Metal Lungies

You gotta love the wordplay on the title yo! From the man that brought you gems like this (before Killa Season was even a thought in cinema greatness):

Comes Black Supaman:

We might have our 2007 equivalent of Killa Season in terms of Hip-Hop watching entertainment. Only it looks like Percy Miller doesn’t take his role as serious as Cameron Giles does in his project. There is also a smaller camp of potential cameos (Dipset > No Limit; in terms of how deep the roll these days, Dipset & friends can fill up 3 1/2 tour buses these days (with cam & jim on separate buses of course)). But there is hope, maybe there is smuggled footage of C-Murder locked up beautifully edited into the film.

First, as if dissing somebody based on their looks and fashion sense isn’t foolish enough, Cam’ron had this to say in the opening of his Jay-Z diss record, “You Gotta Love It”:

You talkin’ ’bout you a 80’s baby — you 37 years old, you was born in 1968. And I open the Daily News — how’s the king of New York rocking sandals with jeans? Open toe sandals, with chancletas, with jeans on. How’s the king of New York rocking sandals with jeans, and he 42 years old?

Then, in this recent interview, Hell Rell had this to say (and there’s a Part 2, if you’re really interested):

To sum it up, around the 0:31 mark, Rell, in response to people saying that he no longer has a deal, says that he’s been signed to Diplomat Records since 2002. Then, around the 0:59 mark, he says that he’s been signed to Diplomat Records since 2004, which, I guess, is technically true, but then again, why short-change yourself?

I’d say that DipSet has somewhat of a reputation of being trendsetters, but I’m hoping that this isn’t the new shit — to blatantly contradict a statement that you made mere seconds earlier.

And, by the way, as he mentions in the interview, Hell Rell’s solo debut For The Hell Of It drops on June 28th. So, be sure to check for it when it hits stores on September 11th.

A new spin on the “million dollar budget” music video from Hype Williams — instead of blowing money on special effects, expensive props and computer graphics, put it towards bright lighting, hot women, and lawyer fees (how many brand name logos are “borrowed” in this clip?).

Twista’s definitely putting a lot of fine-tuning into Adrenaline Rush 2007, due in stores September 18th, as he’s already changed his verses up for this single (here’s audio of the original version vs. the updated version), and this video is only a “rough cut” of what we can only assume to expect officially at a later date. I’d suggest that if anything needs fine-tuning, though, it’s that album title. Although, when you consider the other proposed album titles — Adrenaline Rush 2, Adrenaline Rush Again, Still An Adrenaline Rush — I guess it’s not half-bad.

Wu-Tang Clan on MTV Cribs, in a rented pad in L.A., back while they were recording The W:

Murs’ video for “Risky Business”, featuring Shock G and, Shock’s infamous alter-ego, Humpty Hump (Video NSFW, and may put our recent PG-13 rating at risk):

Am I tripping, or are these the same house? [NOTE: The answer could be “yes” to both.] Sphere: Related Content

With the Wu gracing the cover of their upcoming issue, URB has taken upon themselves the daunting task of picking the Clan’s 20 greatest videos of all-time. Plenty of classic vids from the Clan as a whole — “C.R.E.A.M.”, “Triumph”, “Protect Ya Neck” — and from solo LPs as well — ODB’s “Got Your Money”, Meth’s “Bring The Pain”.

I can’t argue much with this list — the only dispute I have is why it couldn’t have been expanded to at least 25. If it could’ve been, here’s the 5 I would’ve added, in no particular order (though I probably would move “Gravel Pit” down a few notches to make room for these):

GZA/Genius – “Shadowboxin'” featuring Method Man / “4th Chamber” featuring Ghostface, Killah Priest & RZA

Always dug the whole military/warfare vibe of this video. Plus, it’s only so often that you get a Killah Priest sighting.

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Here is what popped into my head immediately after watching this video:

I hope that doesn’t make me seem ignorant of Japanese culture — honestly, I just know what I like, and I like to laugh. And to be even more honest, I was looking for any excuse to post that Mr. Sparkle clip from The Simpsons. Can you blame me?

The next time you go out magazine shopping, or you find yourself near a newsstand with time to kill, be sure to check out the latest issue of Complex for a joint interview with Wu-Tang mastermind The RZA and all-around funny guy Seth Rogen. Complex‘s website offers a preview of the article, which is unfortunately short, but just long enough to compare Method Man’s “torture” skit from Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers to Seth and Paul Rudd’s “Know how I know you’re gay?” schtick from 40 Year Old Virgin.

Looking at it now, getting these guys together seems like a no-brainer. For those who watched 40 Year Old Virgin with a keen eye, you may have noticed Seth’s character “Cal” sporting a t-shirt with the cover to The GZA’s classic album Liquid Swords screened on the front, and if you’ve gotten around to seeing Knocked Up as well (which I suggest you do if you haven’t yet), then you surely recall what song was playing during the opening credits — something about liking things “raw” or something. Meanwhile, the Wu have often flexed their skills in the realm of comedic acting, with real-life cousins RZA and GZA proving to be quite the formidable tag-team. Below, check out their classic “Wu-Tang Financial” sketch from Chappelle’s Show, as well as their scene with Bill Murray in Coffee & Cigarettes.

It’s like a dance party in there!

In this clip from QD3’s The MC – Why We Do It DVD (and on permanent loan from Nah Right), Kanye flips an old Shirley Bassey record into a beat so infectious, he can’t stop himself from getting down. It’s assuring to know that me and Kanye share the same dance moves.

I would assume that this clip was edited well and that Kanye can’t really put a beat like this together in under 5 minutes. But, if that’s not the case, then we need quicker turnaround time on the release of his albums — I’m talking 2 new Kanye albums a year, at least. How about we move the release date for Graduation up to next week, and A Good Ass Job by the end of the year? Then, Promotion and Marriage in ’08, First Born Child and Divorce in ’09, New Hot Young Wife and Early Retirement in ’10, Boredom and Another Good Ass Job in ’11, Old Age and Death in ’12, and Afterlife and Reincarnation in ’13. And after that, if there are any more records left to sample, start over again.

UPDATE: Turns out that Kanye beat was used on Do Or Die’s 2005 album D.O.D. on the track “Paid The Price”, which also features Kanye. Kudos to the one of 20 people who actually heard that album for pointing it out. Since I’m stuck at my jay-oh-bee and can’t hook up an MP3 link, here’s the video for the single from that album, “Higher”, which is also produced by and featuring Kanye.

Lethal touched upon this in the process of hitting y’all off with that new Gangsta Grillz, but I thought I’d reiterate that former Wu-Tang affiliate and current AMG signee La The Darkman’s ’98 debut Heist Of The Century is severely underrated. Considering that most Wu-related albums that weren’t released by the Clan’s original nine members (ten, if you want to count Cappadonna) were put out by groups, like Killarmy and Sunz Of Man, it definitely speaks highly of La that the Wu was willing to market him as a solo artist.

Those that know about La don’t need any further explanation; but for those that don’t, drawing attention to an album’s more well-known contributors tends to help stir up interest. On that note, Heist Of The Century was produced mainly by Carlos “Six July” Broady, who has worked extensively with Ghostface and Royce The 5’9″, with additional beats from RZA (on the graphic “Polluted Wisdom”), DJ Muggs (on the title track, which features the equally-underrated Killa Sin), and Havoc from Mobb Deep (who also raps on “Figaro Chain”). Clan members U-God, Masta Killa, Ghostface and Raekwon also appear. The lead single, “Spring Water” featuring Raekwon, had a nice summertime vibe to it with its (rather blatant) sampling of Maze and Frankie Beverly’s “Joy and Pain”, but it was really unrepresentative of the overall sound of Heist Of The Century, which was much darker in comparison.

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When I first posted Kobe Trade Scenarios #1 and #2, it was mostly in jest. I say “mostly” because, although I wrote the majority of those posts under the influence of deception and betrayal, by the time “KTS1” actually made it to ML’s front page, Kobe had rescinded his trade demand just moments later (it’s like he was intentionally trying to spite me), and I thereafter made multiple changes what I was planning to post as “KTS2” to reflect that fact — I probably wouldn’t have even posted the 2nd one if I hadn’t finished writing it beforehand (I don’t like to let things go to waste). Little did I know that the 2 teams I had Kobe being traded to in my scenarios, New York and Chicago, are the 2 teams that he wants to be traded to in the midst of his thousandth trade demand since the Lakers’ elimination from the playoffs. [Here’s something to think about — what’s happened more often in the past few weeks? Kobe Bryant demanding a trade or Lil’ Wayne dropping a mixtape?]

In a post on his official website (which speaks to a much greater magnitude then a questionable newspaper report or Kobe running his mouth on the radio), Kobe says that he and Lakers’ owner Dr. Jerry Buss have “two different visions” for the Lakers’ future. I’d say that, as opposed to Kobe’s “fantasy land” vision, Dr. Buss’ vision is more reality-based, considering that teams who lose/get rid of a franchise player like Shaquille O’Neal aren’t exactly competing for championships the next day. It happened to the Orlando Magic when Shaq bounced from there in ’96 (Orlando hasn’t moved past the 1st round of the playoffs since), it’s happening to the Lakers now, and, sorry to break this to any Miami Heat fans reading this, but once Shaq retires, I doubt that y’all will really be making the extra effort to coordinate your outfits so damn well.

As the “resident Laker fan” to many close friends, I’m sick of defending Kobe. Every reason he gives to try to justify his actions of late just smell more and more bullshittier. I especially enjoy the whole “Dr. Buss lied to me”-angle. Now, I’ve got nothing but love for Jerry Buss — his pockets-got-the-mumps bank account has helped together some great rosters in the past. But, honestly, the guy comes off as a kind of sleazy — he’s 74 years old kicking it with Hugh Hefner, with fuck-buddies in their 20s (one of whom was riding shotgun during Dr. Buss’ recent DUI arrest). With his the face of his franchise on the verge of singing elsewhere, he told Kobe what Kobe wanted to hear — something along the lines of “We’ll build a contender again soon.” Dr. Buss purchased the Lakers in 1979 for $67.5 million, and that’s a probably a fraction of his net worth nowadays — I’m sorry, but you don’t get that rich by telling people the truth. If Kobe expects sympathy for taking the bait and falling for Dr. Buss’ sweet-talkin’ ways, then maybe a college education would’ve done him some good.

Kobe also wants to talk about the mistakes the Lakers have made in free agency, yet tries to front like he wasn’t with Magic Johnson and Phil Jackson, dialing up Vladimir Radmanovic at 9 a.m. in Serbia (as someone with relatives in Serbia, I know that Kobe was up at midnight to make that phone call), trying to get him to sign with the team — Vladimir did sign, and his first season was pretty much a disaster. It’s as if one minute Kobe is deep in the thick of things, discussing potential moves with the Lakers’ front office, and then the next minute, he’s on the outside looking in, acting like decisions are made without his input. With this sort of inconsistency of his part, it’s no surprise that Kobe’s changed his mind every other day about wanting to be a Laker.

If there’s anything that disappoints me about this whole ordeal, other than the obvious fact that my favorite NBA team appears on the verge of trading one of the game’s best players in recent memory, it’s the total lack of intrigue. When Shaq and Allen Iverson made their trade demands, there were lots of teams that could’ve been possible destinations for each. Meanwhile, in Kobe’s case, it looks like it’s down to only the Knicks and the Bulls. I’m not buying the hype about the Suns — I just can’t see the Lakers trading Kobe to a team in the Western Conference, let alone a team in their same division.

But, if there is one thing intriguing going on here, it would have to be this website, that claims to have video of Kobe speaking “openly” (i.e. curse words) about his frustration with the Lakers, and claims further that a “private party” offered $100,000 to have this video destroyed.

The video will soon be sold on this site for $1.99, for anyone out there who is still not sick of Kobe. At this point, I couldn’t blame you if you were.