Finding The GOAT Group: Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five vs. Whodini. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Group,” the fourth installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series features Hip-Hop’s greatest collectives vying for the #1 spot. Sixty-two groups have been pre-selected by a panel of experts, and one slot will be reserved for a wild-card entry, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to ensure no deserving band of MCs and DJs is neglected. The 2018 contest consists of seven rounds, NCAA basketball-tournament style, leading to a Top 32, then the Sweet 16 and so on, until one winner is determined. For each battle, two groups are pitted against one another with a ballot to decide which one advances to the next round. Though there will be an enormous amount of debate in comments, on social media, in barbershops and text messages, which we encourage, only votes cast in the official ballot (below) count.

The next battle is a face-off between two New York City groups that found commercial success in the 1980s. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five takes on Whodini. As two of the most important Hip-Hop musicians from 25 years ago square up, your vote may decide the victor in this historic match-up.

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

Few groups integrated turntablism and MC’ing in the same outfit as well as Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five. With one of Hip-Hop’s credited godfathers behind the wheels of steel, this troop also includes legendary lyricist Grandmaster Melle Mel on the mic, alongside a highly esteemed assembly of Rahiem, Cowboy, Kidd Creole, and Scorpio. Formed in the Bronx, New York, the outfit came up through performances and legendary battles, before becoming one of the most successful pioneering acts on wax and video. In the late ’70s and ’80s, Flash and company made records that featured cutting, scratching, technically-advanced rapping. Whether on the mic or behind the 1’s and 2’s, there was often a message involved. This collective fractured into two separate acts during the ’80s, simultaneously, but these Rock & Roll Hall Of Famers are best remembered for their days as one unified body of skill.

Whodini

Ecstasy, Jalil Hutchins, and Grandmaster Dee are not just pioneers of Brooklyn, New York’s 1980s and 1990s boom, the trio helped legitimize the Rap album. Forming in 1981, the Larry Smith-produced act achieved gold and platinum success without pandering to the mainstream. Instead, songs above, love, friendship, and the music they loved became early hits for Jive Records on three gold and platinum albums. Two highly-skilled mid-’80s storytellers were flanked with a DJ who knew how to keep the party going. The group had melodic, instrument-driven hits that adapted to R&B playlists without compromising the Rap roots. Nearly 40 years together, the threesome still tours, after 15 years of recording.

Finding The GOAT Group: OutKast vs. 8Ball & MJG. Who Is Better?

So who is the better Hip-Hop group? Make sure you vote above.