Wugazi - Slow Like That

Wugazi - Floating Labels

Wugazi - Forensic Shimmy

Wugazi - Shame On Blue

my favorite!

Wugazi - Ghetto Afterthought

Classic Marvel comics covers remixed to showcase old school rap legends

from Dangerous Minds:

A Tribe Called Quest, reworking of Fantastic Four #49 (April 1966), “If This Be Doomsday!”
The Silver Surfer must choose between his master and the Earth

Not long ago an artist going by the name Beddo released a whole bunch of lovingly recreated classic Marvel covers featuring some of the greatest rap artists of the 1980s and 1990s. Beddo says that there are more on the way, and it is devoutly to be hoped that he stands by his word.


Notorious B.I.G., reworking of Spider-Man #50 (July 1967), “Spiderman No More!’
First appearance of Kingpin


Tupac, reworking of X-Men #141 (January 1981), “Days of Future Past”
First appearance the Future X-Men


Public Enemy, reworking of New Mutants #87 (March 1990), “A Show of Power!”
First full appearance of the Mutant Liberation Front


Lauryn Hill, reworking of X-Men #101 (October 1975), “Like a Phoenix, from the Ashes”
First appearance of Jean Gray as Phoenix


Rakim, reworking of Iron Man #128 (November 1979), “Demon in a Bottle”
Tony Stark deals with his alcoholism


Tupac, reworking of Wolverine Limited Series #3 (November 1982), “Loss”
Death of Yukio


Wu-Tang Clan, reworking of Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1 (May 1984), “The War Begins”
Big clusterfuck in outer space with just about all the Marvel heroes


Nas, reworking of Avengers #57 (October 1968), “Behold the Vision!”
First appearance of Vision

While researching this post I came across this clever reworking of Avengers #57starring John Cage, by artist Clinton Reno for a performance at the Available Light Theater in Columbus, Ohio:

Wu-Tang Clan ALERT! RZA Vegan Interview: Do Good Today for ‘A Better Tomorrow’

A Better Tomorrow isn't simply the name of the latest Wu-Tang Clan album—it's also RZA's hope for the world. He encourages fans to follow in his footsteps and make the change and go vegan because, as he puts it, it doesn't make sense to put "dead flesh" into a "live body." The musician understands that the choices he makes in his own life can either contribute to or help alleviate the pain and suffering that animals experience at the hands of the meat industry. RZA, along with PETA friend Masta Killa and other Wu-Tang members, has chosen to live better today, knowing that it'll truly make for a better tomorrow. And he hopes others will be inspired to go vegan to help to save the lives of animals and for their own well-being.

Watch his exclusive interview with PETA and see RZA explain his choice to help animals by not eating them.



Animals value their lives just as much as you value yours. Yet their lives are sacrificed for profit, and human health suffers because of it. RZA makes the point that we shouldn't be putting the product of such stress and death into our living bodies.

It's never too soon (or too late) to make the kind, smart choice to adopt a plant-based diet, giving your health a boost and sparing animals unnecessary suffering. And it's never been easier to give up meat, eggs, and dairy products—today, there are numerous cruelty-free options available in grocery stores and restaurants across the country. PETA also has hundreds of free, delicious vegan recipes for you to try!

from PeTA

‘INSIDE OUT’: OL’ DIRTY BASTARD’S WILDLY ENTERTAINING LIFE ON PAROLE

from Dangerous Minds

It’s safe to say that for virtually every moment from the time that Wu-Tang Clan became prominent around 1993 until his sad death in 2004, Ol’ Dirty Bastard—“Russell Jones” to the law enforcement community—was in some kind of legal trouble. He was convicted of second degree assault in 1993 and was arrested for failure to pay child support in 1997. A year later, he pleaded guilty to attempted assault on his wife and was also arrested for shoplifting. It goes on from there. In 2000 he was assigned to a court-mandated drug treatment facility but escaped—as a fugitive he met up with RZA and spent some time in the studio. In Philadelphia he was eventually captured. (DM previously reported on his endlessly interesting FBI file, released in 2012.)

After spending the next two and a half years in prison in New York, he was released on parole on May 1, 2003. Sensing an opportunity, ODB’s manager, Jarred Weisfeld, arranged for VH1 to have a crew follow ODB around for his release and the first few weeks out of jail. The end result was “Inside Out,” which can be viewed below. Actually, it’s a little unclear what this video is—IMDb.com lists the running time as 60 minutes over two episodes. This video isn’t that long, however. What I think this is is episode 1 of “Inside Out”—not sure there was an episode 2—followed by a brief remembrance section that likely doesn’t have anything to do with VH1. In any case, it’s wildly entertaining.

 



 

The life of a mentally troubled rap star is as crazy as anything you’re likely to find. A stretch limo filled with family, friends, and business associates (of course these lines overlap) is there to meet him upon his release. He is immediately presented with a gift of 500 condoms. As the father of 13 children by multiple women, ODB sniffs out the subtext: “They don’t want me makin’ no more babies!” At his press conference the same day as his release, who shows up to take part? Of course, Mariah Carey.

Eventually ODB’s interest in the ladies alienates his sort-of ladyfriend Raquel, who promptly flees back to LA. Within days he’s photographing a silicone-enhanced Playboy model and hitting on women in the street. Meanwhile his new relationship with Roc-A-Fella records is proceeding with the usual complications. We see a few cordial encounters with RZA as well.

The special presents a glimpse of actual parole life that’s not often available on TV. We see ODB successfully pass a drug test and we’re told that, as messy as his life was, he was able to adhere to the 9pm curfew imposed on him. When he signs the paperwork before his release, he’s told that he’s agreeing that parole officers can visit his home more or less anytime, and sure enough, we get to see such a visit. All goes well, except for ODB’s lingering paranoia after the fact.

ODB never really got the psychological help he needed, but nobody could say that he lived an unfulfilled life. “Inside Out” is excellent evidence of both parts of that equation.

 

GZA - Frames

This should be DOPE. I can't stand most of what Tarantino gets involved with and supports, but I love almost everything WU-related, and we all know RZA is no fucking joke. I'll see this eventually.

RZA directs. The legendary Corey Yuen (RZA’s mentor) does the choreography, Russel Crowe does the scowling and Lucy Liu and Pam Grier bring the Yin to the Yang in what looks like a killer martial arts action flick with a shitload of style.

The press release:

Quentin Tarantino presents The Man With the Iron Fists, an action-adventure inspired by kung-fu classics as interpreted by his longtime collaborators RZA and Eli Roth. Making his debut as a big-screen director and leading man, RZA—alongside a stellar international cast led by Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu—tells the epic story of warriors, assassins and a lone outsider hero in nineteenth-century China who must unite to destroy the clan traitor who would destroy them all.
Since his arrival in China’s Jungle Village, the town’s blacksmith (RZA) has been forced by radical tribal factions to create elaborate tools of destruction. When the clans’ brewing war boils over, the stranger channels an ancient energy to transform himself into a human weapon. As he fights alongside iconic heroes and against soulless villains, one man must harness this power to become savior of his adopted people.

Blending astonishing martial-arts sequences from some of the masters of this world with the signature vision he brings as the leader of the Wu-Tang Clan and as one of hip-hop’s most dominant figures of the past two decades, RZA embarks upon his most ambitious, stylized and thrilling project to date.



No exact release date as of yet, but it will be later this year. Word is some time in October.

Thanks, DangerousMinds

GZA from the Wu-Tang Clan Takes on Space in 'Dark Matter' Album

from Space.com

If you like the ambience of rap music, but prefer contemplating space-time and stars over money and cars, a record tailored to your tastes is in the making. The hip-hop artist GZA, a founding member of the renowned Wu-Tang Clan rap group, will wax lyrical about the magnificence of the cosmos in a forthcoming album called "Dark Matter," slated for release this fall.

The 45-year-old high school dropout is doing his science homework right. According to The Wall Street Journal, GZA, born Gary Grice and nicknamed "the Genius" by his fellow artists, has been sitting down with top physicists and cosmologists at MIT, Cornell University and elsewhere over the past few months for primers on the universe. Now, he's turning the lessons into lyrics.

A recent meeting with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York, spawned a line about Saturn's alluring rings: "God put the needle on the disc of Saturn / The record he played revealed blueprints and patterns." [Greatest Mysteries of the Planets]

GZA is teaming up with Marco Vitali, a composer, producer and Juilliard-trained violinist, on the score. They're aiming for a cosmic atmosphere. "We talked about frenetic energy, outer space, molecules crashing into each other, organized chaos," Vitali said. "The grandeur of the fact that the universe was born in a millionth of a second, in this explosion that created billions of stars, these overpowering ideas that are bigger than we can conceive."

Although GZA said he foresees fans of the rap genre being wary of his academic subject matter at first, he thinks "Dark Matter" will tap into the innate curiosity of listeners — even those who are unaware of their own interest in science.

"I don't think people have ever really been in touch with science," he told the Wall Street Journal. "They're drawn to it, but they don't know why they're drawn to it. For example, you may be blown away by the structure of something, like a soccer ball or a geodesic dome, with its hexagonal shapes. Or how you can take a strand of hair and can get someone's whole drug history.They're different forms of science, but it's still science."

After "Dark Matter," the rap musician plans to delve into other fields with a whole series of science-centric albums. Next up will be marine biology, and the lessons have already begun.

"He'd been doing his homework on the oceans," said Penny Chisholm, an expert on ocean phytoplankton at MIT, who met with GZA last December. "I was struck by his appreciation of the complexity of ecology and physics, and his views on life. I think he's now on a new mission, and he could play an important role in getting various messages out through his art form — about the earth, and science. That's why I've become a fan."

The Latest from Max "MVP" Tannone

Ghostfunk pairs one of my favorite hip-hop artists, Wu-Tang member Ghostface Killah, with vintage African funk, high-life, and psychedelic rock music.

- Max Tannone

Wu-Gazi

Like a Reese's peanut butter cup, when two of your favorites get together...
one of the cooler mash-ups i've heard in a long time...


Forensic Shimmy by WUGAZI
Sweet Release by WUGAZI
Sleep Rules Everything Around Me by WUGAZI

get the original LP's!
Instrument - Fugazi
Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) - Wu-Tang Clan

Thanks, Luke!