Album of the Day

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were the first rap artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame not because they were the first rappers, but because they were the first to successfully fuse the music to social commentary. The title track of THE MESSAGE, the group's 1982 debut album, was a stark tale of inner city desperation far removed from the party jams and MC boasts then dominating hip-hop. Of course the Sugar Hill collection has lighter moments, too, including such sample-rich tracks as “She's Fresh,” “It's Nasty” and the statement-of-purpose anthem “The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel.” Grandmaster Flash was born Joseph Saddler on this day in 1958, and we'll give THE MESSAGE another spin to wish him a happy 60th birthday.