Showing posts with label wu tang clan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wu tang clan. Show all posts
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Straight Dope: June 10th


Action Bronson feat. Wiz Khalifa - “The Rockers”

The most profound thing about this song is the threat of a Marty Jannetty dropkick. I don’t know who made Action Bronson angry enough to conjure up such terrible imagery, but I would not want to be in his shoes. He probably heard this song and left the country. I wouldn’t be surprised if Bronson got fined for this. You can’t just go around threatening people with violence so extreme in nature.

As you well know, Mr. Jannetty is formerly one half of the Greatest Tag Team duo in WWF history, The Rockers. He and his partner Shawn Michaels would never officially win the title during their three year run together, but whenever they shared the ring they put on a tag team wrestling clinic. Their relationship would eventually end, of course, and Jannetty would find himself exiled from the WWF for many years after beating up a cop. We'll probably never know if he deployed his signature move, the Rocker Dropper, or nailed the officer with a devastating dropkick, but I can't see any reason why he wouldn't have.

Did I know any of that before I heard this track? No. Am I sorry to know it now? Yes. But only because I realized I’ve been living a shell of a life for not giving Mr. Jannetty and his dropkicking prowess the proper respect. I wish he was on this track himself. But hey, Wiz Khalifa! He's a rapper! Suppose I ought to have mentioned that at some point.

Bronson’s Saab Stories EP is out June 11th.


Run The Jewels - “36” Chain”


I don’t have a 36” chain, so I don’t know what that feels like. I do know that this track is an absolute banger and El-P and Killer Mike are killing it 24/7 at this stage in their careers. I guess I don’t really know if that’s true, I suppose they could spend their downtime drinking lemonade while putting together jigsaw puzzles, but I just realized as I was writing this that drinking lemonade and doing puzzles is awesome. Like I said, killing it.


"36” Chain" is brought to us through the Adult Swim Singles Program, which runs every June in collaboration with their affiliated label Williams Street Records. Snatch it up at adultswim.com and check back every Monday for a new track all summer long.

Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire - Kismet Mixtape


The first track on Kismet opens with a sample from the Sega Genesis classic Altered Beasts and continues with eXquire reflecting on his troubled upbringing, his fear of losing his mother as a child, the decision to talk about guns for amusement without the intention of using them for violence, and the image of his dick floating in a bubble bath. I can do no further convincing.


Download Kismet at Audiomack.

Wu-Tang Clan - “Family Reunion”
After I listened to "Family Reunion" for the third time, I became acutely aware of a strange creeping discomfort making its way up my spine. I had noticed it before but dismissed it, after all, there was a new Wu-Tang song in my headphones. As this feeling intensified, the lyrics became clearer in my mind, and I had to brace myself from slipping into a terrible frenzy as I heard Masta Killa spit about barbecuing and chasing potato salad with shots of 40 proof Ciroc while kids played happily around them.

I was powerless to untangle my thoughts, so powerful was the rage and confusion clasped about me, dragging me beneath the waves of hysteria. What the hell was he saying? These dudes made 36 Chambers! Someone slap him! Get him away from that mic!

I threw down my headphones and paced over to my window. Throwing back the curtains and pushing open the glass, I shouted profanities into the night. This track had broken me. It was so unapologetically, thoroughly feel-good that it made me question my own capacity for love. I pressed my fingers to my throbbing temples and took a seat on the floor. I could hear the muffled O’Jays sample seeping into the ether from my headphones and openly wept. What had Method Man said? Reunited, the whole world excited? Excited. Homie wore gasoline boots in hell, now that was exciting. This was toxic.

I held my head in my hands until I heard the RZA outro the song and slipped into unconsciousness. When I awoke, the name Russell Jones had been scratched into the floorboards beside me.



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Album Review: Wu-Block - Wu-Block


Full disclosure: I have a minor beef with Jadakiss, so the following must be taken with a grain of crack. I mean salt. Sorry, it’s just that I’ve been thinking about crack a lot since listening to Wu Block. Anyway, my beef with Jadakiss: I grew up about ten minutes from him, in a quiet suburb that borders his native Yonkers, and in early 2011 he dropped a single called “I Miss You,” in which he boasts about walking into my town and stealing Toyota Camrys. Yes, he apparently did us like that. While our beef never quite came to a head – we’ve never thrown down at the BET awards or anything – I’ve eyed his work suspiciously since then. 

Nevertheless, I wanted to listen to Wu Block, a collaborative effort from Ghostface Killah (Wu-Tang Clan) and Sheek Louch (The Lox, aka D-Block), featuring various members of their respective groups.  If Watch the Throne, Jay-Z and Kanye’s 2011 collaboration, was luxury rap, Wu Block is decidedly not. It’s more like an on-welfare-during-the-end-of-the-month-when-things-are-getting-kinda-tight rap. They clearly rely less on “luxurious” beats and more on their lyrical nastiness - Wu Block is just a vicious, relentless 45 minute attack. Wu Block is not the kind of album that you’ll just stumble upon and instantly fall in love with Rap. If Big Willie Style is the bunny hill of the genre, this is a legitimate black diamond. You’re not going to like it unless you know what you’re getting yourself into.  

The first half of the CD is nothing short of a felonious assault on the microphone, littered with a ridiculously-named assortment of songs like “Crack Spot Stories,” “Guns For Life,” and “Cocaine Central.” Did I feel a little weird this weekend blasting this CD while driving through Olean, New York, which is as close to the embodiment of small town white America as it gets? I sure did. But that’s on me, not Wu Block. My gut tells me this CD was not produced for people spending a weekend in Olean, New York. 

They mercifully slow it down a touch on the 8th track, “Drivin Round,” which features Erykah Badu. Her chorus is the sonic equivalent of a rose growing amongst the weeds poking out of a cracked Staten Island sidewalk. Not to compare the rhymes in this song to an uninvited pest, but Ms. Badu gracefully lends a lady’s touch to the madness. 

The 13th track, “Stella,” is one of the best songs on the album, not just because Method Man joins in on the fun for the second time, but because it “borrows” a beat from one of the greatest rap songs of the past few years, Fabolous’ “I Miss my Love.” I use the term “borrows” in a very generous way – listen to the two songs and you’ll understand why. Since recycling is big in the rap game these days, I’m okay with it. 

I’m actually surprised how much I liked this album. I’d kind of forgotten about all these guys – except you, Jadakiss – for a few years, and this album seems like it came out of nowhere. It needed more Method Man, that’s for damn sure, but for once it was nice to listen to an album without hearing a single foghorn. It’s also refreshing to know that there are rappers out there who haven’t evolved into caricatures of themselves (See: Wayne, Lil’ or Minaj, Nicki), but have instead focused on doing what they do best: rapping.

Grade:  B+





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Just Announced: GZA 64 Squares Tour

Appearing live at the Town Ballroom on Friday September 14th will be genius Wu-Tang member GZA with the 64 Squares Tour. It was just announced that Buffalo will be the first date of this anticipated tour that not only includes the legendary GZA but several other multifarious talents. These include Atlanta rapper KILLER MIKE who released one of 2012's best Hip-Hop albums R.A.P. Music, Brooklyn electro melody rockers BEAR HANDS, and Nathan Williams' (frontman of Wavves) new project with his brother Kynan called SWEET VALLEY. Of particular note Sweet Valley is about to release their first EP called Stay Calm, set to come out on Fool's Gold Records August 7th. It's being described at an instrumental beat tape, take a listen to one of the tracks below titled "Suzuka 9 Hours."


GZA is fresh off of his reissue of his Sophomore album Liquid Swords, one of the most classic Hip-Hop albums of all time. It is rumored that he will be performing with a live band that will include Wavves/Sweet Valley's Nathan Williams on guitar. Ticket prices and dates of sale to the public have not been announced yet.

 
Sweet Valley - Suzuka 9 Hours by foolsgoldrecs
james wild
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NXNE Explorations: Day 4 of 4. Wrap Up.

The final day of the 2012 North By Northeast Music. Film. Interactive. Conference concluded with a powerful message of unity and awareness. The music at Younge and Dundas square centered around Hip-Hop on Sunday. Those who attended the week of long activities resiliently gathered along with a new crowd of Toronto's Hip-Hop connoisseurs. The mood was undefinable and tense.

On Wednesday night last week the NXNE showcase for SmashMouth Entertainment which was to be held at The Rivoli was canceled at the request of the Toronto Police and the Toronto Gang Unit. They cited potential gang affiliation with some artists in the showcase, and the potential threat for gang related violence that evening. This incident obviously created a stir of displeasure from fans. Rich Kidd, local Toronto Rapper, along with other artists on the bill are involved in community programs. It appears as though there was a gross misunderstanding and singling out of Hip-Hop artists and fans as those who promote gang violence. The festival released no other statement than that the event had been canceled due to unforeseen events. Really it was two events prior that likely had the cops tight. The fatal shooting at the Eaton Centre on June 2nd (close proximity to Sunday's events) and the fatal shooting of an attendee at a Young Jeezy concert at Sound Academy back in April.

I must admit I thought there would be more cops around Younge and Dundas on Sunday evening. Their presence was felt but they weren't getting ready for a riot or anything. When we arrived Tasha the Amazon came out on fire, high energy and whipping her long thin braids around. After two songs, she expressed her disappointment with the Law Enforcement of her own city's decision to facilitate the shut down of Wednesday's showcase. Tasha did so diplomatically. In stride brought out Rich Kidd and allowed him to do one of his tracks during her set! You could tell it was a personal scar for her as she is a voice of Toronto's scene. Then she got more ramped up and rode that energy through the rest of her powerful material.
Next up was Tre Mission, another Toronto rapper of international notoriety because of his association to the UK Grime style. His beats were strait future, and that particularly rapid style of spitting sounds so fitting over bass music. We left during Action Bronson out of spite for his skipping out of his show in Buffalo. Got that one back. Smartly we fueled up on ethnic food and returned for the thralling set of Killer Mike. His performance may have been my favorite of the entire week. Seemingly a large man such as Mike would have little control of his body or give the appearance of apathy, but absolutely every cell of his being was completely engaged in his performance. Talk about someone who is grateful for what they have. He loved the love! Mike also buffered the tension between the Police and crowd, but speaking the truth about people under pressure will rise up and "burn this motherfucker down."

When Mike walked off the stage that's when the Wu Tang fans began to get excited. Now I've experienced a couple Wu Tang reincarnations, and one thing that's always true is that the die-hards go apeshit when they play Wu classics. Personally I would've preferred to hear a couple more of Ghostface and Raekwon's  respective solo songs, but when they came out the plan appeared to be go back-to-back and mix in heavy hitting Wu Tang songs here and there. Since its two of nine members doing other guys' verses  the highlight had to be when they brought up two random people from the crowd to do Mehtod Man and ODB's parts in "Protect ya Neck." The guy playing Meth didn't fair to well, but ODB's stand-in did a hilariously good job! The mid-level Wu-Tang song "Triumph" which features Raekwon was probably my favorite on the night. And towards the end of the set they let the DJ play out Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" while they sang in unison with the fans. A fitting and friendly fuck-you to the haters associating all of Hip-Hop culture with gang violence.

It took me a while to process every emotion I felt on Sunday when the Raekwon and Ghostface finished their set and the 2012 NXNE Music. Film. Interactive. Conference concluded. Toronto is an international city. It is right in the back yard of Buffalonians. This out of all the times I've been there was most influential on my ideas about arts and culture. The North By Northeast conference is a breeding ground for ideas among truly creative people. Everyone I met wanted to connect. Everyone I talked to was involved in some collaborative process. The artists, staff, and fans made it a truly great experience, and in whatever capacity you can be involved, do so. Expand your capacity with the chamber that NXNE creates.
james wild
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Method Man Recording "Last Album"?

First things first: I have to correct yesterday's review of the Wu-Tang concert (which I attended) at the Town Ballroom on Monday, which stated that the Killa Bees onstage were "the RZA, Method Man, Ghostface Killa[h], Inspectah Deck, and Cap[p]adonna. The audience immediately did the math - no GZA and no Raekwon." The cryptic "guest writer" is wrong; Ghostface was not there, and he seems to have either forgotten or dismissed Masta Killa, who was onstage with the Clan. (Also, if anyone can help me out, there was another person on stage who I couldn't identify - I was nowhere near the stage.)

On to today's post: Method Man - who was easily the best entertainer of the entire group on Monday night - is reportedly "officially working on his last album produced by the RZA," according to an also-cryptic post on the official Wu-Tang Facebook page. It's not clear whether this will be Method Man's last album ever, or just his last album produced by the RZA, but either way, this is good news for Clan disciples. Method Man sounded the most energized of all his comrades on the group's last release, 8 Diagrams, and if RZA is producing the entire album, it'll be the first non-RZA Wu-Tang solo project full of his beats since Ghostface's 1996 Ironman, unarguably one of the last of the Clan's solo classics.

Assuming it'll be released in 2012 (a brash assumption), it's just one more thing to look forward to in the new year. Not interested? Come on - this is the guy who on Monday night encouraged the crowd with the following statement: "Just want to say thank you to the Buffalo Bills for exposing Tim Tebow last Sunday."

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Concert Review: Wu Tang Clan



The most legendary of rap outfits have always understood the power of mythology; the Wu-Tang Clan being one of the prime examples of this relationship. With a mixture of kung fu, superhero alter egos, and borough wisdom, the ever-changing clan has created not only one of the most distinguishable sounds in hip-hop over the last twenty years, but also has invented an entire universe, a world where we know the players, the callouts, the hand gestures, and when you need to bounce to the beat. Last night at the Town Ballroom, a sold-out show of Buffalonians got to witness the ritual that is Wu-Tang.   

How essential the Wu’s aura is to their performance was clear before they even manned the stage. Both opening mic sets had the tools—baggy sweats, an anthem to marijuana, ending all banter with, ‘naw what I mean’—but there was a lack of energy, regardless of whatever familiar beat buzzed through the speakers. We wanted the Wu, but the Wu was late. There were already stall-room rumors; a large-set, white boy informed me at a urinal that Ghost was not coming, despite him being his boy. Part of the thrill (and often disappointment) of seeing the Wu is the wonderment of who will show. Who of the original crew will make the day after Christmas show?  

Soon enough it was revealed: the RZA, Method Man, Ghostface Killa, U-God, Inspectah Deck, and Capadonna. The audience immediately did the math—no GZA and no Raekwon. And then RZA drenched the audience in champagne. From the beginning it was clear Meth was going to be the spark. He paced the stage, end-to-end, making sure audience jumped while accepting their blunts of gratitude. His familiar face and hype-man presence continued to remind the audience that the Wu-Tang Clan ain't nothing to fuck with. Playing three tracks immediately from 36 Chambers (including person favorite "Shame on a Nigga"), they quickly brought the crowd back to their legendary past as underground forefronters. 

Then came a surprise--a montage of songs from the GZA’s album Liquid Swords, including tracks "The 4th Chamber" and "Shadowboxing". Despite GZA not even being present, the Clan’s dynasty is such where any verse can be plucked for retelling. This was followed by a few more hits, a toast to ODB with a sing-along Shimmy Shimmy Ya, and we ended in the Gravel Pit. We all got to witness the story of the Wu and be part of their mythology for a night. Was there a moral to their tale? Meth said we should still show the Bills some love for the season they gave us. 

Guest Writer
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Tonight: Wu Tang Clan



Anybody who knows anything about hip-hop knows that Wu changed the game. In the mid-nineties, they introduced the idea of the "crew" as legitimate MC's, representing different bouroughs and different styles to create a single, unified front. When 36 Chambers dropped you got the sense that something massive was about to happen. It took a few years to pull from the underground and by the time Wu Tang Forever hit, the group was poised for the takeover. "Triumph" arguably remains the single greatest mainstream hip-hop song in terms of lyrics and pure MC artistry. Tonight the Clan hits up Town Ballroom. Yes, it's expensive ($45) and yes, ODB is no longer with them. Regardless, there is still a magic when the original members get up on the stage together. "C.R.E.A.M" is worth the price of admission alone.


Wu Tang Clan-Triumph by konstantinosm


jon krol
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