ESCONDIDO — Get your DJ on at The California Center for the Arts, Escondido, as it presents one of Hip-Hop’s original innovators, musician and DJ. The one-and-only Grandmaster Flash, will be at the Center for a Master Class (live lecture and demostration) and a concert on Oct. 5.
The day will kick-off with a free Community Collective in the Lyric Court from 2 to 7 p.m., with a B-boy/B-girl dance competition – where the winner will open for Grandmaster Flash before his concert, plus a DJ and mixing competition, an emcee open mic, and a graffiti art demonstration.
From 5 to 6 p.m., Grandmaster Flash will be hosting a Master Class about the art of being a DJ. The Master Class tickets are $25 to $45 and do not include admission to the concert. Finally, at 8 p.m., Flash takes the stage of the Concert Hall to show everyone why he is a music industry legend. Tickets for the concert are $25 to $50 at artcenter.org or at the Center ticket office at 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido, or by calling (800) 988-4253.
Emerging from the South Bronx in the early 1970’s, Grandmaster Flash has manipulated music by placing his fingers on the vinyl, perfecting beat looping, and discovering many of the most iconic beats still commonly heard today. He is also responsible for assembling one of the earliest rap groups, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. They began their career performing at parties and shows, receiving recognition for their skillful raps. The group pioneered MCing, freestyle battles, and invented some of the staple phrases in MCing. Grandmaster Flash also invented the technique initially called “cutting,” which was later developed by Grand Wizard Theodore into scratching. The community at the Bronx Museum of the Arts has honored Grandmaster Flash with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his extensive contribution to music and Hip-Hop culture.
From his electric shows, to his production role on Netflix’s “The Get Down,” Grandmaster Flash is at once a historian, a storyteller, and a cultural force.
