The Grammys officially have to recognize hip hop's presence going forward ... so says 2 of its pioneers ... Melle Mel and Scorpio of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five!!!
We linked with Melle, Scorpio and Bar Shon after their participation in the Grammys hip hop blowout to celebrate the culture's 50th birthday ... and in their opinion, the classic contributions to the medley really boosted the tribute.
Melle and Scorpio also tell us it was an honor to rock with the newer artists, who included Lil Baby, GloRilla and Lil Uzi Vert -- but it was their wave of nostalgia that made the performance one for the books.
50-year anniversary of hip-hop performance at the #GRAMMYs by some of the greats including RunDMC, LL Cool J, Salt N Peppa, Ice T, Queen Latifah, Wu-Tang, Big Boi, Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliott, Nelly, Too Short, GloRilla, The Roots, and more... pic.twitter.com/HmGB0bvGZX
— Leon Carrington (@LeonCarrington) February 6, 2023
The Furious Five rappers disagree with the notion new rap music is garbage -- they say each generation has its own sound and even remember when older heads turned their noses up at their music when they referred to it as "fresh."
At 61, Melle is a living example of what hip hop healthy looks like and says he'll soon pass the "Muscle Simmons" rapper torch to Method Man ... who also performed during the Grammys tribute, but couldn't outlast him onstage that night!!!