and Duke Bootee. (If anyone that was in the group or worked with them is reading this, please let us know if this is right!!) Except that, Duke Bootee wasn't part of the Furious Five and yet, he wrote the biggest hit off of this album, "The Message" (Melle Mel was also a part of the sessions, albeit unenthusiastically). Flash himself had no involvement in writing this song. Confused yet?? This is apparently because Sylvia Robinson, the label boss at Sugar Hill at time, produced this song and decided to use Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's debut album to promote it, believing it would increase sales. This story unfortunately didn't end well, as it made it complicated payment-wise - with the group (as well as other artists) eventually suing Sugar Hill for unpaid royalties and receiving a settlement only 40 years later. They also claim that it soured their work from the very beginning, leading to the group's early demise. More info on this can be found here, which totally worth reading: https://damienlove.com/writing/rap-moves-on-the-making-of-the-message-by-grandmaster-flash-and-the-furious-five-an-oral-history/ Now, onto the album. Love the production! The Quick Mix Theory that Grandmaster Flash developed at the time changed everything, turning turntablism into a craft that could be perfected, allowing sampling to become a standard in what would become modern hip-hop, as well as electronic, dub, acid-house, and experimental music. In addition to perfecting lots of turntablism techniques (such as scratching), can you believe that he also invented the turntable slipmat?? So awesome. I enjoy the different voices on the album, and the themes are positive and fun. "Genius of Love" is on this list yet again! "The Message" is what sells this record, ironically - it still rings true today about the problems and struggles of society, and that it is all of our responsibility in the end to keep it from falling apart. In the words of Melle Mel: "It resonated. We were six young guys from the ghetto, and people were, like, “Uh-huh, this is the struggle of the oppressed from the inner cities…” Well, OK, that’s one side. But this could have been *anybody’s* song. That’s what worked." However, "Dreamin'" and "You Are" pretty much suck, as much as I enjoy cheesy R&B ballads from time to time. So, what are they doing here, when the rest of the music pretty much changed popular music as we know it? Who the hell knows. If those two were cut out, it would be a perfect 5, but it'll have to be 3.5 if looking at the album as a whole, as the hits really hit hard.

A good time.

Excellent early hip hop with some strong funk influences.

Album seemed all over the place, a little jarring. Some parts were great, others felt like they discovered the presets of a Casio keyboard. Scorpio sounds very dated. Rating: 6/10 Favorite Song: Dreamin

It def had a lot of positives, loved the funk and both vocal and instrumental performances but the lyrics lost me, super dated, almost felt like it was made for kids

This album was fantastic and obviously had a ton of influence on hip hop and rap. Borderline 5 star.

Oh mercy. This is the standard for "old school hip-hop. It tackled the urban issues head-on while having some of the strongest beats of the day. Also, The Message remains the standard for conscious rap and opened the door for generations of future talent.

ПРЫГАЙ ЕСЛИ ЛЮБИШЬ СВОЮ МАМУ

This was on 5 star track early fun, so fun and infectious. Dipped down when it got slower in the second half but still great overall. 8/10

Some great songs from these legends but the love songs to stevie wonder and god seriously drag it down

This is such a mixed bag. Glad it’s here. But it sure is clunky and uneven. It’s good moments are so good. But yeah. 3 Boolean: True

Yes the Message is an epic track but this album is not epic. It doesn't hold up - lots of average sounding filler 2.5

This is an evening street party, and it's all-consuming. As the daylight dims, you don't know where to look, and your head is on a swivel, trying to keep up with the overstimulation. In front of you, someone is dancing; to the left, there's a group erupting with laughter; behind you, a car blasts its horn; to the right, there's an altercation. You don't know where to place your attention. It's chaos, but in the best kind of way...the question is how to release all of the pent-up energy pouring into you from all directions.

Ace Atkins returns...as mentioned previously Ace Atkins moved to my Atlanta suburb from Houston in 1983. He brought swagger, a piece of cardboard and a cassette tape of Grandmaster Flash to the my Dickerson Middle School 7th grade class. Several months later a dozen boys were spinning on their heads and the first shot of hip hop had hit out little hamlet. I have no idea of anything Ace ever said was true. But the way he said it was really key and who were we to argue. As far as this album goes - I wouldn't call it fresh but because there are real instruments it feels more akin to PFunk than some rap that would come in the next few years. Drop that ballads (30% of the album) and you have undisturbed greatness. As it is it still makes me want to spin on my head.

Pretty cool, nothing more, nothing less

With all due respect to these guys' place in history, this album is a mess. She's Fresh is interesting and the Message is a landmark. But between those two is a long line of cringe-inducing nonsense.

It's starting to show it's age, which is fine, so am I. It's clear they're big fans of Stevie, which is fine, so am I.

Some hip-hop classics here 3.5+

Better than I expected for one of these groundbreaking very dated hip hop albums - it holds up more than some of the much more stripped back early boombox stuff - the full sounding disco/RnB beats give it a compelling dynamism and groove, a big party feel, so the verses are just icing on the cake. The Stevie Wonder song and You Are are shockingly bad though - pure syrupy pap and awful crooning. The spacey synth riff on the Message makes up for it though.

What a strange album. It's contains one of the worst songs I've ever heard (The Stevie Wonder luv in) and one of the greatest rap songs of all time. Was going to give it 2 stars but because it contains The Message I'll add an extra star

scorpio is weird and fun, the message, and the adventures of grandmaster flash are divine but the rest was not for mee

Rate: 7.5/10.

Good early rap and electronica, both of which shine. There is, however, some very non-furious gospel that feels weirdly out of place and brings the rating down. “Dreamin’” and “You Are” are both such bad songs that it makes it impossible to rate this any higher.

like a lot of folks, the only track off this album i'd heard before was "the message" itself, so i was a little concerned going into this that it'd be 7 tracks of the same. but instead i was surprised at how much the rest of the album isn't actually like that at all? or at least, in terms of the beats generally being much more interesting. i think overall the title track is still the strongest, especially in terms of its themes and lyricism, but it's hard to deny the instrumental on it gets repetitive given it's 7 minutes long and all. despite only being 7 tracks, there's a lot of variety both in style and quality. on one hand there's tracks like "dreamin'", which is honestly a pretty solid r&b number even if it does feel just as likely to be a parody of stevie wonder as a tribute to him, and "scorpio", which feels like it locked onto the electro sound much harder than anything else here and really fuckin nailed it. but on the other, there's tracks like "it's a shame", with lyrics so blunt they almost feel like a joke? like if it had been made a decade later i'd assume they were taking the piss for sure, but for an early 80s release it's kinda hard to tell... even at its worst tho, i gotta concede that i was still enjoying listening to this album. idk if it's the corniness of it in those moments, the instrumentals carrying it, or even just the novelty of such early hip hop, maybe it's all three, but it really is a fun listen. that's enough to just barely eke out a 4 for me, i think.

7 o 7.5/10. los temas prendidos están buenos, los temas pajeros no tanto.

Grappig om te horen hoe hier de funk aan het blenden is met hiphop. Het is pionieren. Dat geeft ze bijzonder plekje in de geschiedenisboeken, maar als een opzichzelfstaand album vind ik het niet zo sterk. 6/10 Highlights The Message (uiteraard, classic)

gostei desse, é funkyyy

hoooly shit grandmaster isch funky??? what. uuuultra fönky?? okay sie sind scho e 80er rap posse aber sie sind für das eaaasy guet am flowe und d beats sind huuuere geil. hets samples?? ahaaa s isch de bassist vo living color. i see. de cha öpis. aaah ich kenn the message! aso de beat. he huere cool für 80er hiphop. knapp amne vieri verbii.

she's fresh macht recht spass und me wett tanze aber s lied gaht VILL Z LANG scorpion isch megaa funny hahaha dreamin' gaht nur um de stevie wonder AHAAA DAS ISCH THE MESSAGE jaa bangerbeat omg funkier als ich denkt hett! für es 4i han ich aber z wenig chönne connecte iwie?

There are a few songs in this album that are incredibly influential but we all know that. I’m not gonna rehash the influence that had on rap and hip-hop yet to come.

Fun, definitely fresh!

old school, tällaisesta se kaikki lähti, tästä on paljon kiittäminen. yllättävän melodista meininkiä

Obviously a foundational album in rap, from a group I was generally aware of but wouldn't have been able to tell you if I knew any of the music. Not something I would generally have sought out, but I enjoyed quite a bit.

What a wild mixed bag of an album. It starts very strong with two funky, groovy, and catchy songs. Then "Scropio" is a bit experimental that doesn't click for me. There's a bit of a recovery with "Its a Shame." Then we get to the ballads. "Dreamin" is supposed to be an ode to Stevie Wonder but feels more like "notice me Senpai!" Than anything else. "You Are" is weirdly preachy which turned me off of the track. The album ends with "The Message" which is an all timer despite a few uses of the F-slur. The final track is an instrumental that I could take or leave. All in all an inconsistent album with some bangers and some complete misses. 3/5

Shockingly good for 1982 hip-hop. I guess the cheat is that most of the album is basically just pretty fun funk. But The Message basically just works today - not even in a "people used to like this" way. A couple real stinkers in the middle though - like the weird love song to Stevie Wonder.

A whole song about Stevie wonder??? Sold!

Super interesting album, mainly because it seems to have almost no knowledge of hip-hop formalisms except in the ur- sense, so half of it sounds like something you'd hear from a musical guest on Sesame Street. It's just a couple of talented guys throwing shit at the wall and some of it has stuck for years and some of it missed hard and some of it became something else entirely. I find myself impressed with some things (great sample choices, high maintained energy), cringing at others (Dreamin', You Are) and laughing and shaking my head at some (corny flow that's been parodied so many times it sounds like a parody, some child-like rhymes, "Do you love your mother?") but overall, this has a deserved reputation. It's not the greatest, but it's good and enjoyable and a nice piece of history. And really, dated though it is, The Message holds up.

Not terrible. This music doesn't make my regular rotation though

A classic, and one of the last CDs I was given by my parents (still alive, they just don’t buy me CDs anymore). Excellent samples. Favourite track: The Message

Сомнительно..

old hiphop hits differently…

Groovy beats, yo

Half the album isn't rap, the stuff that is is ok, a bit cheesy though. Just give me public enemy any day of the week over this

Everything said about the groundbreaking title track is accurate - it's the gold standard of early hip-hop, both for its sonic intensity and its social consciousness. Understandably, nothing else here is quite up to that level. But other than the out-of-place inclusion of two ersatz Stevie Wonder tunes (one of which actually shouts out Stevie) - presumably for the purpose of insulating the group against criticism that they aren't "real" musicians - the rest of this package is also strong. The first three tracks feel like the next logical evolution of disco - "It's a Shame (Mt. Airy Groove)" is basically a stripped-down Chic track, while "It's Nasty" iterates from "Genius of Love" into something rawer and more immediate. And "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheel of Steel" is an important step forward for turntablists. For what was by all accounts a cobbled-together collection of singles, this works extraordinarily well.

I know it’s cool and influential as hell but it sounds so outdated.

Even though The Message is the standout track here, and even though some of the material borders on the cornimess of the usual Sylvia Robinson productions, it nevertheless works as an album. Helped greatly by the fantastic music amd production of Duke Bootee, the Furious Five's raps still sound fresh and relevamt today.

Very good, groundbreaking, entertaining, meaningful.

Okay. Fine.

5 stars

Remiends me of gta sa

Quelques riffs et samples sympas, mais souvent les chansons sont trop longues Ahhh c’est ça the message ! Cool Le côté long des chansons peut aussi avoir un intérêt, c’est assez perturbant car ça change mais c’est assez entêtant finalement. Les paroles sont intéressantes aussi, c’est cheesy mais pas abusément pour l’époque TAOGMF : trop généreux en samples 7/10

How has no one ever mentioned the slow jamzz? What a weird halfway point that was. The rest is great, though, and I really feel like this sound could handle a comeback about now.

Pretty corny overall. I tend to like old school rap, but this is pretty lame in places.

While I can't say I particularly enjoyed this, I still thought it was cool to hear an album from so early on in hip hop history. Even late 80s hip hop for me is pretty hit or miss at the best of times, so something from 1982, I'll be honest I didn't even know that full hip hop albums went back that far. This is cheesy as hell, but I feel like it's allowed to be. It definitely hasn't aged super well because of how cheesy it is, but being so early on in the genre, how were they to know what this would sound like over 40 years later? It's clear how much fun was being had while making this, and I appreciate that. It's just a shame how hearing it now it just feels more annoying than anything, because this well and truly is one of the first to do it.

second song sounds like wham rap, интересный выбор вокала для песни Scorpio

Proof that great music can tell a story that stays relevant no matter how much time passes.

legendary

cómo álbum un poco flojito

I can understand the importance of these early hip hop albums and, in short doses, I find them quite good fun. It's not something I can listen to regularly though without starting to get bored.

#988. I don't really like most of this, but let's be honest, *this* is exactly what this list is supposed to be, not Scritti Politti and Brian Eno. 3/5: decent

Rated a 4 because of the creation of some iconic beats on some of these songs that are sued over and over again. That, in combination with the historical and political influence of this album makes it a 4.

niggas on da beat

Gear: Aür Audio Aurora Artwork: 😎📻🏙️ Production: 😌👂🧈 Music: 🔥💯🤔 Rating: ✉️✉️✉️/5

A highly significant album that goes on to influence a whole music genre. I enjoyed listening to this a whole lot more than some of the other later hip/hop and rap albums that are on this list. The Message is still bloody brilliant isn’t it.

Für Hip Hop noch ok, aber definitiv nicht mein Genre. 2/5

Terrible 80s hip-hop/rap

Funky beats that say let loose and have fun, with lyrics that say everything's fucked. I'm grooving somberly

All over the place... lökigt.. väldigt långa låtar.. Men det är grunden till mycket annat bra

The OG Hip Hop😌 Thoroughly convinced that everyone has at least heard 1 song or jingle in their lives that was influenced by Grandmaster Flash

feels like i just stumbled upon ancient artifacts. Either a high 3 or a low 4.

boreng

Nice to listen to the songs that get sampled. I love my mother!

Banging sample for track 2. Enjoyed but didn’t go crazyyyy for the title track’s reimagining of subterranean homesick blues

Not my thing

Very mixed. The message is fantastic, of course.

The middle dips a bit but good overall!

Would be a cool brawl star background music. Not bad.

Solid songs, some definite hits as far as beats go. All in all, enjoyable and super fun

Having a track list that includes one of the most influential rap songs of all time might be the main reason this album made the cut, but damn is it iconic. I loved how different this album is from modern rap releases, really has a bit of everything in it. Some parts aged like milk, other parts have been sampled and used for forty years, there really is no in between, besides my rating.

Cool beats and some notable samples.

The non-rap tracks were nice, but the rap songs were so corny.

Seminal rap album, from the era when I could more happily listen to it. It is never going to be my favourite but pretty good.

This album is a better artifact than it is an album. It’s a pivotal moment in hip hop history. Caught between disco and some new form of R&B it paved the way for hip hop but it sound very dated and the rhymes aren’t great. It should be appreciated for what it is but I will very likely never listen to this again.

Просто хороший діско реп. Єдина проблема це пісні з 4-ої по 7-му - на них альбом просідає. А так норм. Оцінка: висока 6/низька 7

She's Fresh - 3/5 It's Nasty - 4/5 Scorpio - 1/5 It's a Shame - 3/5 Dreamin - 2/5 You Are - 2/5 The Message - 5/5 Average score: 2.9/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ interesting blend of hip-hop and funk, although for an album showcasing rap, i would've expected more rapping (this is actually more of a funk/disco album than anything else). i think the album is sort of hit-or-miss and not very cohesive at times overall, as corny as this sounds lyrically by today's standards, i can respect the fact that these guys are the pioneers of rap as we know it. The Message holds up fairly well today at least

The title track of this album was the rolling stone record of the year and was pretty much the first of its kind in terms of rap being used to articulate social issues. However this album is not just a rap album - in addition to using extensive samples of 'Genius of love' (Tom tom club) and 'It's a shame' (Spinners / Stevie W & Syreeta) we have some vocal solo numbers (one appears to be an ode to Stevie Wonder). I must confess to liking more aspects of this album than I expected.

Had some okay moments. But I’m not really a huge fan of that really electronic sounding early 80s hip hop. Liked “The Message”.

Juste pour LA chanson.

Production still sharp, fresh and exciting, even if dated. Block party rockers.

Very fun and refreshing. I enjoyed it.

3/5

This was not good for me. I'm not much of a fan of early rap and this album was no exception. The message is a good track, but there're quite a few songs in the middle of the album that I never want to hear again.

The last two songs are both absolute legends. The rest is... fine.

This was the variation i needed. Great instrumentals in a gerne i wouldnt check normally. Amazing discovery. Almost a 5/5 its so close but a little too dated.

Corny AF but enjoyable. One of the grandfathers of rap. Many of the samples used are laced with funk and disco which give it some much needed spice. The lyricism is pretty mediocre, but Flash at least tries to talk about important topics in an easily understandable way. The simple lyrics and rhyming schemes make sense for the time as rappers used to be hypemen at parties. A few songs I will revisit, or atleast look up the sample off. On this list with good reason, but very dated. 7.5/10

This album cannot be described any other way than just fun. The combination of disco, funk and (proto) rap fits really well. It feels like a party from start to finish.

Some song are really groovy, but there's also a lot of shithop

iconique 3/5

An incredibly eclectic mixture that sounds like it’s dated, futuristic and everything in between. I really did enjoy this trounce through hip hop history. Very fun, with some detours for odd Stevie wonder impressions and cutting commentary on the world at the time.

Catchy, easy listening. Fun! 3.5 rounded down to 3.

So much fun

Hugely important but I wasn't expecting the middle stretch to be loads of cheesy crooned ballads. The hip hop tracks are good and the title track is what we are really here for. Respect for importance, but as a record it has issues.

++: She's Fresh, It's a Shame (Mt. Airy Groove), Dreamin', You Are, The Message +: It's Nasty, Scorpio 8,8/10

A good slice of old school hip hop. The opening four tracks are great climaxing with the irresistible’It’s a Shame’. But then ‘Dreamin’ and ‘ You Are’ take us down a very different road and not one i enjoyed before the stonewall classic ‘The Message’ steadies the ship. For the main it felt like this album was a 4/5, but 2 duff tracks out of 7 mean this cant be anything above a 3

The godfathers of hip-hop for a reason, this is a solid album. Incredible samples from such a vast array of artists, when the concept was still a novelty. It was sharp and concise, and didn’t need to be full of interludes or anything else to beef it up. “The Message” is obviously the standout, and nothing really tops that. “Scorpio” is awful, and I could’ve probably done without the ode to Stevie Wonder (as much as I love him), but the rest I thought were decent.

Fresh: brilliantly funky bass, some brass stabs and the word "fresh" said about 80 times. It's Nasty (Genius of Love): so quickly into a sample that makes me want to sing a completely different thing (Mariah Carey). Kazoos!! Scorpio: the robots are taking over. I thought this track was essentially pointless. It's A Shame: more sampling problems for my brain where I don't think of the original, or Grandmaster Flash (this time it's Monie Love). I liked the lyrical content and whoever was doing the response part of the singing. There was too much scratching for my tastes. Dreamin': weird. Feels like it should be on a completely different album. Enough that it made me do a double take. You Are: boring. The Message: clearly the standout, great fun and, once again a great bass line. Don't. Push. Me. Cos. I'm. Close. To. The. Edddddge! 3/5

The sound is very dated, but the music is timeless. A lot of tracks from this era are almost comical, but this album is still a good listen today.

Very indicative of 80s hip hop, must be very influential on run DMC, very similar rapping styles. Feels like a transitional album and a sound still finding it's feet but I thought it was a lot of fun. The beats are great but not much to glean from the lyrics apart from a general vibe. Not going to become a favourite but wouldn't mind a track or two every now and again. 3.5.

It's all about The Message man, the rest is window dressing. Supreme funky samples, dub-like, gets quite dark at times. Brought me right back to Grand Theft Auto Vice City, the video game that made me want to visit Miami. I have done since - twice. The first time was in 2012, I was 22, and had a great time at the clubs. Quite overwhelming for my relatively sheltered mind. The second time was earlier this year, for work. I almost missed my connection (I did - but the plane was delayed so I made it, even though they then told me they'd got rid of my seat). My luggage went missing and reappeared on the day I was due to fly home. I wore surfwear the first day, as there were no other clothes shops open. The weather was abysmal for Miami, raining and chilly. The food was, without exception, dreadful. I had to swap hotel rooms at one point because of a party next door. The album is fine, but only The Message is worth a re-listen.

This included much more kinda soul than I was expecting from Grandmaster flash. Definitely wasn't sold on that stuff, nor was I sold on the robotic voice type thing going on in a couple of tracks. But, there are some really good tracks, that certainly were influential on hip hop l. The message is clearly iconic, I liked new York, new York too. I'm going to say 3

interesting how disco and funk heavy this is

Some classics on here and great bass on the first track but a lot of the album was inessential

Great stuff and obviously influenced a lot of later rap.

disappointement ngl

Outstanding pioneers.

A great listen and a special document of a time and place. I can understand why hip hop fans hear this as undeveloped (or just plain uncool), these were artists at the cutting edge still figuring out what a "hip hop album" would sound like. But I kinda love its rawness. It's nice to hear how hip hop grew out of, and overlapped with, funk, r&b, disco, rock, electro, and other styles. Also, much respect to the musicians who made this record (people like Reggie Griffin) who are the behind-the-scenes pioneers of hip hop music.

Only five songs available on Spotify, and only one on YouTube.

Some fun, some weird. Had to skip the robot songs but otherwise kinda fun to listen to!

as one of the first hip hop albums the production clearly sounds dated but i enjoyed it nevertheless 3/5

2.43

This deserves a higher rating with how influential it is but the middle of the album is pretty bad. When it works though it’s quite fun. Rating: 2.4

Kinda fun and snazzy. The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel is so interesting.

What an amazing hip-hop album. Made me remember how positive and fun rap could be. It's Nasty and the title track were standouts.

An album like this is an absolutely essential one to include on lists like these, or any list chronicling popular music. It's the perfect bridge between disco, R&B and the eventual biggest genre in the world for a time, hip hop. The first half of this starts with some absolute belters and really does feel like an actual block party common to this era. We have some of the first instances of performers calling themselves MCs on this album as well. There's some surprising variety on this first half, where the 4 tracks move from a disco groove to a more straight-ahead R&B song, to an electronic robot warp in "Scorpio," back to a mid-tempo R&B groove. That last one is a little much with its over-the-top chimes and belted "lots of men are DYING"! It stays in the same vague ballpark but each song is different enough to give you a good idea of its versatility. Things keep going on the more subdued second side, where we're treated to 2 Stevie Wonder-style ballads. It was at this point that I figured out one of the weak points of this album: most of the songs are fairly unfocused, and with so many voices trying to bring this singular album together, a substantial part of the album is off-beat, off-key and sort of struggles to pick back up after a cue is missed. I guess that was sort of the point, and I must say, it makes the album feel very inviting and, frankly, more human. I just wish it was a little more polished before being pressed. The ballads are such a huge whiplash it feels like we've gone from an outdoor block party to some theatre to see Prince play only his greatest love songs... After all that though we get the true blue reason The Message is the record of record when it comes to the early years of hip hop. The title track is a Voyager record-worthy track that transcends so many of the myriad barriers of its time, from that iconic synth line to the return of rapped performances, absent since the first half, the use of sampled speech in the bridge, and even still in the absolutely perfect groove that wouldn't really bother me if it looped for a half-hour. This song alone is worth the price of admission and it's perfect in every way. My final assessment after listening to this is that about half of this album is absolutely essential while the other half is easily expendable. A strange sort of combination for a one of a kind sort of album. Key Tracks: She's Fresh, Scorpio, The Message

Dont have much to say about this one. Standard

Essential

Fun hip-hop record. Some of it is pretty basic but tracks like She's Fresh, It's a Shame and The Messenger are the standouts.

Not really my jam. Didn’t finish the album.

Bien.

First things first, I don't dispute this album belongs here. I'm not an expert on the genre, but I understand that this album is fundamental to the development of rap music, and it's always worth going to the roots. That said, this is an album that is probably best appreciated for historical reasons. To me, about four and a half decades later, it sounds like a stage musical interpretation of rap music. It lacks the grit that you'll find in later acts. Musically, it feels like while there are some elements you'll later see, like turntable scratching, there's more of a soul/funk/electro thing going on. Scorpio is straight-up electro, with vocoder vocals and everything. “The Message” is definitely the highlight here and totally stands up as a classic.

Just super not my thing.

And the message is…. robots?? I cant get over how many songs The Message EV inspired?? THE HAMILTON SAMPLEEEEEEEE (why he even brings the thunder!!!! Ha ha ha HA) and bought to catch anothaaaa flight.

Liked it!

Tampoco estaba, pero la rola es icónica

It's a classic, I didn't need the love song to Stevie that was kinda cringe 😬. I knew the main rap songs going in, mostly enjoyed the rest

Some great stuff here, The Message is a classic, the love song to Stevie Wonder was a bit weird.

Obviously sounds dated now but it’s easy to see how this was so influential. The title track still goes, and the sample-heavy closing track holds up for its age.

Favorite track: The Message

Only really familiar with The Message previously so this album was only really about 20% of what I was expecting. The rest of the album was (to my ears) was not especially interesting. I do recognise that this is often hailed as the birth of hip hop so it’s not surprising that’s number of the tracks felt muddled and rather forgettable. As a standalone record, I was somewhat disappointed.

Some jams, but the mix and record scratch got too irritating too often.

Title track is great rest kinda sucks

carried hard by how incredible the title track is

3.5

Quality early 80s electro funk with early rapping from the original mixmaster himself. I was not expecting the R&B jams on what I expected to be a full rap album. That was a surprise.

Ihan mukavaa kasariräppiä.

Klassikko hipiti hopiti -levy. Aika perus huttua, levyn nimikko/päätöskappale kruunaa jo muutenkin menevän lätyn. Ei varmaan tuu kovin usein kuunneltua, mutta kyllähän sen mielellään kuunteli.

Yikes

Class if only for The Message.

i dream of stevie wonder too

It might be dated but damn does it funk and groove whoooeeee. Also raise you hand if you also had NO idea half this album was Stevie wonder soul?

Good album.

*Lots of good songs, but like other old school hip hop, becomes a little too repetitive of the same sound

Some parts aged better than others (see: “Scorpio”) but beyond the occasional cheesy sound effect or corny lyric, so much of this album is completely innovative, and the songs are laden with so much purpose. I really enjoyed the brief foray into traditional soul songs with “Dreamin’” and “You Are.”

Just perfection man. The soul, the rhymes, the production...the message! A tight group with a signature style delivers exactly what I expected it to. Until they didn't. Who ever had the idea to include "Dreamin'" and "You Are" on this album is the reason my 4 turns into a 5.

You would not expect this music in 1982, quite avant garde ! It's nasty and The message outstanding, the rest is a bit funky but also not really interesting. 3.5

Has it's ups and downs in the first half but finishes on some strong songs towards the end. The Message and Message II are excellent tracks. 3.5

Never listened to the album and couldn't believe how R&B and how musical it is 3.6

+1 for the influence. The early hiphop is what really stands out. 4/5

Oh yeah. If only hip hop could have stayed this fun, loose, and diverse. This album manages to include a little bit of everything: the song that uses a sample of a Tom Tom club song ("It's Nasty"), a robot-voiced dance song ("Scorpio"), a song worshiping Stevie Wonder ("Dreamin'"), to a dark song about urban and social decay ("The Message"). They were pioneers and, yeah, it sounds pretty dated, but its a hell of a lot of fun. And it's got a great album cover to boot.

One for the oldheads, some truly old school hip hop. Not only is this pioneering in the genre, it's also deeply fuckin weird. It randomly dips into proto electronic, sounding like prehistoric Daft Punk with Scorpio, then flails into Stevie Wonder worship on Dreamin and gets preachy on You Are. And I'm here for it - I totally get worshipping Stevie Wonder. The Message is obviously the (suddenly super dark) centerpiece here, but I enjoyed it all. All over the place, funky and fun.

A pretty damn fun album with lots of energy and cheesy charm. A good bit of variety too and it was cool to hear parts of songs that I've heard sampled in modern hip hop. The were definitely some misses in here too though that I enjoyed enough in the context of the album, but didn't go back to all that much. Also my excitement at hearing that sample in the last song that I originally heard in the Soldier Boy song can not be understated lol. 3/5

As someone who was only really familiar with White Lines, this was definitely a fun vibe to start my Tuesday morning with. Probably not something I'd listen to again but it felt like summer in music form which is always a delight.

I was not expecting much but this ended up being awesome. The Message is as relevant today as it was in 1982. I loved the electronics elements.

She's Fresh 3.3 It's Nasty 3.7 Scorpio 3.2 It's a Shame (Mt. Airy Groove) 3.4 Dreamin' 3.5 You Are 3.2 The Message 4 Score: 3.471428571

Surprisingly good

Really enjoyed this. Funky beat, fun lyrics and just a general good time.

Yesterday, I listened to 50 Cent’s debut album "Get Rich or Die Tryin'", arguably the low point of the 1001 Albums Challenge. Today, I moved on to a true rap classic: "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five. When the title track was released as a single, it was revolutionary because, yes, there had already been “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang, but this was the real catalyst for rap music’s commercial breakthrough. The music was groovy and absolutely danceable, and the lyrics were critical, political and socially conscious. For a moment, it seemed as though rap was the ideal medium for criticising the dire state of political injustice in the world. But, as we all know, the music has since developed in a completely different direction. When I listen to the album "The Message" today, I’m struck by how inconsistent it is. On the one hand, there are critical, highly political tracks such as "The Message" and, in the Expanded Edition released much later, the non album single "New York, New York". On the other hand, the album contains a lot of filler tracks and the catchy electro track "Scorpio". There are a plenty of scratch and mixing and sampling sounds from Grandmaster Flash, as well as a somewhat bizarrely banal R&B tribute to Stevie Wonder. In short, the singles are the absolute highlights of the album; unfortunately, the rest is rather dated pop that bands like Kool & the Gang were doing better back then. Grandmaster Flash and rapper Melle Mel are undoubtedly historically significant, but this album is neither consistent nor consistently convincing. A rating averaging between ★★☆☆☆ and ★★★★★ amounts to no more than ★★⯪☆☆.

Classic Scorpio erg leuk Ofc the message

It's aight

Album #93, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, The Message, ⭐⭐⭐ It doesn’t get much more old school than this. I can’t really think of any hip hop albums that came before it, though someone will probably correct me on that. I’d never actually listened to this album before, despite being a big fan of hip hop in general, so this was a really interesting listen. For one thing, it’s a lot less fun than I thought it was going to be before I put it on. It’s actually a pretty serious album with serious themes for the most part. It’s also much more of a soul record than I expected. Especially those two tracks in the middle, “Dreamin’” and “You Are”, the former being a soppy love song to Stevie Wonder, and the latter basically being a soppy love song to Jesus Christ. They’re alright songs, but they kind of derail the momentum and the overall style of the album a bit for me. I imagine those tracks are probably more Furious Five than Grandmaster Flash. The album does finish very strongly though, with the title track, which is by far the best song on the whole thing. It absolutely deserves its place on this list. You can really hear the future of hip hop in it. You can hear all the different directions the genre would eventually go. Even though the themes are heavy, musically it’s not a particularly heavy album. It’s very much that early 80s hip hop sound. And while I’m really glad I heard it, and I do think it’s an important and worthwhile listen, I don’t really see myself going back to it much. It feels like a blueprint or a proof of concept more than anything else. And while we should all be grateful that it exists, hip hop evolved very quickly afterwards into something much more engaging, much more tuneful, and much more interesting to me personally.

Iste s Rapp, vermutlich ja, nun den es sind einzelne Stücke die ich nicht gut finde

Cracking album, great tracks and social commentary. A worthy addition. 3.5 stars

boring

Would not buy

He felt silly in his tracksuit, but it didn’t matter now. No one was home. The gold chain rested cold against Jimmy’s neck. He fiddled with it for a moment, nearly distracted and lost in thought. After closing the garage door, Jimmy laid a large piece of cardboard across the cold concrete floor, salvaged from the box of a recently purchased refrigerator. It covered the oil stains left by the family’s 1974 Buick LeSabre, though the car itself was gone for the evening. His parents were attending their church’s weekly Bible study, and for the next few hours, he had the house to himself. The palms of Jimmy’s hands grew clammy. Cold sweat trickled down the back of his neck. Jimmy sprinted back upstairs and returned with his Sanyo boombox. He slipped in the cassette of The Message, pressed play, and cranked the volume knob as far as it would go. The machine clicked loudly, then hissed to life. He started with a few pops and locks—the only breakdancing move Jimmy could perform with any confidence. Soon, though, he began attempting the moves he had watched his friends do so effortlessly: the Indian Step, the Bronx Rock, the Side Step. As the cassette reached the end of Side 1, there was a loud pop, and Jimmy was jolted from his solo dance trance. He walked over to his trusty Sanyo boombox, ejected the tape, flipped it to Side 2, and pressed play once more. The next two songs were slower, like unexpected hip-hop ballads. Jimmy tilted his head and stared at the stereo in confusion. Deflated, he stepped forward and pressed fast-forward, listening intently as the tape whirred ahead. The cassette belonged to his best friend, and he needed to return it tomorrow. Respooling a tape could be done, but it wasn’t easy. He hit stop, then pressed play again. A soft hiss filled the garage. Then the title track began. Without warning, Jimmy dropped to the floor. His chest heaved. Sweat beaded across his brow. He was out of breath, but he refused to stop. As Jimmy spun wildly across the cardboard, the garage door suddenly rumbled to life. The door rose, and he was caught in the headlights of his parents’ car. Jimmy’s eyes widened. Slowly, he climbed to his feet. He turned off the music, folded the cardboard in half—careful not to smear motor oil on his tracksuit—and lifted the boombox by its handle. Head lowered, Jimmy slipped back into the house. Now everyone knew. And that is the power of The Message—music so irresistible that, for a few glorious minutes, embarrassment ceases to exist.

Growing up in the 80's, the early hip-hop music was in full court press. Breakdancing was all the rage and I heard this many times while at the skate rink. This induces a deep sense of nostalgia and genuinely put a smile on my face this morning. I was only around 9 when this was released, so my worldview then was extremely narrow but I have always had the sense that music in the 80s was more widely listened to by everyone. It didn't seem like there were clear divisions between genres and there were fewer musical "cliques." I remember listening to hip-hop, rock, oldies, etc... This is hip-hop before gangster rap. This is music about life and society and just having a great time. It's infectious and totally enjoyable until you get to the Stevie Wonder tribute song and its follow up track. That pulls the e-brake so hard that with only one well known track to follow it, you never recover.

It’s a banger but the 2 R&B songs in the middle felt out of place

gut

5/5 viktighet, 3/5 personligt nöje

Klassisk och med lite uppfriskande stil jämfört med många av de andra inflytelserika rapparna.

Uppfriskande med en rappare som inte är så vulgär.

Barely scrapes three stars off the back of the title track. The rest is filler, but there was some interesting tracks I guess. It veers from electro-funk, through Stevie Wonder, there's a bit that sounds like The Beastie Boys, then more electro.

Malcolm McLaren wish he would've made this.

4.25

There's old school hip-hop, from Run-DMC to Rakim & Kool G Rap, & then there's the really old school: Whodini, Sugar Hill Gang, Grandmaster Flash. It's not only a matter of appreciating the pioneering acts that has me loving this record - the music has to be good, I don't care how influential it is. It's the fact that, from another perspective, this is the best musical about New York City this side of West Side Story. You can call it cinematic, but that's not exactly right. It's more like choreographed insight into social reality, & I don't just mean the classic title track. W/ the exception of 'Dreamin',' their odd but touching tribute to Stevie Wonder, & 'You Are,' a random, gospel-inspired track, every song here adds to a pretty deep conception of NYC.

I appreciate this album’s place in the history of bringing rap/hip hop to the masses. As an album experience, however, it’s a bit of a mess. “The Message” is a clear cut 5 star song, and there are a couple of other solid tracks. On the other hand, the two R & B songs in the middle were unexpected, and pretty terrible. The Stevie Wonder tribute “Dreamin’” is especially odd, and given that Stevie was (and is) very much alive it’s almost creepy. Didn’t enjoy it.

Awesome memories

I just dont really know tbh

2.5 Ok! 💃 Favorite song: it's nasty

Opening with "She's Fresh" had me worried this album was a one-note wonder. I could not have been less prepared for the journey ahead. A rad PSA rap about sharing? Check. Robot song that lasts forever? Double check. The love song about Stevie Wonder? Brilliantly funny. Don't shoot the messenger - this message is a fun one.

I didn't enjoy this very much. Too techno, noisy for my taste.

Want expecting the mix of genre so I liked it

Great album. Wasn’t massively fussed on Scorpio which stopped it from getting a full five Top Track - It’s Nasty (Genius Of Love)

No private session used for Spotify. Like the goofy fun hip hop tracks but wasn't into the r&b tracks.

I was surprised about how much I didn't fully get into this album. It seems to be such an iconic sound/band but I just didn't feel it. The track 'The message' was standout.

Classic - it’s not one I’d really listen to again but I appreciate it in the context of music history

You can’t hate this. The biggest issue is that back then every hip hop song took 4 to 6 business days to finish. WRAP IT UP FELLAS

When listening I kept catching parts that were sampled elsewhere. Massively influential even if it hasn't aged super well.

It's a curious album and one that I believe was a little thrown together, an early attempt of the genre to transition into the album format. Labelled as hip-hop but really it's that mixed with soul, funk and R&B. And whilst it was important in the shaping of hip-hop, particularly in the social commentary aspect of it, I feel that the song The Message is doing a lot of the heavy lifting in that respect. That song is a classic though!

Not my thang but still petty cool

Came for the title track, stayed for, well, the title track. "The Message" doesn't have much rap on it; that's understandable, since hip-hop was a developing genre at the time. That's why the title track is a musical game-changer. Half of the tracks are plain soul and funk songs like "You Are" and "Dreamin'". I expected more from a monumental album in hip-hop history. 3 stars for "The Message".

no pude escuchar todo el disco pero el tema que escuche csrrea

She's Fresh - 3/5 It's Nasty (Genius of Love) - 3.5/5 Scorpio - 4/5 It's a Shame (Mt. Airy Groove) - 4/5 Dreamin' - 3.5/5 You Are - 3/5 The Message - 3/5 Message II (Survival) - 3/5 New York, New York - 3/5

I believe that this one was very influential for hip hop, and one of the first records from this genre. I appreciate that a lot, it was very funky and groovy, but I can't say I liked it a lot. It was ok. Props for the influence though!

Good rap yes

Very cool! I think I’ll definitely come back to this album - you can really feel how much fun they had making it! 6/10

This was fine. I thought it lacked a bit of fun though.

This was alright, didn't make a massive impression on me. Just not my thing really and that's fine.

Really enjoyed about half of it, didn’t care much for the rest

The main song is a stone-cold classic that makes you feel like you are walking through a gritty 1980s city. But the rest of the record suddenly switches to a goofy, old-school dance party. It is like ordering a deep, serious documentary and getting a cheesy disco cartoon instead.

Some really great tunes on here balanced out by some really uninventive rap.

There must have been something special about performing a genre of music during its early days. You could pretty much do anything you wanted, and if it works - it works. If not who cares? Even if it doesn't work, someone later might get inspired by it and create some fantastic music themselves. This works. It's in the fabric of my soul.

Nice to have different styles of songs on one album, but I prefer the funkier ones.

2 out of 5. Glad to learn where Tom Tom Club got the beat for Genius of Love.

So new york

What I would expect early hip hop to sound like

Best Song: She’s Fresh

This was certainly different than what I expected. It had lot of variety and the R&B vibe at points sounded pretty good. I would not seek it out to listen again, but certainly better than some.

I too respect Stevie Wonder but I would not sing about 1 guy for a 6 minute song

This lowkey sucked. The songs were cringy and poorly written, super repetitive, unpleasant. Really just a cringy album overall.

doesn't really do anything for me. it felt kinda all over the place. but at least it wasn't boring, so there's that

Grandmaster Flash, Sugar Hill, Nueva York... las catacumbas del Hip-Hop. Esenciales, únicos y tan fugaces como geniales. Es raro un álbum de rap cuando entonces lo que primaba eran los sencillos y las remezclas, pero este sí tuvo éxito de ventas y crítica. It´s nasty a lomos del Genius of love (el video... en fin... Los Village People del rap). It's a Shame (Mt. Airy Groove) lo hace con los Spinners (el tema es de Stevie Wonder) Scorpio es electro que recuerda a Planet Rock de Afrika Bambaata, también de ese año 82. Dreamin´ con evidentes influencias de EW&F y You Are, son baladas que conducen a la joya del disco y una de las mejores canciones de Hip-Hop de la historia: The Message. Hay otros temas en posteriores ediciones: Message II (Survival) (feat. Melle Mel & Duke Bootee) que suena a lo que serán los primeros Pet Shop Boys o New York, New York (12" Version) que lo hace muy parecido a The Breaks de Kurtis Blow.

More interesting than I expected. I'm most familiar with The Message (the song) which feels pretty dated in 2026. It's easy to see how it's foundational, but I expected it all to feel as dated as The Message (the song). It isn't. With some exceptions. There's a lot to like here and not just in a nostalgic way.

It’s kinda fun and funky hip-hop but not reallly for me. Still, objectively it’s at least a 3.

I haven't listened to this album start to finish, but I'm looking forward to it. Yeah, this is _solid_.

This is probably the most inconsistent album I've ever heard in terms of formula and material, not quality. The first two songs are funky hip-hop gold, and then immediately following are two fun but empty songs that tend to drag a bit longer than they should. Then there's two soul songs straight from the heart which are beautiful. Then the legendary title track plays, which I think is great but just a little too long than it should be. Lastly, the closing track is sample mania with, from what I heard, like 6 samples at once. It's very wacky, it's very fun, but a strange listen. I'll bump it to a 4 cause of dreaming, which is one of the best unserious songs I've ever heard.

The earlier parts of the album, especially those with voice through synthesizer (Scorpio) and places where they tried to sing (Dreamin', You Are) are not great, but memories of my youth emerge with It's Nasty, the title track and New York, New York. Those showcase the smooth rapping of Melle Mel and the artistry of Grandmaster Flash on the wheels of steel. If they had just featured those, the album would be a 5 for me.

"Stevie, you make me Wonder" on top a *smooth* track might quiet be the funniest musical moment I ever experienced HAHAHAHAH. in general this album was such a lovely mix of funky and hip hoppy and i throughly enjoyed it

This was a wild ride. Recognizable samples (Genius of Love, The Message), corny lyrics (I dream about you, Stevie!), mixed bag of musical styles (rap, boy band jazzy serenades, 80’s club dance beats, serenades). I can see the influence this album likely had on music, but it’s not really something I’d go out of my way to listen to again. (3)

All over the shop and repellent at almost every phase.

I love this.

Feels boring and inconsistent, but I liked the title track. Expected more I think?

I found this pretty fun! More varied song-to-song than I expected. Maybe a little corny at times, but I enjoyed it.

Fundamental

Synth powered soul, funk, and rap, really great.

Decent album with some iconic tracks.

This was great, especially the title track!

Delightfully funky and fun with more variation than I had expected. It’s like a love letter to the history of Black music preceding it and a preview of what was to come.

This was a lot more fun than I was expecting and there were some songs I hadn’t heard in a while. Very close to a 4 for me

Another crash course in sampling history! Now I know where Lindy West gets that drop. Anyway, legend, obvs.

Not a fan of I get that this is iconic. Influenced so many. Etc etc. but most of it (besides the message) is not very good. A few awful R&B poops on this too.

Ok. The Message is the only song I know or would relisten to. Album is not available on Apple but I found it on you tube. 2.5?

Title track is great here, maybe like one other song is good too but the rest of this album is boring af, title track saves it from being a 2 star though

I can understand The Message in 1001 Songs, but not this.

Epic

What a classic album. 'The Message' is so iconic and influential.

This album is pure fun. It's like hanging out with old friends who happen to be super talented and have a lot to say. They celebrate themselves, their music, and even shout out women and Stevie Wonder. Each track feels fresh, a snapshot of the early 80s funk scene. Spins: 3 Playlist Additions - It's Nasty - Scorpio - The Message - New York, New York

I think these ratings boil down to generational gaps. I hear "Scorpio" and immediately want to put on my roller skates or imagine Ozone breaking it down. Does it sound dated? Absolutely. And I am here for it.

Funky and quite fun

I enjoyed this flashback album.

Udmærket underholdt. Jeg kendete dem af navn, og hørt musikken samplet i masser af moderne musik.

Hmm. Mere funk og soul end rap. Titelnummeret er en klassikker, resten svinger mellem sjovt og ligegyldigt.

Poeeeeeh, kijk ik ben groot fan van hiphop. Het is al jaren mijn meest gedraaide genre. En is dit dus een album dat je MOET horen voor je doodgaat? Ja 1000%, al is het maar omdat dit gewoon echt het prille begin is van hiphop zoals we dat kennen. Neemt echter niet weg dat dit grotendeels de hippity hoppity hiphop is waar ik gewoon niet zo'n fan van ben. Althans dat was mijn vermoeden, maar eerlijk? De beats zijn wel echt ontzettend funky, dat is wel een leuke verrassing! En zelfs zonder luisteren kan ik je al vertellen dat The Message(het nummer) een classic is en 1 van de belangrijkste nummers ooit gemaakt. De lyrics vallen me ook ontzettend mee, ja de flow is wel echt nog basic, maar de teksten gaan wel echt ergens over en holy fuck, Scorpio klinkt echt als de meest futuristische shit die OOIT heb gehoord. Echt heel vet! Ga wel echt stuk om de liefdesverklaring aan Stevie Wonder. Dat is echt een stuk vooruitstrevender dan ik had verwacht! Dusja, ik ben positief verrast door dit album. Je merkt dat het echt vroege hiphop is, de flow is vooral op zo'n beetje elk nummer hetzelfde. Duidelijk dat Rakim nog niet volledig was doorgebroken hier. Grandmast Flash en The Furious Five hadden ook duidelijk een hoop dat ze wilden bespreken, bijna elk nummer is meer dan 5 minuten lang. Een soort prograp if you will. Dat zorgt er wel voor dat de boodschap voor mij soms een beetje verloren gaat. Ja ik ben het er mee eens en ja de beats zijn kneiterfunky, maar door de flow worden de nummers eentonig en lopen ze in elkaar over. Een must-listen voor fans van hiphop en mensen die zich willen verdiepen in een stukje muziekgeschiedenis? Absoluut. Een heerlijk album wat met vlag en wimpel de tand des tijds heeft doorstaan? Mwah, dat niet helemaal... FAVO: Its nasty, Dreamin', The message

31/03/2026 It was enjoyable enough to warrant 4 stars. Well done. On to the next one. Spotify listeners: 542.9k

The music is awesome, and I appreciate the honesty of the vignettes, but between the Christian themes and some of the lyrical choices, I ended up a little uncomfortable by the end in a way I did not appreciate

I had been writing and editing a visceral and gross piece of poetry all day; I listened to this album to take a break from that work. The Message immediately puts it's best foot forward, hitting me with incredinly funky horn sections and basslines, with group chant vocals characteristic of similar disco-tinged hip-hop groups. The production and sample work is a main highlight, especially the prominent sample of Tom Tom Club's Genius of Love (which I primarily recognized from its other use in Mariah Carey's Fantasy). By the time the robot vocals kick in during Scorpio, it's clear that the production was willing to take whatever risks it wanted to ins service of an even greater level of funk. There is a bit of a dip in the middle, with Dreamin' being a little too schlocky and saccharine for my taste, and the sudden turn into Jesus praise during You Are completely floored me; another album might have been more heavily dragged down by this lull, but the rest of the album is so damn infectious that it managed to keep itself afloat, ending on the incredibly strong closer, The Message. (Plus, while I don't consider it part of the album proper, the sample-heavy bonus song is incredibly experimental in a way I've never heard in a studio recording; it sounds like someone recorded a DJ set, and I mean that as high praise). Despite some hiccups, the highs of this album have burrowed into my brain; I wish I got even more of that sound throughout the rest of this project. Highlights: She's Fresh, It's Nasty, Scorpio, The Message (The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheel of Steel)

So fucking corny and cheesy it's brilliant. Not that this has aged all that well, but man this is a funky good time. Who else is gonna write an R&B song based on a Stevie Wonder song and end that same album with the most foundational rap song ever? There's so many fun twists and turns here, it's an absolute hoot.

Some surprisingly not hip-hop songs in this album. I like the beats, but the rapping can be a bit dry. Lyricism is fun, though

Just makes you want to groove and feel the vibe. And really we should start gassing others up just like they gassed Stevie Wonder.

2.5

2.5

I wanted to give this album a much higher score only because I think "The Message" is one of the three pillars of rap music (along with "Rapper's Delight" and "The Breaks"). The problem with this album the three singles, which were all released before the album, are quite frankly the only good songs on here. "It's Nasty" is a less social conscience predecessor to "The Message", and "Scorpio" with the famous robot vocoder sound that was in some of early rap that was cool for the time. Even though I still like it really dates it. After that quite frankly nothing it's worth a repeated listen. Plus this has one of the worst songs i've had to listen to on this 1001 project and that's the ode to Stevie Wonder, "Deamin'" which is another level of bad. I know after the label saw they had hit on their hand and wanted to capitalize on an album they made them quickly throw this together. But this album as a whole it's not really all that good but I have to give it props for at least "The Message" which, as far as I'm concerned, stands the test of time as one of the greatest rap songs ever written. (5.9) ★★½

Only the title track is essential, but that track is really good. 3 stars