Grandmaster Flash wins Polar Music Prize

He was awarded for his contributions to hip-hop culture.

Date published: 14th Feb 2019

Hip-hop innovator Grandmaster Flash has been announced as a winner of the Polar Music Prize - which is annually given to one contemporary musician and one classical musician. 

The prize is "awarded for significant achievements in music and/or musical activity, or for achievements which are found to be of great potential importance for music or musical activity, and it shall be referable to all fields within or closely connected with music."

Renowned for his hip-hop DJing, cutting, scratching and mixing, Grandmaster Flash is a turntablist in the truest sense and was awarded for his contributions to the culture.  

On his nomination, Grandmaster Flash said: “It is such an honour because a lot of times in our culture, what we do as DJs gets overlooked. So for these people to say, ‘Let’s give this to someone who doesn’t necessarily use a microphone as their gift’, for me to be picked out of so many people, I am so, so deeply honoured.”

Previous winners of the award include Bjork, Stevie Wonder and Pink Floyd. 

Grandmaster Flash plays Highest Point this May. Find Highest Point tickets below.