Grandmaster Flash

Born and raised in the South Bronx, Grandmaster Flash is inarguably one of Hip Hop's original innovators.

In the early 1970s, Grandmaster Flash was the first DJ to use the turntable as a musical instrument by placing his fingers on the vinyl and perfecting beat looping. It's no surprise that The New York Times calls him Hip Hop's first virtuoso.

His determination to manipulate music led to innovations that changed the trajectory of Hip Hop music and culture: the Quik Mix Theory and the wafer - or what is now commercially known as the slipmat.

Today, he's the voice of an entire generation of 1970s Hip Hop pioneers and reminds us of that decades influence through his tours, weekly livestreams, lectures and other projects. Grandmaster Flash is at once a historian, a storyteller, and a cultural force.