flash articel

Hey Flash, how did you come to be known as a Grandmaster? Were you the first to be honoured with the title?
My best friend Gordon named me Flash, this was in the ‘70s, and I got the title ‘Grandmaster’ from one of my fans that used to come to the clubs, because of the way I played the turntables. The science of the ‘Grandmaster’ means one that is excellent at their particular field, that’s kinda how I became to be known as ‘Grandmaster Flash’. I think there may have been a ‘Grandmaster Flowers’ before me. (laughs)

Sounds pretty tough, I bet you could take him. Your parents had a huge influence on not only your musical tastes and stylings but on your quest to become an innovator on the wheels of steel. How did they guide you?
It was just an interest of mine because I was not interested in the way DJs were playing at the time. I felt something was missing, so that’s when I decided to mess with my father’s collection, which I did since I was a baby. That later just ended up becoming a lesson on how I handled the vinyl and how I created cueing systems and the way I did things on the turntables. It became a real science. Every great song has a great part and I honed in on the break, which in my opinion was the best part, and I became known for that.