Category / Hip Hop

by mvfour

Mathematics Reinvents The Wu-Tang Sound with the New ‘Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman’ Album

Wu-Tang Clan members and guest artists collaborated on the record, which features fresh beats and sonically elevated rhymes reminiscent of the group’s legendary hits.

Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman Album; Photo: DKCNews.

Young and old, hip-hop heads gathered at the IMI Studios in Manhattan recently as producer/DJ Mathematics debuted the tracks off the highly anticipated Wu-Tang Clan x Mathematics Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman album. The intimate setting enabled attentive listeners to soak in the melodies and arrangements selected by Mathematics, who provided anecdotes, tales of his carpentry background, and inspiration for the songs.

Mathematics is more than Wu-Tang’s multi-talented go-to-producer, even before the critically acclaimed Enter the Wu-Tang (36th Chambers) dropped in 1993 and changed Hip Hop forever (recognized as one of the top five most influential Hip-Hop albums ever made!). Mathematics, aka Ronald Maurice Bean, is the group’s musical muse and graphic artist. Not only has he produced many of Wu-Tang’s greatest hits like “Protect Ya Neck,” “C.R.E.A.M,” and “Bring Da Ruckus,” but he also designed the Wu-Tang Clan logo.

‘Black Samson, The Black Swordsman’ cover art; Photo: M. Vizcaino.

Black Samson features the current Wu-Tang members: RZA, Raekwon, Method Man, GZA, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, Cappadonna, Mastah Killa, and U-God. The album also includes renowned artists Kool G Rap, Benny The Butcher, 38 Spesh, Crooked I, R.J. Payne, Willie The Kid, Nicole Bus, Kameron Corvet, and Kurupt. According to Mathematics, each added their distinct rhyme style and creativity to each track.

“The artists all kept it hard and kept it beautiful.”

And audibly, the beauty of seasoned lyricists annihilating the mike was transcendently evident. Tracks like “Cleopatra Jones,” featuring Raekwon Masta Killa, and “Warriors Two, Cooley High,” featuring Benny the Butcher and Method Man, had the guests in the studio bopping their heads, immersing themselves in the hard-hitting beats, taking them on a musical rap odyssey.

Wu-Tang Clan x Mathematics ‘Black Samson, The Black Swordsman’ Album listening session, pictured (Mathematics). Photo: @Robert.photoshoot + @jon_officials.

Experimental, soulful storytelling and, in true Wu-Tang Clan fashion, karate flick sound effects and soundbites are prevalent on the album with an edgy spin. Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman is the first collaboration from existing Wu-Tang members since 2015’s Once Upon a Time in Shaolin. The album drops as a limited edition on April 12th on National Record Store Day on a 2LP audiophile-grade vinyl featuring 5,000 one-of-a-kind covers. The whole LP will be available worldwide on April 25th. Click here for a sneak peek!

by mvfour

‘All Up in the Biz’ — Tells the Tale of Talent, Influence, Adversity, and Controversy Before Hip Hop Pioneer Biz Markie’s Untimely Death

Filmmaker Sacha Jenkins chronicles The self-proclaimed “Clown Prince of Hip Hop’s” legacy through candid interviews with colorful animations, a Biz Markie puppet, and old videos of the rapper in proper form.

Image of Biz Markie; Photo: Showtime Networks.

The Humanbeat beatbox. Ascending to fame with the improvised quirky yet melodic sounds he could belt at any given moment and his universal hit, “Just A Friend,” Biz Markie was more than just his goofy exploits. And ‘All Up in the Biz’ captures the multi-faceted performer’s essence through his career’s ups and downs.

Many Hip Hop heads like myself are still celebrating Hip Hop’s indelible mark the music genre has made on pop culture and pretty much every facet of life. And while Hip Hop’s official birthday was on August 11th, with a 50th anniversary celebrated worldwide, homage and tributes are still on the horizon for the rest of the year. One recent commemoration was held on August 31st, tentatively proclaimed Biz Markie Day, by the New York Mayor’s office as they announced the proclamation at Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem.

Biz Markie Day T-Shirt; Photo: Just A Friend Foundation.

Champions and supporters of this campaign include the late rapper’s wife, Tara Hall, who leads his Just A Friend foundation, established to provide resources for foster kids as once Biz Markie was. Plus, organizers of the event ImageNation, a cultural nonprofit entertainment hub in Harlem, advocating for and helping to sponsor spectacular community cinema and music events and Up In The Biz’s distributor, Showtime.

This late summer Thursday evening leading up to the All Up In the Biz screening attracted people of all ages and races. From men in their Zulu nation get-ups and women outfitted in head-to-toe African bohemian and contemporary fashion, dancing non-stop to the nostalgic grooves of DJ Hollywood and listening intently to the rhythmic verses of the Last Poets, who celebrate 55 years together this year, it was an ode to Hip Hop nostalgia.

Following the eclectic mix of artists on stage came a projection of All Up In the Biz, directed by Sacha Jenkins (Bitchin’: The Sounds and Fury of Rick James, Word Is Bond), a Hip Hop historian, visual artist, and preservationist of the music genre.

Young Big Daddy Kane and Biz Markie; Photo: All Up in the Biz documentary.

The film begins with old footage of Biz Markie’s early life, moving from Harlem to Long Island’s Patchogue region. He found a passion for music, coming into his own as a human beatbox, rapper, and DJ. While performing, he encountered 17-year-old Big Daddy Kane and Rakim, who went to the same high school as Biz, encouraging both to raise their profile in New York City clubs by rapping. Hip Hop powerhouses Big Daddy Kane and Rakim acknowledge Biz Markie’s influence on their careers. Others like Dougie Fresh and Roxanne Shanté, a prominent Juice Crew member and Biz Markie was part of, reflect on and reminisce about the rapper’s passion for music, collectibles, and his undeniable gift for beatboxing.

But Marcel Theo Hall took the moniker Biz Markie, a name rooted in his mother calling him a busybody when he was young and neighborhood friends giving him the name Markie for short; life wasn’t always a bed of roses. The rapper was battling Type 2 diabetes for most of his life and had fallouts with a few rappers, shady business dealings with music producers, and the repercussions of unlicensed music samples. Despite it all, the beloved rapper persevered and kept reinventing himself, as the documentary illustrates. Click here to check out this in-depth portrait of Biz Markie’s contributions to Hip Hop and eventful life, now streaming on Showtime and Paramount+.