Monocentralism. Univision & the disabling, obstruction or omission of pluralities.. Converge & scramble on whomever first surpasses the corporate margin or acceptable fame saturation/product definition.
The Wu Tang Clan story is pretty familiar now, & despite the worn canvas it’s still a very important & genuine yarn of profound creativity. Also, it almost did not happen & was met with dismissal & dubiety by soulless corporate shit-sacks that should of known better & should have been in another profession & position entirely (washing dishes perhaps?). The problem being, buried under Wu Tangs rightful success, mythology & mania are many’ many obfuscated & hidden albums, rappers & collectives that are stashed in solitary. The paradigm is that Wu Tang were singularly awesome/unrivalled. That is a complete lie. Don’t mistake my point, Wu Tang were remarkable (some members even still exercise such brilliance, though rarely), but by no means were they the only MC collective flying at that altitude. Not too many could joust at their level & they inevitably compelled a fleet of poor quality attemptees who then somehow convinced a label (quite possibly easier if your shit than if your good), jumped into the swell & drowned in the surf. The failure to document/include these acts, or at least the better ones in the more public codex/lineage is something I find immensely offensive & indicative of the industries inability to deal responsibly/honestly/competently with the history (or future) of the art form. But “more fixation & more units on less” is definitely the machines model & dictates the selective conduct & myopia in most genres/scenes/distribution & media channels. & thus, incredible shit gets neglected & ends-up beneath the surface, in decommissioned museum wings or recondite internet ruins. Uncovered only by those with excavating expertise, cat-burglar intrep & agile &/or AWOL vigilance, these titles can EASILY be enjoyed by anyone that digs the good shit. & it’s amazing how much people do dig it given the chance. But that’s just the thing, there is a lot of business in denying people opportunities, whether artists or audiences, leisure or life.
This article & it’s individual reviews scrape over a few formidable bangers that existed in similar terrain to “36 Chambers” both preceding & after its release. Some milder, some way harder, the only factor they all share is that they are all deleted/unavailable. Secure the truth.
I wanted also to write about K-Rino, The South Park Coalition (SPC) & specifically his 1995 album Stories From The Black Book for this article. But after writing six Hardcore Rap reviews in quick succession, I’ve had enough for the minute motharfuckurs! K-Rino & his legacy are also so unique that they kind of need a separate article entirely. For now though, this quick mention is necessary given the parameters of the article. Fans of the classic Liquid Swords, go find a copy of Stories From The Black Book…CHOOSE YA WEAPON!!! www.southparkcoalition.com