RZA's "Man Of The Iron Fist" [Trailer]

'This is strictly a music blog, you won't find anything here about hip-hop fashion and other non-musical related topics. However., sometimes you gotta make an excpetion which I am doing here, by posting The RZA's long awaited directorial debut movie "Man With The Iron Fist", a movie I've eagerly been awaiting since it was first announced at least two year ago.RZA's been one of my favorite artists since I first fell in love with Wu-Tang Clan's music. I've seen people complaining about him not making that rugge beats anymore, which is true; he's not nearly as good a beatmaker as he was in the mid-'90s, but he still drops a lot of heat in my opinion. He's a very spiritual person today, and you can't make music like you're straight out of the hood, filled with anger and hungr as hell, which was a very important part of how his music sounded - and why it sounds different today. Growth is a good thing for sure, and reading the "Tao Of Wu" which I can't stress enough how much I recommend, whether or not you're a fan of RZA's music or not.

Ever since the late '90s, it seems that his biggest  dream to not yet have been fullfiled, but with "The Man With The Iron First" hae has now fullfiled his goal and dram which is very inspiring. Whether or not the movie is good or not, I am real happy for RZA's sake, one of the best an most intelligent artist in ofhe industry. Looking at the trailer, it certainly does not look like some half-assed shit though, it actually looks very good if you're info flicks like "Kill Bill" and of course the classic Shaw Brothers movies. The movie is scored by, directed and written The RZA, with help from Eli Roth on the script, who also serves as a producer together with none other than Quentin Tarnatino. Stars include Russel Crowe, RA himself, Lucy Liu, Jamie Chung, Cung Lee, Byron Mann, Bruce Yane and Dave Bautista (LOL). I love RZA, an I love Tarantino but I despite Eli Roth and his horrible movies, so I certainly hope he doesn't manage to fuck it up in any way. No matter what, I'm looking foward to this like crazy will see it in the theater as soon as it's released!

That's definitely enough talk about this movie, but I want to finish this writh that the album will feature a lot of new RZA music - not only did he score the enitre piece with Hans Zimmerman, but the soundtrack also features new music by Wu-Tang Clan (including previously unheard Ol' Dirty Bastard verses), The RZA as well as Kanye West, Black Keys and Chemical Romance (whatever). Check the trailer at the top of the page, and to your left you first draft of the promotional flyer. Prepare yourself for the first ever Kung Wu flck!

PETE ROCK - "NY's Finest" [The Outtakes EP]

There's a few things in this world that never change; I'm talking about obvious stuff like four seasons showing up each year, great Tarantino flicks and superb production work by the man known as Pete Rock. In 2006, "the poster boy for the MPC", recorded his fourth solo album, aptly titled "NY's Finest". After. what Pete would call the BBE/Rapster fiasco, this album was released on Nature Sounds and feaured a thrilling eclectic mix of funk, old school hip-hop, jazz, '90s boom bap and of course soul by the pound. As on the most recent preceeding projects he kept fucking with the MPC3000, which to me never was a bad thing although a lot of old school purists felt betrayed once Philip's left his trusted SP12 that he created his most timeless masterpieces with . To be fair thugh, on "NY's Finest" both machines were utilized, to a certain extent; an example is the hardcore street banger "914" which became one of the best The LOX songs in a long, long time if you ask me. The album as a whole was also highlighted by the fact that, unlike on "Soul Survivor II", it saw Rock returning to his roots as far as performing several memorable scratch hooks throughout, that really lifted many of the songs.

For some reason, "NY's Finest" catched quite a large amount of flack from critics and fans alike, when it first dropped. This is both suprising and mind boggling to me, considering it's an absolutely primo New York sounding LP with a huge amount of replay value, first-rate beats and cuts plus a lot of interesting guests. It could however have been improved as in my opinion there's no real definite version released - as is often the case with album's these days, this was available in a few different versions. You had the original 15 tracks version on CD and 2xLP; then there was the iTunes Deluxe version which featured the psychoticly dope Slum Village collabo (which was originally intended to appear on the actual album); a Best Buy special edition featuring an undeniable Roc Marciano exclusive, and finally a fully instrumental LP which included a couple of bonus tracks not available on the regular edition.

With all these different versions and their exclusive bonus tracks, I decided to put together a lil' companion EP to the retail album for your enjoynent. The idea first came about when I finally got my hands on the full/CDQ version of Slum Village's "Gangsta Boogie"; a song that I've previously had for years, however only in the mixtape version from the Japanese Hand Cut Records mixtape "Masterpiecee 01". Then I of course included the brilliant "It's So G", by Roc Marciano, which is further proof of the uncanny chemistry these two have displayed for more than a decade by now. Next up is a joint called "When I Need It" that appeared in instrumental form on the "NY's Finest" instro edition; the version here features Pete Rock vocals though as it later appeared as such on the "NBA Live X" soundtrack. The two final songs are a little different, as they have never appeared on any alternative editions of the LP, but was rather tracks recorded during the sessions that failed to make the final cut. These are the original verison of "I'm in Love", feeaturing Red Café and Talib Kweli and last but not least the E-Villz's collaboration "Rapper's Jail", which together with the Slum Villa joint look like they were supposed to play out between the Rell track and "The PJ's" (check the linear notes if you don't believe me). So next time, you throw on "NY's Finest", let these five cuts run through right after "Comprehend" winds down, or also try adding the perfect CDQ versions of "Gangsta Boogie" and "Rapper's Jail" in their original sequencing order just to see if you feel Pete made the right decision cutting those out.

01. "It's So G" (w. Roc Marciano)

02. "When I Need It" [Vocal Mix]

03. "I'm in Love" [OG Mix] (w. Red Café, Talib Kweli & MAF)

04. "Rapper's Jail" (Ft. Evillz)

05. "Gangsta Boogie" (w. Slum Village) [iTunes version]

PETE ROCK - "NY'S FINEST: THE OUTTAKES EP"

[Album] SOUNDSCI - "Formula 99"

It's been a long time coming, but the debut album from five man crew Soundsci is finally here, and I'm telling y'all right now that it's smashing all current competition. On "Formula 99" , Oxygen, Audessey, Johnny Cuba, Ollie Teeba and U-George have damn near perfected the equation of crate digging, hard driven boom bap beats, captivating verses and well weaved concepts. This is one of the finest albums of the year so far, and it's sure to be in heavy rotation for a good while to come. If you want a copy of this very limited 2xLP, make sure to grab one ASAP as there's only 300 pressings made - and it's most def worth the price. Check it out for yourself below...

Ray West Presents "Luv NY"

Featuring all new tracks by Kool Keith, AG, OC, Kurious, Roc Marciano and Dave Dar, "Luv NY" is a compilation of expert rhymers representing The Bronx, Long Island, Brooklyn and Manhattan. The album will be released via Red Apples 45 / Ascetic Music Records sometime this July, and judging from the performers and provided snippets, it's sounding pretty serious. The entire project is produced by Ray West, who AG fans will remember for his work on the various "Berries" releases from the last couple of years. Check out the project @ RedApples45.

01 Intro
02 Legacy feat. O.C.
03 Egyptology feat. A.G. & Roc Marciano
04 Snake Charmer feat. A.G., Kurious & Dave Dar
05 Extreme Status feat. A.G. & Kool Keith
06 The Ritual feat. Sean G
07 Shorties Watching feat. Kurious
08 These Rappers under the hex feat. A.G.
09 Last Night Finesse feat. Dave Dar
10 I Been Luvin U feat. Kool Keith
11 Pressure Up feat. Kool Keith & Roc Marciano
12 The Blues Got Ya feat. A.G.
13 Acid feat. O.C.
14 Random feat. A.G.

9th Prince / Masta Killa / Cappaonna - "Back to 36"

9th Prince brings out both Masta Killa and Cappadonna for his latest single, "Back to the 36", which is a fitting title given the emcees and style of the beat. I'm especially feeling Masta Killa here, that "Loyalty is Royalty" has been delayed for way too long by now.

Ikay - "Bars Of Pain"

Ikay is a young up-and-coming rapper from New York, that you will definitely hear more from in a very near future. "Bars of Pain" is the first single from the upcoming "Family Ties", and gives a good taste about what this emcee is about. Produced by Timeless Beats, the track is literally dripping with soul, which compliments Ikay's heartfelt and honest lyrics to a T. For only a dollar, you can support Ikay's hustle by purchasing the song @ iTunes. Of course, you can stream the full thing via the Soundcloud link below (which also includes a more thorough analysis of the meaning of the song).

[VIDEO] Large Professor - "Key to the City"

Released as a 12" single a few months back, "Key to the City" serves as a great reminder of why Large Pro should forever be considered one of the true keepers of the culture. Fat ass breaks, ill cuts (provided by the immortal Rob Swift), hypnotizing horns, graffiti burners and solid verses; true school as it should be! The track also appears as the intro to Extra-P's "Professor @ Large" which CD buyers can get now, while vinyl heads will have to wait another month for their fix.

[Mixtape] SHOGUN ASSASON - "Tha Grind"

Shogun Assason has always dropped ill verses on the Killarmy projects, but despite 15 years of industry experience, has never even dropped a solo single. Therefore, it's extra sick to hear his brand new, and first, mixtape "Tha Grind (Bad Brakes = Friction)", mixed by DJ Swift. 17 tracks deep, the tape is full of grimey beats and verses, including guest spots from Frukwan and Shabazz The Disciple, that surely will please hardcore Killarmy heads. According to the promotional info, "Tha Grind" serves as the prequel to an official solo album scheduled for a fall 2012 release.

01. "Intro Long"

02. "All Nail"

03. "Tha Gun"

04. "Man Only Fears" (Ft. Gravediggaz)

05. "Clap Happy"

06. "Who Da Killa Bee" (Ft. Shabazz The Disciple)

07. "Kavy Baby" (Ft. Born Jus)

08. "Runnit' Course"

09. "50 Ft." (Ft. Midaz)

10. "47 Seconds"

11. "Origin"

12. "Who's Eyes Can See"

13. "Put Me In"

14. "No Stomp"

15. "Whatimon"

16. "Kockybutt"

17. "Outro"

SHOGUN ASSASON - "THA GRIND: Bad Breaks = Friction"

Scarcity BP x DARKIM Be Allah - "Reminisce"

Darkim Be Allah of A.I.G. and Fame Labs must be one of the most overlooked lyricists of all time. Had he had better business deals and promotion, I believe he constantly would be mentioned amongst the true greats where he belongs. This cut, "Reminisce", is lifted from Hungarian production duo ScarcityBP's debut album "Back to Business". The CD was released back in February, and features a lot of big underground names such as Krumb Snatcha, Craig G, Gore-Tex, Chief Kamachi and Breeze Evahflowin'. If you like the soul dripping masterpiece attached below you might consider picking up the album @ HHV.

DARKIM BE ALLAH - "REMINISCE"

Roc Marciano / Hus - "Warm Hennessy"

Goodfelons continues their collaboration with Roc Marciano, following up the superb "Do The Honors" EP with an equally outstanding extended play from the Strong Island rhyme maestro. For "Warm Hennessy", The Arch Druids is once again enlisted on production, while Roc is joined by The U.N. partner Dino Brave and Hus on vocals. The limited 12" and digital single features, besides the main joint, remixes by J-Force, Nuance and DJ Brans plus instrumentals and accapellas.