Adventures In Elysian Fields 10.10.07: Jus Lyke Brockton
Posted by MSD on 10.10.2007
I give THA LAST WORD to God cause He's the smartest - and I am His creation, AMERIKA'S MOST COMPLETE ARTIST.
Now let me tell a little story
About the places that I been to, and the shit that I been through
Like fightin and shootouts, and bangin and shit
All because a n***a made a hit, check it
DJ Quik - "Jus Lyke Compton"
EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN
I'm still an analog brother trying to keep up with these digital times. So while it may be old to some, it's all new to me. I was on YouTube recently looking at the "airplane crashing into man" clip that WWE Magazine recommended, when I recalled an old Pro Wrestling Illustrated blurb about YouTube I read a while back. HNiC of PWI Stu Saks is like me, a step behind the digital curve. When he discovered wrestling on YouTube he was like a child reborn. I recalled that article and decided to pal around with the system. So I tapped in Lou Thesz and let the cameras roll. What I got to see in my quick ½ hour lunch break would change my views on pro wrestling forever.
I would still think it unbelievable if I hadn't seen it myself. Sure I've seen ESPN Classic before, but never something like this. I watched Lou Thesz take on the legendary Japanese wrestler (and Yakuza murder victim) Rikidozan in Japan. The ring was smaller, the commentary was in Japanese and the stock footage was crispy black-n-white. But it was phuckkin beautiful. Now I know what they mean by "golden age". No wonder Matt Brock is so cantankerous.
These guys put on a stiff, athletic competition that still had enough "rasslin" tricks and traits to make it conceptually contemporary. It was a dazzling show, yet more believable and somehow more "real" than modern day acts. Not to say I don't enjoy a little Vic Grimes in a scaffold match every once in a while - just that the Thesz/Rikidozan showed me a different (dare I say "new") kind of sports entertainment. But I doubt we'll be seeing much of this footage on WWE 24/7 anytime soon. Perception gets stronger and the bubble shrinks just as much as it expands. So even if Lou Thesz is never officially considered part of pro wrestling canon, let it be known he was damn good. Take it from me, I saw it firsthand.
FADED GLORY
Brockton MA the city I claim is just another "Any Ghetto USA". Probably just like every other hood in the world. But the things is, we never knew that. Far as we knew, Brockton WAS the world. But it wasn't always this way.
Southern Massachusetts was once ruled by a clan of Native Americans called the Wampanoags. They were a powerful tribe of the Algonquin race. Sometimes known as the Poconockets but more well known as the "Massasoits" - after their Chief's name. There were 30 villages and at one point a population of 20,000. In his later years Chief Massasoit was also known as "Ousamequin" (as it was common for Native Americans to change their names to suit their current position). Massasoit was an ally of the early settlers and was known for his honesty, integrity, and his loyalty. In 1649, the land where Brockton presently sits was deeded to Miles Standish and John Alden by these local Native Americans. It was purchased for, "7 coats, a yard and a half in a coat, 9 hatchets, 8 hoes, 20 knives, 4 moose-skins, 10 yards and a half of cotton". A grand total of about $30 the price of one celebrity soul. The robbery (err "transaction") is believed to have taken place at Sachem's Rock, in East Bridgewater.
Broken City was then part of Bridgewater, but on June 15, 1821 it became North Bridgewater. Surprisingly, the original reason for North Bridgewater's arrival was to accommodate the transportation problem some citizens had when it came time to make town meetings. Several members of the North Parish of Bridgewater petitioned the legislature stating as there reason, "nearly 300 voters belong to the North Precinct and have to travel from five to seven miles to attend town meetings over a piece of way very bad in the months of March and April." Later, on Jan. 26, 1825 the bounds between North Bridgewater and West Bridgewater were established. The name of "Brockton" was adopted by North Bridgewater under the Act of Mar. 28, 1874 and the city was incorporated on Apr. 9, 1881.
The area was mostly farmland originally. However, this town became one of the most important industrial manufacturing centers in America from the 18th century to the 1950's. The great expansion was prompted by advances in the manufacturing methods of shoes primarily with the invention of the McKay Sewing Machine. This new machine made it possible to sew together the soles and uppers of shoes without pegging them. U.S. Government orders for Army shoes during the Civil War made Brockton the largest shoe producing center in America. It was rumored that half of the Union's Army boots were made here - hence the name "the shoe city". The growing need for workers drew thousands, and by 1880 the population of the area had tripled. By 1929, 60 shoe factories in Brockton employed over 30,000 workers. The industry also attracted many plants and manufactories that made tools and supplies used in footwear production. Virtually every working citizen was in one way or another working in the shoe industry. Even today many of the old factories still stand, although they're unused and in disrepair.
Brockton also lays claim to one of the first central power stations in the US. In 1883 power was distributed through 3-wire underground conductors and was copied and used by cities all over the world. The first electric powered street railway was developed in Brockton and Thomas Edison himself came here to see a demonstration of the railway in 1884. Edison also visited the first city theater to be lighted from a central electrical power station here in Brockton. Brockton also built the first electrically powered fire station. In 1893, Brockton developed a sewage disposal system for inland cities which was incorporated by many communities all over the country and even abroad. But that was then. This is now.
Faded glory stands for a domain with a vaunted past and uncertain future. Bright nights and dark days. Brockton now is nothing but a husk, resting on tattered laurels. Marciano is dead and the our theatre house burnt down. We don't even have shoes anymore. All we got is welfare, weed, illegal immigrants and liquor stores on every corner. So when people say "I love my hood" I tell them fuck off. Cuz anybody that lives in the slums phuckkin hates them. Like Kanye said, you graduate when you make it out. IF you can make it out. Some people just get it confused. You don't love the phuckkin hood. Nobody does. You love the people IN the hood. That's the difference. And as I got older and my world expanded primarily thanks to an outside sales position that took me from Bath NH to Boonesville NY I saw Brockton for what it really is: a small piece of a much bigger pie. In my travels, I found a few places on the map to be "Jus Lyke Brockton".
SPRINGFIELD MA, is jus lyke Brockton - OFFICIAL home of The Simpsons I don't care WHAT New Hampshire says. It's even got that awful fishy smell. James Naismith created basketball here, and you can find the official Basketball Hall of Fame located here. Much like Marciano Stadium, it's a testament to a storied history. And a very shaky future.
BRIDGEPORT CT, is jus lyke Brockton - Bridgeport is practically in New York. I went out here one time to repossess a credit card machine from a business that defaulted on a lease. My first sight of the city was one of familiarity children playing in front of the bodega while teens shopped for Dutch Masters. The place I had to go to get the machine was a little hole-in-the-wall store that sold fitted hats. Dude was pleasant enough, but when I heard rap playing in the back room and smelled a familiar aroma I couldn't resist. One thing led to another, and I had earned a Purple Haze connect 200 miles from home! Anytime thereafter that I passed through or around Bridgeport, I made sure I hit up the fitted hat store for a quick lift. Far as I know, they always laughed about the credit card machine guy that smoked with them on the job.
PROVIDENCE RI, is jus lyke Brockton - Dirty, claustrophobic, cramped and gritty. Feels very familar. I've almost adopted Providence as my home away from home. I'm still stepping my computer game up, so in order to get them real bootlegs I got hit the Island. 3 for $10, quality dubs with color covers and tracklists. Get him on the corner or in the swap meet. No matter how many times I hear the feds are cracking down in the news, these bootleggers are like cockroaches. They just won't die. Catch another one poppin up like weeds right down the street. Gotta love that urban entrepreneurialism!
The world is indeed a ghetto. And there are many places like Brockton MA in the world, these are just a few examples of the cities that fit that profile. But rest assured there's NOTHING like Boston anywhere else in the world. But the Bean is another story entirely Broken City just rots in its shadow.
A RUSTY NAIL AT THE BAR CAN LEAD TO THIS Albums I'm Most Anticipating
Jay-ZAmerican Gangster - Conceptual masterpiece? Everything Kingdom Come failed to be? Jigga's swansong? I call it breech of the dam holding Hip Hop back from New York.
EminemKing Mathers - Already there seems to be some kind of controversy over this record. Is it real? Is it a hoax? Will it arrive before '08? I don't know all the answers but I know I saw the ad for this album in a magazine so I'm sure it will be here sooner or later. And King Mathers will be the title. I'm just dying to see if he can forever bury the stink of Encore.
Ill BillThe Hour of Reprisal - "White N****r" is the same shit Haystak has been saying for years. But never in such a hostile, punk rock, hardcore NY manner. Can't wait to see how this changes the face of the game (mainstream pubs and cats like Bill O'Reilly HAVE to pick up on this, right? He spells "n***a" with an "E-R" for chrissakes!)
Dr. DreDetox - It's an annual tradition. It seems like every Christmas the rumor mill starts churning again. Late 2007 release? I'm ready for that. Been ready since Ja ruled the planet.
Del the Funky Homasapian - The 11th Hour - My all time favorite MC returns back east with a concert in support of his upcoming 2008 release. I'll be in the front row passing the spliff, and I'll be first in line to cast my vote with the record drops. Believe that.
THE PLOT THICKENS
Unpaid money for music by the late Notorious B.I.G. is at the heart of a new lawsuit filed against rap mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs.
According to the Associated Press, James Sabatino - a former consultant for Combs' Bad Boy Entertainment Inc. - claims that Combs owes him more than $19 million for music by the rapper. In the suit, Sabatino said that he flew B.I.G. to Miami in 1994 to perform at a show and record some music. About 17 minutes of vocals were recorded by the rapper during the session, which was captured on 90 minutes of video footage. The lawsuit further stated that although a contract was never signed, it was understood that both belonged to Sabatino because he paid for the B.I.G.'s travel expenses and studio time.
According to the suit, Combs agreed later that year to pay Sabatino $200,000 for the recorded music and video footage. Sabatino received a check for $25,000 with a promise from Combs the rest of the money would be paid in 60 days. Sabatino, who is still awaiting payment, claims Combs cited the Los Angeles Police Department's investigation of B.I.G.'s murder as the reason for the delay, saying the LAPD had named Sabatino a person of interest in the rapper's death. Sabatino was a no-show for a scheduled meeting with B.I.G. on the night of the killing. While arrangements could've been made to pay the money, the suit stated that Combs worried it could be misconstrued if the public found out his company had paid a person of interest in the killing. Sabatino, admitted that he felt pressured not to talk about his situation with Combs, because the mogul had been questioned by authorities about B.I.G.'s death, according to the suit.
Although Combs apparently told police he did not feel Sabatino was involved in the slaying, Sabatino revealed that he was afraid that Combs would change his story and implicate him even if it was not true. Combs' attorney did not immediately comment and a listing for Sabatino's attorney could not be found. Sabatino, who is currently in prison, is seeking $19 million for both actual and punitive damages, according to the suit.
AN ARMY OF DARKNESS FALLS, WHILE A NEW WAR IS WAGED
The fate of Death Row Records continues to hang in the balance as independent record label Koch Records positions itself to buy the once influential West Coast rap label.
The New York Post reports that Koch is one of two companies who stand the best chance of purchasing Death Row. The other company, Evergreen Copyrights, made its presence known in May by purchasing the writer's share of Death Row rapper Tupac Shakur's music catalog. Although the music publisher and Koch are in the running to obtain Death Row, two sources involved in the process told The Post that the sale of the label remains stalled in light of outstanding claims from producer Dr. Dre and Afeni Shakur. Dre's claim is over royalty payments pertaining to his classic Death Row release The Chronic. Afeni Shakur's dispute with the embattled label involves the question of who owns the rights to unreleased music by her son Tupac. Death Row controls the rights to roughly 10,000 master tracks.
In addition to the outstanding claims, the sources revealed that confusion exists among buyers as to what assets Death Row founder Marion "Suge" Knight still holds over the label. The circumstances surrounding the sale and assets are latest in a series of events surrounding Death Row since the label filed for bankruptcy in April 2006, listing $137 million in debt and just $4.4 million in assets. Sources estimate that Death Row will get less than $20 million on net revenue of roughly $2 million.
TWISTED, PARANOID CONSPIRACY THEORIES This is the part of the show where I mix Rap & Ravenloft (along with copious amounts of high-grade marijuana) to formulate some off-the-wall conspiracy theories concerning the industry. Remember, in no way are these stories factual, news-worthy or even particularly sane. It just gives me an excuse to puff more weed and wonder "What If?"...
BETWEEN HARD AND A ROCK PLACE
One sometimes fails to take into consideration the increasing trend of realism in fantasy. The effortless melding of non fiction and make-believe that leaves the two forms nearly indistinguishable. Big Brother, The Condemned, Gangsta rap. When the image you project becomes the end-all, be-all of your existence. Painted into a corner where a small fragment personifies you. Exit 2Pac Shakur.
Reality TV shows like The Sopranos have been prone to take swipes at the Hip Hop black gangster persona in the past. Not in SNL parody fashion, but in a more gritty street-oriented manner. Lyrically, even Nas has referenced that episode where the rapper has himself shot in the ass for publicity. There's seem to be a growing trend of wannabe rappers who feel that exaggerated shows of violence somehow make them more glamorous and desirable. They make the fireworks go off the same way Britney phones ahead to let paparazzi know of her arrival. But then there's the other side of the coin. The part where "industry" ends and "the streets" begin.
Rap is legal drug money. Real talk. The same pitfalls that inhabit the drug game also infest the Hip Hop industry. A place where 16 bars can be equivalent to a brick, especially when the price tags start to hit 6 figures. Mo money, mo problems, gotta move carefully. Reputations are spread amongst whispers, not emblazoned across magazine covers. You just gotta know it, gotta feel it. For years before the rap game - Beanie Sigel was one of these cats.
In and out of jail, getting into fights. Murder trials, homicide charges. Sigel fits the description of a street thug utilizing the rap game for its true purpose as a front for drug-running, money laundering, gambling and extortion rackets. That's why the streets love this game. So when Sigel joined the list of rappers getting shot on the job (after getting hit in 06), the streets took a hard look. This comes just a few months after Sigel's step-father was brutally murdered and his body torched in Philly. Retaliation? Revenge? Get back? Karma for Sigel's murder acquittal? He'd sure like you to believe that. His image dictates it. That's why he told the press "I'm shot. I got shot. I'm cool". His people even called MTV to let them in on the scoop.
As the story goes, Sigel was in his vehicle at the intersection of 22nd and Sigel streets (the street that inspired his stage moniker) around 7:10 am when five black males (why they always gotta be black?) approached him in two vehicles, one of which was detailed as a dark Dodge Mirada with tinted windows. One of the men a bearded black male in his 30s wearing jeans and Timbos suddenly opened fire, and one or two bullets struck Sigel in his upper-right arm. Somehow, Sigel was able to flee the scene and drive himself to the University of Pennsylvania hospital. Sounds like a SOPRANOS sidebar or an episode of the now defunct series Platinum. But the truth of course, is always stranger than fiction.
The truth is Sigel shot himself. Not in a suicide bid. Not in a pact with the devil to gain Biggie Smalls immortality. It was just him being stupid. And fucked up. All kinds of fucked up. I'm talking codeine, hyrodocodone, hyrodponics kind of fucked up. He was in the crib fucked up and alone, pulling guns in the mirror. It went off and hit him "one or twice" in the arm. So he felt like a scram, and his image dictated a remix. So he hopped in his whip and drove himself to the hospital. On the way he concocted the robbery story to save face. Of course he made sure to flaunt all the jewelry that wasn't stolen, cuz real n****z don't get jacked. But the streets are the streets and the streets are drug-related. It's just good to know that Beanie wasn't too deep in ELYSIAN FIELDS to see a glowing publicity stunt when it's staring him right in his chinky eyes. Word to Gravy.
SPEAKING OF SIPPIN ON SIZZURP
Original Screwed Up Click member and Houston, Texas based rapper Big Moe has suffered a heart attack and is currently in a coma sources revealed to AllHipHop.com.
Big Moe, born Kenneth Moore, suffered a massive heart attack on Sunday (October 7) and is currently hospitalized on life support, struggling to stay alive. Big Moe was one of the first Screwed Up Click members to enjoy national success. He debuted on Wreckshop Records in 2000 with the album City of Syrup. In 2002 Big Moe released his sophomore album titled Purple World, which spawned his best known record "Purple Stuff." He remained active making cameo appearances on a number of singles and mixtapes with Houston artists like Z-Ro, Mike Jones and UGK's Pimp C.
LOST in the LAB This is the part of our show where I dig into my archives and unearth some of rap's hidden jewels. These album or song choices may be shrouded in obscurity, or on the top of everybody's "Heard Of" list. They could be a few months young, or 25 years old. But one thing is sure - it's all HIP HOP MUSIC, and it's comin live and direct from Elysian Fields!
DJ Quik
WAY 2 FONKY
Profile Records
1992
This record was Quik's second studio effort, and resulted in a gold plaque. It arrived at the crescendo of G-Funk, a sound and style that Quik helped pioneer within the West Coast. Growing up, this was one of the first rap tapes I ever shoplifted (because I'd heard of him on those old Yo MTV Raps! Trading cards). It's bounced with me in walkmans and (later) car stereo systems ever since.
"America's Most Complete Artist" opens the set with a dope, NWA-influenced (and D.O.C.-sampled) West Coast banger. The lyrics are gang-related, the beat is driven by Parliament and he cuts up 3 different Hip Hop tracks to make the hook ("I Am Down" by Salt-n-Pepa and "Bass" by DJ Pooh and King Tee alongside D.O.C.'s "No One Can Do It Better"). This track made all my homemade mixtapes in Junior High. Next up is one of his big singles for this record, "Mo Pussy". It is what it sounds like, and Quik desecrates the Gap Band with his raunchy lyrics. "Way 2 Fonky" is the title track and reuses a very popular, familiar sample by Roger Troutman (the legendary "More Bounce to the Ounce") to illustrate Quik's boasts of being the best. He would go on to sample himself on "Way 2 Fonky" to create the hook for "Can't Fuck Witta N***a" (off the Menace II Society soundtrack one year later). "Just Lyke Compton" is a conceptual record that finds Quik touring throughout the country, and finding out what it would take the Geto Boys four more years to lay down the world is a ghetto. According to Quik, Oakland, St. Louis, Denver CO and San Antonio TX are just like Compton.
"Quik'z Groove II (For U 2 Rip 2)" is for the breakers, jackers, writers and MCs all around Hip Hop. It's just a straight instrumental track with ill oriental wind pipes that give the track much flavor. I've used this beat over and over again in my lifetime. As a backdrop for rhymes, short stories and RAVENLOFT adventures over the years. Dope stuff, and despite all the set trippin it shows who Quik really holds it down for the Hip Hop fans. "Me Wanna Rip Your Girl" is Quik's stab at reggae. He was probably emulating BDP but it comes off more like Vanilla Ice ("Rosta Man"). Fast forward and we're done with the first side.
"When You're A Gee" opens the B Side with percussive West Coast force, using a Richard Pryor cut from "UFO". This song is to Quik what "Hustlerz Ambition" is to 50 Cent. "My game is tight so if you're lookin and listenin and learnin, apply it to yours and you'll earn respect in abundance, and you can never be checked see. When you're a muthaphuckkin Gee". Instrumental sounds like Hood Rock before "hood rock" was coined, with a fat guitar rip that outlasts the rest of the beat. Playa Hamm guest stars. After that is "No Bullshit" featuring 2nd II None flaunting his MC Ren-derived delivery over a beat made for set trippin. Classic early 90s sound over which DJ Quik sounds absolutely incomparable. "Only Fo Tha Money" opens with Quik wondering aloud why people like this "dirty talking shit" before bouncing into another one of his timeless instrumentals. 2nd II None dates the track with weak rhymes and stale flow, but it only makes Quik sound better in comparison. "Let Me Rip Tonight" is DJ Quik's interpretation of those old parody soul songs made famous by NWA at the time ("Automobile" and "I'd Rather Fuck You" spring instantly to mind). Throwaway track, the joke goes on too long. "N****z Still Trippin" continues that theme. Despite the title, it's all about fuckin bitches. Crazy, juvenile X-rated posse cut in the vein of "Buddy". Features a who's who of early Quik collaborators like AMG, Hi-C, JFN and of course 2nd II None. Funny to think the white boy bashing, Everlast diss "Can't Fuck witta N***a" was still a whole year away when Quik introduces JFN as his "funky white n***a" here on "N****z Still Trippin". JFN the funky white n**** gets shouted out again next in "Tha Last Word", Quik's spoken word outro to the record. Mellow beat rides underneath his proclamations. He goes from props to shots at the end, by targeting wack ass R&B singers who say rappers ain't real musicians. He also sardonically thanks Tim Dog for "Fuck Compton" and ends it with a death threat for MC Eiht.
I have never outgrown this album (although "Mo Pussy" and "Me Wanna Rip Your Girl" are not as great as I remember). I've always loved the inside liner notes, where Quik writes a quick rhyme that uses the titles of every song included on the album. I always thought that was fresh and clever. Overall this record has a strong sentimental value to me, so I'm probably overrating it. But I give it a 7.5 overall. Lyrically it's kinda dated, but the beats are phuckkin timeless. WAY 2 FONKY!!!
