Melle Mel - WikiHQ

Melvin Glover (born May 15, 1961), 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.

Career

Glover began performing in the late 1970s. He may have been the first rapper to call himself MC (master of ceremonies). Other Furious Five members included his brother Kidd Creole (Nathaniel Glover), Scorpio (Eddie Morris), Rahiem (Guy Todd Williams) and Cowboy (Keith Wiggins). While a member of the group, Cowboy created the term hip-hop while teasing a friend who had just joined the US Army, by scat singing the words "hip/hop/hip/hop" in a way that mimicked the rhythmic cadence of marching soldiers.

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five began recording for Enjoy Records and released "Superrappin'" in 1979. and was directed by then-unknown film student Spike Lee. The record was falsely credited to "Grandmaster + Melle Mel" by Sugar Hill Records,

In 2025, Mel and Scorpio toured with the Sugar Hill Gang.

In August 2025, Melle Mel and Scorpio announced they are producing a screenplay titled "The Message," which will detail their personal journeys and the rise of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. The film is being produced through their company, Furious 5 Entertainment, with a targeted 2026 release.

Melle Mel's 2026 tour schedule includes a headlining performance at the Soultown festival in the United Kingdom in September 2026.

Discography

Studio albums

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"

|+ List of albums

! scope="col" style="width:11em;" | Title

! scope="col" style="width:16em;" | Album details

! scope="row" | Muscles (as Grandmaster Mele Mel)

Released: January 23, 2007
Label: Big Gunz
Formats: CD, digital download, streaming

Group albums

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+ List of group albums, with selected chart positions

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:10em;" | Title

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:23em;" | Album details

! scope="col" colspan="5" | Peak chart positions

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"|US

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| US R&B /HH

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| AUS

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| NZ

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| UK

! scope="row" |The Message (as part of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five)

Released: October 3, 1982
Label: Sugar Hill
Formats: CD, LP, cassette, digital download,streaming

| style="text-align:center;"|53

| style="text-align:center;"|8

| style="text-align:center;"|78

| style="text-align:center;"|14

| style="text-align:center;"|77

! scope="row" |On the Strength (as part of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five)

Released: April 12, 1988
Label: Elektra
Formats: CD, LP, cassette, digital download, streaming

| style="text-align:center;"|189

| style="text-align:center;"|—

! scope="row" |On Lock (as part of Die Hard)

Released: December 4, 2001
Label: 7P/Crucial
Formats: CD, digital download, streaming

| style="text-align:center;"|—

| colspan="15" style="font-size:90%"| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Collaborative albums

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+ List of collaborative albums, with selected chart positions.

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:10em;" | Title

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:23em;" | Album details

! scope="col" colspan="2" | Peak chart positions

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| US R&B /HH

!width="30"|US R&B

|1983

|align=left|Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five

Released: 1983
Label: Sugar Hill Records

| —

|1984

|align=left|Greatest Messages

Released: 1984
Label: Sugar Hill Records

| —

| 41

|1993

|align=left|The Greatest Hits

Released: 2006
Label: Sequel (UK)

| —

|1994

|align=left|Message from Beat Street: The Best of Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel & the Furious Five

Released: April 19, 1994
Label: Rhino Records

| —

|1996

|align=left|The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel & the Furious Five: More of the Best

Released: July 1, 1996
Label: Rhino Records

| —

|1997

|align=left|The Greatest Mixes

Released: 1997
Label: Sanctuary

| —

|1999

|align=left|Adventures on the Wheels of Steel

Released: 1999
Label: Castle Music

| —

|1999

|align=left|The Showdown: The Sugarhill Gang Vs. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

Released: February 2, 1999
Label: Rhino Records / Warner-Elektra-Atlantic

| —

|2005

|align=left|Essential Cuts

Released: June 27, 2005
Label: Union Square Music

| —

|2006

|align=left|Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel and the Furious Five: The Definitive Groove Collection

Released: August 8, 2006
Label: Rhino Records

| —

|2007

|align=left|The Essential

Released: February 12, 2007
Label: Union Square Music

| —

|2010

|align=left|Kings of the Streets

Released: 2010
Label: Sanctuary / Universal

| —

| colspan="6" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Singles

1979 "We Rap More Mellow" (as The Younger Generation)
1979 "Flash to the Beat" (as Flash and the Furious 5)
1979 "Superrappin'" (as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five)
1980 "Freedom" (as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five)
1980 "The Birthday Party" (as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five)
1981 "Showdown" (as The Furious Five Meets The Sugarhill Gang)
1981 "It's Nasty (Genius of Love)" (as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five)
1981 "Scorpio" (as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five)
1981 "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel" (as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five)
1982 "The Message" (as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five)
1982 "Message II (Survival)" (as Melle Mel & Duke Bootee)
1983 "New York New York" (as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five)
1983 "White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)" (as Grandmaster & Melle Mel / Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five / Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel)
1984 "Continuous White Lines" (remix – as Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five)
1984 "Jesse" (as Grandmaster Melle Mel)
1984 "Beat Street Breakdown" a.k.a. "Beat Street" (as Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five)
1984 "Step Off" (as Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five)
1984 "We Don't Work for Free" (as Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five)
1984 "World War III" (as Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five / Grandmaster Melle Mel)
1985 "King Of the Streets" (as Grandmaster Melle Mel)
1985 "Pump Me Up" (as Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five)
1985 "Vice" (as Grandmaster Melle Mel)
1985 "The Mega-Melle Mix" (as Melle Mel)
1988 "Gold" (as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five)
1988 "Magic Carpet Ride" (as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five)
1994 "Sun Don't Shine in the Hood" (Split 12" single with "Da Original" as The Furious Five)
1995 "The Message 95" (Remix – as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five)
1997 "The Message" (Remix – as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five)
1997 "Mama" (as Grandmaster Mele-Mel & Scorpio)
1997 "Mr. Big Stuff" (as Grandmaster Mele-Mel & Scorpio)
2003 "Where Ya At?" (as Melle Mel)
2007 "M-3" (as Grandmaster Mele Mel)
2011 "Markus Schulz Presents Dakota feat. Grandmaster Mele Mel & Scorpio" – Sleepwalkers
2014 "Don't Shoot" (as Grandmaster Melle Mel)
2016 "Some Kind of Sorry" (as Grandmaster's Furious Five Ft. Mele Mel & Scorpio)

Collaborations

1984 "I Feel for You" by Chaka Khan
1986 "MC Story" by MC Chill and Emanon (The Baby Beatbox)
1986 "Susie" by Emanon
1986/87 "Who Do You Think You're Funkin' With" — collaborating with Afrika Bambaataa
1988 "R U Tuff Enuff" remix by Rebbie Jackson
1989 "What's the Matter with Your World?" (with Van Silk)
1995 "White Lines (Don't Do It)" by Duran Duran
1996 "What Order" (with Keith LeBlanc)
2005 "RSVP" (with Nikkole)
2008 "Hip Hop Fantasy" by Chutzpah – for the track Bizness.
2009 "Electro Soul Satisfaction" — collaborating with Mic Murphy of The System
2010 "The Movies (2010) [feat. Melle Mel]" by Young Jimmy
2015 "Vamp Bikers" with Grandmaster Melle Mel, Caz Grand Puba and Grand Wizard Theodore Directed by Eric Spade Rivas

Awards and nominations

|align=center|1990

|"Back on the Block"

| Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group

|rowspan="2"|

|align=center|1996

|"Stomp"

| Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals

On September 13, 2025, Melle Mel was one of the primary honorees at the inaugural Hip-Hop Ambassadors Honors and Awards Ceremony held in the Bronx, receiving a Medal of Honor for his role as an architect of the culture.

References

External links

https://www.bet.com/article/6av308/melle-mel-apologizes-eminem-diss-track
Biography at hiphop.sh