Grandmaster Flash

A pioneer of hip-hop and DJ culture, Joseph Saddler is a hip-hop artist and musician who operates under the pseudonym Grandmaster Flash. After migrating from Barbados to New York City with his family, he began messing with old DJ equipment and was inspired to create his own, including the first left-right switch which allowed him to alternative between turntables without cutting the music, setting a new standard for what a disc jockey could do. In addition to equipment, he created innovative DJing techniques that are now considered standard DJ practice, such as the backspin, punch phrasing and scratching techniques. Grandmaster Flash would collaborate with rappers at the different parties he hosted and eventually formed his own group known as Grandmaster Flash & the 3MCs with Cowboy, Melle Mel and Kid Creole. The group eventually evolved into Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five with the addition to Rahiem and Scorpio and quickly became renowned around the Bronx for their sharp rap skills. Grandmaster Flash would eventually become the first hip-hop/rap artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll hall of Fame in 2007.