On Oct. 1, Grandmaster Flash was onstage in the Drama Theatre in the Center for the Arts for his master class.

The UB Arts Collaboratory Working Artists Lab is working with the hip-hop legend and various artists in the field to dig deep into how hip-hop has cultivated stories through collaboration.

The fall 2021 lab is the first time Flash has worked directly with university students.

“I hope to inspire students to get out there. I want them to make it happen. Do something different,” says Flash.

Flash was joined onstage by Buffalo hip-hop artist ToneyBoi for their presentation, "Outside Influence," which was followed by a Q&A session.

Grandmaster Flash emerged as one of hip-hop’s trendsetting innovators and created an entirely new way of making music, as a DJ backspinning records, cutting and scratching.

“The residency at UB gives me a chance to tell hip-hop’s whole story. The sights. The sounds. The places and the moments. It’s important that we get this history right," Flash says.