Who Is The Polar Bear On The Masked Singer?

You truly never know who's going to show up on "The Masked Singer." Viewers of the most recent episode of "The Masked Singer" Season 9 were treated to a rendition of "Rapture" by Blondie, the infamous detour into early hip hop from the celebrated rock band. And, in a metatextual twist, the song was performed by actual hip-hop royalty, a figure who went on to reveal an even deeper and more relevant connection with the song in question.

Underneath the Polar Bear mask, one of the most celebrated rappers of the golden age of hip hop belted out "Rapture," although curiously (or perhaps to help conceal his identity), he concentrated on the chorus of the song rather than the rapping portions. 

Nevertheless, his identity was correctly guessed by panelist Nicole Scherzinger, making the true identity of the Polar Bear a matter of record for public consumption. And until the Coca-Cola Polar Bears finally cut an album, it's probably the biggest achievement in music so far for polar bears as a group.

If the voice of the Polar Bear doesn't sound familiar to you, it's probably because you're more familiar with his rapping and his producing than his actual singing. Grandmaster Flash is the architect of countless innovations that originated the art of hip-hop, so his rendition of "Rapture" — the Blondie song that's also an early hip-hop milestone in its own right — has a special resonance.

As Flash later told Variety, his connection to the song goes beyond the generic. "That song was actually written for me," he shared. "I remember Fab Five Freddy bringing [Blondie's Debbie Harry] to one of my shows. This is way back in the day before I became famous. And she wrote this song of what she saw when I was on the turntables at one of my amateur shows."

Grandmaster Flash may not be a very polished vocalist ("I sung horribly, but I sang it the best way I can and sitting down with the musicians and the vocal coaches in doing the best I can do with it," he said), but it's still a treat for fans to see and hear him perform the song, especially if you're aware of his history with it.