Description
Born Joseph Saddler and raised in the Bronx, in a family with a big record collection, the young Flash became an expert and innovative DJ at New York’s dance and nightclubs; he pioneered the use of two turntables, sampling and “scratching” the needle back and forth on the vinyl. In the 1970s he fronted several pioneering rap and hip-hop ensembles, taking the name Grandmaster Flash. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five was formed in 1979. Among their hits was “The Message” (1982), which abandoned dance beats for a grim tour of inner-city life, a shift in tone adopted by other hip-hop artists.Flash poses here with Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club bassist Tina Weymouth. Flash sampled Tom Tom Club’s “Genius of Love” on “It’s Nasty,” and this was their first meeting. Note the now comically oversized boom boxes, a fixture of 1970s urban culture.
Image
Gelatin Silver Print
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Laura Levine