i heard two new joints from him that were pretty decent, "flood" (i think it's on his myspace) and "flashlight" (alchemist p-funk sample). wasn't mad at his song on the rasco album either.
also PS the back and forth volleys in this thread are great. howcome there's not a "5 Pager" graemlin yet?
Nature of the Threat is like the Helen of Troy of internet rap message boards, its the song that launched 1000 racism arguments.
Oh, so now if we argue, that means we racist? Fuck that racist shit, you racist-ass racist!
OK, seriously...I think Ras is a dope MC who doesn't always make the best songs (see: "Ghetto Fabulous"). But just on some straight-up rhyming and being lyrically lyrical with the lyrical bluntz, he's nasty.
for the record Ras is a sick rapper and Soul on Ice has some amazing songs. But as an album it has serious flaws. It was WAAAAY doper before the sample clearance and other label-related issues.
Ras is nastiest on the guest shots: E=MC5, Comewiddit, Get Up, Get Down.
soul on ice even had shortkut on it... he was so damn close to getting it right with that release and it still stands alongside shit like boxcar sessions as my most listened to albums from that period. however, ras suffers from an often poor choice in beats - there's been so many instances over the years of him getting a named producer but them handing him a weak beat. people listen to names more than beats, it seems. he's still one of my favourite emcees of all time tho, to be honest. personally, i probably bump "come widdit" more than anything else he's blessed
If you promise to change the name of your aforementioned business to NOT ABOUT SHIT RECORDS NYC, I will promise to call up and sing the aforemtioned chorus from "Action Guaranteed" for use in your outgoing message.
If you promise to change the name of your aforementioned business to NOT ABOUT SHIT RECORDS NYC, I will promise to call up and sing the aforemtioned chorus from "Action Guaranteed" for use in your outgoing message.
"Cawwwwl may[/b]..."
That sure is tempting.
Can I change the name of the parent corporation to NOT ABOUT SHIT RETAIL VENTURES INC. and keep the DBA of Good Records NYC? You know, I got subsidiaries to look after and schitt....
I always got a little bit of a laugh whenever someone was like "YO SON, RASKASS IS THAT LYRICAL LEVIATHAN SON!"
jesus! Ha..
Man, I haven't listened to his stuff in years. I remember really diggin' it and was really blown away by nature of threat. Can someone explain why it's so laughable?
Many mics get ripped when I step into the Not About Shit Shop Flippin' the script on the ill historicals Slippin' wall pieces up under my gorilla chinchilla Scrilla builds while lyrical godzillas kill leviathans, tycoon Paychizzle has a white whale sale Hermetic kemetic heretic medical recessive hereditary white chick Better put Becky on your Christmas list
I remember really diggin' it and was really blown away by nature of threat. Can someone explain why it's so laughable?
Maybe you should reread the lyrics.
The word gymnasium is Greek for "naked" This was the place where adolescent boys were educated, and molested This was accepted because Greek culture was homosexual For example, Sappho trained girls on the island of Lesbos Hence, the word lesbian (Ay let these dumb motherf**kers know) December 25th, the birth of Saturn A homosexual god, now check the historical pattern December 25, now thought the birth of Christ Was Saturnalia, when men got drunk, fucked each other then beat their wife Fact is, it was still practiced, til they called it Christmas So put a gerbil on your Christmas list
The guy's view of history as a funhouse of homosexual conspiracies doesn't really have anything to do with contemporary racism and, in fact, draws attention away from the real problem. Beyond that, it's just a really awkward-sounding didactic record. It holds up neither as scholarship nor as music.
I remember really diggin' it and was really blown away by nature of threat. Can someone explain why it's so laughable?
Maybe you should reread the lyrics.
The word gymnasium is Greek for "naked" This was the place where adolescent boys were educated, and molested This was accepted because Greek culture was homosexual For example, Sappho trained girls on the island of Lesbos Hence, the word lesbian (Ay let these dumb motherf**kers know) December 25th, the birth of Saturn A homosexual god, now check the historical pattern December 25, now thought the birth of Christ Was Saturnalia, when men got drunk, fucked each other then beat their wife Fact is, it was still practiced, til they called it Christmas So put a gerbil on your Christmas list
The guy's view of history as a funhouse of homosexual conspiracies doesn't really have anything to do with contemporary racism and, in fact, draws attention away from the real problem. Beyond that, it's just a really awkward-sounding didactic record. It holds up neither as scholarship nor as music.
Hmm...I really don't know if any of that is true or not, I just remember being like a junior or a sophmore in high school and being really being blown away (IMPRESIONABLE YOUTH). I think today I would ignore a record like this, just like I've ignored everything he's done post "understandable smooth".
wait did I just type "I'm not sure"? wtf...Of course Greek gods don't fuckin' exist..
Did Ras Kass write that little poem or whatever he recites at the beginning of the MoWax David Axelrod album?
Soul on Ice and Boxcar Sessions were better in theory than in practice IMHO.
I think I read somewhere that Axelrod writes poetry, and he just wanted Ras Kass to recite it.
As for the latter comment, I kinda agree and that's why I consider both records personal favorites and not something I'd put on any conventional "best" list.
I think "Nature of the Threat" has a bit of staying power because its ambitious in its scope. Most rappers play it safe, most to the point where we can guess what the singles will be about and the videos will look like.
Comments
also PS the back and forth
Oh, so now if we argue, that means we racist? Fuck that racist shit, you racist-ass racist!
OK, seriously...I think Ras is a dope MC who doesn't always make the best songs (see: "Ghetto Fabulous"). But just on some straight-up rhyming and being lyrically lyrical with the lyrical bluntz, he's nasty.
oh schitt an East Bay blast from the past!
for the record Ras is a sick rapper and Soul on Ice has some amazing songs. But as an album it has serious flaws. It was WAAAAY doper before the sample clearance and other label-related issues.
Ras is nastiest on the guest shots: E=MC5, Comewiddit, Get Up, Get Down.
I love the way you always frame these things, Shied--as if everyone agrees that belittling someone's work of art is really crossing a line.
As far as I'm concerned, most "works of art" don't exist for any purpose beyond serving as objects of my personal belittlement.
"Nature of the Threat" is a work of comedic genius, though. Shame about it being unlistenable.
Son, I own a cologne.
He owns a cologne.
I clone clowns.
"Cawwwwl may[/b]..."
That sure is tempting.
Can I change the name of the parent corporation to NOT ABOUT SHIT RETAIL VENTURES INC. and keep the DBA of Good Records NYC? You know, I got subsidiaries to look after and schitt....
jesus! Ha..
Man, I haven't listened to his stuff in years. I remember really diggin' it and was really blown away by nature of threat. Can someone explain why it's so laughable?
Many mics get ripped
when I step into the Not About Shit Shop
Flippin' the script on the ill historicals
Slippin' wall pieces up under my gorilla chinchilla
Scrilla builds while lyrical godzillas kill
leviathans, tycoon Paychizzle has a white whale sale
Hermetic kemetic heretic medical recessive hereditary white chick
Better put Becky on your Christmas list
Soul on Ice and Boxcar Sessions were better in theory than in practice IMHO.
Why you bringing up old shit, dog? I told you: I had a few drinks and I was feeling it at the time.
Maybe you should reread the lyrics.
The word gymnasium is Greek for "naked"
This was the place where adolescent boys were educated, and molested
This was accepted because Greek culture was homosexual
For example, Sappho trained girls on the island of Lesbos
Hence, the word lesbian (Ay let these dumb motherf**kers know)
December 25th, the birth of Saturn
A homosexual god, now check the historical pattern
December 25, now thought the birth of Christ
Was Saturnalia, when men got drunk,
fucked each other then beat their wife
Fact is, it was still practiced, til they called it Christmas
So put a gerbil on your Christmas list
The guy's view of history as a funhouse of homosexual conspiracies doesn't really have anything to do with contemporary racism and, in fact, draws attention away from the real problem. Beyond that, it's just a really awkward-sounding didactic record. It holds up neither as scholarship nor as music.
Hmm...I really don't know if any of that is true or not, I just remember being like a junior or a sophmore in high school and being really being blown away (IMPRESIONABLE YOUTH). I think today I would ignore a record like this, just like I've ignored everything he's done post "understandable smooth".
wait did I just type "I'm not sure"? wtf...Of course Greek gods don't fuckin' exist..
damn i'm stupid.
I think I read somewhere that Axelrod writes poetry, and he just wanted Ras Kass to recite it.
As for the latter comment, I kinda agree and that's why I consider both records personal favorites and not something I'd put on any conventional "best" list.