Raekwon 'Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang' NYC Listening Session Report

Raekwon Shaolin Vs Wu-Tang on Ice H20/EMI arrives March 8, 2011

via The Boombox

On Wednesday night, Raekwon mingled with media while previewing his latest project 'Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang,' due everywhere on March 8. Originally positioned as Wu-Tang Clan's RZA-less followup to '8 Diagrams,' Raekwon, who takes credit for the name of the project, grabbed his title and ran with it. Good thing, too.

Listening to the 17 cuts (not including the bonus tracks) on the album, Rae does justice to the kung fu theme with soundbites from vintage martial art films and theatrical beats that segue songs titled 'Chop Chop Ninja,' 'Butter Knives' and 'The Scroll.' While Rae is the clear star, he isn't scared to share the stage with a laundry list of guests, including Nas, Rick Ross, Mobb Deep, Busta Rhymes, Jim Jones, Lloyd Banks, Raheem DeVaughn, Estelle, Black Thought and, as expected, Wu's Ghostface and Method Man. Ghost teams up with Rae on four tracks begging the question: When will we see a Chef and Ghost collaborative album?

As the room of bloggers and journalists chatted among themselves, took notes and tweeted, Rae stayed close to the speaker, eyes closed at times, and rapped his verses while bobbing his head to each track.

"We were tryna show y'all a little movie," Rae says of 'Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang.' The emcee succeeded. The conceptual project seems to work best through Rae's eyes making it easy to forgive the Clan for not releasing this as a group effort.

Tracklisting:
01. Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang (prod. Scram Jones)
02. Every Soldier In the World ft. Method Man (prod. Erick Sermon)
03. Silver Rings ft. Ghostface Killah (prod. Cilvaringz)
04. Chop Chop Ninja ft. Ghostface Killah & Estelle (prod. Bluerocks)
05. Butter Knives (prod. Bronze Nazareth)
06. Snake Pond (prod. Selasi)
07. Crane Style ft. Busta Rhymes
08. Rock N Roll ft. Ghostface Killah & Jim Jones (prod. DJ Khalil)
09. Rich & Black ft. Nas (prod. Sean C & LV)
10. From the Hills ft. Method Man & Raheem DeVaughn (prod. Kenny Dope)
11. Last Trip to Scotland ft. Lloyd Banks (prod. Scram Jones)
12. Ferry Boat Killaz (prod. Alchemist)
13. Dart School (prod. Allah Mathematics)
14. Molasses ft. Rick Ross & Ghostface Killah (prod. Xtreme)
15. The Scroll (prod. Evidence)
16. Masters of Our Fate ft. Black Thought (prod. Tommy Nova)
17. Wu Chant (Outro)

(video courtesy of The Urban Daily)

Wu-Tang Clan Dallas, TX Concert Recap

As reviewed by Jesse Hughey at the Dallas Observer. photo courtesy of Kevin Todora

(Friday, December 10th) The night started with Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) interspersed with Raekwon and GZA solo material, but frequently returned to the obvious crowd favorite 36 Chambers material. They even did "Method Man" in Method's absence, and the crowd didn't seem fazed.

Another highlight was a cameo by Erykah Badu, who stepped on stage long enough to soak in the roar of approval from the crowd but sadly didn't touch the mic. Still, the moment was enough to add to the love-fest, family reunion vibe. As did the appearance from Young Dirty Bastard, son of the late Ol' Dirty Bastard, who led the group through verses of "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" and "Baby I Got Your Money" in tribute to his father. Which might be why the group's sorta-sincere cover of the O'Jays "Family Reunion" went over so well.

Closing the set with 36 Chambers classics "C.R.E.A.M." and "Protect Ya Neck," the Wu departed in a swarm, leaving some random MCs on the stage to lead the crowd through chants of "Wu! Tang!" until the shouts gradually and awkwardly died down as the realization set in that yup, that was it.

read the full review HERE

Photos from the show HERE

Also read Dallas News review HERE



More video footage HERE

(above video courtesy of Ryan Richardson)

Wu-Tang Clan London, UK Concert Recap

via NME

Wu Tang Clan covered The Beatles classic 'Come Together' as they rounded off their UK tour in London tonight (Wednesday, August 4).

Lead singer RZA rapped over the opener to the Fab Four's 1969 album 'Abbey Road' at the end of their show at Brixton Academy for the band's first show in three years.

The rap collective played a host of tracks from their back catalogue with much of their material leaning towards their 1993 debut album 'Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)'.

Setting out their stall early on, RZA declared: "It is the year 2010 and Wu Tang Clan are on tour. Manchester was off the hook last night (August 3). This is the last night of our tour so we're going to save the best for last."

The tour was their first since 2007 and was meant to include the full line-up. But Method Man pulled out due to filming commitments for an episode of CSI. The rapper previously appeared in The Wire as Calvin 'Cheese' Wagstaff.

RZA acknowledged his absence, apologising to the throng towards the end. "We're sorry Method Man couldn't make it," he said. "He's in Hollywood. We're going to let him know how loud you were though."

RZA also announced his own forthcoming movie project The Man With The Iron Fist to the crowd.

Earlier the band paid tribute to late member Ol' Dirty Bastard, who died of an accidental drug overdose in 2004, by asking the audience to lift up lighters and mobile phones in his honour.

But the biggest cheer of the night was reserved for their only UK hit single 'Gravel Pit', which you can watch below.

Wu Tang Clan played:

'Protect Ya Neck'
'Clan In Da Front'
'Bring Da Ruckus'
'Tearz'
'Triumph'
'Ice Cream'
'Liquid Swords'
'U God'
'Reunited'
'It's Yourz'
'One Blood Under W'
'Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing Ta Fuck Wit'
'Da Mystery of Chessboxin'
'C.R.E.A.M.'
'Baby C'mon'
'Can It All Be So Simple'
'Gravel Pit'
'Come Together'

(video courtesy of kateit17)

Killah Priest 'The 3 Day Theory' Arrives July 6 With Artwork & Tracklist

Killah Priest The 3 Day Theory on Man Bites Dog Records entirely produced by Kount Fif in-stores and online July 6.

via press release
June 11th, 2010- Man Bites Dog Records announced today the release of the new Killah Priest album The 3 Day Theory. This LP has been 100% produced by Kount Fif (Man Bites Dog Records) who had worked with Killah Priest in the past on the track “Gun for Gun” with Nas which was featured on the Killah Priest album The Offering.

The world was first introduced to the magnificent of force of Killah Priest on GZA’s Liquid Swords album. Making his presence known on “4th Chamber” and then stealing the show with his classic solo song “B.I.B.L.E” (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth). His impressive debut on GZA’s album was enough to gain the attention of Geffen Records who released his first album “Heavy Mental” which quickly became a fan favorite and garnered Killah Priest new found success. Priest would later go on to release several solo albums as well as work on Gravediggaz album and become a founding member of Sunz of Man.

The 3 Day Theory finds Killah Priest again in a rare form, narrating the listener through stories of the dark and light (Good and Evil) in human nature. Tracks like “Psalm of Satan” were Priest offers up two twisted verses from the Fallen Angel Lucifer’s perspective, showing the true incredible prowess of this gifted MC. Sabac Red and Ill Bill (La Coka Nostra) also contribute two very unique and potent verses to the track.

Killah Priest is always showing the audience more than one side, is able to show his impressive story telling abilities on “Priest History” which explains his involvement with Wu Tang and his eventual solo rise in the music industry. Killah Priest who also always embraces change sharpens his lyrical swords and works with punch line/ battle rap MC’s Copywrite and Jakki da Moto Mouth on “Fire Reign”. Killah Priest on this track proves that he can hold his own, even with the most creative and witty of modern day ryhmers.

The backdrop and the driving force behind Killah Priest’s renewed spirit and aggressive energy is producer Kount Fif. Blessed with an exceptional ear for sound and rhythm, Kount Fif found the perfect complements for the darker atmosphere that Killah Priest was coming from on this record. Drawing from the darker side of 70’s soul and funk, Fif was able to carefully balance hard hitting beats with touches of the finer details making this album one of the most skillfully produced Killah Priest records in this last decade. The combination of Kount Fif’s production mixed with the lyrical genius of Killah Priest is a dangerous concoction that is sure to make any avid fan or new comer a loyal listener.

Killah Priest 'The 3 Day Theory' tracklist below:

01. Look at Life
02. Shadows
03. Betrayal ft. Cappadonna
04 Brolic ft. Empuls
05. Priest History
06. Fire Reign ft. Copywrite and Jakki Da Moto Mouth
07. The Destroyer ft. Steven King, iCON The Mic King, Sonny Seeza and Empuls
08. Birds ft. Jay Notes and Redd Mudd
09. Democracy ft. Canibus
10. Outer Body Experience
11. Psalm of Satan ft. Sabac Red and Ill Bill
12. The Rose
13. Circles ft. Last Emperor and 2mex
14. Words of a Viking

Click the link below to download the latest track:
Killah Priest - Shadows

Method Man In The Kitchen Cooking Up...Lasagna

If Italian food is your thing, Method Man demonstrates how to cook the noodles just right to make a mean lasagna.

(Video courtesy of Echelon Media)

Wu Massacre One Of A Kind Customized Sneakers By Break Your Neck

Wu Massacre Custom Blazers by Break Your Neck Urban Customs

Mike Norris at Break Your Neck Urban Customs shop on Melrose has out done himself this time, with a one of a kind Wu Massacre Custom Blazers promotional (as in not for sale, sorry folks) sneaker. Utilizing the illustrious artwork from Meth, Ghost & Rae's Wu Massacre release on Island/Def Jam which is in-stores now!

More Nas & RZA Live In Hawaii Video Footage

(video courtesy of Light Sleepers, Shinji Designs & juschokum)

Related:
Nas Live In Hawaii & RZA Gets In On The Action To Perform A Wu-Tang Classic

Nas Live In Hawaii & RZA Gets In On The Action To Perform A Wu-Tang Classic

At last night's (Friday March 19) Nas concert at the Aloha Tower Marketplace in Honolulu, Hawaii, RZA came out of nowhere as a special guest to perform the Wu-Tang classic "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nothing to F**k Wit." According to the concert promoter's twitter post Kanye West & DJ Qbert were also in attendance.

Although the flyer below says DJ Green Lantern was DJing during Nas set, Boston native Statik Seletah stepped in for Lantern for this show.

more fan shot footage below.





(video courtesy of InZaneRascaL, juschokum & matt higa)

GZA SXSW 2010 At Mohawk Showcase Review

A press clipping review reported by Andy Gross at Austin 360 / The Statesman

Thursday night (March 18) at Mohawk, the GZA, was not that man. And I’m pretty sure almost nobody in the crowd cared.

Taking the stage about 40 minutes late at 20 to 1 a.m., the GZA, one of the Wu-Tang Clan’s legendary M.C.s seemed….rickety? Overly relaxed? Barely able to stand up? One of those.

Let me put it this way: He had a hype man, he had a DJ and he had a dude who was essentially a spotter. This gentleman at one point literally put his hand on GZA’s back, perhaps to keep him from tipping over.

GZA stood very still for much of the set and at one point took out a Blackberry (smartphone?) and started texting. To his credit, he didn’t stop rapping. But he also decided to check some messages while on stage performing. Think about that. That’s considered rude when you’re ordering food at McDonald’s.

But again, it was unclear if anyone at Mohawk minded. SXSW crowds are more forgiving that you might think. After midnight, after a hard day of partying, people, to a certain extent, are just happy to still be awake. Mohawk was one of the night’s hotter tickets and as long as the GZA hit highlights from the Wu-Tang catalog (which he did) and rapped a whole bunch of verses from his brilliant debut “Liquid Swords” (ditto) people were going to be happy with it.

(A hype man also yelled, “Bill Murray is in the building,” but ol’ Bill was accused of being about four places at the same time, according to Twitter. Anyone know where he actually was? Are there fake Murrays running around?)

(video courtesy of crunchyMunchkin1)

SRC/Loud Records Founder Steve Rifkind Video Interview

(video coutesy of the Hip-Hop Chronicle UK)

Raekwon & Ghostface Killah Nokia Theatre NYC 'Wu-Massacre' Concert Recap

via Entertainment Weekly

Wu-Massacre, the album that Method Man, Raekwon, and Ghostface Killah are dropping March 30, whittles down the Wu-Tang Clan to three of its finest. Last night, that line-up was pared further to just Raekwon and Ghostface, for what was billed as an early Wu-Massacre release celebration at the Nokia Theater in NYC’s Times Square (Friday, March 5). There was some sense in making the trio a duo. Rae and Ghost, in particular, have often felt like a group within a group on the Clan’s releases. These guys go together like peanut butter and jelly, or pasta and tomato sauce — speaking of which, they collaborate often enough to have come up with the acronym R.A.G.U. (for “Rae and Ghost United”) to identify their joint efforts.



The concert began with a string of unimpeachable cuts from 1995’s classic Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… — technically Raekwon’s solo debut, but one to which Ghostface contributed heavily, earning prominent billing on the album’s cover. Their undiminished chemistry was evident in the show-opening string of “Criminology,” “Incarcerated Scarfaces,” “Ice Cream,” and “Verbal Intercourse.” Both rappers are essentially storytellers, Ghostface narrating crime sagas with a jumpy urgency, Raekwon doing the same in gravelly and matter-of-fact tones. Together they strode the stage like giants, joining in on one another’s lyrics at key points for emphasis.



After a few more tunes from their catalog (notably Ghostface’s “Mighty Healthy”), the pair retreated to the back of the stage while random New York mixtape rappers like Grafh and Red Cafe appeared to perform unannounced mini-sets. I’ve got nothing against those dudes, but as far as surprise guests go, I was hoping more for, well, Method Man, or at least Masta Killa. No such luck. At least we got to see Smif-n-Wessun do 1994’s “Bucktown,” whose rough NY sound isn’t so far removed from Rae and Ghost’s territory.



Thankfully, Rae and Ghost took center stage again before long. The crowd of die-hard Wu fans flipped out when they ran through several necessary selections from the Clan’s epochal 1993 debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), including “Bring da Ruckus,” “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta F— Wit,” “Shame on a N—-,” “C.R.E.A.M.” (You can see Raekwon do the latter song’s opening verse last night below, thanks to the magic of YouTube; some NSFW language, obviously.) It is never less than thrilling to hear these songs in any context, even when only two members of the nine-man group are present. Rae and Ghost paid tribute to their late friend Ol’ Dirty Bastard by performing his solo single “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” before returning to a few more of their own solo tunes (Raekwon’s “Canal Street,” Ghostface’s “Holla”).



Then came another series of guests, for some reason. A rapper identified only as “Ghost’s son” sounded like a much less experienced version of his dad (only fair, I suppose). Jim Jones walked on for “We Fly High” to much applause. It was interesting to see Rae and Ghost as the kind of elder statesmen who would cede so much of their own concert for the benefit of competitors like Jones — not something either of them have necessarily been best known for in the past. That generous spirit still wasn’t enough to make these interludes feel like smart uses of the audience’s time.

All was more or less forgiven by the crowd when the beat for the Clan’s 1997 single “Triumph” kicked in. No further members made last-minute appearances as Rae and Ghost closed out the show, sadly. Still, my only real complaint last night was that the two main performers didn’t go even deeper into their shared catalog. Concerts can have far worse problems than that. Were any of you at the Nokia Theater last night? Are you looking forward to Wu-Massacre?

Photos:
Getty Images
Wire Image

More fan shot footage below.



(video courtesy of t2optimus, ladiemare & eja688)

Raekwon FUSE TV's 'The Hip Hop Shop' Interview

Shot on Thursday, February 18 aired Wednesday, February 24. Raekwon talks ODB influence on him and Wu-Tang Clan.

Photos:
Getty Images
Rex Features
Star Trak Photos

Raekwon: 'Wu-Massacre' Entertainment Weekly Interview

Entertainment Weekly: Moving on to this album you’re doing with Meth and Ghost, Wu-Massacre, when did you start working on that?

Raekwon: I’d say probably four or five months ago. We just wanted to make another album that really represents our brand, which is the W. When you think of Wu-Tang, we’ve been in the business for damn near almost, what, 17 years? We just want to make sure that people still know that we didn’t go nowhere — musically, passionately about hip-hop. When you get records like this, it helps keep the W flag up high. You know what I mean? Like the American flag. We gotta take care of that flag.

Entertainment Weekly: How did you decide to make an album with those two guys specifically?

Raekwon: It was something that was going to happen sooner or later. Us three, we always work good together throughout the years. On a lot of records, me, Ghost, and Meth was always next to each other. If you look at [the Wu-Tang Clan] as being the Lakers, we are the MVPs of the team. We are the ones that everybody may feel like takes us to the championship. Everybody else is going to play their position, but these three are definitely going to have to control the ball at some point. This is what the fans been wanting, man…You know, I work for the fans.

Entertainment Weekly: From your perspective, what do you three bring to a project? How do you balance each other out?

Raekwon: When we get together, it’s a lot of energy in the building, because everybody knows Meth, Rae, and Ghost for being super-lyrical, but still got that great character inside their rhymes. I guess that’s why people really is excited about this record. They’re saying, “Yo, these dudes put the Wu where they need to be at.” I don’t look at it like that. I look at us all as being one, still. I understand some may have a little bit more special gift than others, but it’s still a team effort. I love to get on tracks with brothers like Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa, the GZA. The whole crew is golden, man. When you think of us, you gotta say, “Yo, these are the Jacksons of hip-hop.” But for me to get in a room with Meth and Ghost and do an album, it’s serious to me. I know it’s going to be a lot of lyrics in there, it’s going to be a lot of great energy, stories. We all master these different departments of rhyming. So you’re just going to get a great album.

Which producers did you work with on Wu-Massacre?

Raekwon: Being that everyone was so spread out, we didn’t really get a chance to be hands-on on everything. You’ve got Meth doing a movie, you’ve got Ghost over here super-touring, you’ve got me just dropped an album, having to move around. So we did a lot of phone tag. But we did get [some opportunities] to sit around and vibe out. As far as the producers on the album, they did their thing as well. Shout out Pete Rock. Shout out everybody, man. Cats realize that hip-hop is going back to its beats and rhymes format again. Everybody came in and did their part. It’s just about staying busy. If you look at this as a sport, we gotta stay in practice, man: Stay going to practice, stay looking at the tapes, stay looking at the things that you may have done wrong and learn from them. That’s what we did. We came together to make another great album and keep that flag alive.

Read the full interview here:
Entertainment Weekly - Raekwon: The Music Mix Q&A

RZA Talks Art With Baller Status

BallerStatus.com: Why is ODB and GZA the only members of the Wu featured in the Victory or Death art piece?

RZA: Two reasons. One: the pioneers of the Wu-Tang sound is RZA, GZA and Old Dirty. We started as teenagers, and we were the first foundation of the group, and everyone else was, in one way or another, students of ours. So, we brought the three masters, the three elders together for the piece. Ask the other Wu-Tang members and they'll tell you that RZA, GZA and Old Dirty are the teachers. Ghost said "I learned from the best." That means RZA, GZA and Old Dirty. Everybody will tell you that we are the ones who inspired them. So that's the main reason why we said "let's use them, that'll be enough." We did talk about using the whole Clan at one point because we thought it would make a great album cover, but Wu-Tang is so scattered in ideas and scattered in business right now, we didn't wanna get a business jamboree going on. Even though I do have the rights to do it, I didn't want to go through the headache of arguing over my own rights.

BallerStatus.com: What did you think of the piece once it was finished? Was there anything you would've changed?

RZA: No, I think it came out good. It wasn't a predestined thing to do, so the results are the results. That's one thing about true art. It's something that's spontaneous, that's done, that you can't change. That's what made some of the Wu-Tang stuff so raw too. I didn't fix a lot of sh**. You hear all the "yo's" and the "check one twos." I was like "Let that sh** stay." That's the rawness of it, the realness of it. Now with Pro Tools, we edit everything and we adlib and sh**, but my most successful work has been the spontaneous things that I've done.

BallerStatus.com: Initially, was a project like this something you ever thought about doing?

RZA: I've been to Paris many times in my life. I even had a villa 25 miles outside of Paris. But honestly, I had never really seen the city, paid attention to the city. It wasn't until the spring of 2009 that I had two weeks in Paris and I went to their museums and went to the Eiffel Tower and went more like a tourist and absorbed the city, and that's when I really appreciated Paris and the whole French culture. I also got a great appreciation for art. It's funny how when you're young, you don't see the beauty in things. I remember I was in San Francisco at the Museum of Abstract Art, and I took my son and my wife there, and we were looking around, and I kind of caught the vibe of what they were doing. Two years ago or five years ago, I wouldn't have caught it. I think as we grow and become more refined, more cultured, our tastes become stronger. We have more of an understanding of things. So, if I can inspire somebody to say "let me go over here and check this museum" and see the artistic nature of the mind, the consciousness that art derives from, and how it comes into the consciousness, I think that it'll help people. It's a good thing for culture.

BallerStatus.com: Have you done any art yourself in your spare time?

RZA: I'm an artist, so my life is art. Most of my artistic nature has been given over to my daughter, who draws something every day. She has hundreds of drawings that one day I may use for some kind of comic book line or art direction for a movie or something.

Meth, Ghost & Rae 'Wu Massacre' Artwork & Tracklist Posted Online

Meth, Ghost & Rae - 'Wu Massacre' on Island/Def Jam arrives March 30.

01. Criminology 2.5
02. Meth vs Chef
03. Ya Moms Skit
04. Smooth Sailing Remix ft. Solomon Childs
05. Our Dreams
06. Gunshowers ft. Inspectah Deck & Cappadonna
07. Dangerous
08. Pimpin’ Chipp
09. How To Pay Rent Skit ft. Tracy Morgan
10. Miranda
11. Youngtown Heist
12. Breaka Breaka
13. Made Men

tracklist props to RapRadar via The Urban Daily

Wu-Tang Clan: Return of the Wu & Friends With DJ Mathematics

On Return of the Wu & Friends, Wu-Tang producer and DJ Mathematics collects exclusive tracks, lost gems and old time favorites featuring all nine emcees from the mighty Wu.

Mathematics Presents Return Of The Wu And Friends on Gold Dust Media/Nature Sounds in-stores and online February 16th.

GZA Live @ The Echoplex L.A.

Related:
GZA Talks Indie Rock Collaborations With The L.A. Times

GZA Talks Indie Rock Collaborations With The L.A. Times

How did you end up collaborating with The Black Lips and King Khan?

Originally, it came about through my manager Heathcliff [Berru]. The bands were fans of Wu-Tang and I and we decided to perform together. It worked out well; they’re good musicians and we have a mutual admiration and love. The thing is, they were already connecting with me in some way first. I’d never heard their music before, but I was feeling it and when I saw both of those groups perform live, I knew I could work with them. The vibe was there.

Much of current hip-hop -- particularly the more mainstream iteration -- is characterized by glossy shiny-sounding production. Did some of your desire to work with the Black Lips and King Khan stem from the similarity of their lo-fi aesthetic to the beats you came up rhyming on?

That’s my problem with the stuff today -- it doesn’t sound raw and uncut. When the Black Lips sent a track over to me, I thought it sounded like a Beastie Boys track, the way the singer was singing and flowing on it. He was right in the pocket. You don’t get hip-hop that sounds that gritty anymore, you get some Auto-tune, ping-pong computer-made and Casio stuff.

And the collaboration with Devendra Banhart?

GZA: I met Devendra at Coachella. I watched him and Gang Gang Dance perform and thought they both put on really great performances. I was like ‘who is this guy,’ because he was rocking, and it turned out that he was a big fan. When I met him, he told me what an honor it was and how much he loved “Liquid Swords” and Wu-Tang. So it was a beautiful connection.

A lot of rappers have tried to chase whatever trend was hot, whether it’s Auto-tune or getting the hottest R&B hookman on a track, but you’ve carved out a different path.

I think it’s about being original and creative. You’ve got to be comfortable with yourself. There’s no set way to do anything. Sometimes you have to go outside the box, sometimes you can do things the standard way. Like you don’t have to have a beat to write a song, sometimes you can write lyrics without the music. A lot of artists think that to be current, you have to follow what’s out there and do something that’s so unlike what you normally do. It can work but it doesn’t if you chase it.

What’s the current status of your next album with the indie-rock collaborations? Also, what’s going on with the Wu-Tang? Are there plans to do another album?

I’ve got some songs done for my own album, but I’m still writing and recording. There’s been talks about doing another Wu-Tang album and going out on the road to promote it. We’ve just all got to get together and do it. (source)

Method Man & Redman Live In Sydney, Australia

Method Man & Redman performed at the Forum in Sydney, Australia Saturday January 9, 2010.

(video courtesy of HJ915)

RZA: New iPhone App iDrum

via the Wall Street Journal

RZA has brought his beats to the iPhone App Store. The famed hip-hop producer and rapper from the Wu-Tang Clan has released a branded edition of iZotope’s popular iDrum application.

The iDrum app is a consumer version iZotope’s professional grade software. The application allows users to combine pre-recorded beats and loops to compose original music with much more control than was possible in previous music making programs. For CEO Mark Ethier, the iPhone edition of the software is meant to fill a niche between games like Guitar Hero and high-end audio-engineering programs, like ProTools.

Previous versions of the app allowed users to produce music in genres like rock or club music. iZotope also began partnering with established musicians, such as Depeche Mode and Ministry of Sound to use elements from their music. The RZA edition includes a mix of 17 new and classic beats that users can use as a foundation for their own creations.

For artists, the chance to release elements of music through iDrum presents an opportunity to promote their music in a new format and to increase sales at a time music business is struggling. Depeche Mode took advantage of the opportunity by releasing their version of iDrum along with their latest album.

RZA says that the benefits of releasing original loops to the public doesn’t have any obvious economic benefit for him, besides the contract he has with iZotope. He doesn’t have a new album out and isn’t putting together a concert tour. But he thinks that, “eventually it will all come back around” by introducing new people to his back catalog. RZA said that it took him and his engineer eight days to dig through old digital audio tapes and floppy disks and to create new sounds in his studio.

The app, which costs $4.99, was released in late November. Though iZotope wouldn’t say how many times it has been downloaded, the company says the RZA edition is its popular iDrum yet and is planning to partner with more artists in the future.