AMW !.e. Talent: Andrea M. White
March 15, 2007
Despite the backlash the hip-hop community receives, this form of expression and way of life continues to surpass global heights. On Monday, March 11 Grand Master Flash and The Furious Five made hip-hop history when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
At a ceremony at New York’s Waldorf Astoria, Grand Master Flash and The Furious Five became the first hip-hop inductees to enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They were honored along with other rockers including R.E.M. and Van Halen. Jay-Z graced the podium to present the award to the group and the group’s leader Melle Mel, also known as the scribe of “The Message”, was there to accept the honor and let the world know, “it was long overdue for hip-hop to get its proper recognition.” On www.grandmasterflash.com , Grand Master Flash stated, “This is bigger than me. This induction is total acceptance from one of the most prestigious music associations in the world. This induction says that for the decades of work that was put in which later co-created an entire culture, they honor us. It's a wonderful feeling to be remembered as one of the architects... of an idea the whole world fell madly in love with. It is called Hip Hop."
As with every great moment in black history, there has already been some uproar regarding the final votes for the inductees. Fox News, infamous for spreading bad news, has reported that sources close to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation are stating that another rock bad out of Britain, Dave Clark 5, was voted in as the fifth and final vote to enter into the Hall of Fame, not the Hip-Hop architects as originally reported. These same sources stated that Jann Wenner, self-appointed chairman of the Foundation, counted Grand Master Flash as the fifth place finisher on the day the votes were due. However, when the votes were recounted, Dave Clark 5 had six more votes than Grand Master Flash. The foxnews.com source stated, “Jann went back to a previous ballot instead of taking the final vote as the last word. He used a technicality about the day votes were due in…He felt we couldn't go another year without a rap act."
Why must they always try to place a dark cloud over our successes? What is the purpose of having a due date for the votes, only to have additional votes counted after the final date? Why can’t hip-hop simply bask in its Hall of Fame glory? Though I don’t know much about the answers to these questions, what I do know is Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five have been honorary inductees in the hearts and minds of every hip-hop community around the world, and despite their struggle to be accepted by the Rock and Rollers, they will forever be the founding members of the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame.
Source: foxnews.com
Vibe.com
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