Digital Media Center
Bryant-Denny Stadium, Gate 61
920 Paul Bryant Drive
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0370
(800) 654-4262

© 2025 Alabama Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Rapper Melle Mel: Delivering 'The Message'

Melle Mel.
Frazer Harrison
/
Getty Images
Melle Mel.

When the hit rap song "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five came out in the early 1980s, many rappers regarded it as an inspiration as well as a political message.

Melle Mel was the original vocalist on "The Message." (This interview originally aired August 4, 1992.)

Copyright 2022 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.

News from Alabama Public Radio is a public service in association with the University of Alabama. We depend on your help to keep our programming on the air and online. Please consider supporting the news you rely on with a donation today. Every contribution, no matter the size, propels our vital coverage. Thank you.