n was a histoficnigilt fo. music history For h'p'hop, it was the rasibanier of majnsteamacc€ptabil& Thec€tols ot ONCEUPON mp rusc we€ ooinq lo be PcognizFdbv he sar insb_ tdion thai hond€d rcck ions ChuckB$v, Uttle Bichad, ATIMEII\ Bnrce Sp.nssteen,the Bollins Stones,and FlavQhad6 _]F-]E The Rock dcl Boll Hallof Fanteindlctitr ceremonytaks placedery ,€ar at lhe pch Waldod-AstoriaHotel in Nw B(DGIE YorkOty for music historybuffs as well as old ock rans with sali-dd-pepper haiq ihis is the niglrt Music dilics DOWNBRONX a$C €cod industry hea\ryweightstrm out in dtovs to dre rcck legendsthat inspiredaE Grandmaster Flash and dle Furious F-il-e celebralethe cree|s ot musicwe all *now and love. hPIn hin-h^n oet Dron. 8Lnthe 2007award €Rfdy was difieent. This v6 the iirst ys that a rap grcup would be inductedinto lhe hallof fame.Rockfans and musiccritics wee livid Tweniv- seveny€E after "Rappels Delighf' shookihe v!o'id, te genrestill wsnt €specied 6 a legilimateform ot musc, "l've head of Gtrdmaster Flash,"scoffed one iraterar on_ line,"but who in the hellare the Fuious Five?And whv on *nh arclhey beinginducied into he Bock dd Boll Hallof Fameahead of IMS?" Last yeat the grcup that practicallyinvented 6 'ap we now know it was iornally inducled into the 2007 Rock ard Boll Hall of Fme, alongside lock greats B.E.M.,Patti Smnh,Van Halen,4d tl€ Ronett6 This is a larye step ior a c€w that mdy have called ihe gGat- est rap g|oup to ever grace the stase or wax Their story starts in 1975,when il realrywas just abo'n dre mutc waxpoetics lon l,!@d4 Li$ Hrqlvlid\rd fths alhi\tic.o Lr41 ers nielle Mel and Creole Nere laFrg dorvn the ibundaron IF]EGEI\EIC ODE for rap rs F€ looq'it today Eackin 2005,on a $!.n d4 in Oltland, Califomia,I hd Accodirg to Kool I Ierct slddedr upbeat, mockjls rec- rhe opporruniq ro sir and int.rlicw thc nan s'ho rvrorc the olectjon, "They $e.e saying,'Yes, ,\€s. J all, to dr bed, y !U. genetic code ior whlr {r clll hip hoF to.ht: Kool DJ Herc. a kcc! oD,\/all, md ya don't $op ' llu b..L in Hdc\ d4_. it didnt harc a mmcr it {€s $hat t r\,tel dd Crcol-born llelvin aDd DaDly Glo!d-!t $€s:jusr a ncishborhoodrhing. fiom the Sourh &onx, d area i\at was once desoibed .s After lnbning to rh. f.unding fathd rcminisceDccabout a \!r zone. It \!as hde q'herc rhe,v*ere born and raised his Limesas dre Rsr breakbelr DJ proscniror, I rcaliz.d sonc- drcm rnd sn odref gendemen s'ho Nould IiI out dre group thnrs: Klol Herc is ro hip hoF ihaL Alexand- Grahan Bell .i - f" h d ln" r |o \ F- e.-i e t o p ri - 'd ' " is to 1he telephone.Yes.he is the Bur whlt hip hoF ftom hiF hop pioncers to 200? Rock ud RoI Hall of Fane lvas n\er lnd rvhat ir is noN.re t$o-eator diferenr ihings. indrLctccs$as long and hanl. Then sory sdc nr i\e srim! One hundred tears ,gq you .or .ln1ha\r laid Bcll or steet of ihe South &or, q'here rhe,! were a! fans of an !n luliln eenLlenan n.ned Gnglielmo Marco.i ro ha\c Frc- mazingly imo\€tir€ local DJ. dicrcd fie wi.eiessphone, fic ccll pho.c, L\c BhckBcrr! or dy other nodem de\ice. Kool He.c hinself will rcll tou 1. a heafibeat, I had no idea i\ll L\is {ould become a blll,on GMI\DMASTER Withi\atinDind,hvor eedsohething:ifColrel.aR.ck CRUSI]ES]F]E (L""l Hd r' MC) r" ,r I p a li'rl' f" " d1 ni (f . .1 o.rrh nle -!\.e\no.irrod3J.rh. MPETTOI\ rerl ItC spiflin luic lor l,vric,on be.! virn r .onrinlor$ dos'? "fts $oup has neld befl just about frve !eo!le, ,\r1hur ''nb. Hdc,'I lsked hin as I scarchednt head and "Disco Bs" Harryard saysro me $bne lookine out his w'n sedched for dre right s!.ds. 1 m curious .boul sotue&ing. dolv and smoking r cigrreftc.V'hat he is rcfennrs ro is nhefact Who iaasihe nNposo! thatyou saw$! ds{e kioN iLloday? thn, apln lrom thc 6\c MCs (Melle Mel, Scorpio, Ratnem. At dr momeDr. Ndm smne eNeloped Kool He.c s Creole, and the hE Kd$ "Cowboy" Wissint and dre DJ. street-hardenedface He looked out the wndolL lnd &.o$ Gnndmasd Fhs!, irde \!erc adally t]lo olhef gl]Is who the stleet at Ijke r\4ennt. dnost as il he Nas looking b..L !r wcrc a pdi of n\e crcw Flash's a$isEnts Disco Bee aDd EZ dlt dar', dd. in r quiet voi.e, he sard, lt was ltlelle ,\tel- Mikc. "I go bacLrvi! himro i\e besimrins," Beesals. "\bu ask Melle Mel aDd Kid Crsle lley were ar a boiing gtn on lround, lnronc rhat knoNs ibe t|trth {iil tell rou i\at orisiml- 'bo eror \prh d turd oJJ;... Iy ir was Grandmasler Flash,Disco Bcc, md $eThrce IlCs. '0'e.i "."," ' $ns dre lar place that I sedr Bis Pur alnr ar " On rhis da!. Bee is a bn turstufcd. Thc impad of dre II a qdet nnd almosr sombef rcice. he recJled the events, blnd's inducdon i.ro rh€ Rock and R.ll Hall of Fame codd somenmesritine a pause to look dorm ai his batde scrned linallr mm the pagc f.r a group thn runy minsteam medu huds "The, {Es nl dre nnddle of a boxi4 ring $iln dese oudcB harc ie.orcd orc ilrc la$ nrcnq r€ds! ihus senemt- bis Afros. Kid Creole. as linle as he is, ndd one too. Has! lvas ing some srioN osh for a gcncmtion of agnrg hip-hopDe$ behind ihan cftrin . \!hdr I saN drm, I jusLsnned, 'ca!s I $ho neve. gor inc chrncc ro sc. lny rc.l Bcnue for n\e mu- Lncw wherc ihey sot it ftoDr They sot it hom me And they sic the]'ve gi1'd most of fieir lives ro ]rl.ficr rdding ro drc locrv rhat drcy got n ftoDr me I iusnt mad Melle saw snuldon is llar conributions ol Disc. Bee and EZ Milc ^lel 'he mc in the crcsd md just nodded at me I laqhed to rnyseli hlve Fa.ticlllt gone unackroivledged. 'Fl,sh didrl inrcnt Ir mu$\r bes oDelel of a moment. anr oI rhis bt hinsell" B€e sayst me. "That shit [a tbree- llansnrs abole rhe dint lit Brm $as a thick cloud of mln rumuble .ouinE Lharhc did .nsage at dre\'1l1 Hip snoke. a pxnsdt mirnue ofcigaFttes and reetq laced nth Ho! Hono6 wifi l.zzr Jell and Kd Crpri is the sametlnns ,r'Ee d'\ (oedd. he"d b p!,r L" (J"/.br lhal me,him, md Mike did bacLin rh. daf' d ar'. fi'tireUCi ol ..do lrd-.ri. o,-he. Disco tsee goesback ro Irlash's initial sLagesar a school minds. In tlc rcd light hazc. numuded b_! stick-up kids, ydd caled 63 Pdk. tsee, as iiiends like to call hin, $ould gangstcrs.rnd hrpdacrivc b-boys, Kool Herc got to se dre !e thee widr do1her loung mln nmed Cordee O, whosc 6rsi stcps .f his crcatio! bkins on a neN dimension. asblorh- oldd broder Ms !-bsh! pdlner, ",Ue!. Gene" I -ivingslon. 10.1 WaXpOetiCS pdties and studied then shn, he connLNes qtension of a ioke that you and Scor! snned some lctB ro .I of Hdc's us; back. Ib $hidr he responds: 'l do mv thhg. I'm nor soma "\ve studied rncir fomat iust lke peoFlevould la6 studv our colmer on n\at I gor nr husde. ihaas how we studied Herc There re a bunch of sroris $cre rhai say rhat Creole gor on tusr, and I sot on a monrh go1 on dre mi. for Flssn Toda,v.ar forty iivc ]ears of aep,Mele I1€l is nor tadv or someding like i\ar l!!dj no, we o:lgl'm. m ooi'or Inft Rock and ,'e p.o J n re \o roo .od"\ thd \h"a ra Frotu rhc \€r] irsr ime dDt saN Coke l! '( _l-im ^lel rLL his prime. He's probably one of rhc fov tupprs alitt 1hese Timry oD the dic. he sals dur rhlmins became fr* dals Nho actualY waks it like he lalks it He\ a mms dm consming obse$ion ibr him. "I knew flom draL rcrv.'' hc tls n d c--u-e Lhd d e r' mca il \njonc {n t in time I held ihe mi. that dns is s'hat I should be doing," 'lL_ ' self-coDlidencc could boftow a cup or $t lion him, or, rL fte. He said !s nuch on l1is\erv 6rst reconl, "Supenalpin' ": rhe Hy least, cornd late notes. Even when lt3 at hs mo$ boasthrl, he's beine sh.cre. "I dade a wa! tbr mc io do lvhar E1€r since I trlked a1nt verr'tust !!rq', somebodrl I do dd tor drdn Ioder mppe$l ro do whd thev do \('ren I felt I could mtle mYself heut from the r€fv start, yorLsee Mellc Mel, I want Feople10 know thal lou',re seeng a It was somethin' in dt o .-o-re..\lCBld! .eC\'d l} l,r'sing T could seenyself at the Io! of n\e chars, 'c.J "a( conndenceof a \lFsdiDg legcnd like Ric Flair.