10 Commandments Of The Street By Cappadonna

Let's face it. Most MTV Clutch readers probably don't know much about "street life." We get our knowledge from rap lyrics and Netflixing "The Wire." It's nothing to be ashamed about--the streets aren't really for the faint of heart. It's a dangerous world out there, and we have to come fully equipped. Luckily, we have our good friend Cappadonna to help us navigate. The Wu-Tang Clan member has a few valuable tips up his sleeve for decoding the streets and life in general.

In between promoting his latest album The Pilgrimage, performing on The Black Cloud Tour and just being all around awesome, Capp spit some interesting (albeit strange) philosophies to MTV Clutch about the streets. Grab a pen and take notes. Don't be scurred. [FYI, many of these commandments have nothing to do with the streets.]

1. Know Thy Self

"The first commandment for the streets from the angel of rap, the unordinary light, Cappadonna is know thy self," Cappadonna says. "In order to find yourself, you gotta dig within. You'll never be able to find yourself looking for yourself in somebody else or in the world or in a book. In order to find out you, you have to sit down and meditate and acknowledge yourself and study yourself--your origins, your culture, where you come from. Trace your lineage as far back as you could, and that'll give you even more knowledge about not only yourself but where you come from, which is the second commandment..."

2. Know Where You Come From

"Because if you don't know where you come from, then you don't even know where you're going. So there would be no need for a third commandment."

3. Knowledge

"Not just the knowledge of yourself or where you come from, but knowledge of all things around you. God told Adam, 'This is yours. I give you this world. I have only one thing for you to do and it's not to eat from this tree, which is the tree of evil. But you're allowed to eat from this tree.' So that knowledge will give you the ability to overcome the tree of evil. 'Cause knowledge is the foundation for all things in existence. It's to know, think, listen, and observe...and also to respect. Yeah."

4. Don't Mistake Culture for Religion

"Religion and culture are two different things. Religion is something you rely on; culture is something you live. Once you understand the culture, then you don't have to keep questioning why things are how they are. You know we came up through slavery; let's not be fooled. Let's not fool each other, you know? Know where the pain comes from. Know why there's aggressive rap and aggressiveness in our culture and our lifestyle. Know when you have everything taken from you, why you cherish your Nikes so much."

5. Do Unto Others...

"If you can't take it, don't dish it out. If you want peace and harmony, move with peace and harmony. If you want to be respected, show some respect. You wanna be loved? Show some love. You wanna make that money, spend some money."

6. Love Thy Neighbor

"There's a lot of people trying to pull each other down to get up. It's a lot of people selling their soul and altering their appearance to be accepted in life. There's a lot of people that's stealing and murdering to get something they don't have from somebody that worked hard to get it. That's why we need to learn how to love ourselves. That's why sometimes we have to learn how to be alone. Oh, you in there arguing with this one, and this one, and this one, and y'all trying to figure out what it is to solve y'all little problem of who's gonna get the car today or who's gonna do this or do that. But it's like, you need 'me' time, homie. You need a timeout. That's what you need, because by the time you get back, you've got other things on your mind now. Fresh new things. Don't get caught up in pettiness."

7. Lust
"I'm not talking about 'sex' lust; I'm talking about a lust for material wealth and fancy things. Anything that's deterring you from achieving your goal. These are things that are causing you to sell your soul. You ain't just selling it because you want a name, you want the whole package. There has to be a higher level you're trying to achieve. Like, my rap form is ministry, and I'm learning more and more and more to come a little bit cleaner and cleaner and cleaner. I'm still trying to keep it real and aggressive though, because my ministry and the people I minister are not a soft people."

8. Growth and Development
"Growing comes from learning from the situations and the obstacles of life that you've been through. The things that don't help anybody grow is stagnation: being stuck in the same situation, same spot, same place, same time, every single same day. A white man once said in the State of Virginia, he said, 'We're gonna cut off every avenue from which light could enter the mind of a slave.' Every avenue? You know? What kind of person could even conjure up a Jim Crow law like that? This is what we're dealing with. You gotta get out. Even the birds have gotta leave their nest. The mother bird pushes the bird out of the nest, knowing he's got the potential to fall down and break his neck, but she's like, 'Baby, you gotta go.' You know? Hoping that the father's even around so he can go and scoop him up."

9. Family Keeps It Together
"You can front on everybody else, but you can't front on Mama's love. We can't run from big bruh or big sis; can't front on lil bruh or lil sis for that matter. So Mama's love, and if we can find Papa, then he's down too. Stop hatin' on Papa; he's out there, man. We out there. Some brothers don't wanna come home if they've got nothing to give. But you wouldn't understand that; you gotta talk to another man that spoke to another man about it."

"Check out [the movie] 'Soul Food,' that one time when Birdy tried to talk to her ex-boyfriend to get her new boyfriend a job. Oh my God. Nah, that ain't cool. Vivica A. Fox had to tell her, 'No, baby. Listen. Sit down, mami. You don't do that.' You let a man be a man. Are you crazy? Then they came and broke the door at the store. Smash! And then not only that, then she's laughing? Then I guess getting her new man a job, they didn't show the part, but she had a bracelet. You're like, 'What's that?' She's like, 'Oh, it's a gift. We went to dinner.' Argh!!! That was it. It just kept getting worse and worse. Yeah, so you know. Let us make sure that we are in the respectful order of the family, which is man, woman and child."

10. God
"'Cause again, like family, without God sitting on top of all of this, none of it's possible. At all."

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GZA joined by rapping Marty Markowitz To Announce 2012 Northside Festival

Brooklyn's annual Northside Festival was officially announced in a press conference at Borough Hall presided over by Marty Markowitz and Wu-Tang Clan member GZA. Yes, GZA and Marty, passing the mic. Never one to miss an opportunity to make his borough cringe, Marty put his rapping skills on display, dropping the first lyric to GZA's "Liquid Swords": "Through cyclones or typhoons, I represent Brooklyn from midnight to high noon...I don't waste ink, I think, I drop 'fuggedaboutits' faster than you blink." Bear witness:

GZA will be one of the main musical acts during the festival, performing Liquid Swords with Grammy-winning Latin funk group Grupo Fantasma. The festival, which will take place June 14th through the 21st in Williamsburg and Greenpoint, will include music from over 350 bands at over 30 different venues. Other notable artists will be Of Montreal, Ceremony, Tinariwen, Starfucker and Screaming Females.Markowitz went on to "joke," "(In Williamsburg) I've seen people with all different colors of hair... except mine." GZA also clarified an important bit of trivia "You know most people associate Wu-Tang with Staten Island, or Shaolin, but actually I'm a native of Brooklyn."

The festival will also showcase the finest in the Brooklyn art scene, and feature over 45 film screenings including the premiere of Take This Waltz, with Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, and Sarah Silverman.

Cappadonna talks his latest album + epic journey to get where he is today

Wu-Tang member talks his latest album plus his epic journey to get where he is today

GZA/Genius - The Jam (Frames)

An animated (literally) GZA recalls early visits to the Bronx, block parties, and a young RZA getting in trouble.

Jadakiss talks about the Wu-Block album (Video)

Method Man and Major Lazer rock the Riv for this year's A&O Ball

Purple strobe lights illuminated a crowd of Northwestern students dancing to a pounding bass, forming the letter “W” with their hands as they participated in a “Wu-Tang” chant led by Method Man.

NU students filled the Riviera Theatre in Chicago Saturday night for this year’s A&O Ball, which was headlined by the DJ duo Major Lazer. Wu-Tang Clan’s Method Man and his rhyme partner Redman opened the show with an hour-long performance of hip-hop and rap songs.

Method Man performed “Bring the Pain,” the first single released from his debut album “Tical,” and a DJ homage to Jam Master Jay. He also performed several songs by the Wu-Tang Clan, a rap and hip-hop collective established in 1993.

Vivek Sudarsan, co-chair of promotions and public relations for A&O Productions, said Method Man’s past work as a member of Wu-Tang Clan drew numerous fans to the show.

“Method Man obviously has a big following,” the Weinberg senior said. “Everyone that was up front seemed to know his Wu-Tang songs.”

At one point during the show, members of the crowd held Method Man up by the legs as he sang above the crowd, and he crowd-surfed again later in the evening. Weinberg sophomore Ezra Olson said Method Man did a good job of getting the crowd excited and involved in the performance.

“I really appreciated the energy he gave,” Olson said. “This was a tribal experience — in a good way.”

By the time DJs Diplo and Switch of Major Lazer began their performance, the area in front of the stage had filled in almost completely, and the energy of the crowd increased.

Throughout their hour-long performance, Major Lazer wove a variety of electronic mixes in with well-known songs like Rihanna’s “You da One” and Far East Movement’s “Like a G6” and featured portions of “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” by Skrillex. They also played their well-known dance mix, “Pon de Floor.”

Like Method Man, the group tried to involve members of the audience, bringing several students onstage to dance.

Source

Uncle Ray's Weekly Wuspiration #11: Life is short....

'Life is short. Break rules. Forgive. Love. laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile.'

- Ray Acosta (President/GM @ Wu Music Group)

Wu-Tang 4 The Children; RZA Chats with Youths on Skype about responsibilities

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan has always found a way to include the genre of hip hop in the Nation of Islam’s annual Saviours’ Day convention.
This year’s live webcasted youth and hip hop townhall featured a conglomerate of influential artists and community activists who delved into subject matter aimed at inspiring young people to accept responsibility.

“Education is the thing that they don’t want you to have that you can elevate yourself with. Anything that’s worth something, you have to strive for it and education is the ultimate thing to strive for,” said rap artist Cormega.

“The first step in getting young people excited about education is to show their value in it and make it relevant,” said Enoch Muhammad of Hip-Hop Detoxx.

They were a part of the first set of panelists along with experienced organizers Hasaun Muhammad and music artist Lah Tere. The event was hosted the evening of Feb. 25 at the Stephens Convention Center.

Greg “Grouchy Greg” Watkins, who co-founded AllHipHop.com, facilitated that segment on education. The popular site served as an official co-sponsor and broadcasted the entire program to their thousands of online readers. It could also be viewed on the N.O.I.’s site.

“We need to create a trend where we start promoting excellence, not just in entertainment and sports, but within this business paradigm. Opportunities exist outside rap,” said Hasaun Muhammad.

Lah Tere said she founded Mama’s Hip Hop Kitchen as a platform to educate and empower women to “be activists and talk about what’s happening in their communities because as women we are dying. Our community is dying,” she said.


RZA spoke to the youth via Skype.
“No government can change what’s going on in our community. We have to do it ourselves and use Hip-Hop as a tool,” said Lah Tere.
“I think it is important that everybody realize that you’re going to have to educate yourself. Unfortunately, we are a community of people that have been severely oppressed. Nobody has our best interest in mind when it comes to education,” said Grouchy Greg.

The crowd was brought to their feet as performers Avian Nalej, Akilah Nehanda, Nailah Muhammad and Malika rocked the microphone with songs filled with conscious and uplifting lyrics.

The power of originality

Ashahed M. Muhammad, Asst. Editor of The Final Call newspaper, moderated the second panel discussion. RZA, of the Wu Tang Clan, spoke via Skype and was interviewed by Mr. Muhammad. RZA also answered questions from the audience.

“There are more opportunities in this industry besides being an artist. There are many avenues we can enter into to show our talents and not just copy the same thing we’re seeing others do,” said RZA. “Be original and try to bring something unique to the game. When it is original it is unique and when it’s unique it has value,” he added.

The award-winning producer also spoke on how the Wu Tang Clan has been able to maintain longevity by studying the business side of the industry and also feeding their minds constantly on the Supreme Wisdom Lessons brought by Master Fard Muhammad, founder of the NOI.

“After all of my studying, I’ve come to find that Islam is the proper way of life. Master Fard Muhammad, for whom we celebrate Saviours’ Day, brought this divine wisdom to free our minds. If you look at Method Man, Old Dirty, Raekwon, Ghostface, they all study these lessons. A lesson a day keeps the stress away,” said RZA.

Jasiri X, Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Ja’Mal Green, Divine, Raheem DeVaughn, Mary Brown and JT The Bigga Figga were the next featured panelists.

“Violence is really a big thing in this generation. It’s really hard to watch the news because that’s all you see. I think there’s a lack of opportunities for youth so they go into the streets,” said Mr. Green, a 16-year-old music writer.

The majority of those in attendance were under the age of 19 brought by co-sponsoring group Much Better For The People. For some this was their first time being outside of the confines of their Chicago neighborhoods.

“You are the most important generation our people have ever seen. In the 20th century we fought for civil rights, but the difference right now is we’re fighting for existence,” said Rev. Yearwood, who heads the D.C.-based Hip-Hop Caucus. “There’s some in this room who the spirit is going to hit you that you’re going to recognize that this is the time for us to fight.”

Mr. DeVaughn, a Grammy nominated R&B singer, spoke on how he has successfully navigated through the “landmines” and “pitfalls” of the industry thus far.

“Try to have the right team around you. You’re judged by the company that you keep. Be God fearing, be a leader and be willing to go against the grain. Know that nobody is going to give you anything,” said Mr. DaVaughn.

Pittsburgh rapper and activist Jasiri X has chosen to address serious issues via his popular YouTube videos versus contributing more to the dumbing down of the masses.

“We have almost a depression in our community as far as the lack of resources, the lack of jobs, and people being killed. I feel like, as an artist, to talk about popping bottles and making it rain, that’s not the real experience that our people are dealing with,” said Jasiri X.

“I don’t want to be an artist just for the sake of selling records. I want to use my art to uplift our community. It’s my responsibility,” he said.

Insight into taking advantage of the digital revolution, the need for ownership and what it takes to maintain integrity was offered by JT The Bigga Figga, Divine and Mary Brown.

“We brought the young people in hopes that they would be inspired by seeing people of color who are successful and who may have been through similar situations as they have. They enjoyed it,” said Jay Waddy, who spearheads Much Better For The People.

“This was a great event and we received so much support. I always love involving Chuck and Grouchy from AllHipHop because they also back us up. We hope to make it even bigger next year because these young people need to know Minister Farrakhan,” said Yonasda LoneWolf Muhammad, who was the lead organizer of the town.


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Twenty-minute interview with the RZA

The RZA, legendary hip-hop producer and one of the few men who can pull off a fedora, recently sat down for a twenty minute interview that’s very enlightening even if you’ve read The Tao of Wu while listening to 36 Chambers on RZA’s branded headphones.

If your idea of long-term planning is deciding between Playstation and Xbox, listen as RZA describes how he steered the Wu Tang Clan from the slums of Shaolin to the global stage in five years. In between dropping steady bombs of wisdom, RZA also outlines his favorite Wu albums, lyrics and briefly mentions his directorial debut. Not bad for a guy who got his start selling socks.

Watch both segments below:

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The Rza: Meet the Musician

Rza: Meet the Musician
By Apple Inc.

Podcast Description: Grammy award–winning music producer, BAFTA-nominated film composer, recording artist, and actor RZA is one of the most prominent figures in hip-hop music today. RZA has spent the last several years building his feature film resume and studying top-tier directors, with appearances in several popular movies. Join us for this moderated discussion led by Jeff Staple of Staple Design, as RZA discusses his career and showcases his new entertainment app, RZA’s World.

listen to an audio podcast, mouse over the title and click Play. Open iTunes to download and subscribe to podcasts

http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/rza-meet-the-musician/id513449348

Colin Munroe ft. RZA & Memoryhouse "Invincible [Prod. RZA]"

Here is the outcome of Colin Munroe's recent studio session with the RZA. "Unsung Hero" is on the way.

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/singles/id.19854/title.colin-munroe-f-rza-memoryhouse--invincible

Cappachino Any One?