Speaking of Method Man, the duo tells us that their Wu-Tang Clan influence growing up helped diversify their content even in the present day.
"What I love about Wu-Tang Clan is their image was 'scary,' Peele says before laughing at the notion of dudes with "masks and machetes walking around New York City."
"In the core of the reality is they're geeks just like us," he continued. "They like kung-fu movies. They like comic books. They're not murderers."
Key couldn't agree more, chiming in with "If you talked to the RZA for an half-of-hour, you'd realize he's more of a nerd than you are. But to be that brilliant, you have to be obsessed with something. He's a renaissance man! That nigga is Leonardo da Vinci! Because he gives so much unabashedly passion to the things he cares about. That's what Jordan is saying. You need that dichotomy; that juxtaposition that shows everybody is a nerd of something!"
Back in February, a strange lawsuit was brought against both Martin Shkreli andRZA of the Wu-Tang Clan surrounding the much-hyped, one-of-a-kind album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin. A Long Island-based artist named Jason Koza sued both parties after discovering that some of his illustrations were used in the leather booklet that accompanies the album without his permission. Although he had been contacted about possibly contributing artwork to the album, he claimed nothing was ever finalized and that he did not know his work would make the final version.
Now, it looks like Shkreli caught a lucky break. According to a report from Billboard, he has officially been dropped from the lawsuit. Although he was only a secondary figure in the suit—which claimed he was partially responsible since he had purchased the album and shown it off to a Vice reporter in a video interview—it's nonetheless very good news for him. "Mr. Shkreli did not agree to any conditions or pay any form of settlement in exchange for being dismissed from the case," his lawyer said to Billboard. "In our view it is likely that Mr. Koza recognized that he would be unable to maintain an infringement claim against Mr. Shkreli in light of the fair use doctrine."
The invocation of the "Fair Use Doctrine" is probably key to his dismissal. Media companies retain the right to use and publish parts of a work when they are reporting on or critiquing it. As such, Shkreli showing the artwork off to a reporter, even if its use was unauthorized to begin with, probably wouldn't constitute any kind of copyright violation. While he remains one of the most hated people in America, it looks pretty unlikely that he'll be shelling out any cash in this case. RZA and the rest of the Wu-Tang Clan's legal fate remains to be seen.
Wu Goo is for smokers who don’t want to light up in a bong or a pipe.
“It’s for the people that want that discreetness and that want something that’s also powerful, but they don’t want to smoke something out of a pipe or a bong,” Dr. Zodiak says. "They want to pull it out of their purse or their pocket and nobody knows what they’re smoking, or they’ll think they’re vaping.”
"It’s just hash oil with THC, but we’re just concentrating on the vape pens,” Killah Priest says during an exclusive interview with HipHopDX. "You’re going to be able to get it at all dispensaries and we’ll get it to the rest of the East Coast. It’s going really good. I can’t tell you much on it. I tell you one thing: when it hits, you won’t quit."
The smoke's strawberry, coconut and vanilla mango scents are aromatic, but the affect is anything but light, especially with the Yellow Dynamite pen that is set to drop in a few weeks.
“It’s like taking a hit from a bong,” Dr. Zodiak says. "This pen is going to hit 10 times more than our previous pen, so it’s going to get rid of the need for people to use a bong when they can have a device in the palm of their hand and get a super-big blast.
“People are going to hit it and their head’s going to explode,” he adds. "That’s going to be the Instagram video that we're going to put out. All the celebrities are going to hit it. Then their head’s going to explode.”
Growing up in Lynwood, California and later the East Side of Los Angeles, Dr. Zodiak has seen his business explode. He studied film and minored in marketing at California State University, Los Angeles. He got his BA and teamed up with Michael Lynch from Felony Fights and met Killah Priest.
Now, he works with Golden Boy Boxing, Oscar De La Hoya and Bernard Hopkins, and is planning a festival in August at the Pico Rivera Sports Arena that will feature camping, a carnival and music performances. He says it will also be the first weed festival in Los Angeles where people will be able to smoke.
“I’m doing what I love and that’s the best part about it,” Dr. Zodiak says. "I’ve been doing what I love, but the bread’s finally kicking in."
During his life, rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard, left fans with countless memorable moments, one in particular was when he took his kids on a limo ride to pick up their welfare checks, which aired on MTV. The late rapper's oldest son, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Jr., says he was 7 when it happened, and often looks back at the "regular" ride in 1995. "I was the one in the front with the braids sticking up." He said, "I had to be 7... it was a regular moment in life for me."
During his talk with DJ Vlad, the 26-year-old reminisces about witnessing his father use drugs right before his untimely his death. "I use to smoke weed when I was younger, but this was different. My father was doing it in front of me and looking dead in my eye." After that very moment, he says went home and received a call that his father had died from an overdose, "It happened out of nowhere, it was so quick."
Ol' Dirty Bastard allegedly requested Newports and Moet, and called assistants "white devils" while recording "Fantasy (Remix)."
According to an A&R rep for Mariah Carey's "Fantasy (Remix)," Ol' Dirty Bastard spazzed out numerous times while recording his verse for the song. While speaking with Billboard.com, the A&R rep, Cory Rooney revealed that the fun began as soon as ODB set foot in the studio.
"He finally showed up, three hours late, and when he got there, it was about 10:30 at night," Cory Rooney said. "He had been drinking, and was on the phone when he walked in. Irate, screaming at some girl how he's gonna come kill her, he's going to kick her ass...and then whispering, 'I love you.' Then screaming again. This went on for an hour...He finally came out and was like, 'Yo, pardon me, this bitch is driving me crazy. I need some Moet and Newports before we get into this record'... He started yelling at the assistants, calling them white devils, saying, 'You white devils, y'all don't want black people to have shit.'"
Wu-Tang Freestyles...or rather they Kick at The Time...Unheard "Written" Lyrics on a Video Show Between Late 1993 or Early 1994. Ol Dirty Bastard Is Missing As Usual...So Is RZA. SUPER RARE FOOTAGE!!
Raekwon joins Jen DeLeon for her "Life Lessons" series where he talks about the importance of knowing your surroundings and separating your business from friends.
"There’s a lot of people that don’t have great intentions and they be right there next to you acting like they’re genuine, but they don’t really give a fuck about you - they’re there for personal pleasure.”
