Farai Chideya Leaves Host Chair With Grand Master Flash Interview

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five are synonymous with the birth of hip hop. The rap group's DJ "Grand Master" is ionterviewed by News and Notes host Farai Chideya. Flash was the group's mastermind, and in the late 1970s, the group's performances in New York public parks and nightclubs helped give hip hop its identity. He chronicles his life and career in the book, "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash: My Life, My Beats."

Listen to the radio interview as Grand Master Flash talks about how the group's most famous records drove him to drug addiction. Farai bids her farewell also.

Farai Chideya has officially left News and Notes as host, however she will be back in a cameo role during the inauguration coverage on Tuesday. News and Notes' last broadcast will be March 20, 2009 due to budget cuts by (NPR) National Public Radio.

Tony Cox will take over as the host of the show. On his blog Cox vows "...As host, I promise we will continue to bring to you the same insightful, sometimes controversial, but always relevant stories of and by people who often slip below the mainstream radar."

In her final blog Chideya says, "...You guys are the best audience ever. I cannot tell you how much it means to wake up with your e-mails every day and go to sleep knowing that somewhere, someone is listening to News & Notes. Today is my last day as host of NPR's News & Notes. I will always be a friend to the show and to public radio."