Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's "The Message" (1982): The Song That Brought Social Commentary to Hip-Hop

“The Message” is a song by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, released July 1, 1982 on Sugar Hill Records and later included on the album of the same name. It was reportedly written in 1980 by Duke Bootee and Melle Mel, referencing the 1980 NYC transit strike.

The single peaked at No.62 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached No.4 on Hot Black Singles. Internationally, it charted at No.8 in the UK, No.2 in New Zealand, and No.6 in the Netherlands.

Rolling Stone ranked the song No.51 on its 2004 “500 Greatest Songs” list, and in 2012 the publication called it the greatest hip-hop song. In 2002 it was added to the US National Recording Registry, becoming the first hip-hop recording to receive that honor. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

The song has appeared in the video games GTA: Vice City and Fuser, and it has been sampled in multiple later songs.