Music > Interviews
The Furious Five
25/05/16
I spoke to the amazing Scorpio from The Furious Five ahead of his show with Melle Mel and The Sugarhill Gang at the Waterfront this month.
You grew up in the projects of South Bronx back in the 70’s. Can you set the scene for us?
Through an untrained eye it probably looked a third world country. A lot of the buildings were burnt down, but for us it was home, a beautiful place even with the destitution. Looking back I’m so glad I had that Bronx experience; it was the best place to grow up and learn everything we know about life. It was a great place.
What was the very first time you heard the beginnings of what would become hip hop?
It was probably around ’74 or ’75, and I was listening to Dj Kool Herc who was the superstar of the Bronx as far as hip hop goes. He was the first one to plant the seeds of hip hop. It was definitely very exciting, you know what I mean, because we had our own music, our own slang, our own way of communicating that meant if you weren’t from the Bronx nobody would understand what you’re talking about. In a place that was so looked down upon we still have our own thing.
How did you come to meet Grandmaster Flash originally back in the day?
Well me and my partner Melle Mel used to be in a breakdance group together before hip hop started, we were the original B Boys from the Bronx! One time Flash and his crew came to our school to challenge us and we beat ‘em! We became friends and he started bringing his music equipment to our neighbourhood and ultimately that’s how most of us met Flash because he was playing where we lived because he didn’t have a community of his own that would truly embrace him but our community took him in.
You guys were pretty young when that all happened – how did you manage to stay on track and not get distracted by fame?
It definitely was something different because at our age we were out making money and were like ghetto celebs. It was easier because everyone around us, at least initially, we knew, so we were just hanging out. We didn’t feel like we had to walk, talk or act in a different way cos you were still around your original friends. It didn’t really hit us until we started going on the road after we made a record that we really understood who we were on that kind of level.
The Message is one of the most important hip hop tracks of all time. Can you talk us through how it happened?
Nobody in the group wanted to do that record! It was actually supposed to be for The Sugarhill Gang, but they didn’t want anything to do with it, we didn’t want anything to do with it, and that’s why you only have Mel on that record because he was the only one who was up for it. That track was going to be Sylvia Robertson’s (who ran Sugar Hill Records) next big push. We thought that song would really hurt our career because at that time it was all about making music, partying, bragging about yourself, and this was the first time a hip hop track was dealing with real subject matters. It’s quite a dark sounding record.
It’s a real crossover track isn’t it…it introduced a lot of people to their first taste of hip hop.
That definitely happened; even now people who don’t even like hip hop like The Message. Like I said hip hop before this was all about bragging but this was for people who were trying to pay bills and maintain, so it clicked for them. Everybody’s always on the borderline of being pushed, whether in a job, a relationship, friendship.
I’m a white woman from rural England and I love this song and everybody I know loves it, it’s really universal.
It’s a record that truly stands the test of time because people are always going through it.
You guys were the first hip hop group to be inducted into the rock n roll hall of fame. How did that feel, to be recognised in that way by the world?
It was a great feeling although I don’t think Gene Simmons liked it! It was super.
The Furious Five have worked with some big names since then, like Chaka Khan, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and Steve Van Zandt. What’s been your own highlight since the heyday back in the 80’s?
For me it would have to be interacting with Rick James, he made sure everybody looked after us, especially when we were on his tours, so that would have to be my highlight. We got to know him personally – everybody else it was just business but with him it was real personal.
What do you think of hip hop these days?
There are so many versions of it, it’s hard to pinpoint it. In terms of business though it’s the best time to be in hip hop. If you handle it right you can really get out what you put in. When we started out we thought we were doing good business but it was borderline love so we didn’t pay enough attention to that side of things. There are some good artists out there right now but you can’t really compare it to our era because there’s so much variety out there now.
You supplied hip hop with such a huge legacy. Do you feel like you’ve been sufficiently recognised for the part you played?
There aren’t many genres where the people who started it get their proper recognition or are still around today. Like the original rock n roll stars. For the first six or seven years when we first started no one thought hip hop would last. You can’t turn on the TV now without seeing adverts with hip hop all over it, and everybody’s bought into it now and that’s why it’s easier for some of these cats to get rich real quick, not necessarily from the music but from their other endeavours.
You’re coming up to Norwich with your partner Melle Mel. Did you think that all this time later you’d still be friends and still rapping together?
I think we did, because we were real good friends way before the music, we knew each other in fourth grade! Just like every relationship it comes with its bumps, you know what I mean, but overall, certainly out of the group, we’re the only two who still speak to each other. We don’t speak to Flash or the other two guys unfortunately. But me and Mel are tight, we just put out a new track called Some Kind Of Sorry which we’re really excited about.
What are the vibes going to be like at your show at the Waterfront?
Sugarhill have a set, we got a set and we’ve also got a set where we play together. We’re gonna have some fun!
The Furious Five play with The Sugarhill Gang at the Waterfront on 1st June. Tickets available from ueaticketbookings.co.uk.