Bronx native and Hip-Hop pioneer Grandmaster Flash is set to release a memoir this summer, chronicling his life’s triumphs and downfalls.
The legendary DJ, born Joseph Saddler, has partnered with New York Times best selling author David Ritz to pen The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash: My Life, My Beats.
The book, set to hit stores June 10 on Broadway Books imprint Harlem Moon Books, leaves no topic untouched, from Flash’s rise to Hip-Hop and Pop Culture prominence with the Furious Five, to his conflicts with the record label that cost him millions of dollars, to his storied battle with cocaine addiction.
Following Flash’s life from his childhood, The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash not only sheds a light on the groundbreaking DJ, who, long before superstardom, created his own stereo and production equipment from subway car wires and recycled pork barrels.
The book also serves as a great look at the South Bronx during Hip-Hop’s early years, taking a good look at the social and economic conditions that lead to such hits as “The Message” and “White Lines.”
Following the Furious Five’s recognition last year as the first Hip-Hop group to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Grandmaster Flash began work on a new album scheduled to drop later this year.
He also continues to be active within the genre he helped push to international popularity, spinning at various events and hosting a weekly show on Sirius Satellite Radio’s Hot Jamz Channel 50.
