The Message (song)
Encyclopedia
"The Message" is a song by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
. Sugar Hill Records
released it as a single in 1982. It was later featured on the album The Message. It is frequently referred to as the greatest record in hip hop
history. It is the first Hip-Hop record ever to be added to the United States
' National Recording Registry
of historic sound recordings.
Though not the first in the genre of rap to talk about the struggles and the frustrations of living in the ghetto
, the song was unique in that it was set to a slower beat, refocusing the song on the lyrics over the music. The song was written and performed by Sugar Hill session musician Ed "Duke Bootee" Fletcher and Furious Five MC Melle Mel
. Some of Mel's lyrics on "The Message" were taken directly from "Supperrappin, a song he had recorded three years earlier. Flash and the other members of The Furious Five, although credited on the record, were uninterested in recording the song and are not found on the finished record. In the music video, Fletcher's verses are lip-synced by group member Rahiem.
Remixes appeared in 1995 and 1997.
It was ranked #5 in VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop, and #1 on a similar list by DigitalDreamDoor.
West Coast hip hop
artist Captain Rapp
recorded a similar song to "the Message" in 1984 called "Bad Times (I Can't Stand It)".
riff has been sampled by popular rap
artists such as Ice Cube
on "Check Yo Self
", Puff Daddy
on "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down
" on No Way Out (1997) and Ahmad
on "Only If You Want It". The song's chorus of "Don't push me 'cuz I'm close to the edge" has become one of the most well known choruses in rap music history. Lyrics from the song have also been used (albeit with varying degrees of alteration) many times in hip hop songs by artists such as Andre Nickatina
("Jungle" and "The Stress Factor"), AZ
("Doe or Die", "Sunshine"), Mos Def
("Close Edge"), Talib Kweli
("Broken Glass"), Snoop Dogg
("2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted
" and "Gangbangin 101"), Coolio
("County Line"), Mickey Avalon
("Waiting to Die"), Eminem
("What's the Beat"), Dead Prez
("Psychology" and "Don't Hate My Grind"), Common
("Book of Life", "Chapter 13 (Rich Man vs. Poor Man)"), Jungle Brothers
("Straight out the Jungle"), Immortal Technique
("Obnoxious"), Stiff Little Fingers
(on Tinderbox), Seagram ("The Dark Roads"), and Tricky
("Vent"). In addition, it was sampled in the song "Magic Spells" by the Toronto
based electronica
duo Crystal Castles
.
BLACKstreet
"Fix" on Another Level (1996). X-Raided (Fuccing Wit A Psycho). Usher
uses the backbeat sampled on the remix of 2001's "U Remind Me
" featuring Method Man
and Blu Cantrell
.
"The Message" was included as ingame radio music for the 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
, and the 2006 video game Scarface: The World Is Yours
, an adaption of the 1983 film. For the MTV
-produced compilation album
Lit Riffs: The Soundtrack in 2004, the band Katsu
supplied a stripped-down cover version
of "The Message". The second and last verse of the song are sung by Mushroomhead
in the song "Born of Desire" off their XX
album. Additionally, The Madow Brothers have parodied this song with dental lyrics for their dental seminars. American singer-songwriter Willy Mason
also covered this song for BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge on the 25th of February 2005.
In 2007, the 25th anniversary of "The Message", Melle Mel
changed the spelling of his first name to Mele Mel and released "M3 - The New Message" as the first single to his first ever solo album, Muscles. 2007 is also the year that Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
became the first hip-hop act ever to be inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
.
The lines "Don't push me 'cause I'm close to the edge / I'm trying not to lose my head" is sung by Cesar Flores
, and then again by Fat Joe
in the animated film "Happy Feet
" (2006). These lyrics were also sung by Akon
in the song 'Show Out' of his debut-album Trouble
. Steven Stifler is also seen reciting these lyrics in American Wedding
to Jim who sent a thank-you letter to Stifler's school. The letter had references to Steven's danceoff in a gay bar which is why Stifler recited the lyrics.
Grammy Award winning saxophonist Napoleon Murphy Brock
incorporated the 1st verse and chorus of "The Message" in the Frank Zappa
songs "Pygmy Twylyte" and "Dummy Up" on his 2009 tour with The Paul Green School of Rock Music
All Stars.
"The Message" was number 5 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop. A few sections of the song were also mashed into the song "Crazy As She Goes" by The Legion of Doom.
In 2010, Melle Mel and Scorpio appeared in an Australian commercial for the Kia Sportage in which they perform 'The Message'.
In November 30, 2011, Melle Mel, Scorpio, and Grandmaster Flash joined Common, Lupe Fiasco
, and LL Cool J
as they performed a tribute of this song at the 54th Grammy nominations
.
It was voted #3 on About.com
's Top 100 Rap Songs, after Common
's "I Used to Love H.E.R.
" and The Sugarhill Gang
's "Rapper's Delight
".
In 2002, its first year of archival, it 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.
It was used in a British Government commissioned public information film
on road safety.
"The Message" was number 5 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.
Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five was an influential American hip-hop group formed in the South Bronx of New York City in 1978. Composed of one DJ and five rappers Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five was an influential American hip-hop group formed in the South Bronx of New York City in...
. Sugar Hill Records
Sugar Hill Records (rap)
Sugar Hill Records was the name of a rap music record label that was founded in 1979 by husband and wife Joe and Sylvia Robinson with Milton Malden and financial funding of Morris Levy, the owner of Roulette Records.-History:...
released it as a single in 1982. It was later featured on the album The Message. It is frequently referred to as the greatest record in hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
history. It is the first Hip-Hop record ever to be added to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
' National Recording Registry
National Recording Registry
The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, which created the National Recording...
of historic sound recordings.
Though not the first in the genre of rap to talk about the struggles and the frustrations of living in the ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
, the song was unique in that it was set to a slower beat, refocusing the song on the lyrics over the music. The song was written and performed by Sugar Hill session musician Ed "Duke Bootee" Fletcher and Furious Five MC Melle Mel
Melle Mel
Grandmaster Mele Mel , also known as Melle Mel , is an American hip-hop musician — one of the pioneers of old school hip hop as lead rapper and main songwriter for Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.- Biography :...
. Some of Mel's lyrics on "The Message" were taken directly from "Supperrappin, a song he had recorded three years earlier. Flash and the other members of The Furious Five, although credited on the record, were uninterested in recording the song and are not found on the finished record. In the music video, Fletcher's verses are lip-synced by group member Rahiem.
Remixes appeared in 1995 and 1997.
It was ranked #5 in VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop, and #1 on a similar list by DigitalDreamDoor.
West Coast hip hop
West Coast hip hop
West Coast hip hop is a hip hop music subgenre that encompasses any artists or music that originates in the westernmost region of the United States, as opposed to East Coast hip hop, based originally in New York alone...
artist Captain Rapp
Captain Rapp
Captain Rapp is the stage name of Larry Earl Glenn, an American hip hop/post-disco musician, producer and West Coast Rap pioneer.He is best known for his politically conscious song "Bad Times ", which was a West Coast response to Grandmaster Flash's "the Message".-History:Glenn's musical career...
recorded a similar song to "the Message" in 1984 called "Bad Times (I Can't Stand It)".
Legacy
The song's signature synthesizerSynthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
riff has been sampled by popular rap
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
artists such as Ice Cube
Ice Cube
O'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
on "Check Yo Self
Check Yo Self
"Check Yo Self" is the second hit single from Ice Cube's third solo album The Predator. It was released in July 1993 and features New York rappers Das EFX. It topped both the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop and Rap charts while also reaching number 20 on the Hot 100 chart...
", Puff Daddy
Sean Combs
Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
on "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down
Can't Nobody Hold Me Down
"Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" is a hip-hop song by Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs. It appears on Combs' debut album No Way Out and it was released as the first single in 1997....
" on No Way Out (1997) and Ahmad
Ahmad (rapper)
Ahmad Ali Lewis, who was born October 12, 1975 , in Los Angeles, California, is an American emcee. Credited simply as Ahmad, he is best known for the 1994 single "Back in the Day," a nostalgic song that became a signifier for nostalgia in hip-hop culture.Ahmad is also a member of the Christian hip...
on "Only If You Want It". The song's chorus of "Don't push me 'cuz I'm close to the edge" has become one of the most well known choruses in rap music history. Lyrics from the song have also been used (albeit with varying degrees of alteration) many times in hip hop songs by artists such as Andre Nickatina
Andre Nickatina
Andre L. Adams , better known by his stage name Andre Nickatina, is an American rapper from San Francisco, California. He previously performed under the stage name Dre Dog.-Musical career:...
("Jungle" and "The Stress Factor"), AZ
AZ (rapper)
Anthony Cruz , better known as AZ is a Grammy-nominated American rapper of Dominican & African American descent. He is known for being a long time and frequent rhyme partner of Nas, and also a member of hip-hop group The Firm alongside Nas, Foxy Brown, Cormega and Nature.In a countdown of the 10...
("Doe or Die", "Sunshine"), Mos Def
Mos Def
Dante Terrell Smith is an American actor and Emcee known by the stage names Mos Def and Yasiin Bey. He started his hip hop career in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. With Talib Kweli, he formed the duo Black Star, which...
("Close Edge"), Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli Greene , better known as Talib Kweli, is an American hip-hop artist and poet from Brooklyn, New York. His first name in Arabic means "student" or "seeker" ; his in Swahili means "true"...
("Broken Glass"), Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
("2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted
2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted
2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted is a hip hop song written by 2Pac, Snoop Dogg and Daz Dillinger for 2Pac's 1996 double album All Eyez on Me. The song is a duet performed by 2Pac and Snoop Dogg. "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" was released as promotional recording and was the album's second single, after...
" and "Gangbangin 101"), Coolio
Coolio
Artis Leon Ivey Jr. , better known by the stage name Coolio, is an American musician, rapper, actor and record producer.-Late 80s:He recorded two singles in the late 80s, titled "Watcha Gonna Do" and "You're Gonna Miss Me"...
("County Line"), Mickey Avalon
Mickey Avalon
Mickey Avalon is an American rapper from Hollywood, California. His debut self-titled solo album was released Nov. 7, 2006 on Interscope/Shoot to Kill Records in association with MySpace Records...
("Waiting to Die"), Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
("What's the Beat"), Dead Prez
Dead Prez
Dead Prez stylized as dead prez is a hip hop duo from the United States, composed of stic.man and M-1, formed in 1996 in New York City, New York. They are known for their confrontational style, combined with socialist lyrics focused on both militant social justice and Pan-Africanism...
("Psychology" and "Don't Hate My Grind"), Common
Common (rapper)
Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. , better known by his stage name Common , is an American hip-hop artist and actor....
("Book of Life", "Chapter 13 (Rich Man vs. Poor Man)"), Jungle Brothers
Jungle Brothers
The Jungle Brothers are an American hip hop group that pioneered the fusion of jazz and hip-hop and also became the first hip-hop group to use a house-music producer. The group began performing in the mid-1980s and released its first album, Straight Out the Jungle, in July 1988...
("Straight out the Jungle"), Immortal Technique
Immortal Technique
Felipe Andres Coronel , better known by the stage name Immortal Technique, is an American rapper of Afro-Peruvian descent as well as an urban activist. He was born in Lima, Peru and raised in Harlem, New York. Most of his lyrics focus on controversial issues in global politics...
("Obnoxious"), Stiff Little Fingers
Stiff Little Fingers
Stiff Little Fingers are a punk rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. They formed in 1977, at the height of the Troubles. They started out as a schoolboy band called Highway Star , doing rock covers, until they discovered punk. They split up after six years and four albums, although they...
(on Tinderbox), Seagram ("The Dark Roads"), and Tricky
Tricky
Tricky is an English musician and actor. As a producer and a musician, he is noted for a dark, rich and layered sound and a whispering sprechgesang lyrical style. Culturally, Tricky encourages an intertwining of societies, particularly in his musical fusion of rock and hip hop, high art and pop...
("Vent"). In addition, it was sampled in the song "Magic Spells" by the Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
based electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
duo Crystal Castles
Crystal Castles (band)
Crystal Castles are an experimental electronic band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, consisting of producer Ethan Kath and lyricist and vocalist Alice Glass. Crystal Castles are known for their chaotic live shows and their lo-fi home productions. The duo released many limited EPs between 2006 and...
.
BLACKstreet
BLACKstreet
Blackstreet is an American R&B group founded in 1991 by Thomas Taliaferro and Teddy Riley, the inventor of New Jack Swing known for his work as a member of Guy. Chauncey Hannibal and Levi Little were signed under production and management contracts with Thomas Taliaferro and were merged into what...
"Fix" on Another Level (1996). X-Raided (Fuccing Wit A Psycho). Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
uses the backbeat sampled on the remix of 2001's "U Remind Me
U Remind Me
"U Remind Me" is a 2001 single from Usher's 2001 album 8701. It was the first US single from the album...
" featuring Method Man
Method Man
Clifford Smith , better known by his stage name Method Man is an American hip hop artist, record producer, actor and member of the hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He took his stage name from the 1979 film The Fearless Young Boxer, also known as Method Man. He is one half of the rap duo Method Man...
and Blu Cantrell
Blu Cantrell
Blu Cantrell is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter.-Biography:Tiffany Cobb was born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1976. Her father was a Narragansett Native American and Cape Verdean, and played in the National Basketball Association...
.
"The Message" was included as ingame radio music for the 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 open world action computer and video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the second 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and sixth original title overall...
, and the 2006 video game Scarface: The World Is Yours
Scarface: The World is Yours
Scarface: The World Is Yours is a video game developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Vivendi Universal Games. The game is based on and is a quasi-sequel to the 1983 motion picture Scarface starring Al Pacino reprising his role as Tony Montana, with André Sogliuzzo providing Montana's...
, an adaption of the 1983 film. For the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
-produced compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
Lit Riffs: The Soundtrack in 2004, the band Katsu
Katsu (band)
Katsu was an American rock band from State College, Pennsylvania, from 2001–06. Their musical style was self-described as a cross between hip hop and the music of Bob Dylan, along with mixtures of classic rock, alternative rock, punk rock, reggae, and ska...
supplied a stripped-down cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "The Message". The second and last verse of the song are sung by Mushroomhead
Mushroomhead
Mushroomhead is an American industrial metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1993 in Cleveland Warehouse District, the band's music can be described as a synthesis of alternative music, heavy metal, and electro-industrial...
in the song "Born of Desire" off their XX
XX (album)
XX is the fourth major label album by industrial metal band Mushroomhead, released in 2001. Originally released through Eclipse Records, where Mushroomhead took classic tracks and re-recorded them. XX was entirely re-recorded and re-released on Universal Records later in the year...
album. Additionally, The Madow Brothers have parodied this song with dental lyrics for their dental seminars. American singer-songwriter Willy Mason
Willy Mason
Willy Mason is an American singer-songwriter.- Early life :He was born in New York, the son of Jemima James and Michael Mason, both folk singers. When Mason was five, he and his family moved from New York to West Tisbury, Massachusetts on the island of Martha's Vineyard...
also covered this song for BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge on the 25th of February 2005.
In 2007, the 25th anniversary of "The Message", Melle Mel
Melle Mel
Grandmaster Mele Mel , also known as Melle Mel , is an American hip-hop musician — one of the pioneers of old school hip hop as lead rapper and main songwriter for Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.- Biography :...
changed the spelling of his first name to Mele Mel and released "M3 - The New Message" as the first single to his first ever solo album, Muscles. 2007 is also the year that Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five was an influential American hip-hop group formed in the South Bronx of New York City in 1978. Composed of one DJ and five rappers Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five was an influential American hip-hop group formed in the South Bronx of New York City in...
became the first hip-hop act ever to be inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
.
The lines "Don't push me 'cause I'm close to the edge / I'm trying not to lose my head" is sung by Cesar Flores
Cesar Flores
Cesar D. Flores is a Canadian actor who has appeared in various shows and movies such as Yes, Dear, ER, My Name is Earl, Dexter, Numb3rs and Daddy Day Care. Currently, he voices Chris in W.I.T.C.H., replacing Toby Linz...
, and then again by Fat Joe
Fat Joe
Joseph Antonio Cartagena , better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper, CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment, and member of musical groups D.I.T.C. and Terror Squad....
in the animated film "Happy Feet
Happy Feet
Happy Feet is a 2006 American-Australian computer-animated family film with music, directed and co-written by George Miller. It was produced at Sydney-based visual effects and animation studio Animal Logic for Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures and Kingdom Feature Productions and was released...
" (2006). These lyrics were also sung by Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
in the song 'Show Out' of his debut-album Trouble
Trouble (Akon album)
-Chart positions:-Certifications:- Chart prossesion and succession :...
. Steven Stifler is also seen reciting these lyrics in American Wedding
American Wedding
American Wedding is a 2003 comedy film that is a sequel to American Pie and American Pie 2 as part of the American Pie series. It was written by Adam Herz and directed by Jesse Dylan...
to Jim who sent a thank-you letter to Stifler's school. The letter had references to Steven's danceoff in a gay bar which is why Stifler recited the lyrics.
Grammy Award winning saxophonist Napoleon Murphy Brock
Napoleon Murphy Brock
Napoleon Murphy Brock is an American singer, saxophonist and flute player who is best known for his work with Frank Zappa in the 1970s, including the albums One Size Fits All, Roxy and Elsewhere, and Bongo Fury...
incorporated the 1st verse and chorus of "The Message" in the Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
songs "Pygmy Twylyte" and "Dummy Up" on his 2009 tour with The Paul Green School of Rock Music
The Paul Green School of Rock Music
School of Rock is a performance-based music program for those between the ages of 8 and 18. This for-profit educational company operates and franchises after-school music instructional programs in the United States and Mexico...
All Stars.
"The Message" was number 5 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop. A few sections of the song were also mashed into the song "Crazy As She Goes" by The Legion of Doom.
In 2010, Melle Mel and Scorpio appeared in an Australian commercial for the Kia Sportage in which they perform 'The Message'.
In November 30, 2011, Melle Mel, Scorpio, and Grandmaster Flash joined Common, Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco , better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco , is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, Lupe is the CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food...
, and LL Cool J
LL Cool J
James Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...
as they performed a tribute of this song at the 54th Grammy nominations
54th Grammy Awards
The 54th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on February 12, 2012, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It will be broadcasted on CBS. Nominations were announced on November 30, 2011 on prime-time television as part of "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live! – Countdown to Music's Biggest Night", a...
.
Retrospective
Rolling Stone ranked "The Message" #51 in its List of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (the highest placing for any song released in the 1980s, and highest ranking hip-hop song on the list).It was voted #3 on About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
's Top 100 Rap Songs, after Common
Common (rapper)
Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. , better known by his stage name Common , is an American hip-hop artist and actor....
's "I Used to Love H.E.R.
I Used to Love H.E.R.
"I Used to Love H.E.R." is a hip hop song by the Chicago-born rapper Common. Released on the 1994 album Resurrection, "I Used to Love H.E.R." has since become one of Common's best known songs. Produced by No I.D., its jazzy beat samples "The Changing World" by George Benson. A video directed by...
" and The Sugarhill Gang
The Sugarhill Gang
The Sugarhill Gang is an American hip hop group, known mostly for their 1979 hit, "Rapper's Delight", the first hip hop single to become a Top 40 hit. The song uses the instrumental track from the classic hit "Good Times" by Chic as its foundation....
's "Rapper's Delight
Rapper's Delight
"Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 single by American hip hop trio The Sugarhill Gang. While it was not the first single to feature rapping, it is generally considered to be the song that first popularized hip hop in the United States and around the world. The song's opening lyric "I said a hip hop, a...
".
In 2002, its first year of archival, it was one of 50 recordings chosen by the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
to be added to the National Recording Registry
National Recording Registry
The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, which created the National Recording...
, the first hip hop recording ever to receive this honor.
It was used in a British Government commissioned public information film
Public information film
Public Information Films are a series of government commissioned short films, shown during television advertising breaks in the UK. The US equivalent is the Public Service Announcement .-Subjects:...
on road safety.
"The Message" was number 5 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.
Chart positions
| Chart (1982) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
8 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
62 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
4 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play | 12 |
Remixes
- "The Message '95" (Die Fantastischen VierDie Fantastischen VierDie Fantastischen Vier , also known as Fanta 4, is a German hip hop group from Stuttgart, Germany. The members are Michael Bernd Schmidt alias Smudo, Andreas Rieke alias And.Ypsilon, Thomas Dürr alias Hausmeister Thomas D and Michael 'Michi' Beck alias Dee Jot Hausmarke...
Remix) (1995, East West Records) - "The Message" - 1997, Deepbeats Records (DEEPCD001)
Further reading
- Chang, Jeff. (2005) Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation. New York: St. Martin's Press.