Wu-Tang's "Wu Massacre" cover & tracklist - 3/30/10

The Wu-Tang Clan will be back with another album release on March 30th, called "Wu-Massacre". This project features a trio from the group consisting of Method Man, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah. Here's a look at the complete Wu Massacre track listing: 1. Criminology 2.5 (feat. Raekwon, Ghostface Killah & Method Man) 2. Mef vs. Chef (feat. Rhythm Roots Allstars) (prod. by Allah Mathematics) 3. Ya Moms skit (feat. Method Man & Raekwon) 4. Smooth Sailing Remix (feat. Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Solomon Childs & Streetlife) (prod. by Ty Fyffe) 5. Our Dreams (feat. Raekwon, Ghostface Killah & Method Man) (prod. by RZA) 6. Gunshowers (feat. Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck & Sun God) (prod. by Digem Tracks Productions) 7. Dangerous (feat. Rhythm Roots Allstars) (prod. by Allah Mathematics) 8. Pimpin’ Chipp (feat. Rhythm Roots Allstars) (prod. by E Meal) 9. How To Pay Rent skit (feat. Tracy Morgan) 10. Miranda (feat. Raekwon, Ghostface Killah & Method Man) (prod. by Allah Mathematics) 11. Youngstown Heist (feat. Trife, Sheek & Bully) (prod. by Scram Jones) 12. It’s That Wu Shit (feat. Ghostface Killah & Method Man) (prod. by Scram Jones) Also scheduled to drop following the Wu Massacre joint is a new release from Inspectah Deck entitled Manifesto. The album will feature guest spots from Raekwon, Cappadonna, Kurupt, Planet Asia and Cormega and looks to be 20 tracks deep. The Manifefsto album arrives for compact disc or digital MP3 album purchase on April 6, 2010.

Raekwon Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II Album

(Raekwon returns to form with OB4CL2) September 8th, 2009 marks the return of Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon with his sequel to the classic "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx" album. That album featuring songs like "Incarcerated Scarfaces", "Criminology" and "Glaciers of Ice". also included Ghostface Killah heavily among its hardcore lyrics. OB4CL was highly praised amongst rap fans and record critics alike. Fans have waited through several other Wu solo albums, some good, some not so good (including Rae's Immobilarity), but now 14 years later, they receive "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II", a highly anticipated and necessary follow-up. Fans of the 36 Chambers will hear Rae bring it back, and include special guests from the Wu, as well as Slick Rick, Styles P and Jadakiss rapping alongside the Chef. Production comes from top notch producers in the game including Wu-Tang frontman RZA, Dr. Dre, Erick Sermon, Pete Rock, Alchemist and the late J Dilla. Pick up your copy of the new Raekwon here (CD or MP3). Here's the full tracklist for Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II album: 1. Return of the North Star (feat. Papu Wu) 2. House of Flying Daggers (feat. Inspectah Deck,Ghostface Killah and Method Man) 3. Sonny's Missing (Produced by Pete Rock) 4. Pyrex Vision (Produced by Marley Marl) 5. Cold Outside (feat. Ghostface Killah and Sugar Bang) 6. Black Mozart (feat. Inspectah Deck) 7. New Wu (feat. Method Man and Ghostface Killah) 8. Penitentiary (feat. Ghostface Killah) 9. Surgical Gloves 10. Broken Safety (feat. Jadakiss and Styles P) 11. Canal Street 12. Ason Jones 13. Have Mercy (feat. Beanie Sigel and Blue Raspberry) 14. 10 Bricks (feat. Cappadonna and Ghostface Killah) 15. Fat Lady Sings 16. Catalina (feat. Lyfe Jennings) 17. We Will Rob You (feat. Slick Rick, GZA and Masta Killa) 18. About Me 19. Mean Streets (feat. Inspectah Deck and Ghostface Killah) 20. Kiss The Ring (feat. Inspectah Deck and Masta Killa) 21. South Star (feat. Papa Wu) Buy Raekwon's new album on MP3 or CD here.

MF Doom's Born Like This

(Born Like This album cover) The metal-masked rap star himself, MF DOOM, is dropping even more lyrical science with his latest album "Born Like This", which drops Tuesday, March 24, 2009. Doom's notorious for shorter lengh tracks with some of the most wicked beat production and off the wall rhymes you'll hear. Doom laces the track "Supervillainz" with the ever-so-recently-popular sing-songy auto-tune. This particular offering from Doom also features the lyrical power of Raekwon from Wu-Tang Clan on a familiar beat for "Yesssir!", and Ghostface on a trance inducing melody for "Angelz"...There's a Doom-Ghostface collabo still being talked about and in the works to this day. Believe it or not, Kanye West even gave props to two new Doom tracks over on his blog (which may be partly written by Ye), so Doom's underground style is far from unnoticed. Maybe a Doom-Kanye track or two are forthcoming? ...based on the tracks previewed at MF Doom's Myspace, Doom's brought one of the top rap releases so far in this early 2009. "Born Like This" Tracklist album by MF Doom 1. SUPERVILLAIN INTRO 2. GAZZILLION EAR 3. BALLSKIN 4. YESSIR! (feat. Raekwon) 5. ABSOLUTELY 6. RAP AMBUSH 7. LIGHTWORKS 8. BATTY BOYZ 9. ANGELZ (feat. Ghostface Killah) 10. CELLZ 11. STILL DOPE 12. MICROWAVE MAYO 13. MORE RHYMIN' 14. THAT'S THAT 15. SUPERVILLAINZ 16. BUMPY'S MESSAGE 17. THANK YAH You can pickup a copy of MF Doom's Born Like This at Amazon.com or if your funds are spent bookmark MF Doom's Myspace page so you can listen to it track by track (and most likely keep it on repeat). Many head nodders from the Madvillain himself. Enjoy!

Movie Review: Iron Man

It's been out for just a few weeks, but has made box office records becoming the second best "non-sequel" comic book release, earning well over $200 million. Iron Man definitely has his share of fans from the Marvel comic world, and the movie does a great job at introducing us to this heroic man of metal. Robert Downey Jr. takes on the role of Tony Stark, a wealthy bachelor who loves partying, women and enjoys a careless sort of attitude. He's also a weapons manufacturer and dealer, behind the powerful Stark Industries. Stark travels to a small mid-eastern town to showcase his latest Jericho missile to military personnel and prospective buyers. After the missile display is a success, the enemy attacks the military trucks, one of which is transporting Stark. Stark escapes the ride, but manages to get badly injured. He wakes up a captive of the enemy. But he also finds another problem. Shrapnel has entered his chest and is dangerously close to his heart. Luckily his roommate in the cave prison is able to build a special magnetic device to stay in Tony's chest, keeping him alive and "ticking". From there Stark must escape from the heavily guarded cave, in the process building a powerful metal suit complete with weapons. After arriving back home, Stark has a change of heart in several ways, and devotes himself to more just purposes rather then arms manufacturing. He refines the suit, its weapons and abilities, and sets off to do battle with various enemies. The battles are worth the wait of watching Tony build and test his new suit out for a while. The movie was a little light on humor when compared to movies such as X-Men and Spiderman, but holds its own and deserves to be mentioned with those great films. Overall, I recommend this movie to comic book fans, or fans of the high powered full force special effects movies that tend to rule the Hollywood box office. Iron Man makes great use of its cast and special effects. Things have come a long way since the days of Robocop, with Iron Man moving gracefully yet powerfully as he battles those up to no good. The movie also features a brief cameo from Marvel comics legend Stan Lee, and a short musical piece from Wu Tang's Tony Stark, Ghostface Killah. The movie not only stars Robert Downey, Jr. but also award-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow, actors Jeff Bridges and Terrance Howard. There's a special part at the end credits as well featuring Samuel L. Jackson, so be sure to stay all the way through if possible, a sequel is in the works!

8 Reviews of The 8 Diagrams

Wu-Tang has finally brought us another group album, "The 8 Diagrams" this time not a mixtape or compilation of B-Sides and unreleased material. There's been a lot of online chatter and critical review of the latest release, some saying RZA's new production style kills the album and that the feud between members Rae & Ghost with their producer hurt things. From hearing the album, you can tell the group wasn't all in together, as Ghostface Killah seemed to have focused more on his latest solo outing "The Big Doe Rehab". From hearing the selections, my early favorites are "Rushing Elephants" and "Unpredictable". Also of note is the track "Life Changes" which is a Wu tribute to the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. This CD isn't anywhere near the first few Wu group and solo albums, but there's definitely some great tracks, creative beats and the Wu-Tang lyrical swordsplay fans have come to value. Here's 8 online reviews of Wu's The 8 Diagrams: 1) About.com Rap Review 2) AllHipHop.com Review 3) Chicago Tribune Review 4) Hip Hop DX Review 5) Pitchfork Media Review 6) Nobody Smiling Review 7) Rolling Stone Review 8) SPIN.com First Listen The general consensus of most of the reviews seems to be Wu is back, but needs more work on their current sounds and techniques. A group therapy session may also be in order to get all the members back into hip-hop harmony.

Holiday Gifts for Music Lovers

Most people love music and you can't go wrong buying them a gift related to that love. Obviously the most popular of gifts is the iPod which is currently offered in many styles. From the super small Shuffle to the new hi-tech Apple 8 GB iPod Touch. You could of course boycott Apple and go with the Microsoft Zune or another brand of MP3 player. Here's a few gift ideas for a music fan on your list: Recommended Albums: American Gangster by Jay-Z 8 Diagrams by Wu-Tang Clan The Big Doe Rehab by Ghostface Killa Graduation by Kanye West Finding Forever by Common Also see: 3 Under the Radar Albums 2007 and MC's Top 20 Rap Albums All-Time There's also books out from 3 hip-hop moguls you might want to give as a gift: - Do You!: 12 Laws to Access the Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success by Russell Simmons - Guaranteed Success by Percy "Master P" Miller - Young, Rich, and Dangerous: The Making of a Music Mogul by Jermaine Dupri You could also buy a hip-hop fan one of the following Recomended Rap-themed Movies or Concert tickets from Ticketmaster.com. Music fans are definitely the easiest to buy for and you could also ensure that you'll be enjoying the gifts as well, when they play the CD in their car or home, or take you as their guest to the concert. For the rap music lover who has everything, consider giving them The Official Ghostface Doll to make it a Happy Holiday in 07'.

The Official Ghostface Doll

If you're a part of the Wu, been rapping for a while, sold millions of records, had a few platinum hits, some great concert tours and clothing lines, what's the next logical step? You guessed it, you have your own action figure/doll created in your likeness. As you can see from the image above, Ghostface comes complete with red Yankees fitted baseball cap, velour robe and extra-large gold pendant/medalion around its neck. The robe is removable to reveal Ghost in a white wife-beater. It features a push button to hear recorded Ghost phrases such as "I put it in em shot up in em deadly vemon" and "Yo b--h I f---d your friend ya you stank ho". Also includes a mixtape of Ghost's greatest hits mixed by DJ Rhettmatic. You can have yours for just $500. Yes, the medalion is 14k gold. Head over to theghostfacedoll.com to pick up yours today! Or you can stay on the cheap side and pick up Ghost's new album December 4th entitled "The Big Doe Rehab".