June 2, 2008
The story of Grandmaster Flash has been told many times\x97but never this well\x97in countless books on hip-hop culture: a DJ whose genius at mixing songs and beats using multiple turntables as the background for rapping MCs in New York City during the late 1970s and early '80s made him one of the founding fathers of hip-hop. Here, Flash's own no-holds-barred look at his rise, fall and resurrection is powered by his insider's look at the transcendent as well as the seamy sides of the early days of hip-hop. He is especially good at presenting new information on his dealings with one of the early hip-hop giants, Sugar Hill Records. He is ably assisted by the ubiquitous Ritz, who, as a coauthor of numerous autobiographies (Ray Charles, Don Rickles, etc.), allows for individual voices and writing styles. While Flash writes in short, phrases, the entire book reveals a complex and thoughtful approach to his life, especially his obsessive mixing work (\x93I would have to do that thirty-six hundred times to fill an all-day park jam with music the way I wanted to play it\x94).
May 1, 2008
Grandmaster Flash is best known in conjunction with the Furious Five, the first hip-hop artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But before the fame, Joseph Robert Saddler was born into an abusive family in the Bronx. His evolution from a kid spinning records in the streets to hip-hop stardom is an inspiring story filled with heartbreak, determination, and perseverance. Famous for pioneering a new style of deejaying, in which the record itself became an instrument for manipulation, Grandmaster Flash formulated his technique from a bricolage of technical skill, his chaotic surroundings, and obscure vinyl records he unearthed at secondhand shops. This style of deejaying served as the soundtrack for break-dancers and rappers in the early days of hip-hop. Incorporating the verbal stylings of the Furious Five, Grandmaster Flash gained success, lost everything, and managed to resurface to influence a new generation of artists. This memoir reinforces the idea that hip-hop came from and continues to spin around the DJ. Recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 2/1/08.]Joshua Finnell, McNeese State Univ. Lib., Lake Charles, LA
Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
June 1, 2008
One of the founders of rap music, Grand Master Flash more than deserves a full-blown, critical biography. This as-told-to autobio aint it. It is, however, replete with GMFs views of his travails, the start of the rap scene in New York, and the career of his Furious Five, a seminal act in rap history and the first rap group elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (OK, big whoop). Born Joseph Saddler in Barbados in 1958, GMF remembers hearing James Brown at one of his parents late-night house parties: "I wanted to scream, wanted to jump in the middle of the action." Eventually, he did, as an early master of "scratching," the art of creating the instrumental component of rap by manipulating vinyl records on turntables. Though more boastful than introspective, this first book on the life and career of a rap initiator should still be considered essential for pop-music and hip-hop collections. It may even give your library an immediate uptick in street cred!(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)
May 5, 2008
The story of Grandmaster Flash has been told many times—but never this well—in countless books on hip-hop culture: a DJ whose genius at mixing songs and beats using multiple turntables as the background for rapping MCs in New York City during the late 1970s and early '80s made him one of the founding fathers of hip-hop. Here, Flash's own no-holds-barred look at his rise, fall and resurrection is powered by his insider's look at the transcendent as well as the seamy sides of the early days of hip-hop. He is especially good at presenting new information on his dealings with one of the early hip-hop giants, Sugar Hill Records. He is ably assisted by the ubiquitous Ritz, who, as a coauthor of numerous autobiographies (Ray Charles, Don Rickles, etc.), allows for individual voices and writing styles. While Flash writes in short, phrases, the entire book reveals a complex and thoughtful approach to his life, especially his obsessive mixing work (“I would have to do that thirty-six hundred times to fill an all-day park jam with music the way I wanted to play it”).