SONG FOR TODAY: Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five

A track that's very fun to rap along to, especially the "uh-huh-huh-huh!" bit! I became addicted to this timeless hip hop classic back in the late 90's after purchasing a cheap compilation album called 'Rock-It', an album which i have recently re-acquired.
"'The Message' is a song by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. It was released as a single by Sugar Hill Records on July 1, 1982 and was later featured on the group's first studio album, The Message. 'The Message' was the first prominent Hip-Hop song to provide a lyrical social commentary. It took rap music from the house parties to the social platforms later developed by groups like Public Enemy, N.W.A., and Rage Against The Machine. It is credited as the catalyst for the conscious Hip-Hop or political sub-genre of Hip-Hop music. It is a social narrative that details the struggles and difficulties due to living in poverty in the inner-city. In addition, it embodies the distress, anger, and sadness an individual experiences when confronting these inequalities. The description of various social and economic barriers followed by the mantra “don’t push me cause I’m close to the edge, I’m trying not to lose my head” exemplifies that it is not just the disparity in opportunity that is oppressive but also the emotional response that is debilitating. It is frequently referred to as the greatest record in hip hop history and was the first Hip-Hop record ever to be added to the United States' National Recording Registry of historic sound recordings.

Some of Melle Mel's lyrics on "The Message" were taken directly from "Supperrappin'", a song he had recorded three years earlier. Flash and the other members of The Furious Five, although credited on the record, were uninterested in recording the song and are not found on the finished record. In the music video, Fletcher's verses are lip-synced by group member Rahiem..."