The song was named in 2017 by Rolling Stone as the best hip-hop record of all time and has been archived by the Library of Congress. In the last verse, Melle tells a gut-wrenching story about a young man who drops out of school, ends up in jail and dies by suicide after getting repeatedly raped behind bars. "The Message," which features only Duke Bootee and Melle Mel from the group, was the most prominent hip-hop song at the time to feature social commentary. That's the thing that blew a lot of people away was like, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five made some very danceable hip-hop music, but when that record came out, it totally changed everything."Īsked what the title of the song meant to him, Chuck D said, "It means pay attention to the words of hip-hop instead of just the beat." So the change, it came overnight," Chuck D said.
"When 'The Message' came out, there was nothing like it. But the future Public Enemy emcee told ABC News that he was "stunned by it." When "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five was released in 1982, Chuck D, who would become a hip-hop icon himself, was only a teenager. We spoke about environments that were overlooked, that didn't have a voice, you know, that didn't have a say, that didn't have pretty much anything." "Because we spoke our own unapologetic truth. it was that voice of the streets that they didn't know what the next line is gonna be and that scared them," he told ABC News. "It was that voice that America couldn't control. In the early 1970s when hip-hop was born in the Bronx, New York, poverty and brutality plagued Black communities, but discussions on race and racism in America were considered taboo and, in the media, the Black experience was stigmatized and suppressed.ĭetroit rapper and activist Royce da 5'9'' said that amid this void, hip-hop artists in the '80s "pushed the envelope in terms of exercising their First Amendment right" and became "the voice of the streets."
Goodie MOBĢ) "The Dirty South," Goodie MOB feat.Decades before "Black Lives Matter" became a global hashtag touted by celebrities and leading politicians, hip-hop artists were profiled, targeted and vilified for broadcasting those same systemic injustices that plagued Black America - a reality that for decades was shut out of mainstream media. Dungeon Familyġ5) "People Everyday," Arrested Developmentġ2) "Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik," OutKastġ1) "They Don't Dance No Mo'," Goodie MOBĥ) "Who You Wit," Lil Jon and the Eastside BoysĤ) "Get Up, Git Out," OutKast feat. D-Rocġ9) "Watch for the Hook," Cool Breeze feat.
Let us know what you think we missed.Ģ9) "Cocaine (America Has a Problem)" KiloĢ6) "Can't Stop No Playa," Da OrganizationĢ5) "Bankhead Bounce," Diamond feat. We linked to YouTube videos or streaming mp3s where possible. Other criteria: All songs were either regional or national radio singles and/or videos that got heavy rotation. The compiled list is strictly old-school, meaning nothing released after 1999 is included. Back to the days of Arnell Starr's "American Rap Makers" video show on Channel 69.
Back to the days of Atlanta's first FM radio rap show "The Fresh Party" (aired every Friday night on V-103 in the mid-'80s). So we decided to make our own list to take you back.īack to the days of MC Shy D and DJ Toomp. On Sunday, in recognition of BET Hip-Hop Awards weekend, Ryan Cameron and DJ Hershey will count down the "Dirty 30" - Atlanta's top rap songs of all time - starting at noon on V-103 ( WVEE-FM).