I feel like I'm at a crossroads. The other day, a buddy of mine gave me some Charles Hamilton to listen to. I had been reading about this guy and saw him in XXL recently but was being a stubborn asshole; sticking to what I already like. I had come to the conclusion awhile back that there are so many rappers out there that I just don't have time to pay them any attention. Everybody wants to rap nowadays and most of them suck so why waste my time? Well, I actually liked this kid. I mean, there are some new cats out that I dig. I'm not stuck in a time warp... Well, I guess I am.
I went to see Red & Meth this past Friday at the Marquee Theater in Tempe, AZ. The venue is bullshit but who cares? It's fuckin Red and Meth! Redman is one of my Top 5 of all time and I don't give a shit what you say about that. As for Meth, me and the homies always have the "who is the dopest out of the Wu" debate over coffee. Back in 1993, there was no question that it was Method. That dude had the illest voice to touch a mic and there was no stopping the Wu back then. Now? I'd say Ghost. Hands down. I have never liked one whole Method release. I was always disappointed. My boys keep telling me about T2 and I keep telling them it was disappointing. Redman, on the other hand, has released a bunch of shit I still bump. I have always loved his style, his humor, his goddamn Cribs episode... Tell me he isn't an original and a legend! I mean, he is one example of an offshoot from a legendary crew that in some ways, has surpassed his big homies! Uh oh. I know that's treacherous waters but we all know EPMD had their share of issues and skill-wise, they are not even close to Reggie Noble. Meth's acting kind of killed it for me too. Except for Cheese on The Wire, I'm still frowning on his film career. If I don't like it, I don't like it. It don't mean that I'm hatin'.
So, I peep the show, hyped as hell! Mad still about Red canceling his show there a few months back. Local legend Atllas was opening up and that's the homie so we had to go regardless. He tore it up. (Shout out to the Merks!)
When Red and Meth hit the stage, I was amped. I moved closer to the front to absorb the energy and there was plenty of it. What I quickly realized though is that we are getting older collectively. I mean, I was in college when "Enter the 36 Chambers" and "Whut? Thee Album" came out and they were older than me then! These dudes are pushing 40 right now... That's a crazy thought. The wear of touring was evident and I didn't feel like I felt even when I watched that Backstage dvd. Man, those guys were THE guys to see live. I never had the chance until now and damn if I don't feel like it was too late.
While they still killed the lyrics and the songs and tore through all kinds of classic material, they lost me with bringing out the homies to perform and something just didn't feel right. The stage diving was there. The comedy was there. I can't put my finger on it... And it kills me. There was just something that didn't feel right. I guess it almost felt like a forced production; like these guys don't do this for the love anymore. Like the economy has affected even my hip hop heroes' lives and since nobody is making money in cds anymore, the stage is where it's at. I don't know...
All in all, I will still buy Redman shits. I'll even cop the Gilla House mixtapes. I got a copy of the last Wu album and after the last two Meth joints, I definitely won't buy anymore of his solos. As for the Blackout 2 cd and How High 2 movie coming out next year, I'm still on the fence. I'm a Redman fan regardless so I'll probably break myself, but in 2009, something is gonna have to change. Our music can't go the way of jazz, where the old heads hate the new Kenny G. soft bitches. The new heads have skill. There just has to be balance in the force, I suppose.
Ah well... I'm off to bump my Redman playlist in iTunes: Funk Doc. I got the Cribs episode on my iPhone... I love that shit!
Peace,
FLO
