Wu Tang Wednesday - Raekwon ft Wu Tang - House Of Flying Daggers

 It's Wu Tang Wednesday son!!!! Ok, its Thursday... but whatever. Here is the video for Raekwon's House of Flying Daggers off of Only Built For Cuban Linx Pt. II. I know this song and album are over a year and a half old, but I have never seen it (because MTV & BET don't show videos no more!!!)and really love the album. The Wu uses a cartoon/motion comic strategy for this one, and the track is from the late great J Dilla. Dilla is even resurrected in cartoon form for this one. Rae is joined by some of the hardest hitters of the Wu: Ghostface, Inspectah Deck, Method Man, and  Gza. They bring the martial arts movie classic "The 5 Deadly Venoms" alive in this animated masterpiece that I just had to share with all of you. Long live the Wu!!!!

Wu Tang Wednesday - Ghostface Killah ft Mary J Blige - All That I Got Is You

I heard this song three times in the past week, so I felt like it was a sign. Great track, always brings a tear to my eye. Ghost sure knows how to paint a picture, doesn't he? Off the Ironman album... one of the best songs to ever come out of the Wu camp!

Throwback Thursday - 3/17/11 - R.I.P. Nate Dogg

Late on March 15th the music community suffered a tragedy when the world lost legendary G Funk artist Nate Dogg to complications from a stroke. He was only 41 years of age, but boy did the homie bless some songs with the best choruses ever.

Honestly, 'Regulate may be one of the greatest West Coast rap song ever... but his hooks on 'Next Episode', '21 Questions', and 'Oh No' are just a few of the songs that would not have been the same without him. To lose him at such a young age to an uncontrollable disease is a true tragedy. He will be missed.

I am glad to have been part of the era in which Nate brought his style of music to the world. In honor of Mr. Hook's passing, here are some of my favorite Nate Dogg tunes. Hope you enjoy. Rest in peace Nate... But don't worry, you know all dogg's go to heaven!!!

Warren G ft. Nate Dogg - Regulate



Mos Def & Pharoah Monch ft. Nate Dogg - Oh No



Snoop Dogg ft. Nate Dogg, Kurupt & Warren G - Ain't No Fun If The Homies Can't Have None (This is my all time favorite West Coast Rap song... ever! - Mike D)



Eminem ft Nate Dogg - Till I Collapse



Mark Ronson ft Ghostface Killa & Nate Dogg - Oooh Weee



Dr. Dre ft Kurupt, Nate Dogg & Snoop - The Next Episode



Jadakiss ft. Nate Dogg - Times Up

Wu Tang Wednesday - Raekwon Feat. Ghostface Killa - Butter Knives

This is a fire track from Raekwon's newest album 'Shoalin vs.Wu Tang'. It reminds me of the old Rae & Ghost tracks that they made back in the 90's... this shit is fire. I often use the Wu Tang Wednesday column to look backwards, but today I gotta honor the right here and now. Go cop the album and support good music!!!!

Wu Tang Wednesday - Ghostface Killah ft Raekwon & Cappadonna - Daytona 500

This one right here is one of the greatest videos to ever come out of the Wu-Tang camp... Tony Starks takes the immortal Japanese cartoon Speed Racer and flips it on its noggin with a little help from Raekwon & Cappadonna on the song and Rza on the track... off the classic Iron Man album. Unfortunately, this is the video version... on the album, you get the amazing singing intro that really sets the tone of the song:

"We are the G, O-D's, And we came to rock, the spot, Like Ironman Starks, They be the illest MC's, in the world today, Cappa Raekwon and the R-Z-A, So listen to them clear, and put the box right near your ear, Light your blunts and down your beers, Cause you could never fuck with Wu-Tang Killer Beez..."

Wu Tang Wednesday - Ghostface Killah ft Ne-Yo: Back Like That

I love me some Ghostface... and this song with R&B giant Ne-Yo is just another jam from his catalog. Great video as well.... "What I did was wack... but you don't get your man back like that!!!"

Wu Tang Wednesday - Ghostface Killah - Ghostface Xmas

Of course... of course. Of course the Wu's resident sociopath Ghostface Killah has a Christmas song... why wouldn't he. A perfect way to celebrate the holiday season & Wu Tang Wednesday!!!

Wu Tang Wednesday - Ghostface Killah - Cher Chez Le Ghost

God... you gotta love the Iron Man of The Wu. This was a great song, from a great album, with a great video. Not to mention that it features sexy ass video chick Gloria Velez and her big ole titties. Wow!!!! Check out this craziness.... long live the WU!!!

Wu Tang Wednesday: Wu-Tang Clan - Tearz

The Rza and Ghostface give you some life lessons off the seminal classic Enter the 36 Chambers... After the laughter, I guess comes the Tearz!!!

Mark Ronson Makes Some Cool Ass Music Videos...

I have long been a fan of DJ/Producer/Recording Artist Mark Ronson & his music. Jeff Bond sent me these two video links, and it reminded me of why I liked him so much. Good collabos, great sounds, and phenomenal looking videos... yeah, that will make me a fan. Check these vids out:

Mark Ronson ft. The Business Intl (Q-Tip & MNDR aka Amanda Warner)

 

Mark Ronson - Circuit Breaker (Instrumental)


"CIRCUIT BREAKER" by Mark Ronson from gary breslin on Vimeo.


And then there are these oldies but goodies:

Mark Ronson ft. Ghostface Killa & Nate Dogg - OOOOH WEEE



Mark Ronson ft. Lilly Allen - Oh My God



Check YouTube for much more of Ronson's music... dude is a beast!!!

5 Photos That Are Proof That Ghostface Killah Is Batshit Crazy

I always knew that Ghostface Killah was batshit crazy... ever since I saw a MTV interview with the Wu Tang Clan and Ghostface jumped in to inform the reporter that "Wu Tang is like a big ass fruit salad. Meth is like a mango, Rza like some grapes, Rae be like a strawberry..." I swear, you can not make shit like that up!!! But when I was searching for some pics for our Wu Tang Wednesday (see todays post!) I came across these 5 photos that convinced me that dude has some issues. Check these out and tell me I am wrong. Comments are requested below, I would love your take on these...

Does he really have a life size golden eagle as a bracelet? Really???

Is this guy really wearing a blue suede bathrobe with a dinner plate medallion and regular clothes underneath???

Jason mask and some jewlery... ok, tons of jewlery. Totally normal, right???

The name of the album was Fishscale, so obviously Ghost would be on the cover stuffing oversized sea bass with packets of cocaine, right??? WTF???

Another bathrobe, this time with Ghost's alias, Toney Starks, as in Iron Man on the back. One questions though... since when is Toney spelt Toney and not Tony???

Yeah, I said it the dude is freakin mental... now just do me a favor and do not tell him I said it.

Wu-Tang Wednesday - Ghostface Killah ft. Tekitha - All That I Got Is You

Cherchez La Ghost, bitches.... Enjoy!!!

Throwback Thursday #22- 7/22/10 Guest Host: Joey Esq

Hey kids, welcome to the first official edition of “Throwback Thursday”; the column where I take you on a musical trip down memory lane. I’m Joey, your guide on this auditory expedition, or as I’m known in some circles “The King of The Old School” (those circles being contained entirely within my own head). The topic of today’s column is Rap Attack. For those that don’t know (since I’m pretty sure they were a regional thing), Rap Attack was a series of cassette mix tapes that were sold at local “mom & pop” music stores – pour a little out for Music Station on Crossbay Boulevard – as well as at car washes, and by roving street peddlers and Asians on subways. The cassettes had a bootleg red paper liner that listed the songs, and also featured these great little “hip-hop related” clip art. Things like marijuana leaves, guns, cars and my favorite, a miniature scene of guy behind a counter with a cash register getting robbed at gun point. The figures were restroom-style stick figures and the image was hilarious. I wish I could still find mine, because I would have loved to scan it for you.

Rap Attack was mixed by someone named Double T, about whom I could find no additional information… despite doing a solid seven minutes of internet research. Oh well, whoever he was, us kids who were teenagers in the 90’s owe him a debt of gratitude because Rap Attack was a great way to get all the hot songs of the time in one spot, and many a rap attack tape found its way into the tape decks of newly licensed drivers during that time. The best thing about them was because they were mixed, there were way more songs crammed on these things than would fit on a normal album or even if you just recorded Hot 97 and edited the commercials. They were like 94 minutes long!

The particular tape I’m gonna bring back to you today was Rap Attack #13, which judging by the songs on it, came out in late 94 or early 95. My own personal memories of this are from a little bit later, because this one was in my regular walkman rotation when I was taking the A Train to NYU in like 97-98. It’s kinda funny, because the songs were nostalgic for me even back then, and now they’re downright sublime. I listened to this tape so many times that I’m doing this article entirely from memory (I told you, I can’t find my tapes). This album definitely influenced my appreciation for hip-hop, because truth be told I was late to that party. It’s not that I hated hip-hop as a young teen, but I definitely pretended to… I was a douche and just HAD to be different. But that’s a story for another blog. Anyway, here’s some songs off of Rap Attack #13… the sound track to my daily A-Train trips, and maybe to some part of your youth as well…



Funkmaster Flex & The Ghetto Celebs (Charlie Brown, ODB & Biz Markee) -




This song is just pure hip-hop fun and was off a Funkmaster Flex single that made the mixtape rounds that year. This is what hip-hop should be, three great MC’s spitting over a Funk Flex beat. Made me respect Biz Markee as a something more than a novelty act.

Mobb Deep - Shook Ones Part 1:



Pure fire from Mobb Deep. This is rare in that was only available on mixtapes and didn’t make it to the Infamous album. Not as famous as Part 2, but still sick and just as guaranteed to get the club to jump off.

Tha Alkoholiks - Daaam!!!:



Off their second album, Coast II Coast, this is just more fun hip-hop. Great beat and crazy lyrics. I miss music like this.

Raekwon the Chef, featuring Ghostface Killa - Heaven or Hell:



Pure Wu-Tang right here. This one threw me, and almost made me doubt my memory because it’s off Raekwon’s classic Only Built for Cuban Linx album, which came out in August of 1995… which would mean either my timeline was off or this song wasn’t on Rap Attack #13. Thanks to the magic of the internet though, I found out that Heaven or Hell was released as a 12” single in October of ’94.

House of Pain - Legend:



Off an EP released in late 94 of the same name, the one thing I have to say about this song is that it proves that House of Pain is better than Jump Around and it foreshadows some of Everlast’s solo stuff later on.

Scarface – I Seen A Man Die:



The first single off the Diary which came out in December 1994, this song is deep, soulful and shows Scarface’s ability as a storyteller.

Jeru Da Damaja – Can’t Stop The Prophet (Pete Rock remix):



Ok, so back when I was a hip-hop hater, I used to make fun of the way Jeru spelled his name. so of course, a few years later, he would make me feel like a dick because this song blew my mind. Jeru’s storytelling is downright evocative. He’s definitely one of the most slept on MC’s out there and if there was any justice he’d be way more popular than he is.

That’s gonna do it for now, I’m tired and I’ve given you more than enough of a taste of Rap Attack #13. If you want more Playa’s Anthem by Notorious B.I.G. and Get Down by Craig Mack were also on the tape. I’m not leaving their videos out for any particular reason – unless you count pure laziness. Anyway, check back next week even if hip-hop’s not your thing I’ll be covering all genres of music as Throwback Thursdays continue…

Throwback Thursdays Vol #11, 4/15/2010

Today's Throwback Thursday is gonna be a bit diffferent. Instead of the music medley that I usually post, I am going to honor a group that made my teenage years awesome on soooo many levels. When this group hit the scene in 1993, they changed rap music FOREVER. With no further adieu, I present to you Throwback Thursday: WU - TANG CLAN EDITION!!!!! Protect Your Neck son.....

Wu Tang Clan - Protect Your Neck - This is the video that introduced the world to the group!!!


Wu Tang Clan - Method Man - A solo joint on the group album Enter the 36 Chambers.


Ol Dirty Bastard - Brooklyn Zoo - The first solo joint from Ol Dirty... R.I.P. Ason!!!


Raekwon The Chef - Ice Cream - featuring Ghostface, Method Man and Cappadonna off one of the greatest albums ever, Only Built For Cuban Linx. Purple tape status....


Wu Tang Clan - Triumph - Back together again for a posse cut off of their second album, Forever


Hope you guys enjoy the Shaolin-centric Throwback Thursday... enjoy the tunes. Wu Tang Forever, motherfuckers!!!!