[Video] Wu Tang Clan: "Y'all Been Warned"
On the way to becoming one of the highest-grossing and influential hip-hop groups in history, Wu Tang Clan produced copious amounts of media to help push the music forward and today, some footage that never managed to see the light of day is finally making its debut on the Internet. Recorded while AOL was still clinging to being the gateway to the 'net and before Complex Magazine was a thing, the video for Wu Tang Clan's track "Y'all Been Warned" off their 2001 album, Iron Flag has finally found its way to public domain thanks to another service not around when it was made, Youtube. After hearing about legions of Milennials not familiar with Outkast, maybe this will serve as a lesson in hip-hop history for the legions of rap fans who grew up in the blog era. Check out the full video below and read my interview with U God at last year's North Coast Festival here.
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[Video] Rock The Bells: Wu Tang Clan & Hologram ODB
The Wu Tang Clan got everyone together, almost. RZA, U-God and the crew were able to bring Ol Dirty Bastard back from the dead to perform as a hologram at Rock The Bells in San Bernadino, California but apparently didn't have the same luck with the living as Ghostface Killah and Raekwon were both absent, as they were last week when Wu Tang performed at North Coast Music Festival in Chicago. Ol Dirty, it turned out, has perfect timing even as a light fixture, bridging the gap between while Wu Tang DJ Mathematics rebooted his computer after it crashed in the middle of the performance. For his part, Method Man was unhappy with the set and took the chance to send a jab to the missing Wu members. "I wish Raekwon the Chef and Ghostface could have been here to see this shit. Also, regardless of the technical difficulties, y'all showed a lot of heart by sticking around and I respect y'all for that. I promise you, you will never see a fuckin' show like this again from us. Trust me." The performance wasn't the first by a hologram for the festival, Eazy-E's likeness made an appearance with Bone Thugs n' Harmony to open Rock The Bells. Video below.
[RH Interview] North Coast Music Festival 2013: U-God
Photography by Geoff Henao
Like most anyone involved with hip-hop music or pop culture in general, I grew up listening to Wu-Tang Clan and vividly remember ODB crooning through the speakers of my Mom's Ford Explorer when I was a kid hijacking the radio. So, waiting on the elevator with two photographers to meet and interview U-God during North Coast was one of the crazier moments I've had in my life. The two of us said hello, settled in and enjoyed the view from the 29th floor of the Hard Rock Hotel, check out the conversation below.
Jake: Tell me a bit about coming to Chicago after being overseas for a minute.
U-God: Well man you know, Chicago's one of the hometowns that gave us our first little bit of love out here as Wu-Tang and shit so it's a good market for us you know what I'm saying? We had to do a lot to get in this market and it's a hard market to crack so back in the days we put our work in out here and it paid off man, people out here, they like us man.
Jake: What's the ride been like coming up with Wu-Tang?
U-God: Its been a roller coaster man. It's always been a roller coaster to me because I always feel like someone is trying to be our demise. I always feel like there's someone out there trying to stop us, some force or a hidden hand that's always trying to stop us or pull us apart or just some shit like that. But it feels awesome, after all this time we're still putting out good music-I put out a dope record this year, you know what I'm sayin'? I'm just happy to still be here you know? Still being able to tour, run around and still see people like y'all coming through to check me out.
[Video] Kids Use Hip-Hop As A Way To Understand Science
Dr. Christopher Edmin a professor of education at Columbia University's Teacher College has gone a different route in hopes of influencing public school children to learn about science through hip-hop. What Edmin ended up creating was a program called, "Science Genius which is part of a national push to try and influence minorities into taking interest in science." This program eventually in true hip-hop fashion birthed a competition where the kids battled it out on the mic with lyrics centering around the topic of science. Titled B.A.T.T.L.E.S. (Bring Attention to Transforming Teaching, Learning and Engagement in Science) the students performed to a panel of judges that included the Wu Tang Clan’s GZA. Looking back it just seems right to have a member of Wu Tang on the panel because there had to be at least one reference to science in every Wu track. It's refreshing to see alternative ways to teaching the youth of this country and if hip-hop can help do that I don't see why more educators wouldn't want to explore it as an option. Check out the video below and see what the kids learned and who took home the trophy.
[Via Frank151]
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