Wu-Art Thursday #191

Never Heard of Any Big Droughts: Appreciating Ghostface Killah's 'Fishscale' 10 Years Later

In hindsight, Ghostface Killah's Fishscale wasn't a comeback at all. When kids in 2026 start digging through his catalog, they’re going to be floored at the consistency: Ironman invented a new language, Supreme Clientele is the masterpiece. Bulletproof Wallets was hampered in its time by sample clearance issues, but all the necessary pieces are floating out there in the digital ether. EvenPretty Toney holds up—loose, soulful, fun. So why, in 2006, was there such a chip on Starks’ shoulder? Why was Just Blaze doing the fake Rocky monologues? Who was jumping out of UPS trucks? Who thought Ghost was washed up?

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Wu-Art Thursday #190

A$AP Ferg Freestyles Over Wu-Tang Beat

A$AP Ferg gives a great freestyle over Wu-Tang Clan's track, "Triumph' on Power 106. 

So what do you think?

Method & Redman Close To Deal With Marijuana Dispensary Finder, BlazeNow

LOS ANGELES, CA - If you happen to be a smoker in one of the four states where marijuana has been fully legalized or one of the many regions that bask in ultimate asterisks glory, like everything else in the country, the convenience of a reliable app to find the best (legal) bud would be a welcomed acquisition.

BlazeNow CEO Jeremy Carr is close to perfecting such a service that when completed, he's confident that it dwarf all other existing competitors. During a recent phone conversation with HipHopDX, Carr spoke the ongoing conversation between himself and Method Man & Redman that apexed with them jetsetting to Vegas where they had no issue telling the crowd about BlazeNow in between songs. The two legendary rap stars long solidified their stance on smoking weed via their cult classic film How High and audio duet of the same name and Carr tells us their enthusiasm was as a genuine as their personality.

"[Method Man & Redman] have been aware of the development of BlazeNow for a little while and they love the business plan and like the app and want to be involved," he explains of the initial proposal. "So we went with them to the High Times Cannabis Cup where they performed and we brought a bunch of hats and jumped on a jet with them and flew out to Vegas where they were performing the same night with Lil Wayne. We just got into detail about our business and marketing plans and what we want to do and how they can be involved. Obviously we're still getting into place to making it official but they already wore our hats and our jackets and told the crowd about us, so it was pretty cool."

Carr says the $3,000-a-month listing fee for the app he uses to promote his top rated Exhale Med Center dispensary in West Hollywood forced him to expand options for himself and all who wanted it. And the finished product is close to arriving with each passing day.

"BlazeNow, we've been developing it for a little over a year and the IOS version is done and approved by Apple," he says. "We just finished the Android version and the website is looking pretty good too. We've already registered over 2,800 dispensaries and delivery services and now we're gearing up for a real launch to the public. We're hoping for April 20, [known as the official smoker's holiday 4/20] and we can kind of soft launch now but we want to have a really solid marketing budget behind us so we don't waste the opportunity."

Although obtaining a rapper to promote a weed product is a good look, it's hardly a surprising venture. However Carr revealed that he's aiming for the fences with the BlazeNow endorsements. Even at with the unlikeliest of players and places.

"We're trying to be more mainstream," Carr admits rather frankly. "We have a very clean app and we want appeal to advertisers in every industry. We want to get X Games, movies, video games, all that and we're actually talking right now to [Watch What Happens: Live host] Andy Cohen. Totally opposite in the celebrity world but he's a smoker and supporter everything. We may also be doing a proposal to Roc Nation. We're trying to create a community here and show the whole country that every demographic fits."

The powers that be are still dragging their feet in the global fight to completely legalize Mary Jane but Carr assures BlazeNow will have plenty of activity in the meantime.

"We have shops in all states that are legal. We also have smoke and vape shops in all 50 states as a separate search. That way we can create a brand name in other markets long before the dispensaries get there."

[via HIPHOPDX]

Ol’ Dirty Bastard & The D.O.C. Reissue Projects Set For Record Store Day

BOSTON, MA - Ol’ Dirty Bastard and The D.O.C. reissue projects are among those that have been set for Record Store Day on April 16, according to a press release.

ODB’s “Brooklyn Zoo” and “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” singles are being packaged as a picture disc that features the public assistance ID card that was used as the cover of the late Wu-Tang Clan rapper’s debut album, 1995’s Return To The 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version. Both “Brooklyn Zoo” and “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” were featured on the acclaimed LP.

The release of The D.O.C.’s No One Can Do It Better is the first time the debut album from theN.W.A affiliate will be available on vinyl in the United States in more than 25 years, according to a press release. 

The 1989 album was produced by Dr. Dre and will be available on black vinyl. No One Can Do It Better features the singles “It’s Funky Enough” and “The Formula.”

The D.O.C. was also portrayed in Straight Outta Compton, the blockbuster N.W.A biopic that was released last year and was named after N.W.A’s 1988 album. The D.O.C. appeared with Dr. Dre, MC Ren, Ice Cube and Eazy-E on the collection’s “Parental Discretion Iz Advised."

Get On Down is releasing both the Ol’ Dirty Bastard and The D.O.C. projects. The label has released more than 150 projects, including the acclaimed 2014 reissue of Souls Of Mischief’s 93 Til Infinity.

[via HipHopDX]

Wu-Art Thursday #189