Scorpio

Recorded in 1981 at Sweet Mountain Studios in Englewood, New Jersey, the track appeared on the 1982 album The Message and was credited to Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five with production by Sylvia Robinson and Jigsaw Productions. Released in 1982 on Sugar Hill Records, it stood out as one of the album’s essential cuts and was singled out by Pitchfork’s Mark Richardson as “the greatest early electro track.” It reached No. 77 on the UK Singles Chart and spent three weeks on the chart. The track remains a touchstone of early electro and old-school hip-hop, and its groove was later reused for “Message II (Survival).” Its continued reputation rests on its role in defining the group’s futuristic studio sound.