"Mythological retelling", or based on actual people?

Most synopses describe the show as a mythological retelling of the genre's genesis, and that would be easy enough to buy into if it weren't for the fact that their mythology also includes reality ~ Grandmaster Flash, Kool Herc, and other progenitors of the art form. So, my question is, are Shaolin, Ezekiel, and the other brothers meant to represent an actual group from back then, or are they simply meant to symbolize an amalgam of artists who carried the torch of their forebearers and advanced the genre?
Initially, I thought Shaolin was supposed to be representing Flash himself, but when Flash was introduced, it became somewhat confusing, since it's implied that Shaolin surpasses his (Grand)master (Flash). I was blown away when I first heard "The Message" back in 1982, and have been a fan rap/hip-hop since. But the evolutionary jump we see from Flash to Shaolin is dramatic, and relatively quick, and I don't recall a specific artist of the time who pulled off such a feat. The Cold Crush Brothers? Maybe.
I know this could be construed as nit-picking, but when fiction is blended with historical reality, the delineations should be obvious enough so the audience knows which is which. Maybe it was all those years of watching "Hogan's Heroes" ~ you knew what was "real" and what was pretend.