[Comp] LA THE DARKMAN - "Darkman Sightings Volume One"

Back in the mid- to late '90s Wu-Tang was pretty much the epitome of dope and original East Coast Hip-Hop which is hardly suprising considering that everything that carried that powerful "W"-emblem at that time promised of the highest musical standards this genre has to offer. One of the most cherished discs to come out of the camp from someone not in the immediate circle (as in the 9 generals) around this time was the 1998 debut album of LA The Darkman. Already back in '96 dedicated underground followers and DJs had been introduced to the very young Grand Rapids, MI to Crown Heights, BK verbal spitter through his outstanding apperance on the first "Soul Assassins" compilation and his own 12" single "I Want It All" / "As The World Turns". With an immediately recognizable voice, a whole lot of attitutde, cinematic street stories for days and musical co-signings by some of the heaviest names around at the time (including DJ Muggs, Carlos Broady of The Hitmen, 4th Disciple, Raekwon, RZA, Ghost and Masta Killa) it was clear from the get go that LAD had a whole lot of potential and was not only street smart, but also business smart like a MF. With the aforementioned debut album this potential was more than realized and with songs like "Lucci", "Shine", "Street Life", "Love", "Polluted Wisdom" and so on it's hard to deny that "Heist Of The Century" to this day still holds up as a somewhat overlooked street classic. It is extremely well crafted from both a production, writing, performance and sequencing standpoint and still sound as fresh as when it first dropped - always inviting a front-to-back listen despite it's 70 minutes duration.

Since then fans have been holding their breath for a proper second LP from the MC who at times has been called "the 11th member of Wu-Tang Clan" by official sources... and kept holding it. Though there's been rumors of LAD working on a project called "Darkman II" throughout the years it seems that The Darkman's heart is not in making an album as such anymore. Despite his talents it seems that LA is more interested in the business aspect of the hip-hop game than making another full-length LP as I guess he feels he has already proven his point - which was that he can make a dope album enough which will let him live on this hip-hop shit through the doors that album opened for him. Through his Wu connection and business savy he was able to make more money of his debut than a lot of artists on a major label would do by going two times platinum. Instead he has kept his name alive through the ocassional guest spot and a bunch of mixtapes - including a stint with DJ Drama and The Aphilliates. Musically he largely seems to have passed the baton to his younger brother Willie The Kid who is a very dope rapper in his own right (though for my money, he is no LA The Darkman).

I've been a fan of LA since the first time I heard him and I like many, many others have eagerly waited for a proper follow up to that incredible album that hit us all so hard back in '98. I have never been crazy about the type of non-turntablist DJ driven mixtapes that are so popular these days and has thus missed a lot of crazy material from the man throughout the years. Thanks to a discussion with constant Lost Tapes supporter and homie Antoine, who was nice enough to shoot me through a folder of his personal favorites of the deep LAD mixtape catalouge, I decided it was time for myself to fine comb that very catalouge for myself. As a result I am going to present to you with two different compilations of LA The Darkman entitled "Darkman Sightings". This first volume focuses on his illest guest apperances, spanning from the very earliest LAD sighting on "Devil in a Blue Dress" to more recent lore like the excellent "Fuck That Man Up" with Sean Price, J-Love and Willie The Kid and his contribution to Bronze Nazareth and Willie The Kid LP. Volume Two will be a compilation of the best from his many mixtapes so stay tuned but don't forget to blast this one LOUD AS FUCK!

01. "I Want It All" [Cents Mix] [Clean]

02. "Devil in a Blue Dress" [prod. by DJ Muggs]
03. "Pain in Many Forms" (w. Bowtie & Kool G Rap)
04. "Fire Implanters" (w. Bronze Nazareth)
05. "War Zone" (w. Division, Prodigal Sunn, Timbo King & 60 Sec.)
06. "Rap Scholar" (w. Deadly Venoms) [prod. by RZA]
07. "Hav Mercy" (w. Killa Sin) [prod. by Mathematics]
08. "The Glide" (w. Wu-Tang Clan) [prod. by RZA]
09. "Lovin' You" (w. Inspectah Deck)
10. "So Good" (w. Davina & Ol' Dirty Bastard)
11. "Freestyle Intermission" (as told to Tony Touch)
12. "How It Goes" (as told to Popa Wu)
13. "Unbreakable" (w. The Homie Vanilla Ice)
14. "Fuck That Man Up" (w. Sean Price, Willie The Kid & J-Love)
15. "Fucking Blades" (w. Willie The Kid & Bronze Nazareth)
16. "Gettin' High" (w. Brooklyn Zu as told to Ol' Dirty Bastard)
17. "All We Got is Us" (w. Sunz Of Man)
18. "Verses" (w. GZA, Ras Kass & Scaramanga)
19. "Outro" (w. Timbo King as told to GZA)

LAD - "DARKMAN SIGHTINGS VOL. ONE" 

[Article] A look back at METHOD MAN's "Tical 0" (2004)

With Method Man's first album in almost 10 years just around the corner with "Meth Lab", lets take a look back at what is often described amongst hardcore Wu-Tang fans as one of the straight up wack releases from an official Clan member ever released. So what the hell went wrong? Both "Tical" (1994), "T2: Judgement Day" (1998) [extremely underrated album] and his first collabo with Redman on "Blackout!" (1999) was at the very least solid projects that gave Wu fans that grimey shit of what they wanted and expected from the one member of Wu-Tang Clan who already from the first single was designed to be its number 1 face outwards due to his slamming solo single that was even titled after his name. Funny thing is that due to some less stellar Wu solos and albums and an interest in the backpack / underground movement of El-P, Cannibal Ox, Mr. Lif, Mr. Len, Chubb Rock, and so on I stopped checking for Wu around 2001 after "Bulletproof Wallets" and "Iron Flag" - two albums that I have since reevaluated. Anyway fast forward to late 2004, and a real good friend had received a free cassette of J-Love's "A Taste Of Tical 0: The Prequel Part II" which he gave me and I was blown away by how dope this shit was and how much of these songs I had missed out on (remember this was a bit before the internet truly blew up and I hadn't checked for Wu for a few years, so I was thinking these hardcore gems was from the album it was promoting). After several spins I found myself in a record store picking up the actual album, thinking well at least Method Man never dissapoints so this will b interesting to hear at the very least. Who could have known...

Before we even get into the music, let's take a look at the cover. This cheesy Photoshop hack job is downright embarassing and at the same time playing on the over used hip-hop cliché of the artists showing themeselves as young kids not knowing they would become superstars. At least the back cover with Meth writing in his diary looks ill as hell and should have been used as the front cover, plain and simple! So on to the music - is this album rightfully hated or is it just so dissapointing that it has deserved an unfair rep as a totally horrible album. Well, given that Method Man is a superstar that can do so much better I'd say it's something in between. And while it is Meth's own fault and his poor judgement not understanding how to please his fans, he afterwards has blamed Puff Daddy's involvement in the albums creation as the LP:s A&R - well who hired Diddy in the first place Meth? And Diddy is responsible for countless classic albums but Wu and Bad Boy don't mix like two dicks, and that's just the bottom line. While there are stand out tracks on the album, the tracks produced by Daddy's Hitmen are generally the low points of the album save for the excellent "The Motto" which was produced by the always trustworthy Nashiem Myrick, who produced a lot of classics for B.I.G. This is the sound they should have gone with, so why the hell not enlist Carlos Broady and Nashiem Myrick more and this album could have been fucking great?! 

Another thing that made the album fail big time is how Kevin Liles and Sean Combs vetoed against RZA's involvement in the album. What the hell? RZA made Meth's career, he produced the single that made Meth sell double platinum on his debut. Apparantly RZA and Meth had been in the studio recording and completing no less than seven records, but at the end only one song made the actual tracklist. Is it a coincidence that it happens to be the best song of the album ("The Turn" featuring Raekwon?). Even great producers like No I.D. who the same year supplied two absolutely amazing joints for Ghost's "Pretty Toney" album on the same label. It's quite easy to see that the A&R:s and execs asked No I.D. for a generic beat that could work in the club and the result was the abonimation that is "Tease". It's a shame because I love Meth's flow and I love No ID's production and that this is the only collabo we are left with between the two is just a sad state of affairs. Another thing that really bugs me about the album is that they cut away Wu-Tang features that would've been a great selling point to us hardcore heads. LA The Darkman was featured on the excellent RZA production "That Thang" while Ol' Dirty Bastard provided a banging hook on the song "Who You Rollin' With" which was mysteriously absent from the retail version.

Still "Tical 0: The Prequel" got it's moments, though they are few and far between. It would make for a dope EP, the main single with Busta, "What's Happenin'" always get me hyped as hell, I like the title track, I like "The Show", I love "The Afterparty" with Ghostface and as I mentioned above "The Turn" with Rae and RZA is a bonafide Wu classic. Still giving Meth's statue as one of the true greats, this album deserves all the hate and ridicule it has come across. Check out the "That Thang" track with Darkman below and the ODB original version of "Who Ya Rollin' With" and add those to the tracks mentioned in this paragraph and you got a nice lil' EP. Let's hope "The Meth Lab" will provide us with that real heat! Big shout out to CL2Coming for the rare 192 kbps album rip of the rare ODB version of this joint and the J-Love version of "This Thing". You'll also find "Take The Heat", Meth's collaboration with Dr. Dre recorded for the album, it's decent but given the high profile collabo I'm suprised they ditch this. Download all of them below.

METHOD MAN Ft. ODB & STREET - "Who Ya Rollin' Wit"
METHOD MAN Ft. RZA & LA THE DARKMAN - "THIS THING" [produced by RZA]
METHOD MAN - "TAKE THE HEAT"

[Album] WILLIE THE KID x BRONZE NAZARETH - "The Living Daylights"

Willie The Kid and Bronze Nazareth has definitely been on their respective grinds these past few years, so the news that they were working on a full-length collaboration came as a real pleasant suprise to many. The resulting "The Living Daylights" is now available, and is something you without question will want to hear ASAP as it features Willie's typical hustle and grind lyrics over Bronze's Shaolin Soul chops, with guest spots from heavy hitters such as Roc Marciano, Sean Price, LA The Darkman, Sha Stimuli and Boldy James. Luckily, Noisey.com has got the go-ahead to premier the entire album as a free stream throught their Audiomack account, though the project of course is available for purchase @ iTunes as well. SICK!!

WILLIE THE KID Ft. Sean Price & Sha Stimuli - "Delirium"

Willie The Kid has really stepped out of his brother's shadow this last year with a string of knocking releases, most recently the highly rewind-worthy "Masterpiece Theater" EP with producer The Alchemist. Now, only a few months later The Kid is back with a full-length album, completely produced by critically acclaimed Wisemen member Bronze Nazareth. We've heard two tracks before that all sound pretty promising, but the latest single that was just premiered by Complex.com is in fact the fattest yet. Entitled "Delirium", the song features Willie lyrically sparring with no lesser spitters than Sean Price and Sha Stimuli over a vintage soul-chop-heavy Bronze Nazareth beat. Check out the single and the tracklist below (with links to the two previous singles for anyone who might've missed on 'em the first time). "The Living Daylights" will be available January 2014...

01. "Intro"
02. "Avalon" (Ft. Roc Marciano)
03. "The Guilt"
04. "Ain't Nothing" (Ft. Boldy James)
05. "Fucking Blades" (Ft. La The Darkman)
06. "Bless My Food" (Ft. Tekh Togo)
07. "Sweet Sorrow"
08. "Delirium" (Ft. Sean Price & Sha Stimuli)
09. "The Blitz" (Ft. S-Class Sonny)
10. "Coming From"
11. "Breakfast In France"
Bonus Tracks
12. "Ice Cold Guiness" (Ft. La The Darkman)
13. "Wu Babies" (Ft. Young Dirty Bastard & Sun God)

L.A.D. / Black Thought - "Rap Politicians"

La The Darkman and Black Thought together on a song? Yes please!!

"Rap Politicians" is the title of this new single from L.A.D. and it's really a winner with its powerful verses and energetic layered beat of dark piano keys, vocal chants, and occassional guitar stabs. As much as I like LA, there's no denying that Black Thought is victorious here. This is lifted from Darkman's "Paid in Full" mixtape.

LA The Darkman - "Everything"

Another pretty dope cut from LAD's new mixtape "Midwest Kush: Pyrex Edition Pt. 2" which you'll hear in full on February 25. This particular single features a rapper called S-Class Sonny and is titled "Everything". Spotted @ NahRight!

LA THE DARKMAN - "EVERYTHING"

LA The Darkman drops EP

L.A.D. / La The Darkman is preparing a new EP to be released digitally on December 20 via iTunes. The extended play is titled "Midwest Kush: Pyrex Edition" and will feature eight tracks with guest apperances from Willie The Kid, Tony Yayo and Lil' Wayne. Two tracks has been released in promotion; above you can check out the video for "They Keep Talking" and below you'll hear "Living Notoriously" which features Tony Yayo and is the better track in my opinion. The beat selection will not cater to everyone's taste but one thing's for certain though - Darkman is just as nasty as ever on that microphone!

Bronze Nazareth / LA The Darkman

Acclaimed Wu-Elementz producer Bronze Nazareth released his second official solo album today - "School For The Blindman". Everything I've heard this far has been straight up great music, I think this will outshine his 2006 debut to be honest. Get a taste of the vibe below with a certified banger from the album. Featuring the always appreciated LA The Darkman on the guest verse, "Fire Implanters" is a clear winner. Many thanks to Jammin for the upload over at the Wu-Tang Corp forums. Get your copy @ UGHH or Amazon.

BRONZE NAZARETH & L.A.D. - "FIRE IMPLANTERS"

J-Love Ft. Sean Price, La The Darkman & Willie the Kid

This shit goes HARD! J-Love connects with Sean Price and the brothers La The Darkman and Willie The Kid for this video to "Fuck That Man Up", produced by the one and only Ayatollah and filmed and directed by Tom Gould & Alexander Richter. The song is lifted from J-Love's recently released "Egoistical Maniac" album.

Another La The Darkman tape

A few weeks back I posted a new mixtape by La The Darkman put together by J-Love, "Return Of The Darkman Pt. II". Now Darkman returns with more new music, this time overseen and mixed by The Evil Genius, DJ Green Lantern; apparantly La has been giving out this tape at his recent tour dates with the Wu-Tang Clan. 20 tracks, some which we've heard before like "Cold World", and some (at least to me) brand new; includes guest features from Bun B, Too $hort, Styles P and Mobb Deep. Shouts to the homie DaFran for opening my eyes up to this one.

01. "L.A.D."

02. "I Ain't Letting Shit Slide"

03. "I Get That Paper"

04. "Certified B-Boy" (Ft. Bun B)

05. "Cold World"

06. "Everything to Gain"

07. "Boy You Special"

08. "Sweat" (Ft. Fabolous & Ray J)

09. "I Make The Money"

10. "We Scheming" (Ft. Mobb Deep & Nyce The Future)

11. "Embassy Invasion" (Ft. Willie The Kid)

12. "Necessary Way" (Ft. Willie The Kid)

13. "The Way It Is"

14. "I Ain't The One" (Ft. Styles P & Maino)

15. "Doing It Again"

16. "Survive The Nine" (Ft. Uncle Murda)

17. "Fuck A 9 to 5" (Ft. .38 Special)

18. "Integrity"

19. "Cash Weight, Real Estate"

20. "Tipper Love" (Ft. Too $hort & The-Dream)

  

LA THE DARKMAN & DJ GREEN LANTERN - "Embassy Invasion"