Steve 'Flash' JuonIt’s been a while since an old school record from an artist I venerate has made me cringe both inwardly and outwardly, but hearing the awkward synth version of the “Peter Gunn Theme” by Henry Mancini on “Style” did exactly that on Grandmaster Flash’s “The Source.” I mean credit where it’s due as the full song title is “Style (Peter Gunn Theme)” so they aren’t trying to hide it, but I’d honestly rather hear the chip tune version of it used in the Spy Hunter video game.
That’s far from the biggest problem here. The awkward chorus hints at the ugly truth: “We’re Grandmaster Flash/we’re giving you a blast of class.” If you’re not hip to this jive, I’ll break it down for you real smooth (how’s that for cringe). Joseph Robert Saddler b/k/a Grandmaster Flash is not royalty and there’s no royal we here. What’s actually happening is that Flash is using his name to represent an entire group of rappers, so the “we” here is actually Kidd Creole, Rahiem, La Von, Broadway, and Larry Love. If two fifths of those names sound familiar they should — Kidd Creole and Rahiem were part of the original Furious Five. This new lineup is the result of an acrimonious split between Flash and Melle Mel, with Cowboy and Scorpio staying loyal to the latter in the breakup. In case any of this was unclear Flash and his crew all introduce themselves on the opener. Even Flash’s assistant Shame chimes in.
Does this feel like an incredibly awkward divorce? Well it SHOULD. This was actually their second attempt at making it work though following the eerily accurately titled “They Said It Couldn’t Be Done,” which we will talk about at another day and time. Despite releasing in 1986 on Elektra Records “The Source” sounds like a Furious Five record from the beginning of the decade. At a time when the likes of Schoolly D, Ice-T, Run-D.M.C. and LL Cool J were reshaping the rap landscape, songs like “PLU (Peace Love and Unity)” sounded incredibly out of touch with their contemporaries. It hasn’t aged well.
While one could hardly have blamed Melle Mel and Grandmaster Flash for going their separate ways given their creative differences, the sad truth is that it only calcified the sound of both factions. A split could have caused either one to reinvent their sound and get with the times, but instead they clung to the glory days of Sugar Hill Records in their style and presentation. Even the cover of “The Source” looks like it belongs in the late 1970’s, not the mid 1980’s. The call and response of “Now who is the master? GRANDMASTER FLASH” would have been cool when I was 8 years old. It’s not cool on “Throwin’ Downs.” Hearing them sing things that rhyme with “down” makes it worse.
If there’s an upside to this album it’s that it’s only 10 tracks and 40 minutes long. If there’s a second upside it’s that Rahiem and Kidd Creole still manage to exude some level of cool as rap legends — not enough to save this record but damn it they try hard and I’ll respect it. While the music is corny as all shit I can’t say it wasn’t produced and mastered well. The beats are on time, the vocals are clear, the sounds are all crisp. I find it odd to compliment an album I mostly hate as well put together but the closest comparison I can think of is sitting through a boring movie that had a good cinematographer. It can look good and still be bad. “The Source” masters this double standard to a tee. The bad news for y’all is that it only gets worse from here.