In recent years, the art of the mashup has continued to gain more and more prominence in the music world.  Actually, “art” is probably not the most accurate term to use, considering that it has reached a point of excess in which endless amateur Youtube “deejays” are willing to forcefully press together anything that they feel might get them even the slightest amount of attention.  Generally, it’s all about the gimmick and, unfortunately, there is far too often next to no focus on creating anything of substance.  Like I said, it’s all about quick attention and the sheer novelty of seeing if you can layer somethings like a Beyonce vocal over a track from The Man Machine (hmmm….not a bad idea).  If you think about it, the idea really isn’t all that original in the first place, because stacking tracks is the basic concept behind beat juggling and, although there are genuinely some really good tracks to come out of this genre, most of these mash ups just eliminate the requirement for any skills on the tables.  Another thing that has helped to over-saturate the mashup game is that a large percentage of the people creating these things prove to be one-notes.  If you want to hop in with something to grab attention and then step things up from there, that’s one thing, but if you have little more to deliver after that point, it’s pretty much like telling the same joke over and over again.

With all of this being said, it’s is definitely true that something will occasionally comes through that’s actually worthy of the attention. Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton gained enough notoriety from The Grey Album (2004) to launch an entire career.  The main difference is that he’s proven time and time again that he could back up the hype and that he was much more than just Jay-Z and Beatles samples.  In fact, after EMI flipped their shit over his unauthorized use of the Beatles catalog and there was an internet-wide refusal to comply with their cease and desist orders from offering the project online (aka: “Grey Tuesday“), a permanent mark has been made on the entire music industry and the legalities regarding sampling rights.  Although Burton‘s otherwise innocent “art project” has prompted endless others to pursue the same route to launch careers of their own, it’s unlikely that most of them will ever achieve much and, even when a “successful” mashup does make a lasting impression, it’s rare that anyone remembers who created it.

One of the most impressive mashups that I’ve heard came at the beginning of last year and was created by a producer by the name of Tom Caruana.  Not surprisingly, the project also consisted of a-capella rap vocals being stacked over Beatles cuts.  The surprising part is that it was actually incredibly listenable.  To craft his 27-track Wu-Tang VS Beatles project Enter The Magical Mystery Chamber, Caruana focused much more on the overall sound of the product and on creating something brand new from the components that he was using.  The producer doesn’t come across as being too concerned with using the most recognizable samples just to create that “Oh shit!  I can’t believe he mixed those 2 together” factor that most mashups thrive on.  Instead, he seems to realize the true benefit of the artists’ material that he’s working with.  For both the Beatles and the Wu Tang Clan, the benefit is that each of them have huge catalogs of work to pull from and, even more importantly, they are huge catalogs filled with great material.  Unlike Dangermouse‘s infamous entry into the mashup world, Caruana doesn’t limit himself to blending a single album from each of the artists, but rather pulls from all areas of their work and careers.  This isn’t just a blending of  The Magical Mystery Tour and Enter the 36 Chambers; much of the vocals are pulled from the endlessly impressive WU-Tang solo projects from over the years, Beatles solo projects, and even samples from the Beatles covers by other artists (She & Him, Ramsey Lewis, etc), to cover even more territory.  So… if this project original hit the web in January of 2010, why are we discussing it a year later?  Well, it appears that it has returned and with a pseudo-official release, no less.

The announcement came from the official WU-Tang clan Facebook page(s) just this morning that the WU themselves would be releasing the “special edition” mix tape.  What’s so “special” about the edition exactly?  It doesn’t really say.  The cover art looks pretty much the same as that of the release that was posted for FREE on TeaSeaRecords.net last year (now removed), with the major difference being the addition of a label reading “for promotional use only” and the words “presented by Wu music group” across the top.  There is also no track listing featured, but the assumption is that the audio is the same. What we do know is that this release is a hard copy being marketed as a “collectors item”.  According to the Facebook post, the release is limited to only 500 copies.  However, as I type this, that original post seems to have been removed from the Facebook page, as well.  The real point here is that the WU themselves have clearly embraced the project and are officially and publicly stamping that label of approval onto the mixtape by offering the release themselves.  Considering that Masta Killa punched journalist, Cheo Coker in the head over some caricatures of the Wu Tang members that accompanied his Feb. 1994 article in Rap Pages, the Clan seems to have become a bit more welcoming of the interpretations on their work from others over the last decade and a half.  Then again, Joe Budden just got knocked in his skull by a member of Raekwon‘s entourage as recently as 2009, so maybe their reactions are generally just hit and miss (pun intended).  Most likely, they are just supporting this mixtape because it came through as quality and, being one of, if not THE, greatest and most innovative rap crew’s in history, it was something that was easy for them to appreciate.

Here’s the blurb featured underneath the order page on WUGotcha.com:

We know you know we know, it’s actually awesome. Some fellow named Tom Caruana teamed up with some fellow from Wu Music Group took Wu-cappelas from various songs and solo albums and put them over new productions made vaguely from Beatles samples and Beatles covers samples and some shit that couldn’t possibly be Beatles samples but must be and made a memorable Mix-tape. Thankfully, his pilfering of Liverpool’s finest is barely recognizable, except for Ghost’s “Mighty Healthy” which is now Pretty Toney rapping directly over Paul’s singing (This is great) and dirty skank. If anything, Caruana holds pretty true to RZA and co.’s original mood, if not making Shaolin sound a whole helluva lot more different than it actually is. This shit is a mosdef classic, collectors edition Mix-tape.

Again, the hard copy of this album can be ordered HERE.

If you’re interested in picking one up, I’d try and jump on it quick.  Otherwise, you’ll be purchasing it with a huge markup through ebay.  If you’re wondering how they can sell something like this with all of the copyright issues involved, they’ve gotten around it by doing a couple of things.  The first is the disclaimer stating that the album is “for promotional use only” and the second is by having their $8 fee referred to strictly as a “Shipping and Handling” charge.  $8 for shipping and handling is actually pretty reasonable, but be aware that when you go to pay for it, something’s fucked and you will actually be charged $8 for the album and another $8 for the shipping, coming to a grand total of $16.

Again, the main reason to purchase pay for the shipping of a hard copy of a “special edition” like this is for the collectability of the item.

For those of you who just want to listen to the fucking thing, we’re providing a link to the download of the “un-special” original addition HERE.  (Wu-Tang: please do not punch my face.)

And here is the back cover art/track list/sample info for the download
(click image to enlarge):

-Dead C

SXSW 2009

I hobbled onto the bus, got my seat and looked over at a kid holding a box of cd’s. He was either going to ask what happened to my leg or see if I wanted to hear some “good” music.

An older lady missing her front teeth got on the bus after me. The bus started moving while she was getting situated. She caught her balance and looked over at the box of burned cd’s.  She sat down and asked kid, “What you got there?”

“They just hip hop cd’s for sale”

“OH…he he, I thought they was chocolate bars, he he he!”

I nodded and smiled to myself, and thought, “South by Southwest really is here!”

Lots of bands come into town for SXSW. Great bands, alright bands, and really shitty bands.   By the end of the week I will have seen a good number of each.

There are day shows and night shows. Night shows usually cost money and day shows are always free.

I’ve been in Austin for 6 years, and that helps out a lot also. I don’t spend much money at SXSW. I usually rely on the day shows and personal hook ups.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 19TH

I started my musical adventure at 3:00 on a friend’s porch, drinking a beer and watching the local pimp smoke a cigarette on the street corner, while a customer used his bed and prostitute. We were waiting for another friend to show up.  After he arrived, we rode our bikes down town.  At a red light, we joined a bike pack of burly girlies and continued on together.  This was the first time I had ridden my bike downtown since I got hit riding to work in December.

Day shows start around noon and go until 6:00pm.  They are free and usually all ages.  Badges and wristbands don’t really matter during the day.  Everyone has to wait in the same line.   There are also lots of unofficial  shows. These aren’t listed on the SXSW website.  Showlistaustin.com has most of the official and unofficial shows listed, and it will also tell you if there is anything being offered.  Such things as free beer, free bloody mary’s, free tacos, free pop tarts, and more.

After locking up, we went to get free beer.  They were out of the free beer, so we paid $4 for almost cold beer and watched Black Joe Lewis.  Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bees are a local band I’d wanted to see for a while.  It was like going to a revival and getting healed, without having to hold a snake.  Soulful enough to raise your hands, and rocking enough to not feel like an asshole while doing it.  I was even able to tap my fucked up foot to the beat.  It was a miracle.  Superdrag was supposed to play next, but they had broken down, so we went inside to watch M.ward.  While waiting for him to start, a girl was taking pictures of her friends with her iPHONE.  As it got more crowded, her butt touched the back of my hand, and then her purse shifted my penis.  She walked by me to go to the bathroom and said, “Excuse me, mustache”.  I thanked her for giving me a name.  After a few songs, we left to see Deer Tick, but apparently, while I was making acquaintances with the purse girl, they were playing down the street.

We’d met up with a few other friends and continue on our way.  I wasn’t moving so fast, so everyone was a ways ahead of me.  We heard The Thermals playing a NIRVANA cover from the street.  Then we waited outside while the Akron family finished their set.  They weren’t letting anyone in because the day shows where almost over.  It was a shame because I kept getting texts about free High Life inside.

Night Shows are a little different.  There are some free night shows, but most of them require a badge, wristband, or a cover.  It is a little like the caste system.  Badges get priority over wristbands and wristbands get priority over all the other peasants.  I was given a wristband a few years ago and had a really frustrating time waiting to get into a show, while watching folks with badges walk in and out with ease .  There is another way to get into night shows: relying on hookups.  Most places that are “official” SXSW venues have VIP passes that get given out to their workers and the very special friends of their workers.  With one of these golden tickets you can walk in through the back entrance with a guest.  You end up feeling better than the Royal Badge Holders because you didn’t spend much money and you didn’t have to wait in any line.  You got to go in through the secret entrance!  Just like you were guest starring on ALIAS!

That night I met up with another friend who had a pass to one of the venues.  While we were waiting to see Circle Jerks, we wandered off to see someone make music with Tesla coils.  This was a free show in a dirt lot a few blocks away.   The mid-grade band, which played before the coils got fired up, scared us off.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TkuCtutDAw

I’d seen Circle Jerks when I was 16 (15 years ago) and I got my collarbone stomped on by a skinhead.  It left a big bruise and I was really happy to tell people my story.  Now I’m 31 and waiting to see Circle Jerks again.  Guess what I saw when I looked to my left?  A lot of skinheads!  I was expecting this to be a wild crowd.  Instead, the skinheads remained pretty calm and two SXSW “moms” showed up.  These were two older ladies wearing khaki cargo capri’s and drinking pretty heavily.  I’m almost positive they’d never even thought about having the world up their ass.

That is probably the worst part about this festival; people surround you that are only there to be a part of SXSW.  Most of them are wearing badges.  A lot times they are clueless and don’t even know what they are watching. Ignorance isn’t a great reason to hate anyone, but when you have to take their picture for them because they’ve lost interest in the show that you actually want to watch, it becomes a little easier to get irritated.  Luckily, they left before the encore.  I got to hear “Red Tape” followed by 3 Black Flag tunes, with little annoyance.

I could have stuck around to watch Echo and the Bunnymen, but my foot was pretty swollen.  I limped to my bike and rode it pretty confidently, until reaching a hill. Then I pushed it slowly to the top, and rode home.

THURSDAY MARCH 19TH

Day two began with a slow walk from the bus stop to Daniel Johnston.  I work at a coffee shop that has a lot of homeless folk in the area.  To keep the drug use and unexpected urination to a minimum, there is a one-drink requirement.  I’d asked a homeless woman to leave the shop that morning that looked and talked a lot like Daniel Johnston.  It made me realize how lucky Daniel is that he didn’t become another homeless loiterer in Austin.  He was backed by Hymns, who played by themselves for a few songs before Daniel waddled up to the mic.

Listening to Daniel Johnston is great, but seeing him live adds a deeper level.  You see how broken he really is.  That night, someone told me “I don’t know… he kinda had a lisp, and he didn’t really play the guitar very well… I left after a few songs…” which was why I liked seeing him so much.  He has a lisp, he can’t play guitar very well, he showed up wearing his sweatpants, and made apologies for not practicing enough.  Seeing the reality of Johnston left me feeling, somewhat, emotionally drained, but still happy.

After Daniel Johnston and Hymns, I watched The Wrens while standing next to a lady and her bored boyfriend. Then I walked down to see Trail of Dead and finally found an open bar.  Four free High Life’s later and the day shows were over.  I bought a meat stick and walked back to the bus stop.  I had to pee as soon as I got there.  6^th Street is Austin’s version of a Bourbon Street knock off.  It is usually a row of shitty bars that is a little more suited for tourists, but during SXSW, it becomes a row of shitty bars that are also music venues.  I walked behind the 6^th Street bars to the ally, whicht smells like vomit and friend chicken.  This is normally a really great place to piss, but not this week.  There were bands loading equipment in through every back door, and police on every block.  I had to go inside one of the shitty bars and unload there.

That night, I found out from a friend that Dinosaur JR was playing a secret show at 12:45.  SXSW has a lot of these secret shows.  A few years ago (2006) The Flaming lips played one of them where they opened up with Bohemian Rhapsody.  I was waiting to see if I could get on the list, which would be pretty similar to the VIP treatment I’d gotten the night before.

In the mean time, I met up with some friends at a free night show.  This year’s big complaint was the expensive beer. Most venues were charging $4.00 for a $2.50 tall boy.  To get around the beer prices, we snuck beer in backpacks and avoided eye contact with any official looking folks.  After a while, it was pretty apparent that no one cared about outside beverages.  It seemed like everyone had their own outsourced 6 pack.

After getting a “you’re on the list!” text, I rode my bike downtown, told the back door man my name and walked inside in time to see the second half of the Akron Family’s set.  The crowd cleared out a bit and I walked pretty close to the front and watched the stage get loaded with J. Mascis’ Marshall stacks.  There were a few guys in nicer shirts than mine at the front of the stage.  I figured that they were pretty big fans until I overheard them asking each other if they knew who was on next and expressing how they had hoped that it would be “something good”.   Behind them was a short excited guy who kept jumping up on their shoulders fscreaming,“DINOSAUR JR! Can you believe it?!”  After a while, one of the nice shirts turned around  and told him to calm down.

After the extensive loading, the original lineup walked on stage, J. Mascis, Lou Barlow with his taped up ears, and Murph. I’d always wondered what a stage full of speakers and three old guys could do.  One of those abilities is clearing out folks in nice shirts who aren’t fans.  It took half into their set, before I was surrounded by folks my age and older, singing along and pushing each other over.

The first thing that I ever remember hearing about J. Mascis was that he is a very lazy person.   It usually went hand in hand with how great a guitarist he is.  “He’s AMAZING! And he’s lazy!” I think I heard that said as many times as I’d heard that Neil Pert is the “3^rd greatest drummer in the world“.  It was really interesting to see the band and put that paradox together.  I don’t really know if he’s “lazy”, but he plays really effortlessly.  He resembles a big witch that looks beyond everything in front of him.  Every note that he plays is like an afterthought.  A really hard-to-play afterthought.  Lou and Murph play like machines who were programmed to play with J.  To keep my foot from getting shitty from the crowd, I stood in front of the right speaker.  I left with my ears shaking and rode to the same hill I couldn’t ride up the night before and pushed my bike up again.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5ddhYThwW8

FRIDAY MARCH 20^TH

I woke up Friday and noticed my foot was still swollen.  I went and sat on my shower stool and rubbed around the scars for a while.  For the past two days, I’d been doing a lot of walking.  I had only gotten off my crutches the week before.  After a short period without them, I gently grazed my rocking chair and fell to the ground swearing in pain and convinced that I wasn’t going to be able to walk for a while.  I managed to make it to a bar and stayed until I dropped two drinks.  The next morning I was nauseous and puked through out the day.  I went back to crutches for a day and ate lots of ibuprofen.  I made a pact with myself that I would  not be bedridden by SXSW.

I took the bus to work and sat at the bar.  I looked over and saw Miles from Akron family walk in.  I told him that  I liked the show from the night before and bought him an espresso.  We talked for a while; we have a lot in common.  We both have family in Washington, we both like Ballard, and we both like making espresso.  I didn’t tell him this, but Miles is cool shit.

I took the bus down town to see The Thermals and The Hold Steady.  I’ve never really understood The Hold Steady.  Every time that I bitch about their spoken word approach to song writing, I get hit with, “Have you ever seen them live?!”  This was my week to see them.  They were playing every day and, I think, every night.  I had no excuse.  I now understand why people like them so much.  There are a lot of people in The Hold Steady.  Every one of them performs as if  they were playing in an arena instead of a crammed outdoor stage.   It’s clear that they all love what they are playing.  Most of the folks around me were singing along to every word, which is weird with their songs.  Its like listening to a lot of people reciting the same monologue.  I don’t like listening to fans sing at concerts, but with these guys it felt alright. I think it had something to do with the amount of fans singing, maybe also the heat.  However, my foot started hurting and there was a show on the other side of town that I wasn’t going to miss.  I hobbled to the bus stop, sat on a potted plant and spelled the alphabet with my ankle.

The Evaporators were playing at The Hazard House.  The Hazard House is in West Campus; an area that is full of student housing, both fraternal and non.  Going to school in Olympia, I have probably seen The Evaporators over 10 times.  When I moved to Austin, I figured that I wouldn’t get to see them again.  I was pretty surprised when they played here in 2004.  I saw them with Comets on Fire at an Alternative Tentacles showcase.  Jello Biafra stood behind me for most of the show.  I looked at him and felt we both appreciated “Woof Woof I’m A Goof” for the same reasons.

When I heard that they were playing this year at The Hazard House, I was really happy.  The “venue” looks like it’s held together with sweat and rotten wood.  The stage was the front room.  You could watch from inside or from the porch.  It felt like Texas’ equivalent of seeing a concert in somebody’s moldy basement in Olympia.  I smiled for the whole set and noticed my friend who had the VIP pass had called.  The Sonics were playing, and I really wanted to see them.  My friend had promised her VIP pass to two other friends, which I was finally beginning to accept.  I had figured that I would return to my shower stool and call it a night.  She said that, if I still wanted to see The Sonics, I should get down town as quick as possible.  I had 10 minutes to get there.  By now I was walking very slowly; I could only take quarter steps.  I had just missed my bus and was failing at hailing a cab.  I got a “they’re about to play” text when the next bus finally showed up.  I was dropped off near 6^th Street and I took a petty cab the rest of the way. I made it in time for most of their set.

The Sonics were the most well preserved band I’ve ever seen.  They stopped rock and rolling pretty early on, and it showed.  They had been frozen in time.  They looked older, but they still sounded young.  If I had to guess, I’d say they all became real estate or insurance agents.  Something that would have allowed them to raise families and play in cover bands on the weekends.  I was really happy to see how well they were received.  A guy wearing a badge and a nice hat stood next to me and told me that every band who is trying to play garage rock should go back and listen to The Sonics and study “those three chords and learn them well”. At  the end of the show, the lead singer, Gerry Roslie, (who had a music stand in front of his keyboard for the whole set), told us to “… go over to the merchandise booth, buy a shirt, go home and tell your dad, ‘I don’t care what you say! I’m wearing my Sonics shirt!’”

After they finished, the club cleared out.  I sat on a railing, took my shoe off, and waited for Black Lips.  I first saw them at SXSW 3 years ago during a day show.  They looked like crusty kids and they played like they had studied the right three chords.  The Black Lips are dirty and simple.  Their ugly, yet still in tune, voices always make me smile.
There were three bands between The Sonics and Black Lips, so it gave me plenty of time to look at how fat my foot had gotten.

They walked on stage and the lights went down.  I heard, “we got the Gza in the house.”  Then I heard “yeah yeah, black lips in the house.” And then the GZA joined them for a jam.  It was a great contrast between them. The GZA is very tall and black and Black Lips are short and white.  He apologized for them having not practiced, and kept telling the band to “drop it” and just play the drum and bass.  After doing that for a while, they played “Triumph” and everyone was really excited for the killer bees.  It was sloppy and last minute and I was a little annoyed.

I’m in full support of hip-hop folks getting together with rock and roll folks.  I even saw SUbSET in their hay day, (Sir Mix-a-Lot and The Presidents of the United States of America’s collaboration).  I would have liked to see them do something more intentional than just a jam.  My foot was also hurting and I wasn’t feeling very patient.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bsfpho7awtI

After 20 minutes, The Gza left the stage and Black Lips played a few songs and it was over.  I left feeling great about The Sonics and okay about Black Lips and The GZA.  On my way out, I heard Karp being played over the PA.  I frantically looked around to find the soundman and asked if it was he who was playing my favorite band.  He smiled and said, “all night long, nothing but.”  I gave him an enthusiastic “thank you so much!” and walked outside.  I bought a hot dog on the street and watched hipsters and industry people walk importantly in front of clubs. I hailed a cab and went home.

SUMUP

I worked at a wedding on Saturday, and that was alright.  I’d already had a fulfilling SXSW, even with being gimpy.  I didn’t get to see Kylesa, Jucifer, or The New York Dolls, but that’s how it goes.  Every year, something falls through the cracks and it could have been a lot worse.  I spent last year’s Saturday wetting my sheets with sweat and dirtying my toilet with puke, so I felt a little ahead of the curb.  Besides that, I was ready for everyone to leave.

Before the wedding, I went with a friend to a store down the block.  I wandered to the back of the shop and found more live music and more free beer.  You can’t escape it.  Everyone cashes in on SXSW, and they use the same tools.

Most festivals end up costing a good amount of loot.  Tickets, beer, and food add up pretty quickly.  I never spend much money at SXSW.  Taking the increased beer prices into consideration, I spent between 50 and 60 dollars for my three days of music. That was mainly on beer and food. Plus, it’s citywide. You aren’t gated and stuck in a park for three days.  You get to see the city; you can buy beer at a gas station and drink it on someone’s porch while waiting between shows.

Living in Austin and having access to a few VIP passes gave me a pretty big advantage, but even without the local hookups, I would have spent the same and still found a few free bottles of High Life. It’s a lot like the wave pool at the local water park.  Every year you go, you understand a little more of how it works, you have a better time and wind up a little less nauseous.

-Dr. Radical

]]> http://www.monsterfresh.com/2009/04/26/sxsw-local-guide-review-free/feed/ 0 http://www.monsterfresh.com/2008/09/10/gza-pro-tools-liquid-swords-tour/ http://www.monsterfresh.com/2008/09/10/gza-pro-tools-liquid-swords-tour/#comments Thu, 11 Sep 2008 02:20:53 +0000 Dead C http://monsterfresh.com/?p=865

I almost abandoned this review.  I’ve been swamped trying to do too much at once:  Building a website, transferring content, learning to read code, networking, editing, etc., but during that whole time I have been thinking about writing.  GZA/The Genius, from the infamous Wu-Tang Clan, is still on tour and his latest album, Pro Tools (Baby Grande), is still fairly new, but the particular performance that I saw took place on the the 26th of last month and I was seriously beginning to wonder if the topic was getting stale.  It’s true, I almost abandoned this review until I remembered this quote that I had read from GZA himself, “I’m not one to write a rhyme in 30 minutes“.  He continues by saying, “Once RZA came to me and was like, ‘Don’t take two fuckin’ weeks to write a verse man, don’t strain your brain.’ Then when I take two weeks to write something he’ll be like, ‘This is a masterpiece man!’ That’s how I have to do it, I like to work like that.”  These quotes hit me instantly and, not only encouraged me to continue but also epitomize the basis of the GZA’s appeal to me and the reason for his endurance and consistency in the unstable and oft-criticized realms of Hip-Hop and rap music.

The Backdrop

In 1993, after recruiting 6 new members to their crew, Force Of The Imperial Master (AKA: All in Together Now), Gary Grice (GZA) and his cousins Robert Diggs (RZA) and Russell Jones (Ol’ Dirty Bastard) released one of the most influential Hip-Hop albums of all time under the moniker of the Wu-Tang Clan.  Although ’93 was an important year for Rap music, Enter the WU-Tang: 36 Chambers managed to become a critically acclaimed breakthrough amongst such releases as Midnight Marauders (Tribe Called Quest), Doggystyle (Snoop Dogg), Black Sunday (Cypress Hill), and Strictly for My N.I.G.G.A.Z. (2Pac).  While Cypress Hill made us want to hit the bong, Pac spoke of uprisings, and Tribe rapped about consciousness in their Cross Colours overalls, more than any other artists, WU-Tang displayed the skills that made people want to rap.  One of the more famous quotes from 36 Chambers came from Method Man in a portion where he and Raekwon are trying to describe the 9 artist’s various roles in the group, “He the head let’s put it that way.  We form like Voltron and GZA happen to be the head“.

When the swarm of the WU dispersed in different directions to establish their own solo careers and identities, some individuals made more of an impact then others.  Method Man’s Tical (1994) and Ol’ Dirty’s Return to the 36 Chambers (1995) separated their unique voices, reinforced the artists’ almost mythical personas, and enhanced their own individuality while other members like U-God and Inspectah Deck tended to fade more into the shadows of the lime light.  GZA paved his path somewhere in the middle and made it clear that he was less of a personality than some, but would make his mark quietly through quality and well crafted lyrics.  His solo album, Liquid Swords, as well as Raekwon’s Ghostface heavy Only Built for Cuban Linx, dropped at the end of ’95 and was hailed as a masterpiece.  I have personally listened to Liquid Swords as much as, if not more than, any other release ever, Rap or otherwise, and I regularly catch myself subconsciously repeating verses from that album in my day to day life, even now.  These releases, along with the RZA (Gravediggaz/Bobby Digital) and Ghostface (Iron Man) solo albums, struck hard, fierce and quick at the height of the WU’s popularity and with solid/groundbreaking production from the RZA.  The Clan’s second wave of solo albums were less successful as WU-Tang related merchandise and music over-saturated the market and the presence of RZA’s production became increasingly absent.  By the time WU-Tang’s Iron Flag was released in 2001, the iron was cooling off and, although the Clan had a somewhat triumphant return with their release of the group effort 8-Diagrams (SRC) last December, the following months were plagued with everything from public bickering, financial and artistic discrepancies within the group, and even a lawsuit.  With a lot of conversation in Hip-Hop circles relating to both the past and future of the WU-Tang and it’s members, the GZA just dropped his latest album, Pro Tools, but opted to embark on a tour performing his 13yr old classic Liquid Swords album from start to finish.

The Album

The album Pro Tools is being labeled as The Genius‘ 5th full length album despite his constant efforts to market it as a compilation, with comments like, “I saw an ad out there where it’s promoted as a GZA album. I’ll probably be on most of the tracks but its supposed to be a compilation album, there’s various artists on the album.“  The term “compilation” is confusing and even a bit misleading, which is probably why this album, which originally had an early January release date, bagged that angle in the labeling which now simply reads “PROTOOLS GZA/GENIUS“.  I got a copy of the album the day that it was finally released (Aug 19th) and was quick to notice that it actually had less guest appearances than his other albums.  Only 2 WU-Tang members, RZA and Masta Killa, even appear on it.  The compilation angle may have originally been an attempt to help showcase other artists on the album (his son Young Justice appears on two tracks) but is probably more likely an issue of the GZA not wanting to lessen the anticipation for his “true” solo album which is slated for an ’09 release and to be entirely produced by the RZA.  He says of his future release, “My next album is going to be no guest appearances. Emcees need to start carrying their own weight.“  I have mixed feelings about this statement because, something that I’ve always appreciated about Liquid Swords was the contributions from the other members.  Everybody seemed to make a conscious effort to deliver their best work when recording those parts with GZA and they gave birth to some of the most memorable moments on that album.  Everyone remembers Inspectah Deck’s verse on “Deul of the Iron Mic” that featured the classic line, “Building lobbies are graveyards for small-timers.  Bitches caught in airports, keys in they vaginas” and Killah Priest actually penned and performed the entire last track, “B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)”, by himself.  To me the collaborations were like Jazz throwbacks where, even though Wayne Shorter may have written and performs a song, you still know that it’s a Miles (Davis) album.  I understand that, but I don’t understand how Pro Tools should have any other label than the one that eventually appeared on it.

The album is surprisingly cohesive, unlike some of the more criticized Wu-family releases that came out in the late 90′s, which often had too many producers in the kitchen.  Much of the tracks contain more of the classic WU Camp style beats that are both, simplistic and subtle enough to put the lyricist in the forefront and allow them too truly shine, yet engaging, powerful, and ominous enough to draw you in.  The ironic part is that the classic WU-Tang sound was achieved mostly because of, and not despite, the other producers who were brought in beyond RZA, who only produced two of the albums 14 cuts.  The featured producers/extended members of the WU-Tang crew, like Mathematics and True Master, have retained more of the original classic sound than their mentor, RZA, who has tended to travel in more experimental directions in recent years.  The Mathematics track, “Pencil“, is one of the strongest tracks on the record.  “Pencil’s” beat reminds me of such legendary tracks as “Shadow Boxin’“(Liquid Swords) and “Bring Da Ruckus” (36 Chambers) by using a heavy and consistent drop with a simultaneous laid back groove that gives its sound an effect of audio hangtime.  It features Masta Killah and a very capable verse by RZA.  “Groundbreaking” is produced by Bronze Nazareth and the beat is solid.  The second verse cuts back and forth between GZA and Young Justice with vocal transitions that are a little choppy and sporadic; sometimes alternating lines and randomly switching mid sentence.  I still feel that it’s a good re-introduction to Justice and I like that, although it’s obvious he’s taking notes from his father in the writing department, his voice and cadence are his own; sounding a lot like Mad Lib’s alias, Quasimoto. The track “0%” balances the album well with its quicker flow and consistent and thriving immediacy, while “7 Pounds” has a more lackadaisical delivery with hints of MF Doom’s Viktor Vaughan work (Vaudeville Villain) or Gangstarr’s “Robinhood Theory“.  One track that I find really impressive is the True Master produced, “Alphabets“.  Beyond just the infectious beat, that track will sneak up on you lyrically.  GZA has the ability to weave so much into a small area, maintain continuity, and create tracks that creep and often don’t jump out of the shadows and kick you in the teeth until the 30th listen.  With a cadence you’d have to hear to fully understand, Grice dices up and spits out the alphabet in its entirety through the chorus,

“Allah, Be or Born, Cee, Devine, Equality
Father, then after that is the G-O-D
He or her, I Islam, then Justice,
King or Kingdom, Love, Hell or right, we still exist
Master, Now end, Cipher (O), Power, the Queen
Rule or Ruler, Self or Savior, Truth and Square are the same
Universe, Victory, Wisdom, Unknown (X),
Why (Y), Zig Zag Zig and know we’re back home.”

If you think that shit’s crazy and are baffled by the amount of complexity involved, you should know that the layers keeps going.  If you so choose to peel back the onion a bit further and find out what the song is really about, you can finish this article, climb the rope ladder to the next level, and kill the rest of the day off by reading about the “Supreme Alphabet“.  Above all, the song that made the quickest impact and that really jumped out for me on first listen was “Paper Plate“.  RZA’s beat on this track shined right off the bat and I loved the overall product, although I was admittedly ignorant to the history and purpose of the song as a 50 Cent diss track the first time through.  Once I realized what it was about, I liked it even more and the appeal of GZA’s spot on delivery and lyrics multiplied exponentially.

Back in early December of last year, GZA performed a show in London where he mentioned Solder Boy while describing the state of rap music and commercialism, “He a young nigga, he my son age“.  The crowd started screaming random shit and GZA pointed the mic out to hear what they were saying, which was, “Fuck Solder Boy!“  The MC wasn’t trying to get the crowed riled up, it was quite the opposite, and he tried to clarify his intentions with, “Hear that solder boy?!  I’m not hatin’ on you, WU-Tang is not on TV everyday.  I just wanna say, it’s a different environment right now.“  He tried to proceed and asked the crowd to “Hold up” but, as they continued, he put the mic back out in the crowd to exclamations of, “Fuck 50 cent!“, “Fuck Nick Cannon!“, and “Fuck 50!“  He tried to proceed again and, as people began to, “Ooooh!” he responded with, “I don’t give a fuck about 50 Cent.  Fuck 50 Cent, okay.  Who gives a fuck about him?” and, “So what?! You got a lotta money nigga, fuck you.  You got a lotta money nigga, you don’t got talent“.  GZA started the whole thing off by telling everyone to get their cell phones out because the shit was gonna be, “… on Youtube, tomorrow“.  He was right and there was a huge reaction to the footage.  He performed at the Knitting Factory in New York shortly after (Dec. 15th) and responded to what he called “dickhead niggas hiding behind moniters, online” who were claiming that he would never have made the same comments in New York that he had made overseas.  “All I did was say a nigga don’t have fucking lyrics.  I said 50 cent don’t got muthafuckin’ lyrics…..I stick by that shit.“  50 Cent’s comeback entailed little more than a few weak responses, one of which was regarding GZA’s age and another claiming that WU-Tang members smoked “dust“.  Lyrically, no one is more respected from the WU-Tang than “The Genius” and the same argument could be made for his place in the rap industry as a whole.  He comes from the school of battle rappers and 50 is one of those figures who has admitted to falling into the music industry as an afterthought, with his sole focus on trying to make some cash.  GZA didn’t come at 50 Cent and challenge him to a footrace or a wrestling match, instead he focused on lyrical ability which is essentially what they are supposed to posses some level of, by definition of their professions.

The title of “Paper Plate” came from GZA’s claims that the G-Unit frontman is “light weight” and “disposable” in regards to his impact and place in Hip-Hop history and, although I agree with these statements, the track itself deserves a place in rap battle history among the rivalry of Kool Moe Dee and Busy Bee, Cool J’s reinvention through his response to Canibus (“Momma Said Knock You Out“), and 2pac’s attack on B.I.G. and Junior Mafia (“Hit ‘em Up“).  He starts out by saying that 50 Cent has “Got a few hooks but no jabs” and continues with, “I get it, you Got Rich robbin’ those in the industry. Bite off this one, steal from your enemy“. He cracks on his Hollywood style with, “Get your ankles rolled while doin’ your two-step. Leave a Thank-You note for the crutches the Wu left“ and, “Enough to make you Vogue on the cover of GQ.  Only missin’ the sheer blouse. Homie, you see-through“.  He also refers to his involvement with Vitamin Water with the line, “Stop sippin’ on that Formula 50.  They want heat, I’ll give it to them burnt and crispy“.  This song is brilliantly crafted and GZA delivers his message by clearly amplifying his message instead of his voice.  He continues to question 50 Cent’s image,, as well as that of his whole crew by rapping, “If you’s a pimp, put chicks on a stroll. And if those your soldiers, give ‘em bigger guns to hold” and goes on to let him know that the Clan’s numbers are large and have a history that he shouldn’t disregard. “Have you ever been stung by a thousand hornets?  Five hundred killa bees, buzzin’ and really on it?  Whipped with CUBAN LINX, cut with LIQUID SWORDS, Choked by IRONMAN ’til we crush your vocal chords.“  The song is a genuine piece of art and ends with the classic explaination of why it wasn’t even worth his time, “Super nova give off gamma-ray bursts.  And I’ll finish this, only ’cause I let off first“.

The Perfomance

August 26th
Neumos Crystal Ball Reading Room
Seattle

The opening acts each made reference to WU-Tang Clan during their sets and, by the time that the “Shogun Assasins” sample from the “Liquid Swords” intro hit the speakers, the crowd was fairly amped up.  Grice took the stage without flash, wearing simple black do-rag and Jordan T-Shirt, and started rapping to a crowd that knew every verse.   The opening track, however, cut out after only the first verse and the momentum dropped for everyone that was expecting to hear, “…niggaz style are old like Mark 5 sneakers.  Lyrics are weak, like clock radio speakers“.  Something was up with the DJ, who operated like a last minute replacement and was misinterpreting GZA’s hand signals.  The Genius explained that he wasn’t going to settle for doing that whole fractions of songs “bullshit” and, even though he tried to uphold that statement, it proved more difficult than you would expect.  A song would swiftly end without warning and the rapper would have to pause and explain to the DJ the difference between his “cut” and his “drop” hand signals.  When everyone else in the building can remember the lines, “camoflouge chameleon, ninjas scalin your buildin’ No time to grab the gun they already got your wife and children“, reciting RZA’s verse should have been cake for the cousin whose album it appears on.  At one point the show was even stopped because the speakers sounded as if they had blown and GZA used the mic to inquire about the source of the distortion.

I know that the show sounds like it was a disaster and, from a technical aspect, it actually was.  I probably should have viewed it that way myself but I didn’t because I still had such a great time and I feel that it became a triumph, in its own way, through alternate means.  I’ve seen a lot of Rap performances where the vocals are muffled and hard to understand, but this was not one of them.  It was similar to when I saw KRS-1 because both emcees had clear vocal deliveries and audience connections and interactions so honest that the rooms appeared to reduce in size like the far end of a hallway at Wonka Industries.  The Genius conversed with the crowd and was not above coming right up to a camera to pose for a photograph.  “What kind of phone is that? T-Mobile?“  Or he’d ask a question like, “How old are you?“  to a kid rapping along to every lyric and, when he’d get the an answer like, “I‘m 16” he’d respond on the mic with, “He was 3 when this album dropped” or, “This kid wasn’t even born when 36 Chambers came out.“  He’d remind the crowd that “WU-Tang is for the children” and that it’s “forever“.  He reflected on how absurd it is for people to claim that he’s “too old” or “irrelevant” but I think that it was also an opportunity to positively affirm that to himself and to spread that aura contagiously throughout the audience.

It was a celebration of the work and pride that Grice has contributed to Hip-Hop and it was being delivered to those who have a love for the genre and respect the possibilities there-in.  A lot of rap out there is prone to flash as in, it will blind you, take your focus, and then steal your cash. (Sorry, I started subconsciously rhyming there for a minute)  The key to oppressing others is create an image or idea that is unattainable and feels beyond reach so that those targeted will find it overpowering and unapproachable.  It creates an OZ-style scene where the “Wizard” is behind the curtain, complete with the flames and light show, while Grice comes through post-theatrics, like the man with the hot air balloon offering to simply take your ass back home to the promised land.  50 Cent would, no doubt, be amused by the idea that GZA’s equipment malfunctioned and try to take his battle to MTV’s Cribs but, regardless of the income that he acquires from his image on the back of Coke-A-Cola trucks, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s show would have crashed if faced with the same obstacles.  Curtis‘ idea of Hip-Hop is to show how much more marketable he is by recruiting young impressionable teenagers to support his career.  It’s the same angle utilized by white middle-aged racists to recruit young confused pre-teens into those backwoods Aryan Nation groups.  50 walks around in fur coats, throws a huge production, and jumps in a tour bus like he was the goddamn president, while GZA delivers the most thought provoking imagery in a T-Shirt and jeans and encourages his fans to stretch themselves to come up to his level with him.  After the Liquid Swords material, GZA threw in performances of “Guillotine (Swordz)” from Cuban Links and his new track “Alphabets“, but when he did the cover of the late ODB’s “Shimmy Shimmy Ya“, the crowd went insane.  The venue security guard, who had been trying to retain a professional demeanor with his folded arms, hopped backwards up the few steps to the stage while rapping and pumping his fist towards the audience in unison.  That’s the difference between empowering your audience and elevating yourself above them.  GZA was so energized by the environment that he was reluctant to leave the stage, “Wait, I didn’t do Protect Yo’ Neck!  We could do that.  Cue that one up”

The Place for Genius & the Overall State of Rap Music

I came up with a theory in the early to mid 1990s which dealt with pop-cultural patterns, after realizing that every decade seems to reject the prior decade while embracing the one prior to that.  The 90′s were the 70′s and, 20 years ago, I was wearing the same day-glo neon colors on my T-Shirts that are prominantly featured across the hoodies and baseball caps of today.  I would prefer to see a new found appreciation for the film “True Stories” than one for legwarmers, fanny packs, and Kanye West’s slatted glasses, but the cheesiest and most shallow shit is always adopted first.  Instead of a huge resurgance of Prog music and On the Corner style Jazz in the 90′s, huge warehouses/danceclubs with flashing lights and reflective decor were established for people donning over-the-top, fly by night fashion gimmicks, and connecting to the music and their fellow, promiscuous patrons, through the popular narcotic of their time.  The difference is that in the 90′s it was called “raving” and in the 70′s it was called “Disco“.  This raises questions about where trends, longevity, and historical impact intersect and in which ways.  To give you an example of the climate in which Liquid Swords was released, it ended off a year where the number one hit, “Gangsta’s Paradise“, was from a Michelle Pfeiffer film and helped to jump off 1996,  a year where the most successful musical effort was a phenomenon known as “The Macarena“.  Coolio is about to introduce his new reality show and I don’t know what the fuck happened to Los Del Rio, but I do know that they still hold the title for the longest running #1 debut single in American music history.  Liquid Swords, on the other hand, falls into that rare catergory of albums like Dark Side of the Moon, which still sound as fresh and innovative today as they did back when they were originally released.

I remember trying to form connections with co-workers when I worked at a hotel, by starting conversations about Rap music.  The first was with a black “Christian” girl who’s primary focuses were partying, money, and hooking up with guys in “committed” relationships.  She had little to no frame of musical reference beyond the Pop-Rap that was played on the local R&B station and told me that she was scared of WU-Tang because she had always thought that they were some sort of “cult“.  As a walking contradiction, she tended to migrate towards the “artists” of today who break their careers with a track about fucking around and cheating, only to follow it up with sophomore hits about love and sticking by your lady from the same album.  The other conversation was with a white security guard from the bible belt that tried to tell me why 50 Cent was so “awesome“.  I spit a lengthy battle verse that I had written at him which contained some double, and even triple, meanings.  He grabbed the sides of his head like he was in pain and begged me to stop by saying, “There’s too much going on!  It’s hurting my head!“  He admitted that he didn’t care that “Candy Shop” and “Magic Stick” are basically the exact same fucking song, and that he actually looks for something without substance because it’s easy for him to work out too and ignore in the background.  I liked him and thought that he was a good person over all, but he was the type of guy that buys CDs of wrestling theme songs and would never read this far into my article anyway.  This is a prime example of people wanting to dull and numb their own minds and of what is sometimes referred to as the “disposable masses“.  I’m gonna explain to you what I explained to the security guard and offer you the same deal.  Since these rappers are only singing about how they are spending the money that you dumped on their last album, if you want to send me some loot, I’ll write you a track myself and let you know how I spent your hard earned cash.  It would be more personalized too.  I’ll describe how I went to the movies, took my lady out to dinner, bought a suit or a new wacom tablet.  Hell, I’ll even go to a film or restaurant that you’ve been meaning to try out for yourself and then write you a review that I’ll rap over a beat from my fruity-loops program.  Why experience your own dreams when you can live vicariously through a song full of experiences that you’ve financed for someone else?

The main programming has become nothing more than just a longer commercial with more celebrity endorsements.  It’s only a matter of time before we hear a Rich Boy sample in a Sargento ad reworked as, “Throw some cheese on it, on it! Just gotta have a snack!“  In 1999, I didn’t have any television reception, and would watch the same 2 films, “Boogie Nights” and “The Big Lebowski“, over and over again but they never got boring for me because, every time that I would watch them, I would discover something new.  Last year the films’ directors, The Coen Bros. and P.T. Anderson, dominated the Academy Awards and, although Marissa Tomei and Cuba Gooden JR. are also Oscar winners, I have to feel that the awards and accolades for “No Country for Old Men” and “There Will be Blood” are, somehow, intangibly worth more.  De La Soul’s introduction to “Stakes Is High” gives props to “Criminal Minded” (Boogie Down Productions) and on Talib Kweli’s “Reflection Eternal” the wordsmith makes reference to the inspiration that he received form hearing “Resurrection” (Common).  Liquid Swords has held a similar inspiration for many and, although I’m not sure if Pro Tools is on the same level, just based on the way it has already began to unfold for me, I wouldn’t put it past the album to sound better and better over time.  An album like this is as necessary now as it has ever been and I have to wonder if the situation with 50 wasn’t an added inspiration for GZA to hold off on the album’s release to allow time to perfect it.   GZA is aware of that same 85% of oblivious consumers that are being targeted by corporations, but has chosen not to view them as “disposable“.  Instead, the rapper has opted to try and offer something of substance and to provide knowledge for his listeners.  The fact that this one man has put so much thought and personal energy into his work, is the very reason that I’m willing to turn a simple concert review into a dissertation for those who want to hear it.

-Dead C

(The Arian Stevens photograph was taken @ GZA’s Portland performance.  To view more from that photoset visit Arianstevens.com or CLICK HERE)