Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five are set to receive one of the highest honors during the 63rd Grammy Awards.
The hip hop pioneers will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award, which is given to artists who have made creative contributions to the field of recording, during the forthcoming ceremony, which will take place on Sunday, Jan. 31 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. On Thursday (Dec. 10), Rahiem took to Instagram to announce the news in a post. “I just learned that Grandmaster Flash & the Furious 5 will be receiving the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2021 Grammys,” he wrote.
In an additional statement to HipHopDX, Rahiem said, “I didn’t know the Grammys knew we existed, but it’s very nice we weren’t forgotten and it’s a tremendous honor. It’s still sinking in though, so when the feeling finally hits me, a celebration of some sort will commence.”
The group, which consisted of Grandmaster Flash, The Kidd Creole, Melle Mel, Keef Cowboy, Rahiem and Scorpio, formed in 1976. They released their first single, “Supperappin,” in 1979. The men received mainstream success with their breakout single, “The Message,” which was hailed as one of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The track, which took a close look into the issues in the Black community, became an instant hit on New York radio. The Library of Congress chose the song to be archived in the National Recording Registry. “It played all day, every day,” Flash said about the song. “It put us on a whole new level.”
Sadly, tragedy struck the group as Keef Cowboy passed away from a drug overdose and The Kidd Creole was arrested and charged with murder for allegedly stabbing a homeless man. In 2007, the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and became the first hip hop act to achieve this accomplishment.
Congratulations to Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Check out Rahiem’s post below.