Grandmaster Flash Talks 'The Get Down' and Gives Amazing Hip Hop History Lesson

Grandmaster Flash recently hung out with the Ebro in the Morning crew to give a history lesson on the origins of Hip Hop. He says the DJ came first in Hip Hop, not the rapper. It's safe to say without the DJ there would not be Hip Hop. Now of course the DJ has virtually disappeared and the "scratch" is gone.

Grandmaster Flash of the Furious Five has been generating buzz based on the success of the hit Netflix Original “The Get Down”, the story behind Hip Hop. Flash is an associate producer of the show with Nas being one of the executive producers. One of the characters in the fictionalize program is Grandmaster Flash.

Grandmaster Flash and his long time friend Easy Mike stopped by Hot 97 and gave a lesson behind  turntable theory and the importance of 70's music to Ebro, Rosenberg, and Laura Stylez. The Bronx native talked about his endless search as a teenager for drum beats on vinyl records that ignited his quest for the perfect party music.

What Grandmaster Flash has shown us here is absolutely genius!

His explanation regarding handling records, the stylus, and his discovery of the Technics turntable are mesmerizing however...

We questioned some of what Grand Master Flash is saying...simply because we know people who grew up in Queens and we know Grand Master Flash was not the first and only DJ to throw parties with record mixing in New York City at the time... (this is what is kind of implied in the video) 

So...

Here are some comments from YouTube we posted that counter some of the points Grandmaster Flash is making in the video:

It's always good to question...

-Tony Porridge

Flash didn't invent the "crossfader". The "Clock Theory" was his tho. Many probably thought he invented the "crossfader" because he came on the scene and most DJs in that area didn't have one. He built his own because they were so expensive at the time. Hell all the equipment was hella expensive at the time, if not for the 77 blackout, most crews would have taken years to get started.

Kid Sanchez6

he didnt create the crossfader!!.. thats one of the lies he always tell and BTW KRS one is no longer a teacha!!.. I think a lot of us know that he has like 7 different stories about how HIP HOP starts.. he is always contradicting himself and his stories.. so right now he is not a good source of story. so back to Flash.. he used a "GLI Mixer" and im talking about mid 70's.. he didnt create that.. before him there was other people using mixers.. sin mid 60's to be more specific.. DJ Lance used to have one, event King Charles, Disco Twins, they all had mixers.. and they were out there jamming waaay before flash, Herc and Bam.. doing jams in the park.. basicly doing HIP HOP, in the same scenario, with the same people, with the same foundation of music and looping breaks..like somebody said already he might invented his own one cause he couldnt buy one but he nevers say it like that he says "I invented"... He tells the storues he wants to tell.. the way he wants to tell it.. he might invented his own theories for what he was doing.. that doesnt mean he created that or that he was the first one.. im a DJ and i find out by myself that 6 spins are equal to 4 bars.. nobody told me about that.. that doesnt mean i created that.. know im saying.. but he keeps choosing to tell his stories instead of educate people with the complet storie. He stills an amazing DJ and nobody cant deny what he did for the culture but he needs to stop doing that cause he is confusing people and making them think that he originate all of this when it was not like that. Peace out!✌

spel100016

He is a pioneer and probably the most famous DJ even though he wasn't the first. Afrika Bambatta is OG also but his most famous song "Planet Rock" is a rip off of Trans Europe express by Kraftwerk and even the stuff Kool Herc was doing, was just stuff he saw in Jamaica and brought to NYC. What's called "boasting" in Jamaica is basically what rap became. And yes, I heard even the Furious five said that Flash took credit for stuff they did but you can't deny what he did for Hip Hop.

 

Kid Sanchez6

+spel10001 ...Im not trying to deny what he did.. thats why i always say. He is an amazing DJ who has give a lot to the culture.. i know about all of that.. what im trying to say is.. man if you know the truth tell the complete story dont try to teach people just with th pieces that you want to tell or the ones that help you to stay in that "icon level" that he is already.. for example.. he never say anything about KING CHARLES (Owner of one of the first sound systems in Brooklyn, Late 60's) he is and thats history right there bro... but again they only tell the parts that they want to tell and thats what im talking about.. he used to talk so much sh*t about mainstream productions and all of that... now they call him to give info to create a show and you tell your own personal stories (the ones that got him wherever he is right now) and dont tell all the other stuff that you know about..?? that is not too responsable.. know im saying? what is more important for you.. Really educate people of this generation about the Real Story of HIP HOP or just try to continue building up your legacy?? agin he helped the culture a lot.. No one can deny that.. but he gotta stop telling whatever he wants to tell and mixing fiction with reality.. people get confused man.