All American Entertainment Named to Inc. Best Workplaces in 2022. Read more

Grandmaster Flash

Add to Favorites
Fee Range:$20,000 - $50,000
Availability:Please contact
Years Active: 1976–present
Genre:hip-hop, dj
831.9KScrobbles
155.8KListeners

Grandmaster Flash (born Joseph Saddler on January 1, 1958 in Barbados) is a hip hop musician and DJ; one of the pioneers of hip-hop DJing, cutting, and mixing.Saddler's family migrated to the United States, and he grew up in the Bronx.

He became involved in the earliest Queensbridge, New York DJ scene, attending parties set up by early luminaries. Learning from Pete Jones and Kool Herc, he used duplicate copies of a single record and two turntables but added a dextrous manual edit with a mixer to promote the break (a point of isolated drum rhythm) - the ordinary playing of the record would be interrupted to overlay the break, the break could be repeated by using the mixer to switch channels while the second record was spun back.

The speed and dexterity needed showed why Saddler was called Flash, although he got the nickname in school due to the fact that he hung around with another guy named Gordon (from Flash Gordon). He also invented the technique initially called cutting, which was developed by Grand Wizard Theodore into scratching (AMG).

Flash played illegal parties and also worked with rappers such as Kurtis Blow and Lovebug Starski. He formed his own group in the late 1970s, after promptings from Ray Chandler. The initial members were Cowboy (Keith Wiggins), Melle Mel (Melvin Glover) and Kid(d) Creole (Nathaniel Glover) making Grandmaster Flash & the 3 MCs.

Two other rappers briefly joined, but they were replaced more permanently by Rahiem (Guy Todd Williams, previously in the Funky Four) and Scorpio (Eddie Morris, also used the name Mr. Ness) to create Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five.

Soon gaining recognition for their skillful raps, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five pioneered MCing, freestyle battles, and invented some of the staple phrases in MCing. They performed at Disco Fever in the Bronx beginning in 1978.

Signed to Sugar Hill Records in 1980 by Joe Robinson, they released numerous singles, gaining a gold disc for "Freedom," and also toured. The classic "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel," released in 1981 was the best display of their skills (combining elements of Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust", Chic's "Good Times" and samples from Blondie's Rapture), but it was their least successful single at the time.

The group's most significant hit was "The Message" (1982), which was produced by in-house Sugar Hill producer Clifton "Jiggs" Chase and went platinum in less than a month. Flash sued Sugar Hill in 1983 over the non-payment of royalties, and in 1984 the group split between Flash and Mel before disintegrating entirely.

Flash, Kid Creole and Rahiem signed to Elektra Records while the others continued as "Grandmaster Melle Mel & the Furious Five." (Mel notably appeared on Chaka Khan's I Feel for You). They reformed in 1987 for a charity concert, to release one album and then fall apart again.

There was another reunion, of a kind, in 1994, although Cowboy died in 1989 from a drug overdose due to the effects of his crack cocaine addiction.

Grandmaster Flash performs hip-hop, dj music and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, or other music performances. The estimated booking fee range to book Grandmaster Flash for your event is $20,000 - $50,000. Grandmaster Flash has more than 155.8K listeners worldwide and really knows how to entertain your audience. Similar artists are  The Sugarhill Gang, Kurtis Blow, Afrika Bambaataa, Whodini, Kool Moe Dee, Run-D.M.C., LL Cool J, EPMD, KRS-One . Contact AAE Music agency for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Grandmaster Flash for an upcoming event.

This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of popular musicians and bands to consider for performances at corporate events, fundraising galas, or university events. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.

All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any artist or celebrity on this site. AAE Music is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.

If you are the talent, and wish to request removal from this catalog or report an issue with your profile, please click here.

The 2022 Speaking Industry Benchmark Report
This is a standard notification.

Report an issue with my profile

Please use this form to report an issue with your artist profile or to request removal from our online catalog.

Leave your message and contact information below. We will send you a confirmation message or reach out if we have questions.

    Please update my profile
    Please delete my profile