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Stage Trousers Formerly Owned by Scorpio of Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
Stage Trousers Formerly Owned by Scorpio of Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

Stage Trousers Formerly Owned by Scorpio of Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

Performing artist Scorpio
Associated name Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
Datec. 1985
Mediumleather
DimensionsOverall (inseam): 82.5 x 76.2 cm (32 1/2 x 30 in.)
overall1 (outside measurement): 79.4 x 109.2 cm (31 1/4 x 43 in.)
Credit LineMoPOP permanent collection
Object number2002.472.1b
Text Entries

Like other early Hip-Hop groups, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five had elaborate stage costumes highlighted by flashy custom-made leathers, rhinestones, furs, and tassels. The group’s onstage dress reflected the glam/funk/sci-fi fashions that were popularized in the 1970s by funk musicians Rick James and George Clinton.  

Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 expanded the culture of Hip-Hop across the globe with their rapping and DJing skills. Making their debut as a group that performed for local parties in the Bronx then the world, the Furious 5 included Grandmaster Flash (Joseph Saddler, b. 1958), Melle Mel (Melvin Glover, b.1961), his brother The Kidd Creole (Nathaniel Glover, b.1960), Keef Cowboy (Robert Keith Wiggins, b. 1960-1989), Mr. Ness a.k.a. Scorpio (Eddie Morris, b. 1960) and Rahiem (Guy Williams, b.1963) from the Funky 4+1 More. The group is widely regarded as one of the greatest Hip-Hop groups of all time and was the first Hip-Hop group to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. With hits like, “Freedom,” “Birthday Party,” and “The Message,” Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five stood out as a unique group due to their ability to finish each other’s rhymes, mixing melodies and harmonies, while also being able to keep the crowd hyped and engaged.

Brown and gold leather patched pants. Brown and gold lightning bolts on both pants legs with metal stars and circles riveted to pant legs.
CopyrightThis work is issued under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) License. For more information, go to https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
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Stage Jacket Formerly Owned by Scorpio of Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
Scorpio
Date: c.1985
Medium: leather
Object number: 2002.472.1a
Jacket Worn by Scorpio of Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
Scorpio
Date: c. 1984
Medium: leather
Object number: 1998.827.83
Leather Boots Worn by The Kidd Creole of Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
The Kidd Creole
Date: c. 1984
Medium: leather
Object number: 1998.805.4.A-.B
Suit Trousers Formerly Owned by Professor X
Professor X
Date: c. 1990
Medium: polyester
Object number: 1999.477.4
Suit Trousers Formerly Owned by The Notorious B.I.G.
Notorious B.I.G.
Date: 1994-1996
Medium: cotton
Object number: 1999.327.1
Velvet Bell-Bottom Trousers Worn by Jimi Hendrix at the Woodstock Music & Arts Fair, August 18, 1969
Jimi Hendrix
Date: c. 1968
Medium: velvet; metal
Object number: 1998.118.8
Gucci Monogram Dapper Dan Trousers Worn by Van Silk
Van Silk
Date: c. 1980-1983
Medium: suede
Object number: 1998.827.85
Grandmaster Melle Mel and Scorpio Promotional Portrait
Scorpio
Date: c. 1985
Medium: paper (fiber product)
Object number: 1998.827.294
Crown with Ankh Symbol and Outline of Africa Hat Formerly Owned by Professor X
Professor X
Date: 1990-1995
Medium: leather
Object number: 1999.477.1
Crown with Ankh Symbol Formerly Owned by Professor X
Professor X
Date: c. 1990
Medium: leather
Object number: 1999.477.2
Blue Leather No Limit Baseball Shirt and Pants Formerly Owned by Silkk the Shocker
Silkk The Shocker
Date: 1991-1995
Medium: leather
Object number: 2000.363.3.A,.B