BKS1 Radio Network

Special Guest: HIP HOP LEGEND MELLE MEL

Lyrical leader of the original Furious Five and founder of a splinter version of the group during the mid-'80s, Melle Mel wrote many of the legendary raps featured on Grandmaster Flash tracks. Born Melvin Glover, he and his brother Nate (aka Kidd Creole) (not the Caribbean dance-popster of the same name) joined up with Cowboy (Keith Wiggins) in 1978 to form the Three MC's, with production handled by Grandmaster Flash (Joseph Saddler).

After Scorpio (originally Mr. Ness, aka Ed Morris) and Raheim (Guy Williams) joined up as well, the group recorded two singles (one as the Younger Generation and Flash & the Five) before they became Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five and recorded the magnificent "Superappin'" for Enjoy, owned by R&B legend Bobby Robinson.


One year later, the group began recording for Sugar Hill and scored on the R&B charts with the wild party jams "Freedom" and "Birthday Party." In 1982, "The Message" became an instant rap classic, one of the first glimmers of social consciousness in hip-hop, and Melle Mel was responsible for many of the cutting lyrics. The record's enormous success ended up fracturing the group, however, despite subsequent successes like "New York New York" and "The Message II (Survival)." Melle Mel wasn't happy about sharing composer credits for "The Message" (especially with Sylvia Robinson), and Flash sued Sugar Hill, citing Robinson's conflict of interest (she not only co-owned the label, but produced and managed the group).

Though most of their beefs were directed at Sugar Hill and not inwards, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five split down the middle, with Flash departing for Elektra with Kidd Creole (Mel's brother) and Raheim while Melle Mel stayed put and formed his own version of the group with Cowboy and Scorpio. (After a court battle regarding rights to the name, Melle Mel was allowed the use of "Grandmaster" as well.) Late in 1983, Sugar Hill released Melle Mel's "White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)," variously described as anti-drugs or pro-drugs, though the death of one of Mel's friends, a drug dealer, a few weeks before release caused him to add the parentheses.


Mel's best year came in 1984, when he rapped over Chaka Khan's platinum, Grammy-winning "I Feel for You" (the first exposure to rapping for mainstream audiences). He was also drafted for the rap film Beat Street, where Grandmaster Melle Mel & the Furious Five performed their new hit "Beat Street" (aka "Beat Street Breakdown") and appeared next to Afrika Bambaataa, the Treacherous Three, Doug E. Fresh, and Rock Steady Crew.

Mel recorded a pair of LPs for Sugar Hill during the mid-'80s, then reunited with Flash and the rest of the original Furious Five for a 1988 LP titled On the Strength. It failed miserably in an atmosphere that was decidedly anti-old school, and neither of them recorded for almost ten years. A 1997 record, Right Now, paired Melle Mel with Scorpio, but also failed to sell. His new project, Die Hard, debuted in 2001 with On Lock. John Bush, Rovi

Special Guest: KING RUSS

Although he was labeled as another kid from the streets of Harlem, Russ’s talent made provisions for him to be recognized as a “Hood Icon”! Russ recognized early on, age 13 to be exact, music was not only his passion, but his calling. What began as a hobby and means of self or situational expression, soon developed into a quest to become not just another household name or a “Hood Icon”, but to become a “Rap Icon”. Unbeknownst to many, King Russ’s talent extends beyond rap as he actually developed his talent first as a singer.

Notwithstanding the fact that Russ excelled as a singer, he yearned to fuse his singing talent with his distinct and vivacious rap style over his rhythmic and melodic tracks. With the mix of the two talents, this would give him double the exposure on stage and increase his fan base. His passion, talent, and love for rap is what got him in the game, but he believes his versatility will set him apart, but it will also develop and grow his following. Without making comparisons, in this day and age, the rap industry lacks well-rounded artists’ who can transcend the rap genre reminiscent of King Russ’s ability to cross over.

Equipped with a harmonious vibrato and thought provoking lyrics or “bars”, Russ placates the ladies while remaining true to his affiliation with the notorious D-Boys of Harlem. Armed with these charismatic attributes and uncharacteristically sound talents, Russ believes these same combinations will assist him in his quest for rap greatness.

Understanding that becoming a rap legend is not an easy task, Russ pays homage to the iconic and infamous rap pioneers who have paved the way for the rap genres success and to those who have paid attention to his grind. To be more specific, Russ idolizes and attributes his success to Grandmaster Mele Mel and Ice-T.

Today, at the age of 21, he credits such artists as Tupac, Mase, Michael Jackson and Fabolous for influencing his talent for rap and lyrical gifts that sets him apart from the rest. More importantly, he credits “Chris Brown” who he deems as a musical genius and icon. Russ was frank to explain Chris Brown as, “A great entertainer, he’s my definition of real talent, which shows in his performances.” King Russ is currently working on a number of projects which include mixtapes as well as putting the finishing touches on his debut album. King Russ just released a mixtape entitled “Punch 4 Punch” which is the Deluxe Edition and follow-up to #IAMKing. Circulating singles by King Russ include: “Greetings” his introduction to the music industry, “Finish This” which in his words is “the rebirthing of Hip-Hop”, “Let It Go” an R&B track and “Watch Em Twerk” a club anthem touted as the fourth most tweeted song in music.

With over 11,000 Twitter followers and 113,000 video views on YouTube, King Russ exhibits industry presence, innovative rap style, a passion for perfecting his performance, and an unwavering drive for rap stardom. Stand up and take notice because King Russ has arrived! For more news and updates on King Russ visit http://twitter.com/TheRealKingRuss.

Biography: ASHLE DANGER

Ashle Wilson, better known in the industry as Ashle Danger, is from Maplewood, NJ. She attended Columbia Sr. Hight until she graduated in 2007. She is currently a psychology major at Montclair State University. What made her started modeling is a question she get’s asked constantly, she laughs because she never had aspirations of becoming a model. Ashle first love was to become a photographer but she fell into the modeling world because of her natural detail to fashion, scenery, and the desires of the industry that she so adored to be apart of.

Ashle Danger has become a industry sensation in just a little time. She has been featured in Black Men’s Magazine as well as Hip-Hop Weekly. She has been featured in Urban Ink four times and Straight Stuntin Magazine 3 times, which helped propel her career to the forefront of the modeling industry. Dynasty Series, industry standard modeling glamour site, has featured her in various articles giving celebration to her accomplishments in her career.

In other business, Ashle has been a professional MUA for 6 years. She excels at this trade as she not only beautifies other models but also gives them tips on how to perfect their trade. Ms. Danger is a different type of woman as she is a active activist in her community. She works with kids especially young ladies as a mentor to give them direction in life. Through her dedication to FP YouthOutCry, she has become the VP of Youth Development, where she is responsible for creating and maintaining community activities for the kids in the Newark, NJ area.

In regards to the future, Ashle Danger has various business ventures that she is currently working on. One of the most important things in Ashle’s career now is giving back and being a activist for the youth, education, animals and women support groups. She believes that it’s important for her to be a positive role model to not just the youth but to her peers inside and out of the entertainment industry.

Special Guest: Cobblestone Multimedia

Cobblestone Multimedia, LLC is an independent company that is comprised of; music, film, and television production, casting agency, a state of the art professional recording studio, and a youth entrepreneurial music/film school in partnership with Rutgers University, The Berklee College of Music City Music Network, and The New Jersey Performing Arts Center.

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Special Guest: Young Roc

Young Roc does music production work for film and televison and other media, and is most recently known for doing work on Travel Channel's "Not Your Average Travel Guide", Oxygen Channel's "Bad Girls Club", "Bad Girls Need Love Too", MTV’s “Real World” and "True Life", “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” on E! and countless other shows.

Young Roc also produced the theme song "R.U. Ready" for the college football team "Rutgers Knights". He is currently working pre-prouction work with 107.5 WBLS' DJ Antoin Qua, Chris Brown, Fred Da Godson and has done work for Hussein Fatal (Tupac's group "The Outlawz"), Young Buck (G Unit), Taana Gardner and jazz drummer Norman Connors . He is currently a producer/engineer and lead instructor at Cobblestone Multimedia in Newark, NJ where he has had the opportunity to work with key people in the entertainment and music business.

Special Guest: Young Bonez

Young Bonez began writing lyrics at the age of 15. At age 16 he recorded his first record at a independent recording studio known as Cobblestone Multimedia. In 2008, he was given the opportunity to act in his first independent film titled "Surviving the Streets" where he also created the title song for the film. In 2009, he participated in a summer performance program at Berklee College of Music.

Aside from being an artist, Young Bonez also teaches interns for Rutgers T.E.E.M Gateway's Project Rise Program in Newark, NJ, Young Bonez teaches recording, engineering and songwriting at Cobblestone Multimedia along side Young Roc the Producer and Jeff Billingsley. In 2011, Young Bonez premiered his debut album titled "Bone Da Vinci" distributed independently under Cobblestone Multimedia/B.R.E Entertainment.