Melle Mel

Melvin Glover (born May 15, 1961), better known by his stage name Grandmaster Melle Mel or simply Melle Mel , is an American rapper who was the lead vocalist and songwriter of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.

Career

Glover began performing in the late 1970s. He may have been the first rapper to call himself MC (master of ceremonies). Other Furious Five members included his brother Kidd Creole (Nathaniel Glover), Scorpio (Eddie Morris), Rahiem (Guy Todd Williams) and Cowboy (Keith Wiggins). 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.

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five began recording for Enjoy Records and released "Superrappin'" in 1979. and was directed by then-unknown film student Spike Lee. The record was falsely credited to "Grandmaster + Melle Mel" by Sugar Hill Records,

In 2025, Mel and Scorpio toured with the Sugar Hill Gang.

In August 2025, Melle Mel and Scorpio announced they are producing a screenplay titled "The Message," which will detail their personal journeys and the rise of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. The film is being produced through their company, Furious 5 Entertainment, with a targeted 2026 release.

Melle Mel's 2026 tour schedule includes a headlining performance at the Soultown festival in the United Kingdom in September 2026.

Discography

Studio albums + List of albums Title Album details Muscles(as Grandmaster Mele Mel) Released: January 23, 2007 Label: Big Gunz Formats: CD, digital download, streaming

Group albums + List of group albums, with selected chart positions Title Album details Peak chart positionsUS USR&B/HH AUS NZ UK The Message(as part of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five)Released: October 3, 1982 Label: Sugar Hill Label: Elektra Formats: CD, LP, cassette, digital download, streaming189————On Lock(as part of Die Hard)Released: December 4, 2001 Label: 7P/Crucial Formats: CD, digital download, streaming————— "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Collaborative albums + List of collaborative albums, with selected chart positions. Title Album details Peak chart positions USR&B/HH US R&B 1983Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five Released: 1983 Label: Sugar Hill Records — — — —1984Greatest Messages Released: 1984 Label: Sugar Hill Records — — — 411993The Greatest Hits Released: 2006 Label: Sequel (UK) — — — —1994Message from Beat Street: The Best of Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel & the Furious Five Released: April 19, 1994 Label: Rhino Records — — — —1996The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel & the Furious Five: More of the Best Released: July 1, 1996 Label: Rhino Records — — — —1997The Greatest Mixes Released: 1997 Label: Sanctuary — — — —1999Adventures on the Wheels of Steel Released: 1999 Label: Castle Music — — — —1999The Showdown: The Sugarhill Gang Vs. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five Released: February 2, 1999 Label: Rhino Records / Warner-Elektra-Atlantic — — — —2005Essential Cuts Released: June 27, 2005 Label: Union Square Music — — — —2006Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel and the Furious Five: The Definitive Groove Collection Released: August 8, 2006 Label: Rhino Records — — — —2007The Essential Released: February 12, 2007 Label: Union Square Music — — — —2010Kings of the Streets Released: 2010 Label: Sanctuary / Universal — — — — "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Singles 1979 "We Rap More Mellow" (as The Younger Generation) 1979 "Flash to the Beat" (as Flash and the Furious 5) 1979 "Superrappin'" (as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five) 1980 "Freedom" (as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five) 1980 "The Birthday Party" (as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five) 1981 "Showdown" (as The Furious Five Meets The Sugarhill Gang) 1981 "It's Nasty (Genius of Love)" (as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five) 1981 "Scorpio" (as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five) 1981 "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel" (as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five) 1982 "The Message" (as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five) 1982 "Message II (Survival)" (as Melle Mel & Duke Bootee) 1983 "New York New York" (as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five) 1983 "White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)" (as Grandmaster & Melle Mel / Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five / Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel) 1984 "Continuous White Lines" (remix – as Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five) 1984 "Jesse" (as Grandmaster Melle Mel) 1984 "Beat Street Breakdown" a.k.a. "Beat Street" (as Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five) 1984 "Step Off" (as Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five) 1984 "We Don't Work for Free" (as Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five) 1984 "World War III" (as Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five / Grandmaster Melle Mel) 1985 "King Of the Streets" (as Grandmaster Melle Mel) 1985 "Pump Me Up" (as Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five) 1985 "Vice" (as Grandmaster Melle Mel) 1985 "The Mega-Melle Mix" (as Melle Mel) 1988 "Gold" (as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five) 1988 "Magic Carpet Ride" (as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five) 1994 "Sun Don't Shine in the Hood" (Split 12" single with "Da Original" as The Furious Five) 1995 "The Message 95" (Remix – as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five) 1997 "The Message" (Remix – as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five) 1997 "Mama" (as Grandmaster Mele-Mel & Scorpio) 1997 "Mr. Big Stuff" (as Grandmaster Mele-Mel & Scorpio) 2003 "Where Ya At?" (as Melle Mel) 2007 "M-3" (as Grandmaster Mele Mel) 2011 "Markus Schulz Presents Dakota feat. Grandmaster Mele Mel & Scorpio" – Sleepwalkers 2014 "Don't Shoot" (as Grandmaster Melle Mel) 2016 "Some Kind of Sorry" (as Grandmaster's Furious Five Ft. Mele Mel & Scorpio)

Collaborations 1984 "I Feel for You" by Chaka Khan 1986 "MC Story" by MC Chill and Emanon (The Baby Beatbox) 1986 "Susie" by Emanon 1986/87 "Who Do You Think You're Funkin' With" – collaborating with Afrika Bambaataa 1988 "R U Tuff Enuff" remix by Rebbie Jackson 1989 "What's the Matter with Your World?" (with Van Silk) 1995 "White Lines (Don't Do It)" by Duran Duran 1996 "What Order" (with Keith LeBlanc) 2005 "RSVP" (with Nikkole) 2008 "Hip Hop Fantasy" by Chutzpah – for the track "Bizness" 2009 "Electro Soul Satisfaction" – collaborating with Mic Murphy of the System 2010 "The Movies (2010) [feat. Melle Mel]" by Young Jimmy 2015 "Vamp Bikers" with Grandmaster Melle Mel, Caz Grand Puba and Grand Wizard Theodore Directed by Eric Spade Rivas

Awards and nominations

"Back on the Block" Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group

"Stomp" Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals

On September 13, 2025, Melle Mel was one of the primary honorees at the inaugural Hip-Hop Ambassadors Honors and Awards Ceremony held in the Bronx, receiving a Medal of Honor for his role as an architect of the culture.