#3 Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - "The Message"

#3 Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - "The Message"

Labels: 80's Babies / Black Music Month / I Used to Love H.E.R.

I know who the title says performs this song, but make no doubt about it, this is Melle Mel’s song. “The Message” was my introduction to Hip-Hop and to this day remains my favorite rap song. It’s more than the beat, but it’s easily among the best ever, but Melle’s last verse paints a picture of Ghetto America better than Basquiat or Ernie Barnes.

A child is born with no state of mind/Blind to the ways of mankind/God is smiling on you/But he’s frowning too/Because only God knows what you’ll go through

That’s how that last verse begins and it only gets better. It’s funny that a song made back in 1981 is so relevant now and will stand out amongst today’s facsimile of Hip-Hop. This is Hip-Hop at its purest; a dope beat, an M.C. and his ghetto point of view. Many have tried, many have jacked the beat, but none have done it better than “The Message”.

Just think about the hook, “Don't push me, cuz I'm close to the edge, I'm trying, not to lose my head. It’s like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder how I keep from going under”. That’s life as we know it, every day.