Grandmaster Melle Mel - Biography
Grandmaster Melle Mel, as the lead MC in The Furious Five, was responsible for some of rap's earliest and biggest successes. Disputes led to that groups fracturing and afterward, Melle Mel recorded both solo and with other performers to varying degrees of success and recognition.
Melvin Glover was born May 15th, 1961 in the Bronx. In 1978 (as Melle Mel) he joined his brother Nathaniel "Kidd Creole" Glover and a friend, Keith "Cowboy" Wiggins, to form The Three MC's, who employed the DJ services of Joseph "Grandmaster Flash" Saddler. After they were joined by Eddie "Mr. Ness" Morris and Gut "Raheim" Williams, they became The Younger Generation and released "We Rap More Mellow." After renaming themselves Flash and the Furious 5, they released "Flash to the Beat." Morris changed his moniker to "Scorpio" and, as Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, the unit released "Supperrappin" before the year ended.
After moving to Sugar Hill Records, they released several singles before dropping "Showdown" in 1981, credited to The Furious Five Meets The Sugarhill Gang. In 1982, Edward "Duke Bootee" Fletcher and Melle Mel recorded "The Message" without contributions of their band mates. Nonetheless, it was credited to Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five feat. Melle Mel & Duke Bootee. Writing co-credit also went to Sugar Hill's founder, Syvlia Robinson. The divisions that resulted led Kidd Creole and Flash quit after the release of their debut, The Message (1982-Sugar Hill).
Melle Mel and Duke Bootee retained the rights to The Furious Five's name, as well as the right to the Grandmaster designation. Grandmaster Melle Mel and Duke Bootee next had a smaller but significant hit with "Message II (Survival)." A new line-up of The Furious Five coalesced around the remaining members and new additions King Lou, Kami Kaze, Tommy Gunn and DJ E. Z. Mike. 1983's "White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)" was released with various versions crediting "Grandmaster & Melle Mel," "Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five" and "Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel," regardless of the fact that Grandmaster Flash had no involvement with the track. It was a massive success in the UK, reaching number seven and spending seventeen weeks in the Top 40. Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five released their debut, Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five, in 1984 (Sugar Hill Records).
After releasing the solo Melle Mel single, "Jesse," Grandmaster Melle Mel and The Furious Five released "Beat Street Breakdown" for the film Beat Street, in which Melle Mel also appeared. Melle Mel's highest profile collaboration in 1984 was with Chaka Khan's "I Feel For You," for which he rapped and shared a Grammy for "Record of the Year," becoming in the process the first rapper to do so. In 1985, Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five released "Pump Me Up" and the solo Mel released "Vice" and "King Of the Streets." He also performed with Artists United Against Apartheid on "Sun City." The following year, Melle Mel appeared on MC Chill's "MC Story,” Emanon’s “Susie," and with Afrika Bambaataa on "Who You Funkin' With?" He also performed with The King Dream Chorus and Holiday Crew on "King Holiday," a track aimed at getting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday designated a national holiday.
After a quiet period of several years, Melle Mel and Grandmaster Flash reunited (minus Cowboy, who was then dying of AIDs) and released On the Strength (1988-Elektra), which was largely ignored and dismissed by an audience put off by the thought of listening to rappers in their late 30s. The jazz crowd proved less ageist and Melle Mel contributed to Quincy Jones 1989 album, Back on the Block. That same year, Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five returned with their final album, Piano (1989-New Day). Meanwhile, Melle Mel duetted with Van Silk on "What's the Matter with Your World?" The same year, The Greatest Hits - Grandmaster Flash - The Furious Five - Grandmaster Melle Mel (1989-Sugar Hill) compiled the early singles of Melle Mel and Grandmaster Flash's various configurations.
After another hiatus, Melle Mel returned with vocal contributions in 1996 for Cher's "One By One" and Keith LeBlanc's "What Order." The final year he and his old bandmate Scorpio signed to Str8 Game and released Right Now (1997-Str8 Game). In 2001, Mel joined with Rondo to form the group "Die Hard" who contributed "On Lock" to the film, Blazin, and which was followed by their eponymous album, Die Hard (2002-7PRecords). A Melle Mel single, followed in 2003, "Where Ya At?" In 2005, he guested on Nikkole's "RSVP." In 2006, Melle Mel published a children's book, The Portal In The Park, which was accompanied by a rap/narrated CD featuring two songs with Lady Gaga. That year Melle Mel also attended professional wrestling school.
Melle Mel became "Mele Mel" for his full-length, solo debut, Muscles (2007-Power House). Two months later, Melle Mel, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five became the first rap group ever inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On October 10th, 2008 Mel appeared on Bronx show, Bronx Flavor, in an episode entitled "Night at the Bodega." His second album, the live Hip Hop Anniversary Europe Tour (2008-ZYX) followed.
