Melvin Glover, better known by his stage name Grandmaster Melle Mel or simply Melle Mel, is an American rapper who was the lead vocalist and songwriter of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.
Mel in 2010
Mel and Ralph McDaniels a.k.a. Uncle Ralph
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were an American hip hop group formed in the South Bronx of New York City in 1978. The group's members were Grandmaster Flash, Kidd Creole, Keef Cowboy, Melle Mel, Scorpio, and Rahiem. The group's use of turntablism, breakbeat DJing, and conscious lyricism were significant in the early development of hip hop music.
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
1979 Bronx Rap Battle. Design: Buddy Esquire. Image courtesy of Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.