All you have to know is mathematically how many times to scratch it and when to let it go – when certain things will enhance the record you’re listening to.

Meaning of the quote

When you're creating music, you need to know exactly how many times to scratch or manipulate the record to make it sound better. You also need to know when to stop and let the music play on its own, because sometimes adding too much can ruin the original sound. Knowing the right balance and when to enhance the record is key to making great music.

About Grandmaster Flash

Grandmaster Flash, the pioneering American DJ and musician, is known for creating the Quick Mix Theory technique that revolutionized the art of DJing and rap music. He founded the legendary hip-hop group Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and has been honored with prestigious awards, including induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Polar Music Prize.

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More quotes from Grandmaster Flash

For us to keep claiming this isn’t Hip Hop and that isn’t Hip Hop doesn’t make sense to me.

Grandmaster Flash

American DJ and rapper

What has happened is that to some degree they have taken an attitude where they don’t listen to demos of diverse subject matters. They’re looking for demos like the record the guy on the left just did.

Grandmaster Flash

American DJ and rapper

Hip Hop has become real constrained. The creative juices and creative flows have been diminished.

Grandmaster Flash

American DJ and rapper

For instance, if you’re playing a record with drums – horns would sound nice to enhance it so you get a record with horns and slip it in at certain times.

Grandmaster Flash

American DJ and rapper

I think what’s happening here is, there’s a group or maybe one person who is saying this is gonna be the definition and this is what we want to get the kids to do now.

Grandmaster Flash

American DJ and rapper

The type of mixing that was out then was blending from one record to the next or waiting for the record to go off and wait for the jock to put the needle back on.

Grandmaster Flash

American DJ and rapper

But I had two very special people who helped to take my style to the next level. Thank God for my first MC Cowboy and my first student Grand Wizard Theodore, and to go out after creating this art form and finding everyone jamming to it – that too was pretty scary.

Grandmaster Flash

American DJ and rapper

We gotta stop fighting amongst each other. I think the only rift should be when take it the stage and try to out perform each other.

Grandmaster Flash

American DJ and rapper

Normal kids in their teens want to go and date girls and do mischievous things, your hormones are jumping around, but I stayed in my bedroom in search of something.

Grandmaster Flash

American DJ and rapper

I had to go into a studio and compose and write and press up 12 songs in 14 hours. When you’re recording a song from scratch it takes you 14 hours to do just one song.

Grandmaster Flash

American DJ and rapper

So what I’m trying to say is from a musical aspect for anybody to say that whatever they’re doing in Florida is not Hip Hop or whatever they’re doing in LA is not Hip Hop, who are these people to say that?

Grandmaster Flash

American DJ and rapper

All you have to know is mathematically how many times to scratch it and when to let it go – when certain things will enhance the record you’re listening to.

Grandmaster Flash

American DJ and rapper

I had love for Breakout; I had love for Bambaataa. I had love for Kool Herc.

Grandmaster Flash

American DJ and rapper

For anybody to say well this is not Hip Hop and that’s not Hip Hop, that is not the way the formula was laid down. It was for the people who were going to continue take anything musically and string it along.

Grandmaster Flash

American DJ and rapper

We can even sing off key, but if it’s produced properly it can be a hit.

Grandmaster Flash

American DJ and rapper

Do not let any record company disturb your creative flow. You are not writing for the record company. You’re writing for the public.

Grandmaster Flash

American DJ and rapper

As an individual I was known as the DJ or the mixer.

Grandmaster Flash

American DJ and rapper

We can come from our own particular point of view and lay it down. We should not be throwing verbal rocks at each other. We’re all responsible to continue the growth of Hip Hop.

Grandmaster Flash

American DJ and rapper

Disco B still rolls with me now. He’s still doing his thing. He does clubs in different places. He was very instrumental in helping me perfect my craft.

Grandmaster Flash

American DJ and rapper

Disco was brand new then and there were a few jocks that had monstrous sound systems but they wouldn’t dare play this kind of music. They would never play a record where only two minutes of the song was all it was worth. They wouldn’t buy those types of records.

Grandmaster Flash

American DJ and rapper