Hip Hop Great Grandmaster Flash Hosts Private DJ Show in Buffalo

It seems that having a Grammy Awarding winning DJ who is also a hip-hop legend and pioneer as a teacher at your local university is a good thing for the local music scene for multiple reasons.

One of those benefits is when Grandmaster Flash has an invitation-only DJ show and party in Buffalo as part of his teaching residency at the University at Buffalo, and you get invited.

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Sponsored by the UB Arts Collaboratory Working Artists Lab, Grandmaster Flash is teaching a class and hosting labs that cover some of the foundational teachings and practices of hip-hop over the years.

The DJ show and performance happened on Saturday, October 2, 2021 at the Torn Space Theater on Fillmore Ave. in Buffalo and started with an opening DJ set by DJ Optimus Prime who kept the crowd very happy and energetic by dropping some classic hip hop tracks and showing off some of his skills as a turntablist.

Grandmaster Flash hit the stage around 9p and immediately went into his DJ set playing some of the classic breaks and cuts that kick-started hip hop in the late seventies. Using his style of call and response, the crowd fully engaged with Grandmaster Flash by singing and dancing along with him.

During his DJ set, he discussed his journey in learning about all different genres of music and how it influenced him and his peers over the years.

Where I come from, music has no color!
-Grandmaster Flash

He also had scenes and clips from his film Hip Hop: People, Places & Things playing on a large flat-screen display behind his DJ table while he was mixing.

As a huge fan of music and hip hop, this was a monumental moment for the music scene in Buffalo and I am glad I was able to be a part of it.