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It's been 20 years since '80s rap icon Grandmaster Flash had an album of new material on store shelves. That album was 1988's On the Strength, which was itself a bit of a disappointment when compared to earlier LPs.

The thing that sticks in my mind most when Joseph Saddler's MC name is brought up though, is just how freaking sweet of a name Grandmaster Flash is, especially when paired up with his group The Furious Five. But The Furious Five garnered notoriety in a number of other areas too, including coining the terms MC and hip-hop and becoming the first rap group to ever be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Luckily before the '90s rolled around, where Flash may have been tempted at his own embarrassing take at gangster rap ala Mr. Hammer, The Furious Five broke up and Flash was relegated mostly to DJ duties (a position he helped revolutionize). Since then we've heard very little from Flash, until now.

February 23rd is the date that will mark the release of Grandmaster Flash's first album of completely original material in 21 years. The name of the new album will be The Bridge: Concept of a Culture and will feature a host of talented hip-hop artists to aid Flash on nearly every song on the disc. The list of featured peers includes Q-Tip, KRS-One, Snoop Dogg, Big Daddy Kane, Busta Rhymes and more lesser known acts. Here's hoping that Flash's return to mainstream music is at least half as good as his '80s run. Check out the video of Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five's all time classic "The Message" below.