Edward “Duke Bootee” Fletcher, who wrote and performed on the genre-changing 1982 hit "The Message"— credited to Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5 featuring Melle Mel & Duke Bootee — is being honored with a street naming at the site of his childhood home in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

The ceremony takes place at 11:00 am on Saturday January 13 at 1140 Anna St Elizabeth New Jersey, which will be renamed “Ed Fletcher Way.”

Rosita Fletcher, Ed’s widow and wife of 44 years, shared her excitement of the overdue honor with Rock The Bells.

“It's an honor for the city of Elizabeth, NJ to rename a portion of Anna Street to ‘Ed Fletcher Way’ in front of his family home as a tribute to his life and legacy as an internationally known recording artist, educator in NJ and GA, and published author, she says.

She added, “As a prolific writer and musician Ed would have been proud of this public recognition, even acknowledged 3 years after his January 13, 2021 transition to eternal rest. A life well lived is a Blessing forever!”

New Jersey’s Kyshon, The International DJ Finesse who has worked for years to make the renaming a reality was also a member of The Point Blank MC’s who were signed to Fletcher’s Beauty & The Beat Records.

Kyshon said in a statement to Rock The Bells, “The time has come for me and my team to put New Jersey on my shoulders on behalf of Mr. Ed Fletcher. Duke Bootee and his legacy has been in the shadows for too long.”

 Fletcher joined the Sugar Hill Records house band in the early 1980’s where he played on hits by The Sequence, Spoonie Gee, Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5, The Funky 4 Plus One, and other acts signed to the label which is credited with birthing rap music as an industry.

Fletcher, who earned the nick name Duke Bootee due to his admiration of shapely women wrote "The Message" based on the changing environment that he witnessed out of the basement window of his Jersey home.

“There was a park across the street from my house, and every now and then you’d hear someone break a bottle,” he told The Foundation in 2007. “That’s where the intro ‘broken glass everywhere’ comes from.”

"The Message" is widely credited as the first rap song to inject social commentary into rap music, forever changing the possibilities for its use as a tool to uplift and educate.

After his stint at Sugar Hill, Fletcher went on to record for Mercury Records, releasing the hits "Live Wire" and "Same Day Service" from his 1984 album Bust Me Out. Fletcher also played an integral part in 1985’s anti-apartheid anthem "Sun City."

In the same year he established Beauty & The Beat Records, launching the careers of Word Of Mouth & DJ Cheese, The Z-3 MC’s, The Point Blank MC’s, and MC Crash.

Edward Fletcher taught Critical Thinking & Communication at Savannah State University from 2007 until he retired in 2019.

Tickets to the ceremony can be purchased here.