Saddler's family migrated to the United States, and he grew up in the Bronx. He became involved in the earliest Queensbridge, New York DJ scene, attending parties set up by early luminaries. Learning from Pete Jones and Kool Herc, he used duplicate copies of a single record and two turntables but added a dextrous manual edit with a mixer to promote the break (a point of isolated drum rhythm) - the ordinary playing of the record would be interrupted to overlay the break, the break could be repeated by using the mixer to switch channels while the second record was spun back. The speed and dexterity needed showed why Saddler was called Flash, although he got the nickname in school due to the fact that he hung around with another guy named Gordon (from Flash Gordon). He also invented the technique initially called cutting, which was developed by Grand Wizard Theodore into scratching (AMG).
Flash played illegal parties and also worked with rappers such as Kurtis Blow and Lovebug Starski. He formed his own group in the late 1970s, after promptings from Ray Chandler. The initial members were Cowboy (Keith Wiggins), Melle Mel (Melvin Glover) and Kid(d) Creole (Nathaniel Glover) making Grandmaster Flash & the 3 MCs. Two other rappers briefly joined, but they were replaced more permanently by Rahiem (Guy Todd Williams, previously in the Funky Four) and Scorpio (Eddie Morris, also used the name Mr. Ness) to create Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five. Soon gaining recognition for their skillful raps, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five pioneered MCing, freestyle battles, and invented some of the staple phrases in MCing. They performed at Disco Fever in the Bronx beginning in 1978.
Signed to Sugar Hill Records in 1980 by Joe Robinson, they released numerous singles, gaining a gold disc for "Freedom," and also toured. The classic "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel," released in 1981 was the best display of their skills (combining elements of Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust", Chic's "Good Times" and samples from Blondie's Rapture), but it was their least successful single at the time. The group's most significant hit was "The Message" (1982), which was produced by in-house Sugar Hill producer Clifton "Jiggs" Chase and went platinum in less than a month. Flash sued Sugar Hill in 1983 over the non-payment of royalties, and in 1984 the group split between Flash and Mel before disintegrating entirely. Flash, Kid Creole and Rahiem signed to Elektra Records while the others continued as "Grandmaster Melle Mel & the Furious Five." (Mel notably appeared on Chaka Khan's I Feel for You). They reformed in 1987 for a charity concert, to release one album and then fell apart again. There was another reunion, of a kind, in 1994, although Cowboy died in 1989 from a drug overdose due to the effects of his crack cocaine addiction.
Shine All Day Feat. Q-Tip Kel Spencer & Jumz
Grandmaster Flash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yo flash let me talk to shawty right here real quick let me say this
Looking at you sometimes is hard on my eyes I get blinding
So when the sun shines on my mind and love your booty in a general way uh
When I'm around you girl I'm never tired I'm like a car's engine pissing fire
I'm always hoped up on this fire when your around me it makes a better day
Yea ominics clouds come and get dreary when your around little girl I'm never weary
Make me feel so good I get teary when I think about the love we have uh
Your my misses and I'm your mister never kno more of the days that are sad
Where you at baby are you comin (Lay down)
So sexy I want you (Right now)
Look at how you shine (So bright now)
Come on (Shine all day)
[Where you at baby are you comin (Lay down)
So sexy I want you (Right now)
Look at how you shine (So bright now)
Come on (Shine all day)] (Uh uh uh)
Hey flash I think she likes me (Yes)
I wouldn't mind making her my wifey (Yes)
Maybe take her out to sight see
The South Bronx where the streets are ivory (Ivory)
I'll remind her where she came from
The same blocks that you got your name from
Well who else could you break and wa (Break and wa)
She frontin now she knows she hot (Ha ha ha )
She did her thing when she move to the A (Ayy)
That's alright I forgive her anyway (Anyway)
'cause I can only be myself with her
She don't judge who the streets perfer
They make fun when you fall in love (Fall in love)
But she the one I've been dreaming of (Dreaming of)
Plus she shyce she won't let me pop
I admit my Shawtys Hip Hop
Where you at baby are you comin (Lay down)
So sexy I want you (Right now)
Look at how you shine (So bright now)
Come on (Shine all day)
Roses are red Starbust are orange
You my two scoops topped with the almonds
You like Pop Poppa bear's bowl of porage
Way to hott to touch to taste the perfect Melody to my drumming bass
Since you broke up with what's his face
I made it Ma roman numeral I
Underline it why I'm here to protect what's in your chest's left side
I'm seeing clear skies in my forcast
I remember when we first crossed paths
I did a double take looking at you like Ahh
You keep it moving 'cause you didn't give Ahh
If there's 6 millon ways to die then there's 6 hundred millon ways to live
I pray forgive anything I've done that can block the sun
From you shining all day You mine all day
Where you at baby are you comin (Lay down)
So sexy I want you (Right now)
Look at how you shine (So bright now)
Come on (Shine all day)
Where you at baby are you comin (Lay down)
So sexy I want you (Right now)
Look at how you shine (So bright now)
Come on (Shine all day)
(Starts to fade)
Where you at baby are you comin (Lay down)
So sexy I want you (Right now)
Look at how you shine (So bright now)
Come on (Shine all day)
The song "Shine All Day" by Grandmaster Flash featuring Q-Tip, Kel Spencer, and Jumz is a love song in which the singer expresses his admiration for a woman he considers to be his soulmate. The singer begins by telling the woman that looking at her hurts his eyes, indicating that she is so beautiful that it is blinding. The singer continues to praise the woman for making his life better and for being a source of energy and inspiration. He notes that she always brightens his day, even when it is cloudy and dreary outside. The chorus of the song urges the woman to shine all day, suggesting that she is a beacon of light and positivity in the singer's life.
The second verse introduces the idea of the singer and the woman being in a relationship. The singer suggests that he wants to make the woman his wife and take her to the South Bronx, where they both come from. The singer notes that the woman is hot, but he is not interested in her for her physical appearance alone. Instead, he suggests that she is his soulmate and the perfect match for him. The verse ends with a reference to the woman's love for hip hop music, indicating that they share a passion for the same cultural forms.
Overall, the song "Shine All Day" is a testament to the power of love and the transformative qualities it can have on a person's life. The singer's admiration for the woman is never-ending, and he recognizes that she is the source of his happiness and inspiration. The song is also a celebration of the South Bronx and the cultural forms that have emerged from the community.
Line by Line Meaning
Looking at you sometimes is hard on my eyes I get blinding
Sometimes it's hard for me to look at you because you radiate so much beauty and light.
So when the sun shines on my mind and love your booty in a general way uh
Your presence brightens my day and I love everything about you, including your physical features.
When I'm around you girl I'm never tired I'm like a car's engine pissing fire
Being around you energizes me and makes me feel alive and passionate like a powerful engine.
Yea ominics clouds come and get dreary when your around little girl I'm never weary
Even if there are difficult or challenging times, being with you makes them easier to bear.
Make me feel so good I get teary when I think about the love we have uh
Thinking about the depth of our love and connection is so moving that it often brings me to tears.
Let me share this one thing wit ya better define to clear up your picture
I want to share a clarification with you to make things even clearer between us.
Your my misses and I'm your mister never kno more of the days that are sad
You are my beloved partner, and we will never have to suffer through sad and lonely days again.
Roses are red Starbust are orange
This is just a lighthearted and playful way of starting a conversation.
You my two scoops topped with the almonds
This is a metaphorical way of saying that you are the perfect match and addition to my life.
You like Pop Poppa bear's bowl of porage
This is another playful way of expressing how well-suited we are for each other.
Way to hott to touch to taste the perfect Melody to my drumming bass
You are too stunning and wonderful to capture in words, but you are the perfect complement to my life.
Since you broke up with what's his face
This is a reference to a previous relationship that ended, and now the artist has a chance to be with the person they truly love.
I pray forgive anything I've done that can block the sun From you shining all day You mine all day
The singer is asking for forgiveness if they have ever done anything to hurt or damage the relationship, and they feel lucky to have this person in their life.
Where you at baby are you comin (Lay down)
The singer is asking where their partner is and hoping they will come spend time together.
So sexy I want you (Right now)
The singer is expressing their attraction and desire for their partner in a straightforward way.
Look at how you shine (So bright now)
The artist is admiring and praising their partner for their beauty and inner light.
Come on (Shine all day)
This is an encouraging and uplifting phrase, urging their partner to keep spreading joy and happiness throughout the day.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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