EBRO SITS DOWN WITH ONE OF HIP-HOP’S ORIGINATORS, GRANDMASTER FLASH

In honor of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, Ebro sits down with one of its originators, Grandmaster Flash. Flash walks Ebro through those early days, how he invented the art of turntablism, and his message that you can create something out of nothing. For his The Message playlist, Grandmaster Flash curated a selection of songs from artists like Blondie, Bob James, and Dennis Coffey & The Detroit Guitar Band—sounds we’re more likely to recognize in their sampled incarnations than the original versions. For Flash himself, it’s a little simpler than that: “These are a few of the staples of hip-hop.”

“You can come from nothing. You could make it from nowhere, and have everything. And when I say that, E, meaning, when I invented this DJ technology, I did this with nothing. I come from the projects, 2730 Dewey Avenue in the Bronx. And behind the projects was this junkyard, burned out cars, people threw away stereos, people threw away stuff, and I jury-rigged until I put my sound system together.”

Grandmaster Flash

Listen to the full episode HERE and Grandmaster Flash’s The Message playlist HERE.