MECCA1000;c-10061149 said:
All the potential Mel had and couldn't parlay it into anything ....... no classic album as part of the group ...... no solid solo career ...... no record label ...... no tv or movie career ..... no endorsements ........ nothing major. Just small things here and there over the years ....... dude still trying to make it in the rap game at dayum near 60 years old smh
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5 is widely regarded as among the most influential hip hop acts. Their biggest single and acknowledged masterpiece "The Message" (1982) is often cited as one of the greatest hip hop songs of all time.
In 1983, Grandmaster Flash, who never appeared on any of the group's studio recordings, sued Sugar Hill Records for $5 million in unpaid royalties. The royalties dispute split the group, and Melle Mel left, soon followed by Mr. Ness/Scorpio and Cowboy after "White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)" was a hit.
Grandmaster Flash and his new "Furious Five" had hits with their three albums, which made it to the top fifty of Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart,
whereas Melle Mel and his group fared better, most notably with the recording of "Beat Street Breakdown", which peaked at #8 in the R&B chart.
During this period, Melle Mel gained higher success, appearing in Chaka Khan's "I Feel for You", which won the Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1985.
In 1985, Melle Mel met Quincy Jones at the Grammys, and they began to collaborate for Back on the Block. This led to Mel being featured in the song "Back on the Block", which won him the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 1991. He would pick up an additional Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album in 2002 for his contributions in Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones.
In 2002 The Message was one of 50 recordings chosen by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry, the first hip hop recording ever to receive this honor.
In 2007 they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, making them the first hip hop group ever to be inducted.