THE GREATIST RECORDINGS OF ALL TIME

11."THE MESSAGE"-GRANDMASTER FLASH & THE FURIOUS FIVE
"THE MESSAGE" IS THE MOST IMPORTANT SONG OF THE 1980'S.
IT HERALDED THE BEGINING OF THE RAP-HIP-HOP REVOLUTION.
AT THE TIME{1982} I WAS WALKING THE STREETS OF NEW YORK
CITY AND EVERYWHERE I WENT I'D HEAR THIS SOUND-THIS MUSIC.
I THOUGHT IT WAS IT WAS JUST A NEW YORK THING.I STARTED TO
LIKE IT.IT WAS SO FRESH.WHEN I READ THE LYRICS IN THE NEW
YORK ROCKER I WAS AMAZED.NOBODY IN ROCK WAS SAYING
ANYTHING IMPORTANT IN THIER MUSIC BUT GRANDMASTER
FLASH'S LYRICS ABOUT THE CONDITIONS IN N.Y.C. IN 1982 WERE
SPOT ON.I HAD ONLY BEEN THERE A FEW MONTHS BUT EVERYTHING
HE RAPPED ABOUT REFLECTED EXACTLY WHAT I'D SEEN AND
HEARD.NEW YORK CITY WAS STILL AN AMAZING PLACE-BUT IT
WAS IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO NOTICE THE CRIME,VIOLENCE,GIANT RAT'S,
BIGOTRY,PREJUDECE,AND CORRUPTION-WITH LITTLE ORDER AND
ALOT OF CHAOS.BLACK ARTISTS HAD TO BECOME GANGSTERS
IN ORDER TO BREAK INTO THE MUSIC BUSINESS AND THEY HAD
TO WARN PEOPLE-"DON'T PUSH ME,CAUSE I'M CLOSE TO THE EDGE".
WE ALL WERE.

PETE HOLLY-2008-COPYRIGHT-ALL RIGHTS RESERVED