There are lots of stories about the birth of jazz and the beginning of rock n’ roll, but little has been detailed about the origins of hip-hop. One of hip-hop’s founding fathers is DJ Grandmaster Flash. In 1971, Joseph Saddler was living in the South Bronx and studying electrical engineering. However, Saddler, a native of the Bronx, had a much deeper passion for music; he had been experimenting with his father’s vinyl collection since he was an adolescent. His knowledge of audio equipment led him to an idea that would revolutionize music: the turntable as instrument. The career of DJ Grandmaster Flash began in the Bronx with neighborhood block parties that essentially were the start of hip-hop. He was the first DJ to physically lay his hands on the vinyl and manipulate it in a backward, forward or counterclockwise motion, when most DJs simply handed the record by edges, put down the tone arm, and let it play. These DJs let the tone arm guide their music, but Flash marked up the body of the vinyl with crayon, fluorescent pen, and grease pencil—and those markings became his compass. He invented the Quick Mix Theory, which included techniques such as the doubleback, back-door, back-spin, and phasing. This allowed a DJ to make music by touching the record and gauging its revolutions to make his own beat and his own music. Flash’s template grew to include cuttin’, which, in turn, spawned scratching, transforming, and the Clock Theory. He laid the groundwork for everything a hip-hop DJ can do with a record today, other than just letting it play. What we call a DJ today is a role invented by Grandmaster Flash. By the end of the seventies, Flash invited MCs to rap over his beats—a trend that has since become a hallmark of hip-hop. Shortly thereafter he started his own group, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Their reputation grew up around the way the group traded off and blended all five MC’s lyrics with Flash’s unrivaled skills as a DJ and his acrobatic performances—spinning and cutting vinyl with his fingers, toes, elbows, and any objects at hand. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five went Platinum with their single, “The Message.” Meanwhile the single “The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel” introduced hip-hop DJing to a larger listening audience than it ever had before; it became the first DJ composition to be recorded by a DJ. The group’s fame only grew with “Superappin,” “Freedom,” “Larry’s Dance Theme,” and “You Know What Time It Is.” Punk and new wave fans were introduced to Flash through Blondie, who immortalized him in their hit, “Rapture.” By the time the nineties rolled around, Flash was handpicked by Chris Rock to spend five years as the music director for his groundbreaking HBO series, The Chris Rock Show. Flash has played for audiences as large as the Super Bowl and as elite as Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. The rock n’ roll establishment also recognized Flash’s work with an honor no one else in hip-hop has received: in 2007, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five became the first hip-hop group ever inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Flash is the only hip-hop DJ to ever receive that honor. Today, Flash has a weekly show on Sirius Radio’s Hot Jamz station. The show is a kaleidoscopic mash-up of Flash’s tastes, spanning just about every genre from just about any corner of the world. It airs on Sirius Radio channel 50 from 5–8 PM on Saturdays. On top of his 2007 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, Flash has been the recipient of many awards, including VH1 Hip Hop Honors; The Icon Award from BET in honor of his contribution to hip-hop as a DJ; The Lifetime Achievement Award from the RIAA; and Bill Gates’ Vanguard Award. Although Flash has been in the business for many years, he shows no sign of slowing down. He’s due to release a new album later this year. For more information, please visit Flash’s website, www.grandmasterflash.com.