STREAMING AUDIO INTERVIEW

He’s not the best, he’s not the worst, but he certainly was the first. Or so the saying goes… Grandmaster Flash is certified hip hop royalty, and after a staggering career spanning three decades he’s made a rather grand return to form with a brand new artist album, The Bridge, his first official release in 20 years.

Along with his posse The Furious Five, Grandmaster Flash introduced hip hop culture to a worldwide audience in the late 70s and early 80s, taking the fledgling culture far beyond its spawning ground of NYC’s streets. They were rewarded for their trailblazing efforts in 2007, becoming the first hip hop artists to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

On The Bridge Grandmaster Flash calls in the big guns, with heavyweights like Q-Tip, Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg and KRS-One all popping up as guests. However he’s also featured a lot of lesser known talent, both from America’s east and west coast and across geographical borders. inthemix caught up with Flash recently to find out why he felt the time was right to make his return.

Grandmaster Flash’s album The Bridge is available now through Strut/Inertia. You can catch him at one of the following dates remaining on his Australian tour:

Wed Mar 4 – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney – w/ N*E*R*D
Thu Mar 5 – Hisense Arena, Melbourne – w/ N*E*R*D
Sat Mar 7 – Future Music Festival, Brisbane
Sun Mar 8 – Future Music Festival, Melbourne

Peep the clip for his single Swagger below: