GRANDMASTER FLASH U KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS 12"Category / Style / Moods: Rap & Hip-Hop Hip-Hop Club/Dance Electro Old School Rap producer Bravado Energetic Party/ Celebratory Gritty Somber Intense Confrontational Boisterous Playful Brash Exuberant Visceral Cathartic Ominous Freewheeling1987 US ELEKTRA 12"TITLE: U KNOW WHAT TIME IT ISARTIST: GRANDMASTER FLASHCONDITIONVINYL: VG+ OR BETTERCOVER: VG OR BETTERORIGINAL PRESS WITH PICTURE SLEEVEstock photo TRACKS:Disc: 1 1.A1 U Know What Time It Is (Extended Scratch) (3:32)2.B1 U Know What Time It Is (Instrumental) (3:32)3.B2 Bus Dis (WOOO) (Vocal LP Version) (3:07)Grandmaster Flash - U Know What Time It Is Label: Elektra Catalog#: 9 66825-0 Format: 12" Country: US Released: 1987 Genre: Electronic, Hip Hop Style: Breaks Biography by Jason Ankeny DJ Grandmaster Flash and his group the Furious Five were hip-hop's greatest innovators, transcending the genre's party-music origins to explore the full scope of its lyrical and sonic horizons. Flash was born Joseph Saddler in Barbados on January 1, 1958; he began spinning records as teen growing up in the Bronx, performing live at area dances and block parties. By age 19, while attending technical school courses in electronics during the day, he was also spinning on the local disco circuit; over time, he developed a series of groundbreaking techniques including "cutting" (moving between tracks exactly on the beat), "back-spinning" (manually turning records to repeat brief snippets of sound), and "phasing" (manipulating turntable speeds) — in short, creating the basic vocabulary which DJs continue to follow even today. Flash did not begin collaborating with rappers until around 1977, first teaming with the legendary Kurtis Blow. He then began working with the Furious Five — rappers Melle Mel (Melvin Glover), Cowboy (Keith Wiggins), Kid Creole (Nathaniel Glover), Mr. Ness aka Scorpio (Eddie Morris), and Rahiem (Guy Williams); the group quickly became legendary throughout New York City, attracting notice not only for Flash's unrivalled skills as a DJ but also for the Five's masterful rapping, most notable for their signature trading and blending of lyrics. Despite their local popularity, they did not record until after the Sugarhill Gang's smash "Rapper's Delight" proved the existence of a market for hip-hop releases; after releasing "We Rap More Mellow" as the Younger Generation, Flash and the Five recorded "Superappin'" for the Enjoy label owned by R&B legend Bobby Robinson. They then switched to Sugar Hill, owned by Sylvia Robinson (no relation), after she promised them an opportunity to rap over a current DJ favorite, "Get Up and Dance" by Freedom (the idea had probably been originally conceived by Crash Crew for their single "High Powered Rap"). That record, 1980's "Freedom," the group's Sugar Hill debut, reached the Top 20 on national R&B charts on its way to selling over 50,000 copies; its follow-up, "Birthday Party," was also a hit. 1981's "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel" was the group's first truly landmark recording, introducing Flash's "cutting" techniques to create a stunning sound collage from snippets of songs by Chic, Blondie, and Queen. Flash and the Five's next effort, 1982's "The Message," was even more revelatory — for the first time, hip-hop became a vehicle not merely for bragging and boasting but for trenchant social commentary, with Melle Mel delivering a blistering rap detailing the grim realities of life in the ghetto. The record was a major critical hit, and it was an enormous step in solidifying rap as an important and enduring form of musical expression.This is a 12" vinyl sound recording, not a CD. This exquisite piece of retro music history is either a multi-track long play LP record album or an extended play EP remix 12" maxi - single disco dance record. Visit the A Sound Deal store for information on grading, shipping, abbreviations and general info. Add me to your favorites for red hot sales bulletins and sneak previews of upcoming products. Combine Items to Save $$$©A Sound Deal
