The Message

A great history lesson from the grandmaster.

Terrible Stevie Wonder tribute followed up by an even worse thing after it. Might have been a 5 if those for those.

3 stars, good vibes

Some recognizable stuff but not sure the album holds up over time.

Good but dated

Some of the songs I'll never listen to again, but they're all interesting. The only one I disliked was Scorpio. Started out really strong on the first track, lots of dynamics that early influential hip hop doesn't always have. The title track used to sound really really dated to me, both in the backing and in the lyrical flow, and now it doesn't so much. I don't know what that means. This one's a big deal for 1982 and I have some qualms about not rounding up to 4. music: appreciated. (⌐■_■)

I had only heard the single before. It’s the best song on here, but it’s also cool to hear the rest. Seems kinda foundational to a lot of stuff to come not too long after?

Iconic and wildly inconsistent. Great tracks with samples and rhymes that will live on forever as primordial hip-hop. Then there are songs about dreaming about Stevie Wonder...

Only listened to the first track. Will listen to the rest over the weekend.

Absolute classic genre defining and pioneering album by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five. The Message is one to listen to if you are remotely interested in the history of music or hip hop. A view into the life of black street life giving an open window into their lives that often wasn't seen previously, considering they were mainly releasing mix tapes as opposed to full albums. Best: The Message Worst: Dreamin' 3.5 Stars

This music is lively and fun for a song or two, but after that it becomes grating. They were having fun playing with new technology and with random sounds, it is just too cacophonous

fun listen, good message across the board withsome classics sprinkled in.

C'était étonnamment bon.

Well, I saw this was another Hip Hop album, and my expectation were really low. But it’s also from 1982, so maybe there’s hope. I’ve heard of grandmaster flash, but didn’t have any associations.Fortunately, my expectations were misplaced. The first song “She’s Fresh” really nails the funk, pegs the scale. “Its Nasty” rips off (sorry, samples) the riff from Tom Tom Club’s “Genius of Love”, but build it into a better song. “Scorpio” has a good groove, but I don’t dig the mechanical vocal effects…. Guess that was cutting edge in 1982 (yes I was there). I’m not a huge fan of “It’s a Shame”, more beat box and scratching standard 80’s rap, not much groove, but harmless. “Dreaming’” is an homage to Stevie Wonder, complete with a spoken dedication, and interlude. Frankly the “dreamin ‘bout you Stevie” stuff is kind of creepy. “You Are” continues in the same vein as Dreamin’, sort of standard soulful slow dance song, with lots of synth strings. Nice piano, though. There’s a spoken part that reveals the “You” is Jesus Christ, which comes off as discordant in the context of what sounds like a seduction song. “The Message” - oh yeah, I’ve heard this. A little too heavy on the programmed beat, and certainly more rap than funk. But it’s got some funky in there, and is an indication where the style can excel. Overall? Not bad. Several pretty good songs, and several that were ok. “Dreamin’” and “You Are” are almost jarringly out of place, and pretty forgettable. That said I can see why this was popular. very solid 3/5

Good sound.

Pre-90s hip-hop, pretty funky and good, though the extremely edited computerized song brings it down a bit. Stand-out: She's Fresh

Un très solide trois

Thoughts before listening: One of the earliest hip hop groups. I'm expecting lots of funk samples, dj scratches, and old school style rapping. Should be fun. Review: This is such old school hip hop that only 2 or 3 songs would qualify as the genre. The rest are basically 70s style funk/soul including a Stevie Wonder tribute. The rap songs are fun though, especially "The Message" which is iconic for its place in hip hop history. "Its Nasty" has a fun sample of "Genius of Love" by the Tom Tom Club and "Scorpio" is unique with the robotic effects on the vocals. This is 3-stars for the influence it played on what was soon to come with popular music.

It started out great, it felt like if having fun was an album. But when it got to the tracks that I guess where supposed to convey "the message", it started getting a bit corny.

70's vibes - Sly and the Family Stone. Talented musicians. Dreamin is a great song. If I recall this was the first generation of rap when the language was somewhat civilized. I would love this guy to DJ an event for me.

The grandmaster flash. A genius with the beats. So many popular songs came out if beats from this album. If flash was a modern producer he would be one of the best. Some of these songs are catchy and are good in their own. Others are simply good for the best. All in all it’s an impressive album and one that is fun to show people where other songs got their best from. 6.5/10

I really wanted to like this more than I did. I didn't hate it, I just didn't love it.

Iconic title track, plus a few very *weird* yet also very interesting deep cuts I had never listened to before ("Scorpio", plus "Message II" on the expanded edition). The admittedly cheesy "Dreamin'" and "You Are" places right before the album's centerpiece and closer--lounge soul ballads heavily inspired by Stevie Wonder--stick out like sore thumbs in the middle of the rap tracks. Yet they also prove Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five were not the one-trick pony everyone thought they were. "The Message" is an essential single for the history of early hip hop, of course. But is the album bearing the same name an "essential album"? The jury's still out on this one. Number of albums left to review: 323 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 302 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 167 Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many other records are more important to me): 218

Best Song: It's Nasty Worst Song: You Are (God pls don't hate me thx🧎‍♂️) Lyrics so bad and corny that they're good: - "We'd like to send this one out all the way out to Stevie Wonder (Yeah, Stevie) After all, he's the greatest 🥹🥹🥹" - "IF YOU LOVE YOUR MOTHER JUMP, JUMP, JUMP, JUMP" - "Broken glass everywhere People pissing on the stage you know they just don't care" - "Neon King Kong standing on my back Can't stop to turn around, broke my sacroiliac" PS: These guys are some real Stevie Wonder simps but can you really blame them 🤷

Feels foundational and some of the beats I've heard sampled 1,000 times. For the time it is great but not the deepest album or sound.

I bet in its era this was nigh unheard of. Today, there's a couple of standouts and a couple that just sorta take up space.

Great commentary on the reality of inner city life for marginalized communities. Pretty dated sound, though. I respect the album for what it is but can't see myself returning to it.

The Message, the track, is good and very important to hip hop. The Message, the album, is largely forgettable and stuck in a weird Parliament wannabe phase (2.5/5)

She's Fresh, It's Nasty and Scorpio (especially Scorpio) are agreat time. Didn't love the R&B/slow-jam middle. THe Message everyone remembers, and sadly really nothin' has changed. This version finishes up with The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash, very very cool, ya gotta hear it. Definitely agree that this is an album you have to hear before you die. Glad I didn't die before I heard it. 😬

Kinda funky, enjoyed some of it but other songs were very weird.

This might be the cheesiest album I've listened to for this project thus far. However, I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy this album. This is early 80s hip-hop in its purest form. This album is a bit repetitive at times, and some of the songs do go on for a bit too long. Fortunately, there's only 7 songs, so it is pretty short overall. Still, there is a nearly 6 minute long song about how much the group loves Stevie Wonder. I can't blame them, but I don't think the song needed to be that long. The title track, which also happens the be the album's closer, is an all-time classic. I wasn't sure if I had heard it before listening, but once it started, I recognized the beat, although it may have possibly been from another song that sampled it. Overall, a decently influential album that, while fun, doesn't really offer a whole much to stand out as an exceptional album. 3/5.

Charmingly dated, and a way more fun listen than I expected, having previously only heard a couple of the tracks. While it's mostly remembered for the couple of hip-hop tracks on here, most of the songs are decisively not hip-hop, but rather funk, rnb or even soul. While it's an influental, fun and goofy album, impossible to dislike, I'm not sure it's strong enough to be a proper classic that you would listen to regularaly. 2.6

Acid Rock, funcky.

One of the first hip hop albums to actually deal with thought-provoking subject matter. Unfortunately, the album suffers from the outdated rapping style which sounds kinda fun on a couple of the tracks, but mostly falls flat.

It was okay. I heard where a lot of famous samples came from which was nice but other than that, I was bored with the album.

Dated but still essential.

The message 1 , 2

A bop with some unexpected robot voice. Sad lyrics juxtaposed with a cheerful tune.

A very good title song and an average album. Conscious lyrics, that somehow haven't get old, not even a bit, really impressive. Otherwise, nothing to see in here.

nice old HH, funk electro album. durée parfaite. 7.5/10

corny. fun.

They seem like a bunch of goofballs! I wonder what Stevie Wonder thought the first time he heard them singing about him in "Dreaming," haha. Then there some more serious, legitimately good stuff too, like "The Message". "Scorpio" is a funny one too, this robot instructing dance moves. Overall I find this album charming even if I'm wondering what they were thinking during several parts. And of course I must acknowledge its importance in the early development of hip hop.

The title track "The Message" is iconic and still sounds great, if the rest of the tracks were this good it could be 4-5 stars. But there's a lot of duds on here. for me, a bit all over. Still, important hip-hop album for sure.

Sixth grade me loved Scorpio and The Message, but somehow never heard the rest of the album. Surprisingly good stuff with cool Pfunk-inspired vocals, although the slow soul tunes don't belong on the record at all. Another cool surprise from this project!

"The Message" is the debut studio album by hip hop group Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five. Old school hip hop. Yep and I'd also say pop R&B. The album was produced by Jigsaw Productions and Sylvia Robinson on the Sugar Hill label. It is known for one of the earliest hip hop albums to have songs portraying black street life. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five are the lead and backing vocalists/rappers/ singers on the songs which also included a full instrumental band. The album hit #53 on the US charts and #77 in the UK. "She's Fresh" opens things up. Synths, horns and guys yelling in the intro. A funky bass and guitar come in and we have a very 80's pop R&B song. I'm always a sucker for 80's video game sounding synths too. If you're a Tom Tom Club fan, you'll love "It's Nasty" which samples "Genius of Love" throughout. Multiple rappers which is also pretty much throughout this album. A robot voice introduces us to "Scorpio." That voice continues throughout. This is definitely groundbreaking. I immediately thought of Max Headroom. There is a pulsating beat and laser synths. This sounds futuristic even today. An electronic beat and echoing synth sounds begin "The Message." Grandmaster Melle Mel and Duke Bootee tell a story of inner city poverty where a child grows up in a world and life of crime which eventually ends up in his death. A classic. A song included on future reissues but not on the original and worth a mention is "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheel of Steel." It's an important song in the world of DJ mixing and sampling. The samples include Blondie, Chic, Queen and the Sugarhill Gang. The album is worth it alone just for its two standout songs in "Scorpio" and "The Message." There a few other decent songs (the other ones I mentioned). The other three songs are pretty much average pop R&B. If you're interested in going back to early old-school hip hop, there are a few classics here.

Didn’t age that well. Comes off kinda corny in 2023. This most surprising thing was that it was an R&B record with a few rap songs too. Can’t deny the cultural significance of the record though

Last track is very cool

Oldschool hip-hop album with quite a lot of varied styles, most of the hip-hop songs were fun, but I didn't like the more soul-y ones or the electro 'Scorpio' track which was so different from the rest. Overall an OK album.

I could hear how influential this group was. I kept getting snippets of stuff that reminded me of other stuff. It kind of delved into religious bullshit at one point, so that's a negative, but it was generally okay and I can see why it's on the list.

Ooh this album started funky and then it got to the pretty standard R&B love ballads which were fine. Nothing special and largely forgettable. Unfortunately that bumped the album down a bit for me. 3.5/5

Foundational but outdated, The Message still hits all these years later though.

Ei lävitse huono ja vekkuleita biittejä, niukasti kolmonen.

Pari tuttua ja muutenki päällisin puolin hauska ja letkee levy

Funky and soulful early 80s rap album. Very listenable and light years ahead of its time. Rating: 3/5 Playlist track: The Message Date listened: 20/09/23

Hip-hop. Ni fu ni fa.

Acid Rock, funcky.

Some good stuff on here but the stevie wonder tribute just totally took me out of it.

Really excellent hip hop album totally derailed by a song about god and a song about wanting to bum Stevie Wonder 👍🏾

Hip-hop. Ni fu ni fa.

The message carries this album, still a decent album tho

first listen this is pretty inconsistent but has some super classic tracks though

Honestly, the only tracks you should listen to from this album are "The Message", and the other two singles, "Scorpio" and "It's Nasty".

Nice music. I didn't feel much of anything while listening to it, but pleasant enough as a museum piece of hip hop and pop culture at the time.

I suppose I’ll never have really much to say against 80’s hip hop, but I also don’t have much else to say in general. It’s cool! Easy listen! Fun! Am I ready to move on? Yes!

I have a big stupid smile on my face. It’s Saturday morning. Cartoons are done, gonna watch Soul Train and then some Kung Fu movies. Wishing that I had a Defender machine in my house because the Atari version sucks. Honestly, the programming is bizarre and brilliant at the same time. Like musically You Are is out of place. Thematically, it makes perfect sense.

Ehhhhh I’ve heard worse old school stuff. I’ve also heard better. I wouldn’t really throw this on, but I’ll put a little respect on the name with a 3

Clearly a work of commercial expediency. But some bright moments notwithstanding

This was a good album. 3*

It was OK. Quite funky.

Was hoping that’ll would be more groundbreaking

Has this aged well? Hmmm. The message is of course timeless and sadly still relevant for particular demographics. I’d suggest that this is important more for the direction it points than the weight of it as an album. Is it good? Yes. Is it great? In parts yes. But in 1000 years when historians look at the hip hop phenomenon this album will be seen as a seed not a tree. Grandmaster flash and melle mel deserve their legendhood.

The single of The Message is the first real hip hop song I ever heard. The video got a lot of play on Australian TV, even if the song was pretty much ignored by radio (which tended to shun black music, especially music that really pushed the boundaries, as this did). The single is so compelling, and set the tone for hip hop to come, especially the opportunity to be politically and socially aware. I wish a few more rappers had followed the path (gangsta rappers, I'm looking at you." I'd never listened to the album all the way, and it is a mixed bag. Things I liked: the early sampling, the appropriation of funk and disco riffs, the playing of the excellent Sugar Hill band (Keith LeBlanc, Doug Wimbish and Skip McDonald went on to form the excellent Tackhead industrial dub), the proto-electro synths. The Message and Scorpio are dead-set classics, and much of the album is surprisingly listenable. The flow is not as sophisticated as rappers are these days, and the scratching is embarrassingly basic by today's standards. the ballads (Dreamin' and You Are) are appalling, and should be relegated to the bin. This is clearly a formative text in hip hop, and I was surprised at how well it stood up (generally), and how many of the foundations of hip hop were already here. This was more sophisticated and listenable than I was expecting, much to the credit of the terrific backing band. But, I might spin the singles, but wouldn't sit down to listen to the whole album.

Two rap albums in a row!

Good messages + good beats for 1982.

Pretty fun, if dated

The title track is one of the most iconic hip-hop songs of all time, and the rest of the record is… fine. The opener is pretty fun but yeah, there’s really not too much to write home about here other than the obvious

Perhaps the funkiest and most soulful hiphop had ever been.

The Message is just part of the culture right it's one of those songs that's applicable today as it was when it was written. The rest of the album is fun but doesn't quite hold up to the epicness of The Message. I did quite enjoy It's Nasty (Genius of Love).

Great album. But most songs don’t live up to the sound of the Message.

Ja gillar ändå hip hop från 80-talet även fast 90-talet var deras årtionde. Det är liksom starten på hela genren det är coolt. Men medan vissa låtar var bangers så var vissa skumma… därmed inte en fyra.

Great lead single but the rest of the album isn’t up to much. That Stevie love song is weird. I’m very tempted to mark higher for the legacy and general pioneering influence, but on the song’s presented here I can’t really go higher than a 3

The Message is a landmark and should be appreciated as such

The Message stands out in this album - though I couldn't really see the point behind the 7 minute instrumental version. However, it was the more mellow offering 'You Are' that was the song I kept on repeat once I had got to the end of the album.

No swearing, no racism, no mysogyny, no violent bragadoccio. Hardly rap at all by todays standards. And all the better for it!

One banger

Best: The Message Worst: You Are

She's Fresh, Scorpio, It's a Shame and The Message are the best songs, sadly the rest of the album doesn't hold up to this high standard. I appreciate the album for helping to make one of my favorite genres, but it hasn't aged all that well. The good songs are really solid, though.

Its seminal, its fun, but you cant help feeling that its been done much better since

I appreciate the historical significance of this album for music in general and Hip Hop in particular. But the album feels a bit outdated. Title track 'The Message' is still a very strong track though. 3/5

Funky and fun, I didn’t love some of the slower, sing-y songs. Sometimes it sorta sounds like an 80s hip hop parody, but of course it gets a pass because it pioneered the genre of hip hop and is honestly still a good listen. I liked The Message mosr.

Bouncy Funk Music. I want this CD. 2/28/23.

A definite classic and I think I would have liked it more if it were something I grew up with. However, it has undeniable hits that influenced hip hop and music altogether and who can deny that "The Message" is an absolute masterpiece of conscious rap?

Decent but early. Much like the CGI in the Star Wars prequels, you have to have some level of appreciation for the innovation but also recognize how you can get more out of today, the standard is just different. However, some songs here are standout for their emotional flair (such as Dreamin’ and You Are) and the execution matches the vision, so it’s not a perfection comparison. I don’t want to understate how much there is enjoy about the enjoyables present here. When it’s on it’s on, but there’s also some rustiness to the album you just have to brush off. Faves: Dreamin’, You Are, The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheel of Steel, The Message

I'm not a hip hop fan, but this doesn't seem like your typical hip hop to me. This is maybe the bridge between older funk bands like Sly and the Family Stone or Funkadelic to modern hip hop. Overall I liked it. 3 stars.

A classic

Ooof. Some good stuff, but come on. It's like the Village People met Young MC. Still prefer it to Eminem, though.

I thought I was going to like this more than I did. It sounded like a DJ messing with songs I would have liked. I also hated Dreamin

The album felt very light and easy in sound, easy to groove. Lyrics didn’t always reflect ease and took a serious tone, which made for an interesting dychotamy. Not to say that the lyrics in all songs were unnecessary, but there were maybe one or two songs where I felt the lyrics were meant to be paid some attention. For the rest, I was mainly just focused on the beat for the other songs in subsequent listens. From the little research I did (reading Wikipedia), a journalist wrote that the album plays like a single with other filler songs. I don’t necessarily agree in full, but ‘The Message’ stands out from the other tracks by a lot both musically and lyrically. I recognized the beat when the song started, but I can’t say I’d heard the song in full before. Compared to ‘The Message’, the first couple tracks almost feel like people were just messing around in the studio, again lending to the filler aspect. The only other song I found that really hit me was ‘Scorpio’, standing out with its electro robot vocals filter (unofficial term probably). A bunch of computers are telling me to get up and dance. I’d listen to them. I hope they got to meet Stevie Wonder.

Cool! Another historic album I’ve never listened to before. I was honestly so surprised. I thought the album was going to be a bunch of tracks like The Message but it was all over the place. The intros on She’s Fresh are super fun. Love the kazoos on It’s Nasty. This is so funny. Funky and funny. Like watching a cartoon. Really makes me wonder how this was received back in the day as the first example of hip hop. I assume people thought it was super weird, at least those not in the know. It’s so interesting seeing how timid they were about going full hip hop. The album is almost a funk soul album with a little bit of experimental hip hop thrown in. But then we get tracks like Dreamin’ and You Are. The fact that The Message comes after You Are is wild to me. Such an iconic track preceded by a wedding ballad about Jesus. Love the samples on The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel. Feels like I’m hearing a deejay live and direct. It’s awesome seeing the birth of a genre here. I just wish they were more confident with their foray into the new realm of rap and that they leaned a little less into the comfort of the familiar.

I loved the latter half of the album, but the first four songs were very mediocre to me. Sounds like something that I might listen to after a while has passed. The Message is solid though.

”Gonna hip gonna hop gonna rock the spot”. Ojämnt, men några riktigt fina bitar.

Un certain charme assez désuet. The message a été repris et samplé un peu partout. Ça se veut méchant et énervé alors que c'est tout doux au final.

PREFS : She's Fresh, It's Nasty, The Message MOINS PREF : Scorpio

not a fan of it. dont like the genre, and the songs are so boring

This album was so much fun to listen to and I’m glad I got a chance to. So many legendary tracks.

The message is een bekende, de eerste at te oud qua sound

it was a fun album to listen to but not something i would listen to every single day. the production is dated but that is to be expected since it did come out in 1982. i’m sure it was revolutionary in its time but songs like Scorpio truly did not age well. my favorite songs were: She’s Fresh, It’s Nasty, and The Message (which is my favorite track off the album.)

This was interesting. Several different genres beings mixed and melded together, some for the very first time. Some of the vocals were lacking and the Stevie Wonder song doesn't fit on this album, but the rest of it was pretty cohesive and entertaining, with the culmination of The Message.

I was familiar with the name of band and the title track, but I don't know that I've heard anything else from Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five. It was good for me to listen to this assuredly influential album. Most of the The Message was what I expected to hear from these front-runners of rap. "Dreamin'" and "You Are" were surprisingly not rap or hip-hop, and put me a little further away from a higher rating. None of the album was bad, but I don't think I would do a full re-listen any time soon.

Funky. Scorpio was cool. Lots of sampling taken from these songs, or perhaps this is where sampling begins to come alive. 80's Hip-hop & Robot Funk are decent genres.

Not what I expected. Some slower songs.

The Message is great. The rest kind of feels like filler.

Hints of good mostly bad. Very influenvial

Throwback time. This was hopping in the bars when I was still alive.

This early hip-hop album demonstrates what the genre could have been hadn't "gangsta"-rap come and ruined it all. There are some filler tracks, but that's OK. This is an enjoyable listen and a fun album. 3/5

That was surprisingly fun! Not something I'll put on regularly, I don't think, but enjoyable to have in the background. Can see why he's known as a pioneer

It was ok

Pretty fun, might revisit this one. Pretty goofy though, I dunno.

I can get why it was included, but I just couldn’t really get into it.

I didn’t listen to every word, but it mostly struck me as way more engaging subjects than what’s usually popular. Lots of extra credit for that. The Message is classic, and She’s Fresh was great too. The rest was just okay.

Smooth, funky, poignant, classic

Well Spotify has 5/11 songs, so this will be a truncated review… The songs remaining include the iconic “The Message”, so not all is lost. I appreciate this offering as being an early foray into the rap genre, while also enjoying that the rhymes they’re singing can be heard clearly. With some rappers now either mumbling or rapping far too fast for me to interpret, this album’s messages are clear to hear. It’s crazy to think ideas being shared back then are still prevalent now!

this has actually held up far better than i anticipated

Wow, that was weird. Good weird, I think. But weird with a capital W. From a love song to Stevie Wonder (WEIRD) to some preachin' about Jesus (WEIRD) to the sampler platter of remixes and samples at the end - this was such a weird time for rap/R&B. It's fun, no doubt - but WEIRD.

One song is on Grand Theft Auto Vice City, so that's an extra point.

Swag och chill

Unavailable on my streaming service in Canada.

Íkonísk plata að ýmsu leyti. Hún fær velþóknunarstimpil en mögulega væri það betra fyrir mig að fá hana í smærri skömmtum í einu. Var farið að leiðast aðeins í lokin.

3.7 - Two hot tracks redeem an album that’s filled with corny rhymes and lame filler. First is the amazing title track that’s an early example of rap that documents the struggles of urban poverty and racism. Such incredible sonics here that would be lifted by their contemporaries. Second is the vocoder break dance track “Scorpio” that could make a fun addition to any party playlist. The rest is garbage, most notably “Dreamin’”, a gushing tribute to Stevie Wonder that features awful voiceovers, as well as the refrain “Stevie, you make me wonder.”

The Message is such a brilliant track, it overshadows everything else here. It's not the worst album but nothing else is anywhere near as memorable as the title track

There are a few fun songs on here and "The Message" is of course one of the best rap songs ever written. The whole thing is pretty dated though and a couple of really weird songs also bring it down a notch."Dreamin'" made me pretty uncomfortable and "You Are" was pretty out of place. 3.5 stars

y nada kqksjsjs estuvo bueno 7.5 / 10

Mmmm, not really sure this holds up.

Really great as long as you try to ignore the hilariously bad lyrics

She's fresh is the best song. The slow songs aren't very interesting.

Decent, it's interesting to hear the non hit songs

this is interesting

Not my favorite album but I see it’s importance to the development of hip hop. Not a huge fan of the 80’s drum machine/keyboard effects sound. Scorpio is probably my favorite track followed by Dreamin’. Nod to The Message

This is an especially wild album to listen through, with the hindsight of 40 years of hip-hop and rap progression in mind. It goes without saying that this album was revolutionary for its role in popularizing a sound and bringing at least a couple different genres into the mainstream. What I find especially interesting is how refined this album is compared to so much of the hip-hop and rap music since. I dig that many of the samples are supplemented with live instrumental accompaniments. When I see other hip-hop/rap performances on Tiny Desk, or I hear tracks produced by folks like Pharrel, I hear the influences of this album running through. The performances are tight and playful. I can appreciate tracks that are hard to keep up with because the artist is performing at a blistering speed, but I have no patience for all of the slurring and mumbling that has become especially popular in genres like trap. What really stands out is that the whole group, throughout the entire album refers to women as "ladies" and "girls" instead of derogatory terms. One of the members of the crew even has verses in 'It's Nasty' about how content he is in a monogamous relationship. I'm not trying to say that all music needs to be clean and pristine, but I do think there is a value to finding a better middle ground and I appreciate artists like Tribe Called Quest and Tobe Nwigwe that are deliberate about it. The album maintains this standard even while telling the story of a darker and harder reality in tracks like 'It's a Shame', 'The Message' and 'Message II'.

I love The Message, but somehow never found my way to the rest of this album. I liked it a lot.

Solid and unknown to me, but tracks like Dreamin' had me scratching my head, but worth listening to were She's Fresh, It's Nasty using Tom Tom Club's Genius of Love which is just burned in my brain overtime, Scorpio and The Message....but Dreamin' and You Are seem to be from a different album.

Although I knew a couple of songs, I had not before listened to the entire album. After watching music documentaries, I can definitely appreciate it for its time, but some of the songs still just sound to me like a few kids were playing around in the studio, making different sounds with the toys. It’s Nasty was fun, but it reminded me of this truly terrible-amazing rap from Teen Witch called Take That. I really liked it’s a shame and found the message more prevalent many decades later. I thought Dreamin was so weird, I’m sorry. The Message is of course fantastic, I think shows the power that something simple can have. There were a lot of outdated terms in the album that made me a little uncomfortable (undercover f*g being one), but overall fun.

I always chuckle when going back to listen to old school rap albums. The rhyming schemes are always so simple, but still interesting. This one was no exception. "It's Nasty" was a fun listen and obviously everyone loves The Message. Dreamin' was absolutely bizarre being a 6-minute-long ode to Stevie Wonder, who was very much alive at the time making it even stranger.

The Message d-_-b

It was fun and felt like going back in a time machine to a time when hip hop was light and fun. I enjoyed the experience. Scorpio is probably the only song I disliked, the robotic voice was annoying to listen to.

Pretty solid funk, soul album, not what I was expecting, in a good way.

A piece of history right here. Origin of a lot of things I knew but never the actual source. Very nice funky fresh beats and lyrics were some real stuff.

Interesting listen for all the samples. Little cheesy at times but very fun

Pretty good stuff - love The Message - pioneering rap. Rest is good, but just can’t push it to a four.

El primer gran disc de hip hop és en realitat un poti poti de géneres i fussions. 'The Message', tema, és tot el que es pot demanar del proto hip hop. Una base adictiva, i per sobre un rapejat amb un flow de mestre. Un 10. 'It's Nasty', sense arribar a la mateixa perfecció, segueix el mateix camí. La resta, un mix que beu del r&b tenyit de la música disco que encara sonava a l'època, balades com 'You Are' o 'Dreamin'' -dedicada a Stevie Wonder, funky comercial ple d'efectes i instrumentals ben construïts

Some elements of this are really great and then at other times it just idles along

A novel flashback by the grandmaster. Who puts the hit so deep in a record?

Gee, the first hip hop albums were cheery old things!

An early dance hip-hop album that doesn't even feel like hip-hop for a good chunk of its time. When it does though, it's actually pretty good for the time. Favorites: "She's Fresh", "The Message", "The Adventure of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheel of Steel"

Great early Hip Hop record here, Classics like "The Message" on it, super stuff here and with some great rhyming. Love it and it is, just for being one of the first popular hip hop albums. Rightfully on this list in my opinion.

Sure, it’s a major moment in the history of hip hop - an album that mixed party tunes with socially conscious raps - and some of the beats and scratches are f-f-f-fresh… but left to their own devices they end up down dead ends, singing love songs to Stevie Wonder and other slow jams when pure hip hop rap would have been preferred. An important record, an influential record but, alas, not a great album by any stretch.

Good apart from the slow ones & the one with the Casio voice affect

Skemmtileg plata, gríðarlegir bangerar en svo voru róleg lög sem náðu mér ekki.

A couple of tracks here are an absolute blast but slower songs are borderline unlistenable

This gets an extra point for being an interesting historical artifact. However, I really didn't love listening to it for listening's sake. My favorite pieces were more reflective of the tracks the DJ was spinning. I also liked hearing some different themes in the lyrics, even if an ode to Stevie Wonder came as a bit of a surprise.

What a strange and delightful album. I enjoyed parts of it but found that most of it was not for me. Though I’m sure Flash and the Five would say it’s for everyone. I liked it in a way, but won’t mind if I don’t hear it again.

Hip-hop con buen estilo. Alguna canción buena y reconocible. También algún tema cantado a otro ritmo más lento. Bien para escuchar, pero no entusiasma

Een van de leukere hiphop-platen die ik al hoorde. Maar nog steeds kan het mij maar matig bekoren

Disco

I liked the funk elements of the album but overall it’s tracks were inconsistent in length and variety. I liked “Dreamin’” and “you are” the most — it’s nasty and the message were obviously good too

I was not a fan of the rapping on this at all. I know how important the message is but the flow and rhymes are so unimpressive compared to rap today. The singing songs were much better. I can tell that this album must have sounded very different and futuristic at the time but I hated the techno heavy tracks like Scorpio. My favorite song Was dreamin

This album was good as hell. Especially liked the last track that sampled all those other songs

This album is on here more for its importance than how good each track is I think. While it was likely pretty amazing to hear when it first came out, I don't think most of this album aged very well. BUT you do get some key components of hip hop still relevant today. A mix of party and political songs (The Message is obviously fantastic), sampling, and even some electronic music elements (Scorpion). Parts of it felt more like an R&B album than a hip-hop album but I think it was just too early in hip-hop's history to expect anything different.

This album took some turns. Only 7 tracks more than one of them is not old school rap at all. There's electro in here there's a lot of r&B singing old school... I respect the innovation on here.

Facile de voir pourquoi cet album est important. Ça sonne pas comme 1982, c’est repris partout, c’est bien fait et c’est plutôt varié. Je ne suis pas fan des ballades (Stevie, you make me Wonder... I dream about you...) ouf!

Écoute essentielle, définitivement. Par contre, Dreamin' et You are sont à oublier. The Message est le moment fort de l'album et cette pièce mérite à elle seule un 5 étoiles. Ce paragraphe est tellement marquant: "Don't push me 'Cause I'm close to the edge I'm trying not to lose my head Ah-huh-huh-huh It's like a jungle sometimes it makes me wonder How I keep from going under" Mais c'est sûr que dans l'ensemble, ce n'est pas un super album à écouter, mais il a absolument sa place dans l'histoire. Pièces préférées: The Message, The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel, Scorpio, It's Nasty

Love Scorpio, rest a bit dated or meh. I remember The Message seeming a bit mainstream even when it came out

Music. Nice.

fun

I didn’t realise the actual ‘Message’ album was quite so eclectic. Love the title track. Love Scorpio, but the rest is a bit cheesy for me, either in the soul stylings (not what I expected) or the fairly basic use of samples in places (Nasty). Still worth it for The Message itself, but would have made a better four track ep.

Play that funky music, 80’er, ghettoblaster, samples

This album is incredibly important and for that it gets credit. However, this album is also quite uneven. It oscillates between rap, funk, electronica, and even outright easy listening in ‘You Are.’ I’m a fan of range on an album, but here it can be jarring. The bass work in this album is phenomenal and the singing is great though some of the harmonies fall flat. I’m a fan of the synth here as well as dated as it is. Lyrically this album has moments of social criticism and it’s there where it has its greatest moments. The best track by far is of course ‘The Message.’

Some really good classic hip-hop. Lots of variety and I was going to say the feel was more "fun", which I enjoyed, up until the last song which definitely had some more disturbing lyrics

Solid funk / proto-rap album. 7 songs and each is unique, a bit up and down. Enjoyed She's Fresh, It's a Shame, and The Message. The others were ok.

3/5 was chill

Eclectic mix. I like the different samples and styles.

I really enjoyed the beginning and end and it’s funky style but there was a stretch in the middle where it was really slow and exhausting. However the start and finish were fun and good

Interesting history. This album can't be labeled as just "hip-hop" - yes there are elements of it in most songs but "Dreamin'" and "You Are" are melodic soul songs without a trace of rap. But songs like "She's Fresh" which is awesome and catchy-as-hell (a perfect opening track) and the early/timeless hit "The Message" are just fun old-school hip-hop with killer basslines/melodies. "Scorpio" sounds like something Beck would definitely have listened to and taken a lot from 15-20 years later. Interesting/cool crossover note: "The Message" influenced Genesis in 1983 so much that in their hit song "Mama" Phil Collins took that "hahahaha" laugh directly from this song. It definitely is "of the time" but for me that's what makes it enjoyable - it's definitely worth a listen now and again, especially if you really like early hip-hop. Fun. 7/10 3 stars.

back to the roots

It's nasty sample for sweet fantasy was a cool surprise and the message is great. More signing than I thought would be on it

Not.my kind of.music

Very old school hip hop.

Good instrumentals and production, decent rapping all around too. Has some good songs too like Its Nasty and Scorpio. I'd say this album for me is alright, but gets a bit tedious by the end. I do appreciate the variety between early hip hop and the romatic songs as it makes it easier to listen for the first time. For some reason, I couldn't dig the title track which I know is very well regarded. Just was too long and had enough halfway through. Preferred it's sequel (Survival) in the deluxe tracks weirdly. Also really enjoyed New York New York a lot and seriously wondering why it wasn't on the original album.

YASS! Super classic! Love White Lines and The Message but this was so informative and interesting! Didn't realise how funky it was, like She's Fresh. And more funk than rap. Loved this. Will definitely listen to this again!

Legendary for launching a genre, but boy, is it dated. I'm also not sure the Stevie Wonder tribute was relevant or listenable when it was released. Best track: The Message

The influence and impact this single record from Grandmaster Flash has had on Hip Hop and Rap is incredible. The samples Flash uses alone are used in so many modern songs proving his inventiveness with making catchy beats and hooks. The Furious Five also serve as one of the more atypical, but very talented MC Crews of this golden age of early hip hop.

This reminded me of the first time I snapped my banjo string. I enjoyed the pain.

Leuk het begin van het de hip hop hype

groovettone

Certainly didn't expect those R&B tracks in the middle. Not sure what was sampled vs what was actually played. But some damn fine tracks on this album. 3.5/5

Good flow

One of those albums that's insanely important for moving the genre forward, but hasn't aged all that well. Certain songs (the entirely voice-boxed "Scorpio") are total misses, while certain songs (the title track) are just awesome, and still have a very important message (heh.) With context, good. If you weren't super into rap and didn't realize what the genre owed this record, pretty bad. Favorite tracks: "The Message", "You Are"

The Message and a nice sample / cover thing of Genius of Love. And a couple surprising RnB tracks. This would have been super innovative when it came out in the early 80s.

This is an album I can appreciate for what it is, but I don't know that I would go out of my way to listen again. I know these guys were rap pioneers and much of the album seems to bridge the gap between 70s funk/R&B and 80s rap. I enjoyed the bass on this album (Doug Wimbish, who later joined Living Colour), particularly on She's Fresh and It's a Shame (especially the last minute of the track). I also liked the Tom Tom Club backing track for It's Nasty. Favorite track was The Message. As soon as I heard the "ah-huh-huh-huh" and "it makes me wonder how I keep from going under" my immediate reaction was, "hey, they did that in Hamilton" (with the line "it makes me wonder why I even bring the thunder" and the laughing when they're singing "you don't have the votes"). I'm not a big rap fan, so I think I missed out on a lot of callbacks in Hamilton...I feel like I'm getting schooled in rap history during the 1001 albums journey and I'm enjoying it more than I expected I would. Calling it a 3 primarily because the album just didn't blow me away but I definitely enjoyed it.

Scorpio really gave me some electro vibes. Whole lotta pop-n-lock/break dancing music here. Honestly not sure I’d ever chose to listen to this again, but I appreciate that this is an important part of the Black music/dance/DJing/hip-hop landscape. Two stars for listenability, another star for historical importance.

okay bit funky

Jag tyckte att det va ganska så fett för de bryr sig inte om att matcha texterna till humöret och det respekterar jag...!!!

Otippad range på plattan? Har hört the message (låten) flera gånger men tänkte att grand master flash var en lite plojjig artist. Mycket bra finns att hämta! kommer återkomma till denna flera gånger!

Gott gung

Förvånandsvärt catchy, även om det är nåt jag kanske inte kommer lyssna på dagligen. Det kan nog finnas en del godingar att extrapolera härifrån.

I was already pretty familiar with The Message, the song. But I wasn't ready for Dreamin', which seems like it's from a different album altogether. Really appreciate the robot voices on Scorpio. Pretty fun listen all the way around.

This is such an inconsistent listen - topped and tailed by moments of true brilliance ('She's Fresh' - lovely Jimmy Castor Bunch sample, 'The Message') but the meat of the sandwich is hard yakka. 'Scorpio' is almost top tier, a great electro number, but it reaches its nadir when the Furious Five fall over each other to suck up to Stevie Wonder.

Message still sounds crisp. Love hearing the classic machine sounds but mixed in with great bass playing.

Title track and Nasty are great. Rest of the album feels like filler.

So, I’ve read that Grandmaster Flash was the first DJ to ever put his fingers on vinyl, which changed DJing for ever. The title track is epic. It paints a vivid picture of ghetto life in NYC in the 70-80s (as does the LP cover) and influenced a lot of others. Since I couldn’t find any sample credits anywhere, I guess synth hook is original? I like the song that samples The TomTom Club where one of the 5 raps about the joys of monogamy! Times have changed.

This was a fun listen and The Message is still one of the all-time greatest rap songs, its held up remarkably well after all these years.

Always thought early 80’s hip hop was a bit cheesy, this does sound a bit dated now, but enjoyed it much more than I expected. Can see the influence it had and the lyrics are still relevant in 2021. Scorpio great track reminds me of daft punk.

I've heard the hits before, but honestly had no idea who played them (this is becoming a regular thing now). This is why I love the 1001 Albums Generator. It gives me context for all the tracks I have heard in the past, but never knew who the artist was. I feel like I should have discovered this record a long time ago. I mean look at this album cover. I don't really see myself listening to this kind of stuff on the regular. It's a bit dated and cheesy, although that's also why it's fun. This is music you want to hear live or at a party. Alone on a computer isn't exactly the best way to appreciate this album, but I dig it.

It has a few head bobbing hits, but some real slow boring ones near the end. im still learning how to rate. 1 is obviously garbage, 2 is something i can take from it, 3 is some good hits and replays (could make it through twice), 4 is good, like has songs i will listen to outside this challenge, and 5 is rare but like nearly if not all songs are either great or connect to me in some way. with that in mind … between 2 and 3, so 3.

old school nice

It's not bad, but not my cup of tea. I liked guitar in It's a Shame.

Heard

Mostly forgettable, but not terrible to listen to. Good background music. "The Message" is good for it's commentary, but not the music. Highlight Track: "The Message"

Sounds very dated not and some frankly dreadful tracks on here (dreamin, you are) but you can’t deny the significance of this album or indeed it’s brilliance in parts also. The message is an absolute classic

Probably more influential than good these days. Clearly still working out how to make rap albums, quality varies a lot

Love old school hip-hop and this has a game changing lead track. But too many fillers and needs more GM Flash.

Second listen - in a week. Ok. Enjoyed it the first time, this time it was great too. Still only a 3/5 for me though. Some really great songs are left for the bonus tracks.

another album that was clearly very influential to others but it didn't excite me that much, a couple of big tunes, lots of filler

It was quite hard to take this seriously at first as it sounds exactly like a Look Around You parody of early rap. I’ll all for a positive message but the song about wanting to meet Stevie Wonder is a bit… odd? By the time it reached the title track though (and some of the expanded edition extras) it seemed like Flash had figured out the genre and laid a bit of a blueprint for socially conscious rappers of the future. Includes some probably-very-influential hip-hop production too.

It's easy to write this off as "hokey" - but these guys basically invented rap, so big props for that. I mean, not only did they popularize a movement and a genre, but Grandmaster Flash is also credited with creating some of the technology that made DJing (as an art form) possible - rewiring shit from Radio Shack so he could hear one record in his headphones while another one was playing in the speakers. Highlights are obviously "The Message" and "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash" - but it's all intriguing.

First Listen. I know a couple of the songs, but the rest is new to me. Love it on first listen. Standouts: The Message, Scorpio, It's Nasty, It's a Shame 3/5

The message är det som tar denna från en 2a till en 3a

Disgraceful that I have never listened to this album before. Sounds very '80s. No doubt that this was and is a significant album, but it is too late for me to truly enjoy it.

I was starting work for the day so I mindlessly clicked for my next album and pressed play, I half noticed the 2010 tag on Spotify and was like “this is anachronistic af” lol, I’m familiar with the early hip hop creators and of course I know about Grandmaster Flash so I find this quite interesting. Having said that, this carries its time stamp very heavily, and it’s a bit cringe by today’s standards (I mean, can’t imaging those 6 minutes about how they love Stevie not making mister Wonder very uncomfortable lol). but we have to recognize that this was groundbreaking and the quality of Flash’s art. Am I going to give it a 3 mainly for The Message (song) yes I am.

Hip Hop pioneers whose album was unfortunately only half available, hard to review the album like this

Soul, rap

Has a couple of really well known tracks, including the message. Albums is culturally significant.

Gewone goede hip hop.

Loses a star for the awful song about stevie wonder

The message es la rola, se nota que todo va centrado a esa canción por qué es la única aparte del intro que suena diferente, todo lo demás parece ser el mismo beat, el mismo efecto y el mismo sampleo de sintetizador repetido N cantidad de veces (entre ellas new York New York que es buena también)

Was ready to give this an auto 5 beforehand as I love their singles and their status as early pioneers, but scorpio is proper shit, dreamin' and you are are really not what I was expecting, and really quite rubbish (if you were hyped for some old school hip hop).

Track The Message itself is fantastic but the rest is of its era I think

the none hip hop songs are good

66. Olha sempre em frente. Vai com calma. Não ligues à gordura nos manípulos. MotA: The Message - Instrumental "Fresh"

chill, a bit boring, inoffensive

Surprisingly nice

It's pretty wild how stuff like this was able to come together and sound so fun. Some interesting new-wavey bits. A real hybrid record bringing together lots of disparate things. Some of the soul songs feel a bit like filler, but this album marked a cultural transition, so it can be forgiven.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

disappointement ngl

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

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

Just super not my thing.

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

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

Title track is great rest kinda sucks

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

boring

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.

I just dont really know tbh

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

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

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.

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

Best Song: She’s Fresh

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

All over the shop and repellent at almost every phase.

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

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?

I enjoyed this flashback album.

2.5

I suspect today's album is a case where you kind of had to be there. I understand its importance in terms of being a breakthrough for its genre, but it's more of a historical footnote than something I really want to listen to. The title track is really the only essential thing here. 2.5 stars.

No doubt these guys were overshadowed in the 80s with the likes of NWA, Run DMC, etc. But, props need to be given for their influence. This was a quirky listen that drags in the middle with some really cheesy love songs. Was hoping for a bit more.

Good for samples. Not great for an album. I was listening to this in the car with my son going to his basketball game. On the way home he asked if we could not listen to it anymore. Maybe I’m just not cool enough. 2.25

I expected some basic beats and samples...was not expecting a love song for Stevie Wonder. A couple "hey, this sounds familiar!" but overall weird AF and not great. 2.25/5

funkopop

Some good songs

Understand this is very influential but primitive hip hop like just hasn’t aged well. However, obvious funk and electro influences here make for some enjoyable tracks, especially the title track

Apart from the headline single there is a lot of bluster on this album. Historically important

I wasn’t impressed

A mix of funk and disco, with a health dose of narcissistic bravado, a characteristic of the genre. Dutch the Disco and the brass balls, and I might come back. As it stands, average all around. Won’t listen again.

it was fun at the start but then i lost interest

Not really digging it

This gets a 2 simply because The Message is kind of a classic (though overly long by at least 3 minutes). But otherwise, hip hop from this era just kind of... sucks. And those Stevie Wonder fan tracks? Ooof, so bad.

A significant album that is little more than a museum piece now.

Una coleccion medio floja de canciones muy sampleables 2,5

I feel like “Hip Hop” as a genre name fits this album more than any other rap album. Not really my style personally

Лучшая песня: понятно какая Худшая: Dreamin В паре песен отличная бас-гитара. То, что не хип-хоп, слушать было очень тяжело

From the Vault #1 (January 5, 2026) Hey, me from the present here to deliver a friendly foreword. In a desperate bid to keep up with this list and to offset the pain and misery of rolling a hip-hop album, I have endeavoured to listen to some of the albums on this list ahead of their scheduled appearance, starting with all of the albums from my favourite genre. I've shuddered at the thought of how many hip-hop albums exist on the list, but now I finally have closure. Prior to starting this series of reviews, I had listened to 25 of the 85 included hip-hop picks. As of today, I've bumped that number up to a clean 72 albums (including the hip-hop albums I rolled before I could assemble a pre-written review for them). I should also mention that it's incredibly fortuitous that the first pre-written review I'm publishing just so happens to be for the first hip-hop album on the list. There was a 1 in 43 chance of that happening, so definitely not favourable odds. Anyways, I shall transport you to the immediate past, where the balding, smelly ape known as me from one-and-a-half months ago is about to deliver his opinion on this album: Here we are with the first-ever hip-hop album on the list. '82 seems like the time where hip-hop would establish it's footing. Grandmaster Flash is also a vaguely familiar name. Perhaps he's more prolific than this list lets on, though in all fairness it could go both ways - hip-hop artists typically have an ephemeral presence in the limelight. Guess I'll just have to give this one a spin. I'm surprised that this qualifies as hip-hop. This is just a dance album, isn't it? I suppose the vocals have that traditional hip-hop delivery. Anyways, this is a bit of a mixed bag. On the bright side, this length is great, there's a decent spread of styles and it has a good, bassy sound. The alternating vocalists is the best part of this album. I've always appreciated that as a unique quirk of hip-hop. "Improvise" by Jurassic 5 is more or less my favourite hip-hop song because of this. On the other hand, this is cheesy as shit, especially down the middle. The instrumentals are generally pretty restrictive and minimal, and what the hell was with that electronic track? The soul pivot was a real jarring shift, too. Overall, it's fine, but this sadly lost me as it went along. I've heard "The Message" before, as I'm sure everyone else has. Good song. The synths are pretty good, even if they are a little minimal. It ultimately does a good job at complementing the songwriting. The vocals are the strongest aspect, however. They build and transition between different tempos pretty effortlessly. Book time. "...an important milestone in hip-hop's history, displaying the key elements of lyrical delivery". Samples old funk songs among a bunch of other genres. Established the general theming and aesthetic of hip-hop music. More of a singles act. Yup, this definitely earns its stripes. I cosign this inclusion.

Ugh. It had some cool parts but outside of that really nothin I’ll come back to.

Some funky parts I enjoyed, but a lot of it fell flat.

I'd obviously include the title track in a book of "1,001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die." The album, however... 2.5/5

The sound is incredibly dated; I feel like hip-hop albums from this era (80s) sometimes sound even more ancient than music from medieval times would... Also, these songs largely don't even sound like they belong in the same album together. "Scorpio"'s vocoder techno-pop sound was apparently innovative for its time but today sounds tired and generic. "It's Nasty" is alright but relies on a sample that I've liked better in other songs. The two ballads "Dreamin'" and "You Are" are genuinely bad, with the latter sounding like a filler song from a Christian album. The title song is certainly the highlight, but I wouldn't listen again. The stuttery closing song "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash..." is baffling; it's anchored around a bassline from Queen but Grandmaster Flash adds voices that continually interrupt each other. The result for me is that the song sounds kind of startling to listen to, and not in a good way.

A very funky start. Good brass. Energetic. Nice. Track 2 has nice production and samples. The rapping is not my thing here but it makes sense as it's a very early hip hop album. A Bit too long. Track 3 does even less for me. I can imagine it being very refreshing when it came out, but today it's not something i can see myself going back to. Track 4. Is actually nice. Once again the rapping technique is very primitive. But I get it, off course. I appreciate the deserved Stevie Wonder nod on Dreamin', but I don't find this one essential. Track 6 while quit beautiful, I don't find fitting in the context of the record. And the speech in the middle is not my thing. The closer is decent with good production and better rapping. Maybe a bit too long aswell. I appreciate the inclusion of this album here. I like hearing the start points of genre and think it's important. But personally I didn't enjoy this one very much. It's unclear to me artistically. A 2.4, 2.5...

Very 80s. Couple of standout tracks

It has a track worth listening, the rest ain't that interesting or compelling. I don't know why exactly but I was very underwhelmed