Melle Mel is an American rap artist, best known for his music with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. He was one of the first rappers to term himself an MC. His brother Kidd Creole was also in the Furious Five. They released the single 'Superappin' in 1979. In 1982 Mel wrote many of the lyrics on the early rap classic, 'The Message', one of the first rap songs to include socially aware lyrics. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five had further success with 'New York New York' and 'The Message II: Survival'.
But with Melle Mel unhappy about sharing credits on songs with Sugar Hill Records boss Sylvia Robinson, the group split. Grandmaster Flash departed and Mel carried on with members Cowboy and Scorpio. In 1983 Grandmaster Melle Mel released a single about drugs, 'White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)'. In 1984 he released the album 'Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five' and performed the rap on Chaka Khan's massive hit 'I Feel for You'. He had a hit with 'Beat Street', taken from the film of the same name.
He recorded two more albums in the 1980s and then reunited with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five for the commercially unsuccessful 1988 album 'On the Strength'. In 1997 he performed with Scorpio on the album 'Right Now'. His next project was under the name of Die Hard, creating the album 'On Lock' in 2001. As Grandmaster Melle Mel he released the 2007 album 'Muscles'.
In 2016 Melle Mel featured with Kool Moe Dee and Grandmaster Caz on Macklemore & Ryan Lewis's single 'Downtown'. In 2019 he released a live album, 'Hip Hop Anniversary Europe Tour'.
