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Melvin Glover (Melle Mel) was the first rapper to call himself "MC" (Master of Ceremonies). Other Furious Five members included his brother The Kidd Creole, Scorpio, Rahiem & Cowboy. While a member of the group, Cowboy created the term Hip Hop while teasing a friend who had just joined the US Army, by scat singing the words "hip/hop/hip/hop" in a way that mimicked the rhythmic cadence of marching soldiers.
Rolling Stone Magazine lists Grandmaster Melle Mel’s The Message as the number one greatest hip hop song of all time on their top 100 list composed by famous hip hop artists. The Message went platinum in less than a month and was the first hip-hop record ever to be added to the United States National Archive of Historic Recordings and the first Hip Hop record inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Mel became known as Grandmaster Melle Mel and the leader of the Furious Five. The group went on to produce the anti-drug song White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It) (the unofficial music video starred up-and-coming actor Laurence Fishburne and was directed by then unknown film student Spike Lee). He became the first rap artist ever to win a Grammy award for "Record of the Year" after performing a memorable rap on Chaka Khan’s smash hit song I Feel for You.Mel ended the 1980s by winning two more Grammy awards for his work on Quincy Jones "Back On The Block" & "Q – The Autobiography of Quincy Jones" albums.
On March 12, 2007, Melle Mel and The Furious Five (joined by DJ Grandmaster Flash) became the first rap group ever inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In his acceptance speech, Mel implored the recording industry members in attendance to do more to restore Hip Hip to the culture of music and art that it once was, rather than the culture of violence that it has become. He added, "I've never been shot, I've never been arrested, and I've been doing Hip Hop all my life. I can't change things all by myself. We need everybody's help, so let's do it and get this thing done."
