Grandmaster Flash

Born Joseph Saddler in Barbados, Flash grew up in the Bronx obsessed with his father's record collection and studied electronics at Samuel Gompers High School, a technical background that shaped how he approached the turntable as a machine to be mastered rather than just played. Where Kool Herc found the breakbeat and Afrika Bambaataa dug up the records to loop, Flash chased the technique itself, spending years perfecting his cutting and mixing in private at 2730 Dewey Avenue before ever showing the tricks to a crowd.

The full story is in Early New York Hip-Hop.

At a glance

Active

1976–present

From

Barbados / Bronx, New York

Records in the issues

1 (1981), 1 of them a Start here pick

Listening guide track

“The Message”

Listen

In the Early New York Hip-Hop listening guide: “The Message”

In the issues

• 012
  Early New York Hip-Hop

  Principal · 1973-1986 · Members

  Early New York Hip-Hop is a music scene from New York City, USA, 1973–1986. Its principal artists include DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. This issue covers 9 essential albums and 13 dated events.

Records

• The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel

  1981 · Start here in Early New York Hip-Hop

  Listen on Spotify

Places

• Cedar Park
  The Bronx · 1973-1979 · Early New York Hip-Hop
• Disco Fever
  The Bronx · 1976-1986 · Early New York Hip-Hop

Terms

Breakbeat

A drum pattern, usually sampled from the break of a funk or soul record, with syncopated rhythms rather than a steady four-on-the-floor kick.

Scratching

A DJ technique in which a vinyl record is moved back and forth under the needle to produce a rhythmic, percussive sound, closely associated with hip-hop turntablism.