Song Clearance Sheet
4 sources citedThe Message
Hip-Hop1980s100BPM
UnconfirmedKey
Tempo/key via Deezer →
The verdict
Documented Sampling History
Confirmed songwriters of record (Fletcher, Melle Mel, Chase, Robinson) and decades of legitimate use. The irony that Grandmaster Flash had little role in the record, and his own 1983 royalty lawsuit, live in the Receipts.
reportedly open to sampling
Used by independents?
Yes — used by Ice Cube on the then-independent Priority Records (“Check Yo Self,” 1993).
Quick Facts
Released1982
GenreHip-Hop
LabelSugar Hill Records
ProducerJiggs Chase · Sylvia Robinson
More infoWikipedia → · Discogs →
Who you need to ask
The songwriters of record — Ed Fletcher, Melle Mel, Jiggs Chase & Sylvia Robinson
Songfacts → · checked Jul 2026
The current administrator — Not confirmed — Sugar Hill’s post-collapse catalog; needs a Songview/Discogs lookup
Grokipedia → · checked Jul 2026
Has it been reused?
Yes — one of the most acclaimed and reused records in hip-hop; widely licensed for film (incl. “Happy Feet”) and sampled/interpolated by P Diddy, Ice Cube and others.
Do they allow reuse?
No standalone policy found, but a long record of legitimate licensing generating ongoing income for the credited writers.
Related Songs
Same album, answer records, and songs worth knowing about
Same label (Sugar Hill), same era, same pattern of near-absent credited performers
Who Owns It
Licenses explained →The two permissions you need, and who holds them
The song itself (the writing)Ed “Duke Bootee” Fletcher, Melle Mel, Clifton “Jiggs” Chase & Sylvia Robinson
The recording (current administrator)Not confirmed
Receipts
Every public mention of terms, policy, or past deals we've found
The man on the marquee barely touched the record
Grandmaster Flash had virtually no involvement in writing or recording “The Message” — the group reportedly mocked the demo at first, finding its serious subject matter unlike their usual party material. Sylvia Robinson had Melle Mel trade verses with Fletcher and reportedly refused Flash’s request to let the full group perform.
Damien Love (oral history) · read it →
Flash filed his own $5 million lawsuit
In 1983 Grandmaster Flash sued Sugar Hill Records for $5 million in unpaid royalties, arguing his DJ innovations underpinned the group’s success despite minimal backend — stemming from the rushed verbal deals common in early hip-hop. (The specific outcome wasn’t independently verified in this pass.)
Grokipedia · read it →
The credited writers have earned from it for decades
Per Jiggs Chase, ongoing film and artist uses have kept generating real royalty income for the credited writers — a genuinely different outcome from Flash and the rest of the actual group, who remain largely excluded.
Discogs (Guardian excerpt) · read it →
Can You Use It for Free?
How to check PD →Is it public domain?No
Sample History
—
Times sampled
Widely sampled/licensed (P Diddy · Ice Cube · film)
Covers
—
First flip
Who to Contact
SH
The credited songwriters / Sugar Hill catalog
The confirmed writers of record (Flash’s near-absence is in the Receipts)
What they'll chargeNobody's shared numbers yet
Don't Want the Hassle?
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Page history · 2 updates
Jul 2026Page created — full research (SEO Batch)
Jul 2026BPM/Key pending a separate manual keyfinder pass