Flash In The 'Shan: Grandmaster Plays Yugong Saturday
Want some Grandmaster Flash tickets for Saturday night? Unfortunately, you've already missed the boat on our giveaway, but you can still book advance tickets through Sendmetickets.com or just try your luck at Yugong Yishan on Saturday (Apr 28). We managed to hook up an interview with the hip-hop legend, so read on for that and a visual reminder of why you need to see Flash in Beijing.
You started off as a Grandmaster all those years ago – what’s your real ranking nowadays?
Back in the day as an individual I was known as the DJ or the mixer. I was known for taking a particular passage of music and rearranging it. I called it the "quick mix theory." It consisted of backspinning, the double back, cutting and scratching. I was also the first DJ to be known for doing acrobatics on the turntables. I would do 360-degree turns, cutting with my elbows, my mouth and crazy stuff like that. Nowadays a DJ isn't what it used to be. Edison invented electricity, and though some younger people today might not be familiar with his name, it's because of him that they enjoy many of the luxuries they have today. [Ed. - Edison didn't actually "invent" electricity, or even discover it, but we get what Flash means.] The same applies to me - I will always be the inventor. Where would you rank the Wright brothers?
Just how flash are you?
I was brought up in humble beginnings, so even when I did get a little chance to flash, I was very subdued about the whole idea of showing off because you have money. I show my flash through music and depending on how bright I am on that night, the crowd lets me know and feel how wealthy I am.
If your house was burning down, what non-records would you save?
Kool Herc (godfather of hip-hop) and Pete DJ Jones memorabilia.
And which records would you save?
"White Lines," "The Message" and "Scorpio."
How do you feel in 2012? Would you have changed anything that led to this point?
I feel blessed. Still, it's great to continuously remind people of the music that started it all. I think I would have worked harder to get Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five back together. A lot of people only know "The Message" when mentioning us, but there was so much more before that. That record was the demise of my formula. The price was too high to pay for that record. It would have been nice to see how far we would have gone together and how much we would have achieved.
Top three DJs of all time?
Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, and me!
Do you ever think you’ll get the credit you deserve for your role as a hip-hop pioneer?
Maybe when I die.
What do you think of the current state of hip-hop?
What I find appealing is the fact that hip-hop can take from any other genre of music, recreate it, reform it, rearrange it and put poetry over the top of it. That's hip-hop. That was a positive thing for it. Now, as for what I don't like, I'll try to explain this real carefully. Me, Bambaataa and Kool Herc planted this seed. This seed was a seed to a tree. This tree had a massive trunk and this trunk had branches and leaves. The leaves symbolize different subject matters that we can speak on. If you think about the history of hip-hop, we've had artists who can talk about everything from socially significant ideas to something as cool as sneakers. There was a time when all these various subject matters were utilized. But what has happened is that we as hip-hoppers are not fully utilizing this tree. At this point in time, I just feel that this tree is leaning. By that, I mean that I think we're putting too much weight on one side of the tree, when this particular genre of music allows us to talk about many things.
How does it feel to be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?
It was an indescribable feeling. However, it was bigger than me. This induction is total acceptance from one of the most prestigious music associations in the world. It’s a wonderful feeling to be remembered as the architect that pioneered an idea that the whole world fell in love with.
That was what Flash had to say, now for that video we promised you ...
Impressed? If not, you're obviously not going to enjoy Saturday. For the rest of us, it'll be a treat.
Grandmaster Flash plays Yugong Yishan on Apr 28. RMB 250, RMB 200 (advance), RMB 150 (earlybird; limited to 200 tickets). Advance tickets at Sendmetickets.com. 9pm.
PHOTOS: U-dig.cn, Htbackdrops.com
