Wu-Tang Memoirs 3: Supreme Clientele
Posted on August 21, 2008 by Chris Faraone
Still going here folks. Welcome back – again – to my latest mini-series: Ways That Wu-Tang Touched My Life Way More Than Any Rap Group Ever Should. I have five left now, and, as you very well know by now, I’ll be dropping the entire pile over the next week. Enjoy
Supreme Clientele
My buddy Flav was the first white rapper who I knew personally. He was nucking futs; despite growing up in posh Long Island homeboy detoured through a life of drug-related crime and mayhem. When we were 17 he got signed to an independent Staten Island label called Snap Entertainment, which gave us the opportunity to knock around Shaolin with natives who packed firearms. Through his management we also got to meet Raekwon and U-God, and even smoke a blunt with Method Man affiliate Street Life. The kicker came the day of Flav’s video shoot for his song “Broken Elements,” which we filmed part of at the Wu-Tang-owned sneaker shop Walking Dogs. At the recommendation of his manager, we went next door to the Wu-Wear store, where RZA was chilling with two dudes next to the counter. I wasn’t worthy, but he gave pounds and greeted us regardless.
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Om Records: The One Responds To ON&ON + Van$tylez Fight
Posted on August 20, 2008 by Sleezy Trees
OM Hip Hop Recording artist The One recorded a track in response to the DJ ON&ON and Van$tylez “World Class Professionalism” fight - from the YouTube video I posted a few days back. If you missed the video - Click Here first, then download the song below. LOL. Shouts to Garwin & John @ OM Records and The One.
The One - Professional (Van$tylez vs. ON&ON)
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Rare Big L Gems
Posted on August 20, 2008 by Sleezy Trees
Just got sent these two unreleased gems from the late great Big L from the big homey Dan Green. Not sure what they are off of yet - but when I find out, I’ll update this post.
Big L - Principal Of The New School (Unreleased)
Big L - Freestyle 1995 (Unreleased)
One of the most underrated when he was here. R.I.P. to Lamont Coleman aka Big L.
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Wu-Tang Memoirs 2: Triumph
Posted on August 20, 2008 by Chris Faraone
Welcome back to my latest mini-series: Ways That Wu-Tang Touched My Life Way More Than Any Rap Group Ever Should. I have six left, and I’ll be dropping the entire pile over the next week. Enjoy…
Triumph
In May I covered an event named Wu-Tang Wednesday at Tommy Doyle’s in Cambridge for The Boston Phoenix. In the months since I’ve returned several times for the ultimate Wu-Tang nerd experience, where about 100 heads regularly slam around to cult favorites and discuss things like whether or not other Wu-Tang producers such as Tru Master, 4th Disciple and Mathematics can be compared with RZA since his influence resoundingly inspired their sounds. At one Wu-Tang Wednesday not long ago, a Cambridge kid grabbed the DJ’s microphone and addressed the crowd: “My little brother is going into surgery tomorrow for a brain tumor,” he said fighting tears. “This “Triumph” is for him.” Needless to say, we sang like 1,000 men rushing in, and not one of us was sober.
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Fuck What You Know About Facial Hair…
Posted on August 20, 2008 by Sleezy Trees
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For Sale: Worlds Largest Record Collection. Asking Price $3M
Posted on August 19, 2008 by Sleezy Trees
Tear jerking video about a Pittsburgh record collector who has a $50 million dollar record collection that he’s been trying to sell for 11 years. Even at a $3 million dollar asking price, he has had absolutely no serious offers.
As a amateur record collector myself, I feel for this dude. It kinda makes me wish I had a few extra mil lying around to cop this.
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Hot Boyz! Flame Up!
Posted on August 19, 2008 by Sleezy Trees
I’ve been waiting years for this precious and sacred day –
A brand new Hot Boyz track ! x 1000 (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!…)
Well, technically it’s a B.G. feat. Juvenile, Trey Songz, & Lil’ Wayne track - but to me it’s the muthafuckin’ HOT BOYZ!!
Takes me back to the hot late 90s days of Rap City - Juvenile, Project Pat, Soulja Slim, Manny Fresh, Master P, Silkk The Shocker, Mariah Carey feat. The Lox -
Rap City just doesn’t play hot shit like that anymore.
P.S. - Don’t ever Google Image Search “Hot Boyz” with the content filter off. Zoinks!
Hot Boyz feat. Trey Songz - Ya Heard Me
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Kno the Ledge
Posted on August 19, 2008 by Martín Caballero
The one thing I’ve learned from blogging with these cats is that as much as I can gloat over my friends with insider info about the new East Coast Avengers album or who got stabbed inside the Source Awards, I’ve got nothing compared to Trees and CF1. They know everything before me and everything I get excited about they’ve already heard or known. That being said, I came across this open letter from Kno of CunninLynguists to MF Doom. It’s ancient history in internet time (dated 8/15) but I liked it so here it is. Nothing that hasn’t been said before, but I’m glad its coming from another artist and not say…a blogger.
Dear Daniel Dumile a.k.a. MF Doom a.k.a. Zev Love X a.k.a. King Geedorah a.k.a. Metal Fingers a.k.a. Viktor Vaughn a.k.a. Ducktor Doom a.k.a. Victor von Doom a.k.a. Mr. Soft Taco a.k.a. Mr. 78′ Cutlass a.k.a. “That Guy Who Enjoys Fingerpainting.”
I’m writing this as a concerned artist, business-owner and generally even-keeled loather of all things douche-like.
It came to my attention in late 2007 that you pulled a series of no-shows and Super Dave-esque stunt double lip-syncing fiascos in Pomona, San Diego, San Francisco, Rock The Bells in San Bernardino and then in Atlanta. The latter saw the crowd throwing beer at your body double, who subsequently exited the stage only to steal all the merch money and door receipts, insuring noone would be granted a refund for your clone’s piss-poor Milli Vanilli routine. Classy.
The whole thing was shrug-inducing because I’m not a huge fan of your body of work, so pardon my inability to completely connect with the disdain of someone paying $25 dollars to see a slightly rotund, middle aged man in a dirty Gladiator mask stand around onstage and talk into a microphone only to be duped into watching a presumably younger, slightly-less rotund man in a dirty Gladiator mask stand around onstage and pretend to talk into a microphone. As the old folks say, “buyer beware”.
It was shrug-inducing, that is, until someone passed me a link to a discussion in which a talent buyer for a well-known Cali venue clearly states;
“…needless to say, hiphop will not be taking place at the venue again (we will still book alternative artists like sage, atmosphere, subtle, all through legit agencies that we regularly do business with).”
Ok, now wait a minute.
You pissing on your most dedicated fans by cheating them out of their hard-earned cash, while being completely foul, was ultimately no business of mine. At worst it might create a small conundrum for Doom fans torn between investing money in your possibly fraudulent live show or using that loot to re-up on another sack of Northern Lights kush. Not a tough call, I’d assume.
But on the flipside, seeing talent buyers publically saying they’ll only book “alternative artists” like Sage and Atmosphere (Holy awkward racial undertones, Batman) in the future because of your method of handling business? Now I have an issue.
See, people don’t buy much music anymore. Touring is what allows artists who aren’t supervillainous children of Latverian gypsies bent on world domination to meet our fans, fuel our art and put money into our projects and pockets. As part of an “indie” act that operates in the same ever-narrowing circles as you, I can definitely say the ability to book proper gigs with reputable promoters and venue operators is becoming more and more scarce by the month, especially with the poor reputation live hip-hop has for professionalism and punctuality as well as the economic woes of many venues and agencies. The recession is a sumbitch.
So, if any artist pisses off these promoters, fans or venue owners then ultimately they are fucking with my money.
I thought about discussing this last fall, but I decided against it in an attempt to stay away from negative energy. Fast-forward to August 9th 2008, and apparently “you” (I use the term loosely at this point) were at it again, having been re-booked at Rock The Bells in San Bernardino (How does that even happen?) and subsequently getting booed. Again.
Now, surely there is some type of explanation for all of this. Although it isn’t an excuse to be deceptive, some said you were dangerously ill. Personal health is no joke. Your label denied it, though, and continued pushing your tour dates and new remixes of your old product. Some people, like the only man to ever lie to our fans about our involvement in a live show just to sell tickets, one Mr. Jason Swartz (who also happens to be your booking agent) claimed in the Village Voice that this fuckery was a breath of fresh air and “just [your] style”. Yes, the same Mr. Swartz that intentionally misled our fans, the local promoters and operators of The Fox Theatre in Boulder back in 2005 in order to put a couple extra dollars in his pocket. Hmm, sounds familiar.
But I digress. Maybe you had a string of family emergencies. Maybe you developed consistent, unshakable Traveler’s Diarrhea. Maybe you were fed up with curly-haired, New Era-wearing snowboarders asking you to sign their $300 Doom SB Dunks. Maybe you simply got tired of the smell inside of that mask. Who knows.
Yeah, you’re the “villain” or whatever gimmick you use to sell records. I’ve even seen a couple people calling this fiasco “brilliant”. Oh, the sweet Rap Snack™-flavored irony of anti-mainstream types letting this slide by deeming it “genius marketing”. Genius marketing? Beanie Babies, Hannah Montana, Girls Gone Wild. Those are examples of genius marketing. This looks like a lazy or medically incapacitated individual duping his most dedicated fans repeatedly to the tune of a few thousand dollars while those that also stand to profit (read: labels, friends and booking agents) scuttle around attempting to make excuses for him before the loot dries up.
Whatever the case may be, I implore you and anyone involved in this to stop screwing your fans and your peers and get your ducks in a row. Don’t make me throw on some blue stretch leotards and put out a solo record.
Your Friend In Jesus,
Kno of CunninLynguists
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Wu-Tang Memoirs 1: Crash Your Crew
Posted on August 19, 2008 by Chris Faraone
Welcome to my latest mini-series, Ways That Wu-Tang Touched My Life Way More Than Any Rap Group Ever Should. I have eight of these so far, and I’ll be dropping the entire pile over the next week. Enjoy…
Crash Your Crew
About six years ago I was smashing over the Queensboro Bridge on my way home from a GZA concert at B.B. King’s in Times Square. RZA didn’t show, but I think Masta Killa and some peripheral Wu members did come bearing gifts. Anyway…in the back of my car were this girl Christina and her degenerate underage sister, both of who were drunk and still drinking. Out of fucking nowhere a guy drives his motorcycle directly into the truck in front of me, flips over it, and rolls underneath my front bumper. Before I had time to lower my music and pull away to avoid various potential charges, the biker stood up wearing black jeans, a helmet, and a mint Wu-Wear leather jacket. The coincidence moved me so much that instead of jetting I parked and helped the guy, and even stayed after he lifted his goggles and revealed that he wasn’t Ol’ Dirty Bastard en route to the GZA show four hours late.
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DJ ON&ON vs. Van$tylez
Posted on August 17, 2008 by Sleezy Trees
Some days, like every American citizen - my job drives me fucking nuts. Other days, it’s an absolute pleasure. But almost every day - the place is an horrific fucking shit show of humanity.
I can’t ever imagine another work environment where you can start your day listening to a new house music mix CD from DJ Cyrus - who drove 300 miles to deliver it you personally, then in the afternoon engage in a 40 oz. drinking contest with Tame One (formerly of the Artifacts), then witness a fight between your co-workers over a thrown T-Shirt. And that wasn’t the end of my day. After punching out from work I somehow ended up in both a gay bar in East Boston, an empty music venue in Providence, blacking out in the back seat of Este Uno’s Amalgam Mobile, and watching my co-worker; Van $tylez carelessly throw his phone out the window of a car going 75 mph on the highway.
Here’s an excerpt of footage from the day of work that was: 07.31.08
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