rap

Wu-Tang Clan & Jimi Hendrix – Black Gold

Mash–ups are always a gamble, especially when taking songs from well–established musicians. They have the potential to be brilliant reinterpretations of beloved fan favourites, or disastrous clashes that were better left alone. Fortunately, Tom Caruana is well aware of this risk and has carefully produced yet another outstanding mash–up album of two legendary forces in black music – Jimi Hendrix and the Wu–Tang Clan. Having received widespread online acclaim for his previous release Wu–Tang vs. The Beatles: Enter the Magical Mystery Chambers, this latest offering on Tea Sea Records, titled Black Gold is a unique reawakening of two timeless artists, infusing Hendrix‘s warm and dusty guitar riffs with the ferocious verses of the Wu; all complemented by original, solid beats. Though perhaps not as hooky as its predecessor, this release is just as inventive, and serves as a warm welcome back to the roots of some of the world‘s finest rock and hip–hop music. I anticipate that there are big things on Caruana‘s horizon.

Tom Caruana - Black Gold

www.teasearecords.net/tomcaruana.cfm

The Warriors

Californian hardcore group The Warriors have been making some of the most aggressive music of the last 9 years, and yet they seem to remain one of the most under–rated bands of the genre. Since their inception in 2002, the band‘s lyrical and sonic maturity is evident in the fact Marshall Lichtenwaldt‘s voice has seen significant changes between the groups‘ early, raw material to their current sound.

Combining the poetry of Rap–influenced lyricism and crushing metal–influenced riffs, The Warriors create a sound that will have you both engrossed and wanting to throw fists. The passion and aggression bleeding from each track is reminiscent of bands such as Rage Against The Machine that explore themes of social injustice and despair. These guys have largely remained under the surface through numerous record label and band member changes, and their varied progression in sound.

Listen to ‘Set The Stage‘ from their 2004 EP War Is Hell (Redux) below:

Public Enemy

Just over a week ago, some friends and I witnessed Public Enemy live (again). Although this concert was a long way from the grand expanse of The Forum in Kentish Town, North London, the gig was rabble–rousingly intimate at The Corner hotel in Richmond.
This time round the militia were pumping their tour of 1990‘s Fear Of A Black Planet. Although they gave the show a lot of effort and their skills were there to thrill –it was all too clear in my mind that these guys had long since fallen asleep at the wheel. Or, to be sympathetic: are now well past their prime.
However, they fronted up for over 2 hours and gave us all a thrilling set. Apart from catching Flava Flav lip-syncing every now and then; everything else was overwhelmingly enjoyable –the fresh set list complete with crowd participation, political spiels, guests (including members of 2 Live Crew) and a tight freestyle battle between Chuck D and Flav that pretty much clinched the value of the $90 ticket, or therebouts. All–in–all, it was a brilliant show for the die–hard fans and certainly no staggering disappointment for the rest of us. And then there were the ageing Aussie homeboys: but that’s another story entirely.

-TW

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The Gift of Gab

Sunday night, Queen’s Birthday Eve.

We ventured into the Richmondia district to check this mad freestyle rapper and stalwart of Quannum, Blackalicious and various solo and collaborative projects. Although expecting an ensemble of guests and a setlist direct from the forthcoming Escape 2 Mars album, the disappointment dissipated somewhat when the Gab started to spit 2 times for your mind with some nice sounds thrown out from DNAEBEATS. The 2-Piece brought a host of classics including Paragragh President, Deception (Don’t Let Money Change Ya), and Make YouFeel That Way among other new hits Lightyears and El Gifto Magnifico from Mars that certainly rocked the crowd well.

Although the hour passed far too quickly; Here is a short freestyle that was bestowed upon an insatiable crowd:

-Rock The Boat

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RIP Guru

Vale to the late Guru; reputable MC for Gangstarr and hip hop visionary.
The rapper died a few days ago after a long struggle with cancer. He had been in a coma since late February this year.
Guru stands for Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal; a title that references the Nation of Islam. Guru (or Keith Elam) rocked the East Coast scene, ever since teaming up with DJ Premier and Mark the 45 King in 1985. Their greatest release Hard To Earn is an essential hip hop classic and Premier himself regarded as one of the best hip hop producers of all time.

Featured is a short tribute mix by Los Angeleno Dj Dexxx1.

http://www.youtube.com/dexxxhunt

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Guilty Simpson

Hailing from the socially bankrupt centrifuge that was formerly glorious as “the motor city“, Detroit- Guilty Simpson delivers some of the most bad arse raps known today, complemented with the ingenuity of the late J.Dilla and the production squad at Stones Throw. His break–out singles (and subsequent album) appeared in 2007 with the tracks Man‘s World and Getting Bitches, catapulting Guilty (or Byron Simpson) into hip–hop stardom.

Guilty Simpson has now surpassed the madness that was the album Ode to The Ghetto with the follow–up remix release/ collaboration in his major work with Madlib titled: Medicine Show No.1 – Before The Verdict, featuring Strong Arm Steady and Elzhi. With Madlib producing all tracks alongside ‘OJ Simpson‘, Medicine No.1 features remixes of the best tracks from Ode, coupled with a slab of new material. The release has thus cemented Guilty as one of the finest primo acts on Stones Throw records.

Want to see more? Then I suggest you buy the fucken album.

Or, simply check this Robbery reconstruction off the LP:

Stay tuned too, as Guilty is also producing a new release with long–time Black Milk collaborator Sean Price in an album titled Random Axe.

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