Monday, November 15, 2004
All Things Serve the Blog
Sorry I’ve been away so long, I spent last week in a haze of studying for three finals and starting a new job and was unable to give the people what they wanted: more blogging. However, summer is here, and with my bosses only assigning me 6 hours of work a week thus far, I’m going to have plenty of time to annoy the masses on the internet with my thoughts.
There is much on the blog docket in the next month: including some notes on traveling, Dark Tower VII, investigating the growing apocalyptic instrument of doom that is the United States Government (Condalindus Rice as Secretary of State!), and attempting to sound intelligent about the NFL and NBA without watching any of the games.
I was going to write a special tribute to Sandy Cohen- the Dad from The OC- but the death of an important figure delays that to another day. No I’m not talking about that bum Arafat. I am referring to the death of the Ol’ Dirty Bastard, one of the founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan. He died from a heart attack at the age of 35.
ODB was one of the great characters of the rap industry, more known for getting in trouble and wild antics than contributions to lyricism or specific songs. His biggest popular hit was probably “Got Your Money” a pretty good piece of early Neptunes pop-rap, notable also for featuring Kelis (the “Milkshake,” chick) before she ever hit it big (back when she was fucking Pharell, before she was fucking Nas.) Within the rap culture, Dirty is better remembered for his role on the early Wu-Tang albums, including his own contribution to the Wu canon, 1995’s “Return to the 36 Chambers.”
While much of the album contains ODB ranting incoherently and profanely, it exemplifies that when ODB could get his shit together, he was actually a pretty clever rapper. Combined with his unique delivery, he killed songs like “Brooklyn Zoo,” “Dirty Dancin,” “Hippa to da Hoppa,” and “Shimmy Shimmy Ya.” If you are a fan of rap, or hardcore music in general, check these songs out. Just have an open mind and don’t expect them to sound like anything else you’ve heard. In addition, I recommend the songs: “Da Mystery of Chessboxin,” and “Shame on a Nigga,” to get a glimpse of understanding of the Dirty one’s contribution to Wu-Tang as a group.
The troubled history of ODB is reflected in the inconsistency of his later rap recordings. He only had one appearance on Wu-Tang’s 2000 album “The W,” which was phoned in from prison and in general his ranting became as incoherent and inconsistent as his personality. His life was filled with moments of the ridiculous, the funny, the sad, and the astounding. Some highlights: running out of a recording studio to save a four year old girl who had been hit by a car and lay trapped underneath the auto, appearing at the Grammy’s the next day and interrupting Shawn Colvin’s acceptance speech to complain about Wu-Tang losing the best rap album to Puff Daddy, uttering the now famous “Wu-Tang is for the children,” getting arrested twice in three months in California for making terrorist threats, getting kicked out of a hotel in Berlin for lounging on the balcony of his room in the nude, twice getting arrested for possession of crack, telling the female DA at his drug case that she was a “sperm donor,” taking a nap during the same court hearing as it was going on, fleeing rehab and making a surprise appearance at a Wu-Tang show while on the lam, and bringing an MTV camera crew that was following him around with him as he went to get food stamps.
Sadly, the rap world loses another talented member, and possibly a talented group, as the death of ODB provides another hindrance to the reunification of Wu-Tang. The lack of reaction by fellow group members is disappointing. I guess Rza is too busy designing Wuwear or scoring another movie to get the guys together to make a statement. Hopefully they will release a tribute or something, as Dirty was an important member of the group. He wasn’t the group’s greatest musical contributor, or lyricist, but his character and attitude gave the Clan something no one else had. From me to the Dirty one, Rest In Peace to the moonshine drunken monk.
There is much on the blog docket in the next month: including some notes on traveling, Dark Tower VII, investigating the growing apocalyptic instrument of doom that is the United States Government (Condalindus Rice as Secretary of State!), and attempting to sound intelligent about the NFL and NBA without watching any of the games.
I was going to write a special tribute to Sandy Cohen- the Dad from The OC- but the death of an important figure delays that to another day. No I’m not talking about that bum Arafat. I am referring to the death of the Ol’ Dirty Bastard, one of the founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan. He died from a heart attack at the age of 35.
ODB was one of the great characters of the rap industry, more known for getting in trouble and wild antics than contributions to lyricism or specific songs. His biggest popular hit was probably “Got Your Money” a pretty good piece of early Neptunes pop-rap, notable also for featuring Kelis (the “Milkshake,” chick) before she ever hit it big (back when she was fucking Pharell, before she was fucking Nas.) Within the rap culture, Dirty is better remembered for his role on the early Wu-Tang albums, including his own contribution to the Wu canon, 1995’s “Return to the 36 Chambers.”
While much of the album contains ODB ranting incoherently and profanely, it exemplifies that when ODB could get his shit together, he was actually a pretty clever rapper. Combined with his unique delivery, he killed songs like “Brooklyn Zoo,” “Dirty Dancin,” “Hippa to da Hoppa,” and “Shimmy Shimmy Ya.” If you are a fan of rap, or hardcore music in general, check these songs out. Just have an open mind and don’t expect them to sound like anything else you’ve heard. In addition, I recommend the songs: “Da Mystery of Chessboxin,” and “Shame on a Nigga,” to get a glimpse of understanding of the Dirty one’s contribution to Wu-Tang as a group.
The troubled history of ODB is reflected in the inconsistency of his later rap recordings. He only had one appearance on Wu-Tang’s 2000 album “The W,” which was phoned in from prison and in general his ranting became as incoherent and inconsistent as his personality. His life was filled with moments of the ridiculous, the funny, the sad, and the astounding. Some highlights: running out of a recording studio to save a four year old girl who had been hit by a car and lay trapped underneath the auto, appearing at the Grammy’s the next day and interrupting Shawn Colvin’s acceptance speech to complain about Wu-Tang losing the best rap album to Puff Daddy, uttering the now famous “Wu-Tang is for the children,” getting arrested twice in three months in California for making terrorist threats, getting kicked out of a hotel in Berlin for lounging on the balcony of his room in the nude, twice getting arrested for possession of crack, telling the female DA at his drug case that she was a “sperm donor,” taking a nap during the same court hearing as it was going on, fleeing rehab and making a surprise appearance at a Wu-Tang show while on the lam, and bringing an MTV camera crew that was following him around with him as he went to get food stamps.
Sadly, the rap world loses another talented member, and possibly a talented group, as the death of ODB provides another hindrance to the reunification of Wu-Tang. The lack of reaction by fellow group members is disappointing. I guess Rza is too busy designing Wuwear or scoring another movie to get the guys together to make a statement. Hopefully they will release a tribute or something, as Dirty was an important member of the group. He wasn’t the group’s greatest musical contributor, or lyricist, but his character and attitude gave the Clan something no one else had. From me to the Dirty one, Rest In Peace to the moonshine drunken monk.
# posted by Marmaniac @ 11:48 PM 
