Page 121 - Furious Five News Today

By: Pollstar Staff In honor of Black History Month, Pollstar is spotlighting seminal live performances by Black artists every weekday throughout February. With a deep, rich tradition of transcendent and powerful performers across genres and the ages, we are well aware we can only scratch the surface of so many thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of brilliant Black performance. In fact, any one genre by itself, be it jazz, soul, R&B, hip-hop, blu...

Duke Bootee, co-writer and producer of Grandmaster Flash’s ‘The Message’, has died. Bootee, born Edward Gernel Fletcher, died after suffering from heart failure at his home in Savannah, Georgia earlier this month. He was 69. Fletcher was an influential figure in early hip hop and rap production,  best known for his work alongside Melle Mel of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, co-writing and producing the 1982 record ‘The Message’ for Sugar Hill Records. The New York nativ...

Edward Fletcher, who wrote and performed under the name Duke Bootee. Photo Credit: Geoff L Johnson Photography Duke Bootee, who co-wrote and appeared on Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s classic “The Message” died Jan. 13 at the age of 69.  Born Edward Fletcher, Bootee died at his home in Savannah, Georgia of end-stage congestive heart failure, according to his wife, Rosita Fletcher.  Fletcher wrote the song, originally called “The Jungle” in 1980 about a New York transit str...

R.I.P. Duke Bootee, Rapper and Co-Writer of Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five’s “The Message” photo by geoff l johnson Duke Bootee, the moniker of rapper Edward Fletcher, passed away in his Savannah, Georgia home from end-stage congestive heart failure on Wednesday, Jan. 13. The news was confirmed by Fletcher’s wife Rosita to Rolling Stone. He was 69. Among his many accolades, Fletcher is likely most known for co-writing Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five’s “The Message,”...

Duke Bootee, Composer of ‘The Message’, Dead At 69 Edward G. Fletcher (aka Duke Bootee) has died at the age of 69. The rapper was best known for writing the Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five hit ‘The Message’. While ‘The Message’ was credited as Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five featuring Melle Mel and Duke Bootee the track itself was just Melle Mel and Duke Bootee. ‘The Message’ was inspired by the 1980 Transit Strike in New York City. Fletcher stopped his music car...

Published Jan 15, 2021Duke Bootee — co-writer and rapper on Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Fives early hip-hop classic "The Message" — has passed away. He died from end-stage congestive heart failure on Wednesday (January 13). Duke Bootee was 69. Born Edward Fletcher, the artist died at his home in Savannah, GA, as confirmed by his wife Rosita to Best known for his work as a member of Sugar Hill Records house band, Fletchers work on the politically charged 1982 song "The Message" (previ...

We Dont Need This Fascist Groove Thing A walk through underrated protest music of decades past. The 1980s are often regarded as a time when pop music became unbearably superficial. Legend has it that MTV produced an era that was style over substance, manipulated by over-involved corporate lackeys, which is how "We Built This City" happened. While theres a kernel of truth to that assessment, the reality is far more interesting. The "greed is good" decade was an unexpected ...

Due to concerns over the rampant amount of COVID-19 cases in California, more specifically Los Angeles County, the 63rd annual Grammy Awards, hosted by Trevor Noah, have been postponed.  The broadcast, originally scheduled for January 31, will now air live on CBS  March 14.  The event will take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. This year’s Grammy nominations were led by Beyoncé, with nine.  Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift, and Roddy Ricch each earned six nominations.  Special honorees ...

Pop Culture History From the Year You Were Born By Seth Berkman, Stacker On 1/3/21 at 10:00 AM EST Keystone / Getty Images What were getting at is that pop culture surrounds us everywhere, and is an inescapable fabric of almost everyday life. Pop culture creates the moments we associate with mile markers in life, whether that be a birthday, a first crush, or a life-changing event. Theres a reason why people reminisce when seeing a certain fashion trend or sitcom, or hear the opening notes of...

BRADFORD, Pa. — When viewers tune in to the 63rd annual Grammy Awards on Jan. 31, they will see a Bradford native among the honorees: Marilyn Horne. The Recording Academy announced this week that the opera singer is one of the Lifetime Achievement Award honorees. Matthew Hileman, director of Marilyn Horne Museum & Exhibit Center and adjunct faculty member of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, said they are “thrilled” to learn of the award. “She was nominated 15 times ...