Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five are an American hip hop group that rose to prominence in the 1980s. Formed in the South Bronx of New York City in 1976, the group consisted of DJ Grandmaster Flash and rappers Melle Mel, Kid Creole, Keef Cowboy, Mr. Ness, Scorpio and Rahiem. The group’s use of turntablism, break-beat deejaying and conscious lyricism were significant in the development of rap music. The group developed it’s reputation by performing at parties and clubs and earned local success. The success of the Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” made the group realize the potential of cutting records. Under Sugarhill Records, the group released the singles “Freedom”, “Birthday Party”, ‘Grandmaster Flash On The Wheels Of Steel” and “It’s Nasty.” In 1982, the group released the single “The Message.” The song provided political and social commentary and became the group’s biggest commercial success reaching No. 4 on the R&B charts and No. 62 on the pop charts. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five released the albums “The Message” (1982) and “On The Strength” (1988). Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

The Jackson Five are an American family music group that rose to prominence during the 1970s. Formed in 1964, the group initially consisted of brothers Jackie, Tito and Jermaine Jackson. Younger brothers Marlon and Michael joined a short time later. Born and raised in Gary, IN, the group’s interest in music was bolstered by their Joe Jackson. Under the name the Jackson Brothers, the group began performing in talent shows and  the Chitlin Circuit. At the suggestion of Evelyn LaHale, the group changed their name to the Jackson Five. While performing a series of shows at the Regal Theater in Chicago as the opening act for Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers, Taylor sent the group to Detroit to audition for Motown Records. Following a taped audition, which was sent to Motown Records CEO Berry Gordy, they were turned down, as Gordy had Stevie Wonder under contract at the time, but Gordy changed his mind; insisting that the group be signed. In January 1970, the group’s first single, “I Want You Back”, topped the Billboard Hot 100. Their next three singles, “ABC”, “The Love You Save” and “I’ll Be There” all hit number one, making them the first group to have their first four singles reach the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100.  Their success continued with the hits “Mama’s Pearl”, “Never Can Say Goodbye” and “Sugar Daddy.” Motown Records capitalized on the group’s popularity by licensing such products as a J5 heart logo, album covers, stickers, coloring books and a Saturday morning cartoon series. In 1975, the group, minus Jermaine, left Motown Records for Epic Records for  more creative control and royalties. Jermaine was replaced by younger brother Randy. In 1976, the group released their debut album for Epic, titled simply “The Jacksons”, as Motown claimed it owned the name the Jackson Five. The album featured the singles “Enjoy Yourself” and “Show You The Way To Go.” They went on to release the albums “Goin Places” (1977),  “Triumph” (1980) “The Jacksons Live!” (1981), “Victory” (1984) and “2300 Jackson Street” (1989). The Jacksons were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999. Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009.

Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, known professionally as Kid Cudi, is an American rapper/songwriter from Cleveland, OH. Inspired by The Pharcyde and A Tribe Called Quest, Cudi began rapping at the end of his  high school career. After moving to New York to pursue a music career, he moved in the his uncle Kalil Madi. In late 2008, he was featured on hip hop magazine XXL’s  Freshmen cover. On September 15, 2009, he released his debut album ‘Man On The Moon: The End Of Day.” The album’s first single, “Day And Night”, remains Cudi’s greatest commercial success, charting well in both the United States and Europe. He has gone on to release the albums “Man On The Moon 2: The Legend Of Mr. Rager” (2010), “Indicud” (2013), “Satelite Flight: The Journey To Mother Moon” (2014), “Speeding Bullet 2 Heaven” (2015) and “Passion, Pain & Demon Slaying” (2016).

Michael Kay is an emerging  singer/songwriter who just released his debut EP “Elephant.”

Happy birthday

Singer Thomas “Cee Lo Green” Callaway 44

Singer/actor Ralph Carter 57

Remembering singer Gladys Horton (May 30, 1945-January 26, 2011-The Marvelettes)

Australian singer/songwriter Michael Kay has released his highly anticipated independently released EP “Elephant.” The 8 track project features the singles “I Don’t”, “Love Like Death” and “Thoughts.” On the project, the 22-year-old experimented with a mixture of traditional and contemporary R&B sounds as he takes listeners on a journey through relationships. The EP opens with the ballad “Stay” and ends with the uptempo number “Thoughts.” “Elephant” can be streamed via Soundcloud, Spotify and Apple Music. Nigerian born, Chicago raised singer/songwriter Ben Official steps into the spotlight with the single “Pretty.” The crooner has been working on his new album, which will be released later this year. The accompanying visual opens with the singer sitting on a staircase, in a trance, where we can assume is his home. We don’t know what it is, but he looks down at something in his  hand, and walks into a bedroom and places it in a drawer. The scene then cuts to him completely losing it and thrashing the bedroom. He later returns to the drawer and we discover that the item in his hand is a gun. Next his love interest comes home only to discover that her living room has been flipped upside down. Afraid, but cautious, she finds him on the stairs with the gun pointed at himself. Fans have to watch the clip to find out what happens next. Singer Azekel has returned with the single “Mr. Taxi Man”, the follow up to the hit “Wetty Betty.” The track is from the third chapter “Youth” from his forthcoming album “Our Father”, which is due out later this year. Previous chapters “Family” and “Mental Health” have been accompanied by beautiful visuals directed by Malick Sidbe. Singer Major honors old school courtship in the visual for his latest single “Better With You In It.” The crooner just released the track, which is the theme song from the OWN series “Black Love.” Inspired by Hollywood love scenes, the clip finds the singer and his love interest enjoying romantic moments, including a motorcycle ride down a palm tree-lined street and lounging together on a floor covered with classic vinyl records. “Better With You In It” will appear on Major’s upcoming album “Even More”, due out this summer. After delivering the acoustic video, singer/songwriter Kiana Lede returns with the remix of her single “Fairplay.” Here, the Arizona bred songstress joins forces with rapper A$AP Ferg for extended Hip Hop/R&B collaboration. Kiana  opens the track with her original verse and hook. Kiana Lede is currently working on her debut EP for Republic Records. The last few weeks have been difficult ones for rapper Mac Miller, between his break up with singer Ariana Grande and a drunk driving arrest and hit and run. Even with all that, the MC used his time away from social media to regroup and  surprised fans with the singles “Small Worlds”, “Buttons” and “Programs.” Miller wiped his Instagram clean, only leaving caption-less photographs of each single. “Small Worlds”, “Buttons” and “Programs” are the first singles Miller has released this year. Fans who have been wanting to get into the feels will be disappointed to learn that Juicy J., Marshmello and James Arthur have beaten them to it. In the clip for their collaborative single “You Can Cry”, a lot of white smoke and studio rain appear. Arthur delivers an amazing performance in the mist of several lush shots of people screaming over one another. Marshmello hopes that the beats and positive message of love and comfort can help turn the emotional tide. Fans should check this one out.

Gene Elliott Thornton Jr., known professionally as No Malice, is an American rapper/songwriter from Virginia Beach, VA.  He is also a member of the rap duo Clipse with fellow rapper Pusha T. He has released the albums “Hear Ye Him” (2013) and “Let The Dead Bury The Dead” (2017).

Craig Ashley David, known professionally as Craig David, is an English singer/songwriter/producer. David’s earliest exposure to the industry came when he collaborated with the group Damage on the single “Wonderful Tonight.” He later worked on some tracks with the English garage band Artful Dodger. David came to the attention of Wildstar Records after manager Paul Widger met with label co-owner Colin Lester and played him some of David’s music. Lester later offered David a development deal with  his label which later became an album deal after he heard the song “7 Days.” David has released the albums “Born To Do It” (2000), “Slicker Than Your Average” (2002), “The Story Goes” (2005), “Trust Me” (2007), “Signed Sealed Delivered” (2010), “Following My Intuition” (2016) and “The Time Is Now” (2018).

Terrance LeVarr Thornton, known professionally as Pusha T, is an American rapper/songwriter/producer. He was born on May 13, 1977 in the Bronx and later moved with his family to Virginia Beach, Virginia, where he and brother Gene grew up. Pusha  T initially gained recognition was one half of the duo Clipse with brother Gene. He has released the albums “My Name Is My Name” (2013), “King Push: Darkest Before The Dawn” (2015) and “Daytona” (2018).

Singer/songwriter Kelvin Frazier pursues his passion for music with the single “Marked And Scarred.” The rising crooner delivers a captivating vocal over masterful production. “Marked And Scarred” appears on the EP “Conquer All.”