The Message

Side A is an untouchable example of funk, early hip-hop, and electro. Side B slows down for some R&B ballads I'm not crazy about but then closes out with the title track, which is nothing short of genre-defining. It's possibly the first example of hip-hop, at this stage mostly party music, that focuses on darker themes and emphasizing the growing socio-economic disparity of it's time. To say this album was influential is a gross understatement of it's place in history.

More like Grandmaster trash.

A lot of this isn't quite hip-hop. But the the standout is, of course The Message.

So what the hell happened to rap/hip-hop after this?
Ah yes it got taken over by the foul mouthed whining tossers from da hood. So sad.
3½

Great sounding and feels like it's way before its time.

8/10

Spending an entire song glazing Stevie Wonder is absurd. I guess those Lebron song parodies had some historical merit. The Message is a classic that hits on some good lyrical themes and the production throughout the whole album is funky and danceable. This early 80’s hip hop just hasn’t aged all the best in comparison to more modern stuff. Still fun though, and any time a song samples Genius of Love it is most appreciated.

Er ikke tvil om at dette er viktig, men som album er det ujevnt.

Tittelsporet er såklart den største bangeren, men «She’s Fresh» har også mye for seg. Utover det prøver de seg på veldig mye forskjellig, og det er kanskje ikke rart da sjangeren var så pur-ung. Så det er noen singler som fortsatt sitter, og det kommer de til å gjøre i mange år til.

«Scorpio» høres ut som en Kraftwerk-parodi som gikk litt forbi Kraftwerk. Så er det plutselig kasta inn to svisker som teknisk sett er greit fremført, bare veldig mid skrevet.

Men det er gøy å høre albumet med historisk perspektiv. Det gir for eksempel veldig mening at de som har framført norsk parodirap fra 80-tallet har hørt dette og ikke for eksempel Rakim eller Public Enemy.

Norges første rappelåt er visstnok en Crispo-reklame hvor de rapper over beaten til «The Message». Jeg måtte søke den opp på Youtube da jeg var ferdig med originalen og jeg er litt trist over at jeg tenker på Crispo når jeg hører noe som egentlig skal være viktig.

5 stars on pure importance. Obviously a fair bot dated etc

Innovative. Wanted to hear again.

Why do they sound like the Black version of Wham

Hell yeah, that album was a lot of fun. Just good ole hip hop. So pure, it wasn't so self-serious. But it also had some real gem moments.

A mixed bag, the ballads are very average indeed but the hip hop/rap tracks are excellent. Would have benefited from the inclusion of The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel.

krene dosta dobro, prahistorični jo jo niga, zatim semplanje tom tom kluba, fora, i onda ode u kurac s pjevanim sranjima... zadnja pjesma opet dobra, ali prekasno... šteta

Important album but it's hard to listen to the same "My name is ____ and I'm hear to say, I like to rap in a major way" flow over and over again. "The Message" is pretty great, tho

Has some weird detours, but also some absolute classics, and hugely important.

The Good: I am not close to the edge…
The Bad: I might still be going under…
The Ugly: Still wondering about that Stevie W song…

Ahhh, the joys of OG hip-hop.
I remember seeing Beat Street in the theatre, and trying my best to learn some of the dances… to be young again…

Obviously I knew the song The Message, but not the album. And I did my best to just listen to the original album, as 1 hour+ is a little too much for a Monday morning.
Having said that, what a difference this is versus what the west-coast started shelling out via NWA et al.

Going against the grain on this one and will dish out a 4* to our OG’s…

The love letter to Stevie Wonder is bizarre and the next song grinds the whole album to a halt but overall still pretty good.

Favorite songs: The Message, It's Nasty (Genius of Love), She's Fresh, Scorpio, "New York, New York"

Least favorite songs: It's a Shame (Mt. Airy Groove), Dreamin'

4/5

Whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiite Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiines. Oh no, wait, NOT that one. Oh, OK. Still pretty jazzy and funky. I will trust others judgement on the seismic importance of this one.

Funky fun rap that wasn't awful to listen to. 4/5