The Message

This is exactly what I thought it was going to sound like and then exactly what I didn’t expect. Started great, ended great. A little so-so in the middle but that’s ok. Really enjoyed this for the most part.

The message carries this album, still a decent album tho

really fun album. great energy all the way through

Scorpio and the Message are great, the rest is poor to mediocre. This is an important record, but I feel like they quite grasp what made them special.

Not bad, more varied than I would have guessed due to the two somewhat incongruous soul numbers in the middle, one of which is either a weird love song to Stevie Wonder or a Rutles-level sarcastic parody. The highlights you know and can be found on any Sugarhill compliation.

Not sure what I expected

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

Ik vond dit wel het goede album om weer back in de game te komen chat!! Echt hee leuk album, had nog nooit echt wat van Grandmaster Flash geluisterd! Vet om die overgang van disco naar hiphop er doorheen te horen en sick hoe veel er gesampeled is

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

This album is a milestone of hip hop and the perfect example of old school work. Everybody knows 'The Message'. But what few people who have not actually listened to this album know is that the old school rap is just one part of the album. The opener 'She's Fresh' is pure funk with live instruments or 'You Are' a proper soul ballad. You could say that this a funk album all in all. And that is great. It's rich and you want to groove. I don't give it 5 stars because the simple raps feel a bit outdated today.

Nope

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.

Ridiculously funky, fresh, fun. Awesome. 4 / 5 stars.

This album so over delivers that even the self sabotage of a love song to Stevie Wonder can't steal a star.

o g

I vet that it’s a classic hip hop record but I’m not a rap fan so this is hard to listen to.

Iconic. Definitely an album that everyone interested in hip-hop should know just for its place in the genre's history if nothing else. It's just a fun listen even setting that aside though. A bit dated sounding but way less than you'd think for something over 40 years old.

cool

One of the first hip-hop albums I ever heard or owned. Soooooo good! Funk, rap, R&B, rock, dance, electronica...it's all woven together superbly well and delivered with punch and fun, yet also brings up the grit and rawness, too. I still catch myself singing "The Message" at times all the years later.

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

Wow, dette var kult! Tidlig hiphop. Scorpio blir kanskje nesten litt for rar, men ellers er dette strøkent. De politiske elementene er like aktuelle i 2026. Høydepunkter: The Message og Its a Shame

This was a good album. 3*

It was OK. Quite funky.

A hugely influential album, in whatever form you find it. The original album had seven tracks, but nowadays you usually see it streaming with eight, including the key last song being "The Adventures Of Grandmaster Flash On The Wheels of Steel." Side One is terrific. All four songs are strong though the opener "She's Fresh" is the winner -- a tremendous party song that has you singing along from the get go. "It's Nasty" is almost as good, with the sample of Tom Tom Club, "Scorpio" a key electro-dance track and "It's A Shame" solid. Peaks early but a great side. Side Two has two very weak tracks, "Dreamin'" and the poor ode to God "You Are." Really, He deserves better. And then "The Message," one of the key tracks in hip hop history. Five of seven (or six of eight) with three or four classics that are very influential. It's a pity the two weak tracks keep this from being perfect. You're better off with a hits set, but it needs to be heard.

Was hoping that’ll would be more groundbreaking

The Message is one of the best Old School Rap songs ever. Some funky songs like She’s Fresh. As soon as It’s Nasty starts it is like…I know this! Think Tom Tom Club. Scorpio is so iconic that there were many songs during the time that used that same formula (sound, beat, electronic voice). They do a great job integrating the It’s a Shame by Stevie Wonder into their own Rap version. Dreamin’ and You Are are great soulful ballads. The bonus song Wheels of Steel is a great remix bonus. Standouts: The Message, Scorpio, It’s a Shame Others: It’s Nasty

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 Message by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five Edit - My reviews and tone may get a bit more neutral and maybe upbeat... because I am now reading up on the influence / likely reason an album is here, so I know a bit better what I am in for, and thus less bemused about "what is this?". So thank you 1001 list for introducing me to this seminal album/group. They (MC’s and DJs coming together) paved the way by going from "house parties" to recording studios with their new form of music - rap and hip hop, with important social commentary. It is going to be hard to rate this separately from the obvious importance of a work (I get it) from personal enjoyment, as I don't listen to this style much... and I am only learning to appreciate how much this was “breakthrough” as a style and voice. LIKES +very high quality, no rubbish on this album - (slick and professional in a good way) +warm grooves, oddly soothing and comforting sound +history lesson/art education about his being the first band and seminal work in the style of HIP HOP +oddly familiar (I suppose endlessly covered is why) DISLIKES -its a bit slow at times, and demands attention, COOL % whole song dedicated to celebrating / devoted to “Stevie Wonder” as “the Greatest” % Hearing all the special sounds and cuts and stuff they probably invested, in its original context and early form. % there is a dance remix of The Message. That Notable tracks - The Message - Turns out I know this song "The Message". It’s very well produced, catchy beat and rolling vocals carry me along ... has a warm, listening style, despite the harsh themes covered. I can see how it got the status of “anthem”. New York - cautionary tales, with a cool signature voice effect I dont know the same for.. Scorpio - seems to showcase use of a robot voice - I expect this was very new at the time... and was very cool for the time. Summary: definitely “must listen” as part fo a good Musicology education of the seminal works and sounds that started it all. Top quality production and enjoyable listening. Its objectively high quality art of a new style. I enjoyed it, and its nice to know it a bit better. And to understand its importance socially too. Does it belong on a 1001 list? (1-5) 5 Personal Enjoyment (1-5) 3.5 Will I listen again? Maybe Final score. 4

In 1982 I opened a second-hand record shop in Newtown. I spent a lot of time in the car, checking out op-shops, auction houses, junk shops, searching for stock. The title track of this album was a big part of that year’s soundtrack. By the 1990’s there was a fantastic mural painted on a wall in Enmore that included the words “It’s like a jungle sometimes”. That song has been so loved & so influential. And it still works for me every time I hear it. I’d never heard this album before, and I wasn’t familiar with most of the other tracks, although I well remember It’s Nasty (long before I realised it was a Tom Tom Club sample at the heart of the track). Scorpio is outstanding. Love the Stevie Wonder cover followed by the Stevie tribute. Just shows how loved & influential his music was for these guys. The vocals on this album are immaculate. A great, great record.

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.

Smart and fun. What's not to like? The posed photo for the cover is hilarious.

The mix of rap and soul really made this album feel on the cusp of a big change, like it was. Also sick bass.

Two rap albums in a row!

Amazing where rap came from and what it has umm become…

some tracks were a bit too long but lotta great funky tunes. cool they got stevie on !

Una experiencia impresionante que explota los mejores aspectos del rock para contar una fantástica historia. Una Opera Rock liderada por la impresionante y carismática voz de Meat Loaf. Uno de los álbumes más imprescindibles de la historia.

I'm half way through track 2 and I realise that my feet have been tapping. I'm gonna like this. After listening - I really did enjoy it. Not quite so keen on the slower, more luurve tracks, but they're not enough to put me off.

Very interesting record with an innovative and fresh sound and also full of clever lyrics.

Lost me at hesus

No wonder this was so influential. I was afraid at first this record would be carried by the famous titular track, but clearly not the case. Funky, fun, and exciting with plenty of highlights. The emotional soulful tracks "Dreamin" and "You Are" do not fit at all and are mediocre on their own. I could dance to "It's a Shame" and "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash" is a samplepaedic masterpiece. "Scorpio" is a strange electronic piece, but I could dig it. Favorites: It's Nasty, It's a Shame, The Message, Adventures of Grandmaster Flash

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.

Groundbreaking

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).

Quite a fun listen, on the whole - I enjoyed the experimentation. "She's Fresh" is very funky, "It's Nasty" is delightfully twee - I guess that's mostly the Tom Tom Club sample... I almost want to penalize the album a star for the more ballady tracks, but I guess I should just accept them as the price of the group trying out new things... Fave track - "The Message" is a monster, obviously - I also dug "Scorpio" for that early electro clash feeling!

mmm it sounds good but not my style

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

Pretty nice hip hop/R&B album in my opinion. I'm not the biggest fan of music of this type from this era, but this was pretty good. A lot of nice beats and good vocals. Liked the use of sampling and some of the lyrical topics (there were some silly, less serious songs and some very political songs). While this is obviously an R&B album, I like the other influences this album includes like the funky baselines used on a handful of songs. Overall pretty enjoyable listen. Not too long but still enjoyable, easily an 8/10. Best Tracks She's Fresh - Very silly opening track. Not the best song on the album lyrically but the musical influences on the song set a good idea of what the album will sound like. The Message - Very nice beat. Absolutely iconic instrumental. The lyrics are absolutely impactful, describing the horrors of urban life during the time. This lyrical concept of speaking out about life in urban areas has certainly gone somewhere with modern rappers like Kendrick Lamar. Very important and amazing song. Worst Tracks Scorpio - It has an interesting techno-inspired beat and vocals. Not really my thing in all honesty. Overall, it doesn't really stand out to me compared to some of the other tracks.

Tried getting into it before, and while the titular song is pretty cool, the rest of the album just feels so gimicky to me, because of the sound effects.

I mean, it's early hip hop days, and the title track is about as influential as you could say a song is. Rest of the album is a bit hit and miss. Wasn't expecting the couple of Stevie Wonder inspired slow jams. Enjoyable though.

so funky!

THIS ALBUM IS AMAZING AND WEIRD.THE SECOND SONG HAS THE SAMPLE MARIAH CAREY WOULD USE FOR FANTASY LIKE A DECADE BEFORE.THE THIRD TRACK USES A WEIRD ROBOT FILTER AND IS GREAT.THE FOURTH TRACK IS A NICE SONG ABOUT HOW WE SHOULD BE NICE BECAUSE THERES A LOT OF BAD THINGS GOING ON IN THE WORLD BUT THE THING IS THAT ONE OF THE RAPPERS IS A MURDER SO THAT KINDA RUINS THE WHOLE SONG.THE FIFTH SONG IS A WEIRD SONG ABOUT HOW THEY DREAM TO MEET STEVIE WONDER?!?THE SIXTH SONG IS A RANDOM LOVE SONG WITH A RANDOM PART ABOUT HOW GREAT GOD IS?!?THE LAST SONG IS THE MESSAGE WHICH IS A CLASSIC I HAD HEARD BEFORE BUT NOT IN FULL.THE RAPS ARE SO PRIMITIVE I LOVE IT.THE BEATS ARE SO GOOD THOUGH ITS CRAZY.

this album is insanely frickin fun

Jo men asså de va riktigt banger album. 80-tals hip-hop är ju verkligen en vibe. Men ja ja ja jag gillar.

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.

This is an album that needs to stay in 1982 and not be played again.

A weird album due to its mixture of iconic old-school tracks and complete rubbish. Most of the album was like a collection of samples for other artists to make use of, then 'The Message' and 'The Adventures if Grandmaster Himself' are some of the most influential hip-hop songs ever.

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

That was different. It was interesting to see where hip hop evolved from but can't say it will be something i'm hankering to listen to again.

This one was hard to track down. It’s amazing how far this genre has come from the early days like this record.

Sweet album that shows some of the very first steps hip hop was about to undertake and grow to. There’s a great flow throughout the songs, some songs had me smiling, others gave me the stank face. Just great stuff! 8,5 out of 10

Early 80's old-school hip hop. Great beats, smooth listening, no duds as the whole album explores different sounds while generally at a relaxed pace. The ice cold title track is the standout.

rubbish

Iconic

The Message is a landmark and should be appreciated as such

amazingly fun!!!!

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.

Had not heard in the context of an album before, fascinating to hear the early development of hip hop, with both bits of social conscience and bits of discrimination dropped in...

Fun album, the message is obviously a standout

tykkäämpi vanhemmasta hip hop here we go... mutta tässä huomaa että tosiaan 1982 ei ollut genren kulta kausi, liikaa r ja b suatanailua...... hyvät biisit on kuitenkin erin omaisia ja lyrisismi on välillä niin raakaa kuin, PORSAAN LEIKE JÄÄN KURIMUKSESSA... the message

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

Wasn’t able to find the entire album but the few songs I did were sooooo fun. Amaze. Legendary. I can’t believe how many things I’ve heard sampled before. This is the beginning!!!

Fun and funky! Not a big hip hop fan but this made me question that assertion. This is some seriously good hip hop. A nice mix of screwing around and having something to say, it didn't take itself too seriously but didn't seem like a joke either. Also, I just got that the line from Hamilton "sometimes it makes me wonder why I even bring the thunder" is an homage to 'The Message.' Brilliant.

One banger

Best: The Message Worst: You Are

Whenever I think of Grandmaster Flash, I think of the episode of The Leftovers, where Meg and Tommy are driving down the road late at night blasting "White Lines" (well what about Shaun of the Dead? I think that was supposed to be a reference to the Duran Duran version, and also, when I first saw Shaun of the Dead, I had no idea what that joke was referencing, hence my association with The Leftovers). This album is a technical masterpiece. The funk bass lines, the sampling, the scratching... it's incredibly impressive and very fun to listen to. The use of Tom Tom Club's "Genius of Love" on "It's Nasty" is absolute perfection; it's an incredible backbeat for the band to rap to. The way that "The Message" has permeated our culture speaks to how much influence Grandmaster Flash has had on music throughout his life (coincidentally, I had Ice Cube's 'The Predator' the day before, and I love the "Check Yo Self" remix). My only beef with this album is that the lyrics were kinda cheesy at times. For a song called "It's Nasty," the lyrics were pretty tame (maybe there's an irony in that since this song was addressing criticisms against the band?), and the Stevie Wonder tribute was pretty odd too. I have no beef with paying tribute to Stevie, but the structure of the lyrics is almost like an ode, and it just felt off to me. Still, this is a fantastic album, and I think that Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five were very deserving to be the first rap/hip hop artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Also, it was a huge treat to see Grandmaster Flash on The Masked Singer this season, and apologies if that was a spoiler.

This site just gets better & better!

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.

Funky and fresh, smooth funk with some nice rap

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

A monumental historic album, for sure, but I can't listen to it.

This album opens with an amazing funky banger with a bass so insanely good you just can't sit still. Unfortunately, it turns out to be a false promise for the album. Its Nasty is also still a decent song, but then comes Scorpio, one of the low points of this album. And it doesn't really get better after that. Side B starts dramatically awful with 2 ballads where the enamel jumps off your teeth. Everything hip-hop on this album is suddenly gone. Luckily we still have "The Message" as the last song. The famed HipHop hit on the record and most likely THE song Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five have ever released. That makes up for a very weak middle half of the album and a reason not to discard this album straight away.

Didn’t love that to be honest, not my jam.

That's a classic if I've ever heard one...

This was a delight. I knew it was good, but I forgot how much it was sampled in modern hip hop

Funky, soulful and a lot of fun. Clearly a very influential and important album in the genre.

I gather this is an influential album, but sorry, it doesn't do it for me.

Nearly five stars for The Message alone. What the hell! An insane track in an equally insane-ly great record.

Klinkt goed voor z'n tijd en is best gevarieerd

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

Fantastic album to kick off the week! All the songs were groovy and dare I say funky...filled with soul! That last song was super interesting too using all the samples from various songs like Good Times, Another One Bites the Dust, Rapture, and maybe more. More albums like this please!

Holy cow, this is a big one. Old school hip hop before old school hip hop, truly foundational stuff. These guys were pioneers, I think one of the original groups of guys who would perform and battle at parties. It's incredible how much this genre has grown from the early days. Somehow this album feels more alive and timely than a lot of other old school hip hip albums, namely stuff like Run DMC or some Beastie Boys work, and I think it's because of the presence of genuine funk and dance-y grooves. So even though the lyricism has been infinitely surpassed in the realm of hip hop, the tunes are still fantastic. There's the excellent sample on "It's Nasty," which would be sampled later by Mariah Carey for "Fantasy." Plus the final track is a medley of sorts, sampling songs like "Good Times," Rapture" and "Another One Bites the Dust." Very cool DJ showcase. And, of course, the title track is incredible. "It's like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder I keep from going under." Pretty conscious stuff from such an early group. Almost every song on here grabbed me in some way, and yeah I can't help but give this a five star, it's just so strong. Some great albums lately, let's keep it going. Favorite tracks: The Message, It's Nasty, Scorpio, honestly everything but "Dreamin" got saved. Album art: Pretty simple "band" photo, nothing crazy of note. The neon looking font is decent. 5/5

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.

It’s great. It’s important. This album has influenced so many albums and artists and songs. It is also uneven. So I’ll say 4 not 5. But still really cool. So many influences here.

It's a good album and the great songs like the message outshines the low points. The quality of the lyrics are a mixed bag. It doesn't quite hold up as a whole but it's something I've listened to before and will listen to again.

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?

Ok this is genetically engineered to make me like it. If you love your mother break in She's Fresh is hysterical. Scorpio I don't love as much. Its cool mix of humor, funk, proto hip hop, RNB.

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.

While it’s probably not the first, it feels like the first post-disco album on this list. The post-disco combined with very early hip hop makes a very fun and unique combo that’s also timeless with songs like it’s nasty and the message still are sampled to this day. Those also happen to be the best tracks along with Scorpio but there are def no bad tracks. The lyrics are also interesting since they’re pretty dark compared to the production.

Oh man. I get why this is on the list and understand rap was still in its infancy, but frankly this was preposterous.

ну хипппии-хопп чик кк к к пу пу пу ппупуп пу пупу у пп

A classic

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

Uggggghh

Some amazing grooves on here. Doug wimbash from Living Colour played bass on this album. I really like how it is not only a hip hop album but it has a variety of styles and genres and every song has a great hook. I like the stevie wonder tribute and you are. The vocals and piano on “you are” are so good. “It’s nasty” is great- I like how they built on the genius of love groove with the new bridge section, horns, and kazoo break. She’s Fresh is my favorite tune.

Stevie wonder song had me cracking up. Bass playing is killer! Jesus song was kinda funny too but idk if it was supposed to be. Had a great time listening but dunno if I’ll listen again

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

I'm going to have to process this.

Added to my music after listening, I previously only knew The Message but the whole album is great. It’s A Shame hits so hard even 40+ years later.

Unquestionable brilliance ... with a lot of what we can charitably call "filler" thrown in to stretch it to album length.

So "Fresh"! I was amazed by how full of life and present everything on this album sounded. It was like a missing puzzle piece in my understanding of musical history. Made me want to dance; I don't ask for much more.

it’s hard not to have a fun time listening to this. most of the songs feel so interactive with the consistent call and response vocals. that mixed with the gated reverb gives this album an immediate sense of space, which makes you feel like you’re in the room with them.

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.

This album came out the year I graduated from high school. In a time before streaming, MP3s and even CDs, we somehow found The Message on FM radio and latched on to it. We memorized the words and kept sharing it with our friends. This and Blondie’s “Rapture” (sampled on “Wheels of Steel”) were our first exposure to this new thing called “rap”. Listening to The Message track for the first time in years gives me that same thrill from when it was new. It still feels gritty and genuine. A snapshot of early 80s New York street life. “It’s Nasty” samples “Genius of Love” from the Tom Tom Club, and if you don’t know that song, do yourself a favor and check it out. This is a case of the sampled-from song being better than the sampled-to song. It’s Nasty, Scorpio and She’s Fresh are exactly what I expected the rest of GMF to sound like. The surprise here came in songs like ”Dreamin’”, which shows their musical range, even though it’s not nearly as good as actually listening to Stevie Wonder. And “You Are” was a shock - a Christian praise song from Grandmaster Flash!? That clicks with me on a personal spiritual level, but musically it took my respect for GMF up a notch. And “Wheels of Steel” just resonates with me because it samples a bunch of songs that I knew from that time. Up one notch from 3 for me, just for the personal connection with The Message from years ago.

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.

I always hear GMF as history. The music is always couched as hip-hop’s origins. Listening to the entirety of this record, puts GMF and the FF in context. This is future music. It’s a hot mess and I love it. It’s a band not creating hip-hop but experimenting with every musical idea that’s lying around them at the time. There’s techno, Kraftwerk-adjacent tracks. There are R&B ballads. There’s funk. Perhaps more than anything there’s funk, for this music shares not only musically with Parliament Funkadelic but spiritually with Parliament Funkadelic more than anything else. More than even hip-hop. I mean, there are only two rap songs on this album and they’re the last two. This album is fun, wild. Sounds like a block party and I’m hear for it.

Charlie already said everything that I could have with this one. Early, experimental, confusing, funny, uneven pacing. But... a VIBE. An arrival. It does sound like they're figuring out what it is. I love the playfulness of it, the songs that feel like skits. And yeah, the title track is really worth the price of admission. I love how it just perfectly captures something, it's like a photograph. 4/5. Special.

”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.

So I really did not expect to love this as much as I did but goddamn is every song just a bop. This thing is such a mixed bag of genres but they’re each pulled off so well and beautifully. Love the tribute to Stevie and many of the lyrics are in his style as well so it makes perfect sense. Killer album! 9/10

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

Cool

This one starts very strong with the funky disco "She's Fresh" to ignite the party. Love the Tom Tom Club sample on the follow up "It's Nasty" as well. Unfortunately, the album's rating goes down a full star with the rather kitschy and tacky "Scorpio," hilariously out of place. Both "Dreamin'" and "You Are" are lyrically absurd, mediocre slow burners. The self-titled track holds up well...I guess, though I just wished it would end after "You Are." Reflecting on the whole, even though the runtime is nowhere near a marathon, it is inconsistent and not that impressive. My least favorite listen so far.

I’m a fan of old school hip-hop, just not this old school.

Rap y soul feliz. Bien street. De los orígenes. Empiezan a usar bastante sintes.

Deserves to be on this list. So many familiar tones, riffs, and beats that clearly inspired later artists and samples.

This album is excellent, but it is so hard to find. I had to combine Spotify and Youtube cherry-picking. Can you guys get your shit together and make the album available somewhere?

so much trouble for a pretty meh album

I get that this is probably very influential and everything but i just dont think this kinda stuff holds up nowadays

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

I tried to get over the mumbling, screeching voice, and synths but I just couldn't. This was so boring. Definitely not my thing.

Was there only one song on this album? Anyways, liked it. The atmosphere was fun and uplifting. Pleasant experience overall.

what was the message

I guess I didn’t hate this. But I didn’t really like it.

From the cradle of early, transitive, hip hop, this album is technically raw at times and creatively groundbreaking but still linked to the R&B roots of its predecessors. I get hints of Sly and the Family Stone, Tower of Power, 70's Philadelphia funk (It's a Shame straight up samples the Spinners version and a Bootsy Collins'ish slappin' bass line accentuates multiple tracks), and Dreamin' is sent out to Stevie Wonder and could easily be compared to anything from Earth, Wind & Fire. The rhymes in the title track may sound simple by today's standards but the words and their inherent emotion are nonetheless timeless.

A couple of good tracks on the album, The Message brings back good memories and the first few tracks were interesting to listen to as a change to the music I normally listen to. I lost interest about halfway through and turned it off; I don't think I'll be listening to it again.

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

She's Fresh - it's a bop! It's Nasty - I'm sorry but this reminded me of Wham Rap! It could be because I watched the extremely cheesy video. Scorpio - I like the beat, and the computerized voice is very 1982! It's a Shame - This is groovy... nice vibe. Dreamin' - Sent out to Stevie Wonder at the beginning of the song, and throughout the song.. it definitely has that Wonder-ful feel to it. You Are - It started as a really nice love song, then took a hard turn to a spoken word religious song. The Message - The title song - and the only one I've heard before. A socially conscious straight up rap song with a great beat. The lyrics are more than a little homophobic, though. "Don't push me 'cause I'm close to the edge"

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

Fantastiskt album. Kändes som ett stevie wonder med rap verser.

Hip-Hop was a rapidly mutating beast in the early 80s and this metamorphosis is depicted in this album, with its forays into late 70s funk, Kraftwerkesque electro and endearingly odd ballads dedicated to their idols. While these shifts are surprising, they don't hamper the album overall, as they are anchored by some of the most innovative songs in the genre, providing the backbone for what it would become and increasingly referenced in the decades that followed. Favorites: She's Fresh, It's Nasty, Scorpio, The Message, The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheel of Steel.

It's interesting that early hip hop has aged so much worse than early metal. Especially considering this came out almost 15 years after Sabbath. But it's also pretty amazing how far hip hop came in the space of a few short years after this, with NWA and Ice-T in 86-87 pumping out what's effectively modern (enough) hip hop. But this just sounds so formative, it can't be taken seriously in 2022. The message is of course yes a great little tune but the rest? Half of it sounds like cheap funk, and the rapping is childish by today's standards. Meh, it's just too far gone in 2022. 2/5.

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.)

Four Songs in and I gave up, this isn't for me.

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.

A little too funky for me

Прослушано! Не впечатлило.

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.

One good song. Rest was boring.

fun. good

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.

I don't dance, but this album had me moving right from the start. It chills out in the middle, a decent break before the classic "The Message". A real flashback for me, I was 10 years old when this came out (I've never listened to the whole album before) and I recall having a breakdance obsession around this time. The most amazing thing to me is how fresh this still sounds. I'm usually disappointed when I dig up music that I liked when I was a kid, but this is fantastic! I didn't realize what I've been missing all this time. I'm not sure if I'm going to actually listen to this that often, but once in a while for fun... I'm definitely grateful that I heard this before I died though.

Enjoyed the samples but ended up as previously, hunting those out. Mariah and monie love!

I like the funk.

The maybe The Message tries to be a bit deeper than the rest, the lyrics are grade A dumb. There is some interesting musical inventiveness, but it is just completely overwhelmed by regrettable vocals and lyrics.

This album is super fun, it reminds me of Boys II Men. I did not expect a ballad, but it is really nice -- Yesterday. Can't Keep Running Away is so good!

Classic in the way the Pantheon is: foundational to just about everything that came after.

Not what I expected. Some slower songs.

Absolute fire! Energetic, intelligent, thought-provoking, pop and groove.

Lost my notes! The Message was great but the rest wasn't.

For the time, this feels very innovative. You still hear these samples in modern music even today...

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

Hints of good mostly bad. Very influenvial

Pretty groundbreaking stuff. The title track is a classic. Unfortunately I can't find the full album anywhere, but from what I've heard it's a 4/5.

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

Gar nicht mein Ding.

not my cup of tea

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

Rap breakthrough album. It’s fresh.

Using a live band with real instruments has always made any hip hop band infinitely better. It's just a shame about all the nasty syruppy ballad songs.

There are some terrible songs on here, though they can't defeat the title track.

It was ok

- oh the beginning of She's Fresh is tingly - bass!!!!! - is that a kazoo?? love it - like these sci fi vibes in Scorpio (having said that its getting a little old as the song goes on) - Another One Bites the Dust by Queen?! (the Wikipedia page for this song is all other songs and i just only recognize one, great lol) overall impressions, at the beginning thought this might be a 5 star album but it kind of lost me in the second half. really enjoyed though.

2 ok this is hard, cause this really fucking sucks Yea this a 1 Oh thats the meme maybe not

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

Not a huge fan of specifically Scorpio and You Are. Everything else rules. She’s Fresh is the best!

Classic rap sounds, fun listening. Now I want to listen to more by them.

Pretty godd

I think a little dated. Obviously Message itself as a song is still amazing but the album is a little too soft and underwhelming.

A Hip Hop album that's under an hour long?! I am immediately erect. Cheesy, but a good kind of cheese. The fun and funky fresh kind. I enjoyed most of the tracks here, especially the title track. I also liked the complete curveball that "Scorpio" was.

How can you fail to be charmed by this album? Every inch of it oozes confidence; a bunch of guys doing something new but with total conviction that everything they are making is pure gold. And what do you know? They were right. "Scorpio" is still a thrilling listen and "Its a Shame" is still as poignant now as it was when it was written. A incredibly entertaining and well put together album.

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

Groovy and fun, but the Stevie Wonder tribute kind of killed this one for me.

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.

Just okay. A little cheesy

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!

Perhaps more significant than good.

It was okay. I enjoyed the music but didn’t care for the singer nor the lyrics.

It's easy to make fun of how cheesy this album is, but it was revolutionary in '82. Mad respect.

this has actually held up far better than i anticipated

Grandmaster Flash is one of hiphop greatest and has made fantastic singles. But this is a full album consisting of two of those songs and the rest is filler.

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.

WOOHOO! Let's party! I can deal with life, yes! I'm gonna create an agenda for this meeting, and it's gonna be awesome. I'm not going to just deal with life, naw man, i'm gonna CELEBRATE IT! My party is started ya'll, and it ain't slowin down. Rock the meeting, rock the minutes, record the zoom, you know i'm in it! What you say about no email? I sent that mail, but I'll send it again! I don't even need to forward the orig, I love you all, without a hitch! Yo! What's that now? You want to zoom again about what I just sent? Who's that there that doesn't to read? Is it an impulsive boss with more time than me? I ain't even mad you let's chit chat! You wanna rehash yo I'm good with that! But now the party's chillin', things are slowin down, it's getting weird in here but I know why now. We gotta take a break so we can get close. It's time to find love, it's time to organize notes. It's boring, true, but there's peace in here, I gotta push through just to keep you near. CELEBRATE! I got those notes collated! Details revised, tasks designated! I'm checking off boxes, I'm setting the course, I'm takin over this project with no remorse!

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

Swag och chill

I rock with this. Musically somewhere between funk and hip-hop, it starts of fun and high energy but moves in quite a few directions throughout it’s mere 36 or so minute runtime. I found that it has aged better than some of the other old-school hip-hop albums on here, but maybe that’s just me

Trevligt att lyssna på! Intressant hur de låtar på denna skiva som är hiphop inte låter nära på lika föråldrat som mycket annat från 80-talet. Dreamin' är en sån söt och swag hyllningslåt! Därtill är pärmbilden swag, definitivt bland de bättre.

Funny how despite the legendary status and even now we have radio stations that play album tracks, I still haven't heard anything other than the two obvious classic tracks at the end here. Most of the rating goes to that, genre-defining. Mention also to Scorpio. The 'Expanded edition' deleting the wheels of steel though is a weird move given it's the second best thing here.

There's definitely some filler but a ton of hip hop innovation at work as well. Aside from the historical significance, a solid album overall in its own right.

Not my kind of music

Still so fun to listen to. What tunes! It’s not quite 5 star for me.

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.

awesome bass throughout the album

I like this. I’d listen to it again.

Wat klinkt dit gedateerd. Scorpio is daar een goed voorbeeld van..

Oef, dat klinkt allemaal niet zo soepeltjes meer of misschien heeft het wel nooit soepel geklonken.

Zal vast grondlegger van de hiphop zijn, maar klinkt echt hopeloos gedateerd

Het nummer The Message blijft geweldig. Maar de rest....mwah....en hoezo denken ze dat het een goed idee is om dan halverwege ineens een aantal Stevie Wonderachtige nummers op je plaat te zetten?

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.”

This is a fun record. 80s hip hop is so different to what we have today. And this is a great entry into that world.

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

Today we have something a little different from all the 70s rock that seems to have been recommended recently. I’m excited for this one - I always felt that old school hip hop was so much better than modern day rap. I’d take Sugarhill Gang over Dave any day. Songs I already knew: The Message Favourite after listening: The Message, She’s Fresh Overall: 8/10 I really enjoyed this album. The highlights were definitely bookending the album, with She’s Fresh at the front and The Messgage at the back, but the songs in between have excellent funk, rapping and singing. There are some fairly odd lyrics at times - such as an ode to god in You Are as well as an ode to Stevie Wonder in Dreamin’, but it didn’t stop me from dancing like Tommy Verceti for the duration. An easy recommendation for anybody who enjoys older rap music.

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

A somewhat decent funk LP that’s lacking in memorability. Not a lot of the key melodic rhythm and repetition from Flash’s other work that makes it so memorable

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

Classic. Didn't know they used that beat that's in It's Nasty

I'm not an expert on hip hop and it's not my preferred genre, but there is a joy in this music that is largely absent from hip hop today.

Funky fresh. Rap, Funk, rnb all rolled into one. So much to discover

This one surprised me! I really didn’t expect to like this so much because I’m not usually a fan of hip-hop. That said, I preferred the first couple songs and the last couple songs; the stuff in the middle wasn’t my thing.

The album seems to be something revolutionary and fresh, however a lot of song were to boring and long, all of the songs have some bit of interesting, however the lenght of the songs make them less enjoyable. Only the first and fourth were the most interesting and valuable. Even if the quality was kinda low it seems to be a historically speaking, an important album

"The Message" (the single) is legendary. Why in the world did the listmaker include this entire record, with the cringeworthy "Dreamin'" and the embarrassing "You Are"?

I wanted to like this album. I tried so hard. It's such an important part of musical history. But it's kind of awful. It's cheesy AF. The lyrics are mostly vapid, the samples are mostly disco, and the delivery is as boring as it comes. I know this was put out in '82 but it has the indelible stench of '70s disco all over it. It's a cornerstone album because of the subsequent artists and albums it inspired, not because it's actually any good. Because it's not. No matter how badly I wanted it to be.

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

A few good songs Ion fuck with country tho

Bad album

Funky as can be, bass lines are incredible, but for me I really only liked half the entire album. Overall sounds incredible and was an easy listen

Funky

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

Just noise...

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

Scorpio is a banger. Wish they would tell us the names of who’s in the furious five, I’m clueless. “Stevie, you make me wonder”…lol.

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'.

Classic, still (sadly) relevant, and insightful. Really interesting to hear from the start of rap and hip-hop, and an album that was an inspiration to so many throughout the years since.

Heard it before?: No, although I have heard ‘The Message’. I just never knew the artist Enjoy it?: Not particularly, I can get that it was good for its time and there are some catchy beats and flows but they are dragged out far too much which makes it tediously long considering no song comes under the 4 minute mark Favourite song: Track 4 - It’s a Shame

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.

Title track is a classic but the rest of the album sounds too dated for me

3.5⭐️

On the surface it seems saturated with cheese but it was actually a very enjoyable listen if you apply the trusty time, space and place lens Obviously ground breaking stuff in terms of production methods. Pleasantly surprised by the more soulful numbers, especially Dreamin'.

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.

This album is old school hip hop and funk. It has the sampling of other songs with the record scratching and everything. Then they add their own lyrics to it. The song to Stevie Wonder was fun. There are other songs that were later used in rap songs. I liked the album and listened to it again right after I finished it.

Fascinating and funky. Bit inconsistent though - I wasn’t a huge fan of the slower numbers.

Too much funk for me

Absolute classic 👍

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: The message, Message II

Very corny for the most part but the the final two tracks, The Message and The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheel of Steel redeemed some stars. Will listen to these tracks again but probably nothing else from this album.

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

Like the more hiphop/rap songs. The song that sampled Tom Tom Club was my favorite, and the Message is always a classic. That being said, the rest of the album was largely disappointing and not worth noting. 2.5/5

interesting, i expected more rap - wasn't aware of their sound other than the Message

I really want to rate this higher because of how important it is to the genre... but most of it is dated and cheesy. The title track is worth a full-star bump on its own, but the rest is meh....

Already in collection, absolute masterpiece of proto-hiphop.

Fun album, well outside my normal sphere. Interesting to hear how many sections I recognize from other songs - be it sampling something from here or both tracks sampling something else

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

Feels slow and old school these days, but clear how early it was and what it led to. I expected it to be more rap through and through, but the interludes of more R&B stuff did a lot to help break this up and keep it interesting to me. 3.4 rounding up.

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

Not as good as I had hoped

Old skool hip hop!...feels like a album with a brilliant track and lots of obvious filler. (though Scorpio is interesting) I'm thinking that at this time rap "albums" were not really a thing. 12 inch extended mixes were where it was at. This strikes me as a cash in. 2

One classic song and a bunch of meh.

Classic hip hop albums some of the most influential and important tracks of the 80s kickstarted a lot of rappers careers )

It's the originator of so much. Electro, proto rap, and I wasn't expecting the soul side so much. It also has the birth of conscious hip hop with the Message and it's less successful follow ups. And early turntablism with the Adventures of Grandmaster Flash. More importantly, it does all of this whole being great fun (except maybe a few outdated lines which scan quite homophobic these days). It's rare that an album which changes the course of music is this goody and fun.

Wel oke, maar niet mijn genre

More slow soulful songs than expected. Not great. Best songs The message, new York new York,

In 1982, this record was released, and was proved to be very influential on many artists that followed. Flash and the Furious Five have made their music still hold up today with great, funky beats and masterful songwriting in tracks such as "It's Nasty and the ever-so influential "The Message". Although tracks such as "Dreamin'" really don't fit the flow of the album well-enough, despite being good songs IMO. Overall, "The Message" still continues to prove its relevance and influence today, making it a great record.

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

4.5

There are some albums that transcend even the music recorded on them based on their historic impact. This is one of them. It’s just too bad that there are some awful clunkers in the middle of it.

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

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

Whew. Excellent album. And now I know where the sample for "Rapper's Delight" came from. For an album made 40 years ago this sound still feels very fresh, aside from the occasional synth misfire ("Scorpio" is an embarrassment imo). But for every misfire on this album there are about 3 classics. An excellent experience overall, well worth the listen. Fave is the title track but "She's Fresh" deserves an honorable mention for the fresh, funky sound.

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

This album is fun but holy shit it is just pure chaos! Every song has like fifty different shifts and it's wild as fuck to listen to. I'm kind of a fan, really. A lot of these sounds would've been fresh as fuck 40 years in the past. They were really forward-thinking imo.

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.

I really enjoyed the sound of the old-school hip hop here. I could imagine break dancers performing as I listened. Now, when the slower tracks came on, I was a bit startled and less impressed. That dreaming about Stevie song was a little strange...

I loved the fun party tracks but didn't love so much the earnest serious tracks in the middle. Overall, a good time!

This is a ton of fun! Great music. Fun lyrics. Refreshing next to a lot of other hip hop and rap we’ve heard on this project. And how sweet is “Dreamin’”?! This album has me smiling!