Album of the Day

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were the first rap artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – on this day in 2007 - 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 proto-electro single “Scorpio” and such sample-rich tracks as “She's Fresh” and “It's Nasty.” More than 40 years on, THE MESSAGE still demands to be heard.