Video Music Box: Raekwon - House of Flying Daggers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdG3fgBZZbI

For the second Video Music Box, here is Raekwon's video for "House of Flying Daggers", which features Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, and Method Man. It is produced by the late J Dilla.

Directed by Eric Sasso and Brian Wendelken for Chain Gang Productions, the video is an animated effort. It features an intro by RZA that isn't in the song. The story begins with RZA explaining the events.There was a massacre at Shaolin, that was apparently the work of one thousand warriors. A legendary assassin known as The Hunter was seen there. But then RZA drops the bomb... The Hunter had nothing to do with it... and it was only five.

Cue the song. The song... fuck the song is awesome. I remember when ?uestlove leaked it on Twitter and Raekwon followed up the next day, dropping a CD quality version.

Anyway, the video shows the five (Raekwon, Deck, Ghost, Meth, and GZA) just kicking the shit out of warriors, but in between, it shows their fighting style. For exampe, Inspectah Deck is "Scorpion style" which means he can apparently kick your fucking brain out of your skull and onto the ground. Raekwon is "Toad style", meaning he can punch you under the chin and watch blood fly out the back of your head. Oh, and he can block and unneccessarily long katana using just his forearm. Yeah... GZA (why doesn't he have a verse on this song?) would be "Centipede style", meaning he could repeatedly pound your face. Next up would be Ghostface who is "Snake style", with the ability TO FUCKING PUSH YOUR SPINAL CORD OUT OF YOUR BODY BY POKING YOU WITH TWO FINGERS. WHAT?! Method Man is "Lizard style", meaning he can climb up walls or something. They don't give him much to do here.

After killing tons of warriors, The Hunter shows back up. As he begins being engulfed in a blue light that pulls up his solder's dead bodies, a black cloaked figure begins to move behind him. It sneaks up on him and snaps his neck, revealing that the black cloaked figure is actually one Ol' Dirty Bastard. The video ends by closing up on the Wu-Tang symbol on a door.

To be honest, this video is amazing. You definitely need to watch this above, and then get it for you iPod.

Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... (August 1, 1995)

Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...

I was all set to write up a review of the Wu-Tang debut album... but then this shit happened. And to hopefully bump up my (nonexistant) views, I decided to review Raekwon's classic debut album.

Method Man is the charasmatic one. Ol' Dirty Bastard was the crazy one. GZA was the lyricist. So how did Raekwon get the honor of releasing the third solo album from a Wu-Tang member? Did he get lucky? Did RZA sign off on the wrong album? Or was the combination of Corey Woods and Dennis Coles' maifoso lyrics, combined with Robert Diggs's cinematic production set up to create one of the greatest albums in the hip-hop genre?

Well, it certainly couldn't be that last part.

For Raekwon's classic debut, RZA provided the production for all 18 tracks. Rae also enlisted Ghostface Killah (who would release his debut album a little over a year later) to appear on 14 of the 18 tracks (Ghostface would do the same for Raekwon, having him appear on 13 of the 17 tracks on Ironman).

1. Striving for Perfection (feat. Ghostface KIllah)
Produced by RZA
An album intro. Nothing special.

2. Knuckleheadz (feat. Ghostface KIllah & U-God)
Produced by RZA
I personally would've had U-God in the middle, so Raekwon gets you interested in the beginning and Ghostface can pull you out of that nap you involuntarily have whenever U-God drops a verse. What do you mean you don't know what I'm talking about? What do you mean not everyone gets bored when they listen to U-God? Stop lying, that's common sense. Oh, for the song. Damn good until U-God comes in and ruins the sozzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

3. Knowledge God
Produced by RZA
Wait, what happened? I just dozed off. Ghostface only drops by for the intro and does absolutely nothing of importance, so he's uncredited in my book. Raekwon (who is credited... just incase you forgot) spits two hot verses on the first great song of a classic album with so many.

4. Criminology (feat. Ghostface Killah)
Produced by RZA
This shit is just amazing. RZA's simple, yet awesome beat, combined two great verses from our host and his co-host make this the second best song on the album (you'll see the best one coming soon).

5. Incarcerated Scarfaces
Produced by RZA
Meh. This isn't too bad, but then again, it isn't too good, either.

6. Rainy Dayz (feat. Ghostface Killah & Blue Raspberry)
Produced by RZA
Samples both Michael Jackson's cover of "Ain't No Sunshine" and John Woo's film The Killer. What a weird combination. This song just rocks. Rae and Ghost both sound amazing. Plus Blue Raspberry ain't so bad herself.

7. Guillotine (Swordz) (feat. Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, & GZA)
Produced by RZA
You know the beginning of Method Man's "Tical", with the teaser beat that then switches up into the actual beat? Well, RZA decides to pull that beat from Meth and give it over to Rae for the necessary Wu-posse cut. The four all sound great, which makes me wonder why Inspectah Deck can't seem to put together a good album to save his life. The other three put together great albums. What was the common link between those? (RZA.)

8. Can It Be All So Simple (Remix) (feat. Ghostface Killah)
Produced by RZA
Of all the Wu-Tang songs to do a remix of, they pick my least favorite off the debut album. As such, I still don't like this.

9. Shark N---as (Biters) (feat. Ghostface Killah)
Produced by RZA
A skit/interlude in which Ghostface Killah discusses his hatred for biters, with Raekwon agreeing every now and then.

10. Ice Water (feat. Ghostface Killah & Cappadonna) Produced by RZA
Oh, hey, look. Cappadonna's prety good on here. Too bad that wouldn't last. Oh, and the song's good, too. So... yeah.

11. Glaciers of Ice (feat. Ghostface Killah & Masta Killa) Produced by RZA
The beat's nice. And the dynamic duo of Raekwon and Ghostface both sound awesome. Oh, and Masta Killa drops by, too. How nice of him. Though, Blue Raspberry sounds really... really... bad in her backing vocals.

12. Verbal Intercourse (feat. Ghostface Killah & Nas) Produced by RZA
Nas has the distinction of being the first non-Wu associated member to be on a Wu-associated album. After an annoying 30-second intro, Rae, Ghost, and Nas all jump into what is my favorite track off the album. But that could be due to the fact Nas is my favorite MC. When I first listened to the album, I skipped to the track, once again, due to my Nas bias. What did I hear? A fucking amazing track with great verses from the three stars (primarily Nas).

13. Wisdom Body (feat. Ghostface Killah)
Produced by RZA
Raekwon allows Ghostface to have a solo showcase here. Ghost repay the favor to Rae, allowing him to rhyme solo on "The Faster Blade" from Ironman... and with RZA, Inspectah Deck, and Masta Killa on "Assassination Day". RZA's production here is pretty good. And it appears a line from Ghostface's verse either skips or is backmasked. But, meh, Ghost sounds pretty damn good here.

14. Spot Rusherz
Produced by RZA
It's a good song, but in terms of Raekwon solo tracks, "Knowledge God" tops it.

15. Ice Cream (feat. Ghostface Killah, Method Man, & Cappadonna)
Produced by RZA
I. LOVE. THIS. SONG.

16. Wu-Gambinos (feat. Ghostface Killah, Masta Killa, Method Man, & RZA)
Produced by RZA
RZA steps out from behind the boards and brings Method Man and Masta Killa (they were hiding behind the boards) for the second Wu posse cut. Method Man (who was assigned hook duties on the last song) spits the best verse here, but it's not like Rae, Ghost, RZA, and Masta are bad. However, in terms of Wu posse cuts on OB4CL, I prefer "Guillotine (Swordz)".

17. Heaven & Hell (feat. Ghostface KIllah)
Produced by RZA
The debut single that introduced us to Raekwon's solo career, and, of course, it features Ghostface Killah. RZA's beat on here is fucking awesome. Though, Blue Raspberry annoys me with her backing vocals. However, that doesn't distract me from the main attraction of Rae and Ghost passing the mic back and forth, making an awesome track.

And this can be listed as a bonus track...

18. North Star (Jewels) (feat. Popa Wu)
Produced by RZA
Popa Wu seems to annoy me on everything's he's on, though, even with that, Rae and RZA bring us a decent song to send us out on. The beat is nice, too. So... that's good... yeah...

Conclusion: Wait, you don't have it? Da fuck, man? DA FUCK?! Go pick this shit up. And then find an instrumental version and download that.

Coming Soon
Ghostface Killah - Ironman
Slaughterhouse - Slaughterhouse
Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Track Reviews #2: Crooked I, Eminem, Nas, Raekwon, & More...

For our second edition of track reviews, we have new tracks from an apparent DEA informant, an Albino, a hustla, a crook, a white guy, a Chicago native not named Kanye or Lupe, a legend, a chef, and a supergroup.

Let's go in.

Alfamega - Round One
Leading us off is the supposed T.I. diss by Alfamega, which Alfamega has said isn't true. And it doesn't really sound like a T.I. diss, so I'm gonna have to agree. It was supposed to be off a mixtape called 10 Round K.O., in which he would do 10 songs, each featuring a different flow. However, Alfa says he's not gonna release it because it would be misintrepeted as a T.I. diss. Diss or not, this is actually a pretty good track.

Brother Ali - Us
Here comes my first taste of Brother Ali, "Us" off the album with the same name which drops September 22nd. Brother Ali's flow is half-singing, half-rapping, all good. The track is relatively quick, as Ali drops 1 verse and moves on. However, I'm tempted to check out The Undisputed Truth now.

Cassidy - Ok, You're Right Freestyle
Oh, hey, Cassidy's still around. He hops on 50 Cent's "Ok, You're Right", produced by Dr. Dre to meh results.

Crooked I - 8-11 Part 3 (The H's on the Side)
Here's Crooked's third "8-11." This time, he hops on the beat for "Best I Ever Had" to good results. While I don't like it better than the second "8-11", this is a good track. I wonder when Crooked's gonna release the Mr. Pig Face Weapon Waist EP. And it makes remind myself to go back and listen to go and download one of his mixtapes. Oh, Crooked's new "Slaugterhouse" tattoo... lol.

Eminem - The Warning
You've probably heard this song by now, but I'm gonna talk about it anyway. This is Eminem's diss track to Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon, a response to the former's "Obsessed," which featured a remix alongside Ja Rule (who is still alive) and Gucci Mane (who still sucks). What does this track do ultimately? Well, it pretty much ends this lame feud... that is unless Mariah or Nick respond, in which case Eminem will presumably release nude pics of Mariah. Oh, Em talking about cumming over Mariah's stomach. Funny. Em talking about killing Mariah. Unneccessary.

GLC - A Gangstaz Nature (feat. Cold Hard)
My first listen of GLC without Kanye. Who the hell Cold Hard is... I don't know. But his voice is goddamn annoying. GLC sounds decent, but ultimately, I think I'm gonna delete this track.

Nas - Legendary
Picked this up thanks to Hip Hop Connection's digital magazine. They gave a free .mp3 of it with this description:

An exclusive from the top notch Tyson DVD, here the boy Esco gets into fight mode. Seconds out!

It begins with 40 seconds of orchestra shit and then the beat kicks in and Nas goes in. Great track... but I think I have this track already.
EDIT: I have it on the mixtape Nas dropped before Untitled. Still a good track.

Raekwon - House of Flying Daggers (feat. Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, & Method Man)
So, first ?uestlove posted a radio rip on Twitter. Then the next morning, the clean CDQ version was on illRoots. Then later in the day, I found the dirty CDQ version on NahRight. Inspectah Deck leads us off with a good verse, but he's obviously not the main feature. As everyone's looking forward to the Ghost/Meth/Rae collab (let's hope that album actually pops up). Rae's verse sounds great, so does Ghost's. Meth is also good... overall, great song. Oh, and it's over J Dilla production. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2 drops September 8th. Can't wait.

Raekwon - Wu Ooh (feat. Ghostface Killah & Method Man)
I know I'm late on this, seeing as it dropped sometime around May, but I just got it last night... thanks to Hip Hop Connection digital issue #2. The beat's good, though I find myself sometimes concentrating on the "Wuuuu... ooooooh" every now and then. That may just be me. Rae, Ghost, and Meth's verses all sound great. That album they're thinkin about could fucking awesome, provided they get some get good beats (I heard they were thinking of making it pretty much all RZA production). Great song. Can't wait for OB4CL2.

Slaughterhouse - Microphone
Okay, so I lied. I had finished writing this and looking at the Slaughterhouse album on Wikipedia and saw that there was a track produced by The Alchemist and I Google'd it and found it uploaded on OnSmash. So I downloaded it. Onto the song... the beat's good, featuring what I think is a Rakim sample (all I hear is a vague "microphone" in the beat). Royce, Crook, Joell, and Joe all come with hot verses making this my second favorite song so far (can't beat "The One"... or "Woodstock (Hood Hop)" for that matter, but apparently, that isn't on the album). I'm definitely copping Slaughterhouse on August 11th. And you should, too.

Shuffle Saturday: Ghostface Killah - Fishscale (March 28, 2006)

Ghostface Killah - Fishscale

Introducing the second of several gimmick posts, this is Shuffle [whatever]day. Basically, I click through shuffle until my clock goes to the next minute (today it was 7:30 to 7:31 yay...) and then whatever song is up there, that's the album I do. This time, it was Ghostface Killah's Fishscale.

Ghostface Killah, better known to his family as Dennis Coles, was born on May 9th, 1970. He was raised in the Stapleton housing projects in Staten Island. He made his debut on Protect Ya Neck, alongside the rest of his Wu-Tang brethern (albeit under the name "Ghost Face Killer"). After that, Ghostface appeared on the Wu-Tang debut albums, as well as the first four solo albums, before he got his own debut.

Ironman was released October 29, 1996 and was the last solo album of RZA's "five year plan." The album was followed by the conclusion of the plan, Wu-Tang Forever, a double disc CD. Ironman warranted Ghostface a seecond solo album, the final fo second batch of Wu solo albums, Supreme Clientele. The album was hailed as the best sophmore solo albums.

After Supreme Clientele, Ghostface dropped Bulletproof Wallets, an album that presumably attempted to draw paralells to Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... and Ghostface's own Ironman, by featuring Rae on the cover and on 5 of the 16 songs.

He followed that up with The Pretty Toney Album, released under the moniker "Ghostface." Which was itself followed up by Fishscale. Fishscale was received well with critics, and debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200, his highest placing since Ironman.

However, was it worth it? Well if I said it was my second favorite Ghostface album, would you keep on reading? (No.) Oh... well then...

1. The Return of Clyde Smith (Skit)
A really boring, unnecessary intro. Only thing slightly interesting is that Ghost is Clyde Smith this time around, as opposed to Raekwon from Supreme Clientele.

2. Shakey Dog
Produced by Lewis Parker
Can't really say I've heard anything else from Lewis Parker, but the beat is pretty good. Ghost's lyrics are on point, making a great opening song. Something worth noting, at the end, Ghost says "to be continued..." Could we see a Shakey Dog 2 sometime soon?

3. Kilo (feat. Raekwon)
Produced by MoSS
Who the hell is MoSS? The hook sounds like they pulled it straight off a Schoolhouse Rock special. However, Rae and Ghost both sound good. Though, Rae's last verse is just weird.

4. The Champ
Produced by Just Blaze
I like Just Blaze. And his beat sounds really good, plus Ghost is great over it. I'd be a much bigger fan of this if it weren't for WWE's Smackdown vs. Raw 2007. Damn them for having that song play for what seems like every 10 minutes, along with Lil' Scrappy's "Money in the Bank" (ugh) and Three Days Grace's "Riot" (again, ugh). However, still a great song.

5. Major Operation (Skit)
Did this really need a spot on the tracklisting? IT'S 6 FUCKING SECONDS.

6. 9 Milli Bros. (feat. Wu-Tang Clan)
Produced by MF DOOM
I still don't understand why RZA didn't provide a beat for this... and why he didn't provide a verse. I mean hell, ODB has a verse on here (though, it's only five lines, two of which contain two words, "Brooklyn," and "zoo")... Cappadonna has a verse on here, surely RZA couldn't dropped 16 bars. MF DOOM's production is "Fenugreek," taken off Special Herbs, Vol. 1. All-in-all, it sounds good, though.

7. Beauty Jackson
Produced by J Dilla
Dilla's production here is "Hi." taken from Donuts, an amazing album. Ghost hops on the beat for a good verse.

8. Heart Street Directions (Skit)
This skit is just stupid.

9. Columbus Exchange (Skit) / Crack Spot
Produced by Crack Val
Columbus exchange would be another skit in the same vein as Major Operation from up above. Never heard of Crack Val, but he provides a decent beat for a decent, nothing special song.

10. R.A.G.U. (feat. Raekwon)
Produced by Pete Rock
R.A.G.U. obviously stands for "Rae(kwon) and Ghost United." I wonder if these two will ever collaborate for a full album. Though, now, there are talks that we could get a Ghost/Rae/Method album. This song is great... like pretty much every Rae/Ghost collabo.

11. Bad Mouth Kid (Skit)
Another boring skit.

12. Whip You With a Strap
Produced by J Dilla
Like the previous Dilla contribution, the beat is taken from Dilla's Donuts, this one being "One for Ghost." As the title hints to, Ghost discusses his childhood punishments. Well, that wasn't what I was expecting (back when I first heard it of course).

13. Back Like That (feat. Ne-Yo)
Produced by Xtreme
Who's Xtreme? I'm gonna admit it, as far as Ghost's contractually-required songs for the radio go... I like this one. Presumably because I enjoy Ne-Yo on the hook, since I've always thought he was a great singer. However, I don't think I've ever heard Ne-Yo swear like that. So much for that gentlemen style he had going on, you aren't a gentleman when you call her a bitch, Ne-Yo... (ikid). Oh, but I find the fact that he's saying him cheating on her was completely fine... but when she dates/fucks someone he hates, it's like she just ordered a hit on Ne-Yo's family... heh.

14. Be Easy (feat. Trife da God)
Produced by Pete Rock
I think this was the first single. Whatever it is, this song is fucking awesome.

15. Clipse of Doom (feat. Trife da God)
Produced by MF DOOM
Am I the only one who thinks that this name would be good for a Clipse/DOOM collabo? Like DOOM's previous contribution, the beat is swiped from his Special Herbs series, this time it's "Bergamot Wild" from Volume 3. This is the second song in a row where Trife handles chorous while Ghost dominates the verses.

16. Jellyfish (feat. Theodore Unit)
Produced by MF DOOM
"Sumac Berries" from Vol. 1. And Ghost singing in the beginning of his verse kinda stands out. His verse is the best here, while Cappadonna has the worst. A meh song.

17. Dogs of War (feat. Raekwon & Theodore Unit)
Produced by Pete Rock
Theodore Unit make their second consecutive appearance (Trife's fourth), but this time, they bring back Raekwon. Sun God and Trife sound good, Ghost and Rae have the best verses on here, look above to see my thoughts on Cap's verse.

18. Barbershop
Produced by Studio Steve
I'm gonna guess Studio Steve just appeared out of thin air and provided Ghost a beat when he needed one, because I don't know who the hell he is. This is pretty much a skit with an added verse.

19. Ms. Sweetwater (Skit)
The sixth skit.... ugh.

20. Big Girl
Produced by Ghostface Killah
Ghost's self-produced track. No chorus, just Ghost rhyming... and then talking. I like it.

21. Underwater
Produced by MF DOOM
"Orange Blossoms" from Vol. 5. This song is just weird. Ghostface is lost underwater... and one line describes him meeting up with SpongeBob... what the fuck?

22. The Ironman Takeover (Skit)
Skit #7. Please refer to track #5.

23. Momma (feat. Megan Rochell)
Produced by The Hitmen
Not that bad... but not that good, either.

I guess this is a bonus track...

24. Three Bricks (feat. The Notorious B.I.G. & Raekwon)
Produced by Cool & Dre
Apparently, this was cut from that horrible Duets album that was put out a couple of years ago. That should give an idea of this song's quality.

Conclusion: Buy this. No, seriously, go do it. This is probably gonna be the best Wu-related album of the 2000s (only Raekwon has the chance to top it, come on OB4CL2).

Blah blah blah new blog coming tonight blah blah if I'm not tired blah blah.