Biography
Melvin Glover, recognized as Melle Mel, functioned as chief wordsmith for the foundational Furious Five while establishing a separate edition of the crew in the mid-1980s. He supplied many of the signature verses heard on Grandmaster Flash releases. Born Melvin Glover, he and sibling Nate, performing as Kidd Creole (distinct from the Caribbean dance-pop figure of identical name), aligned with Cowboy (Keith Wiggins) in 1978 to create the Three MC's, whose beats came from Grandmaster Flash (Joseph Saddler). Once Scorpio (first called Mr. Ness, also known as Ed Morris) and Raheim (Guy Williams) entered the lineup, the act cut two singles under the names Younger Generation and Flash & the Five before adopting the full title Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five and issuing the standout single "Superappin'" on Enjoy, the label owned by R&B legend Bobby Robinson.
The following year the group moved to Sugar Hill and reached the R&B charts with the exuberant dance tracks "Freedom" and "Birthday Party." In 1982 "The Message" quickly emerged as a landmark rap recording and one of the earliest signs of social awareness in the genre, with Melle Mel credited for much of its sharp commentary. The track's major impact ultimately split the collective, even after later hits such as "New York New York" and "The Message II (Survival)." Melle Mel voiced frustration over shared composer credit on "The Message," especially involving Sylvia Robinson, which led Flash to sue Sugar Hill over Robinson's conflicting roles as co-owner, producer, and manager. Though disputes centered mainly on the label rather than internal rivalries, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five divided, with Flash signing to Elektra alongside Kidd Creole (Mel's brother) and Raheim while Melle Mel remained and launched his own lineup that included Cowboy and Scorpio. Following legal proceedings over the group name, Melle Mel secured rights to the prefix "Grandmaster."
Late in 1983 Sugar Hill put out Melle Mel's "White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)," interpreted at the time as either anti-drug or pro-drug; the parentheses were added after one of Mel's acquaintances, a drug dealer, died weeks before release. Mel's strongest period arrived in 1984, highlighted by his rap on Chaka Khan's platinum-certified, Grammy-winning "I Feel for You," the first rap performance many mainstream listeners encountered. He also contributed to the rap film Beat Street, where Grandmaster Melle Mel & the Furious Five delivered the new single "Beat Street" (also titled "Beat Street Breakdown") and shared the screen with Afrika Bambaataa, the Treacherous Three, Doug E. Fresh, and Rock Steady Crew. Mel completed two albums for Sugar Hill during the mid-'80s, then rejoined Flash and the original Furious Five members for the 1988 release On the Strength. The project fared poorly in a climate hostile to old-school artists, after which neither recorded again for nearly ten years. The 1997 album Right Now, a collaboration with Scorpio, likewise failed commercially. Mel's next effort, Die Hard, appeared in 2001 with the album On Lock.
The following year the group moved to Sugar Hill and reached the R&B charts with the exuberant dance tracks "Freedom" and "Birthday Party." In 1982 "The Message" quickly emerged as a landmark rap recording and one of the earliest signs of social awareness in the genre, with Melle Mel credited for much of its sharp commentary. The track's major impact ultimately split the collective, even after later hits such as "New York New York" and "The Message II (Survival)." Melle Mel voiced frustration over shared composer credit on "The Message," especially involving Sylvia Robinson, which led Flash to sue Sugar Hill over Robinson's conflicting roles as co-owner, producer, and manager. Though disputes centered mainly on the label rather than internal rivalries, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five divided, with Flash signing to Elektra alongside Kidd Creole (Mel's brother) and Raheim while Melle Mel remained and launched his own lineup that included Cowboy and Scorpio. Following legal proceedings over the group name, Melle Mel secured rights to the prefix "Grandmaster."
Late in 1983 Sugar Hill put out Melle Mel's "White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)," interpreted at the time as either anti-drug or pro-drug; the parentheses were added after one of Mel's acquaintances, a drug dealer, died weeks before release. Mel's strongest period arrived in 1984, highlighted by his rap on Chaka Khan's platinum-certified, Grammy-winning "I Feel for You," the first rap performance many mainstream listeners encountered. He also contributed to the rap film Beat Street, where Grandmaster Melle Mel & the Furious Five delivered the new single "Beat Street" (also titled "Beat Street Breakdown") and shared the screen with Afrika Bambaataa, the Treacherous Three, Doug E. Fresh, and Rock Steady Crew. Mel completed two albums for Sugar Hill during the mid-'80s, then rejoined Flash and the original Furious Five members for the 1988 release On the Strength. The project fared poorly in a climate hostile to old-school artists, after which neither recorded again for nearly ten years. The 1997 album Right Now, a collaboration with Scorpio, likewise failed commercially. Mel's next effort, Die Hard, appeared in 2001 with the album On Lock.
Albums
Singles
