Barbadian-American DJ, rapper and producer (born 1958)
Grandmaster Flash
Grandmaster Flash performing in 2014
Background information
Birth name
Joseph Robert Saddler [1]
Born
(1958-01-01) January 1, 1958 (age 66) The Bronx, New York City, U.S.
Genres
Hip hop
old-school hip hop
breakbeat
funk
electro
Occupation(s)
DJ
rapper
producer
Years active
1978–present
Labels
Sugar Hill
Enjoy
Elektra
Spouse(s)
Brittany Williams
(m. 1999; died 2015)
Brittany Silver
(m. 2018; div. 2021)
Website
grandmasterflash.com
Musical artist
Joseph Robert Saddler (born January 1, 1958), popularly known by his stage name Grandmaster Flash, is a Barbadian-American DJ, rapper and producer. He created a DJ technique called the Quick Mix Theory.[2][3] This technique serviced the break-dancer and the rapper by elongating the drum breaks through the use of duplicate copies of vinyl. This technique gave birth to cutting and scratching. It also gave rappers better music with a seamless elongated bed of beats to speak on.[4] He also invented the slipmat.[5]
He is the founder and creator of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, the first rap group to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.[6][7] In 2019 he became the first hip hop artist to be honoured with the Polar Music Prize.[8] On May 21, 2022, he acquired an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Buffalo State University. On June 1, 2023, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in music from Lehman College in the Bronx, NY. On August 4, Grandmaster was issued a proclamation from the city of New York stating that August 4th is Grandmaster Flash Day.
^"BIG BLACK CADDY". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
^Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Bethonie Butler. Grandmaster Flash on ‘The Get Down’ and how he used science to pioneer DJ techniques. The Washington Post. Retrieved 28-03-23.
^"How Grandmaster Flash created The Slipmat". hiphophero.com. November 14, 2022. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
^"Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 2007 Inductees". Retrieved September 3, 2017.
^Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Hip hop DJ pioneer Grandmaster Flash wins Polar Music Prize". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
Saddler (born January 1, 1958), popularly known by his stage name GrandmasterFlash, is a Barbadian-American DJ, rapper and producer. He created a DJ...
GrandmasterFlash and the Furious Five were an American hip hop group formed in the South Bronx of New York City in 1978. The group's members were Grandmaster...
name Grandmaster Melle Mel or simply Melle Mel (/ˈmɛli mɛl/), is an American rapper who was the lead vocalist and songwriter of GrandmasterFlash and the...
group GrandmasterFlash and the Furious Five. Additional info can be found on the separate GrandmasterFlash and Melle Mel entries. "GrandmasterFlash and...
"The Adventures of GrandmasterFlash on the Wheels of Steel" is a single released by American disc jockey GrandmasterFlash in 1981. It is a live DJ mix...
Look up grandmaster, Grandmaster, or Grand Master in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Grandmaster or Grand Master may refer to: GrandmasterFlash, Joseph...
Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five was released in 1984 by Sugarhill Records after the split between GrandmasterFlash and Melle Mel. For this...
artist. He was a member of the pioneering old school hip hop group GrandmasterFlash & the Furious Five with his brother Melle Mel. In August 2017, Glover...
of the term hip hop is often credited to Keef Cowboy, rapper with GrandmasterFlash and the Furious Five. However, Lovebug Starski, Keef Cowboy, and DJ...
The Official Adventures of GrandmasterFlash is a DJ mix album by GrandmasterFlash and was released in January 2002. It is a mix album consisting of interview...
and Cowboy was an American hip hop recording artist and a member of GrandmasterFlash and the Furious Five. He is widely credited as having invented the...
is in an abusive relationship with Little Wolf. Mamoudou Athie as GrandmasterFlash: A hip-hop recording artist and DJ. In real life, he is considered...
Steady Crew, The Cold Crush Brothers, Queen Lisa Lee of Zulu Nation, GrandmasterFlash and ZEPHYR. Wild Style was shot in 1981, completed in 1982, and released...
style was quickly taken up by figures such as Afrika Bambaataa and GrandmasterFlash. Unlike them, he never made the move into commercially recorded hip...
isn't on the turntable. The slipmat was invented by hip-hop pioneer GrandmasterFlash to improve its sound and move the vinyl counterclockwise without causing...
"Rapture". Through Fab Five Freddy they were also able to connect with GrandmasterFlash who is played by Jean-Michel Basquiat in the video. "Rapture" became...
started out on Sugar Hill Records recording with hip hop pioneers GrandmasterFlash and Melle Mel, and released several singles on and was a studio musician...