From a press release:

The PAID DUES INDEPENDENT HIP HOP FESTIVAL–presented by MURS (Living Legends) in association with Guerilla Union (Rock The Bells, Cypress Hill SmokeOut)–returns to Southern California for its seventh installment on Saturday, April 7, 2011 to the NOS Events Center as an all-day, all-ages event with multiple stages highlighting the most eminent and flourishing independent artists in hip hop. Set to headline this year’s festival is Staten Island’s legendary hip hop crew Wu-Tang Clan and Los Angeles’ 2011 breakthrough collective Odd Future. Additional artists performing over three stages will be announced shortly.

“I am honored this year to have two of the most impactful hip hop collectives in history headline this year’s Paid Dues,” notes festival founder and independent hip hop pioneer MURS. “Wu Tang entered the game in the early 90′s and changed everything. And Odd Future has already made an enormous impression in their own right and just a few years in. To have these two dynamic forces on the same stage on the same night is almost unimaginable but only right that it take place at Paid Dues. This and so much more to be announced in the upcoming weeks has me really looking forward to our 7th year of Paid Dues.”

Chang Weisberg, Guerilla Union head, adds: “This year’s Paid Dues will be historic. Getting Wu-Tang Clan and Odd Future on the same stage for the first time is an epic billing. Add to that, having some of the greatest crews in Hip Hop on one stage is crazy. This will be our biggest, most ambitious Paid Dues ever.

The Guerilla Union ticket pre-sale will begin on Wednesday, December 14 at 10:00am PST via Ticketfly.com. Tickets will be available to the general public starting Saturday, December 17 at 10am PST. “

For More info and updaters peep Paid Dues’ Website

MP3: GZA’s Lecture at Harvard (via the Crypt)

As reported last week, the Gza met with M.I.T  Scientists and lectured the Black Men’s Forum at Harvard to gain inspiration for his upcoming album. You are probably as curious as I…How did it go? According to the Gza’s publicist:

GZA talked about childhood influences like nursery rhymes, The Last Poets, kung fu movies, particularly Bruce Lee. He also discussed a broad range of inspirations: “the unique complex design of a spiderweb”; sports, though he’s not a fan, led him to write “Queen’s Gambit” in which he uses the names of many football teams; television forensics shows opened the door to “Exploitation of a MIstake.” To the delight of the audience, GZA cited rhymes from the aforementioned songs as well as a couple others.

jump to keep reading

GZA shared his scientific and spiritual world view: “every being and object within the universe is connected somehow, whether visibly or invisibly, I saw that in the lab today: from micro to macro…the deeper one sees into life, the wider life opens itself to one, you see that from working in the lab.” He closed with some life advice: “Live a life full of humility, gratitude, intellectual curiosity and never stop learning.” He hopes to continue lecturing throughout the world.

While in Cambridge, GZA visited with a number of others on the MIT campus. Phil Richardson from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute told him about his study of the flight patterns of the albatross. John Rinn took the rapper on an exclusive after-hours tour of the Broad Institute the joint Harvard and MIT biomedical research center where he showed him a real time genome sequencer. Soon after the tour started, Eric Lander, leader of the institute and co-chair of Obama’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology stopped by. Penny Chisholm, MIT marine biologist, showed GZA around her lab and gave him a sample of prochlorococcus, a photosynthetic ocean bacterium. Additionally she gave him a fully sealed ecosphere containing four brine shrimp aka sea monkeys, which he immediately named Larry, Mo, Dave, and Curly. David Kaiser and GZA discussed black holes, grey holes, teleportation, and quantum physics. Over at the Media Lab Tod Machover showed GZA his “Opera of the Future” and Ethan Zuckerman’s Civic Media team illuminated their ideas on how technology could shape a better world. On the creative side, GZA met his now “homeboy” Junot Diaz, Pulitzer Prize winning author. The two discussed their processes and hip hop

The Boston Globe covered the GZA’s trip to M.I.T. and Harvard lecture.  And The Crypt recorded the Harvard speech. Sounds like GZA was involved with some serious alchemists.

Wu-Tang Clan’s GZA also calls himself the Genius. No one ever questions that. Put Liquid Swords on around me, and I will break down a zillion insights one can get from that album. Even when joking, the WU-Chappelle Show Skit about diversifing one’s options kinda was well, genius. And is there any question what the best scene in Coffee & Cigarettes is?

Well, the Genius is preparing to visit Cambridge, Mass to drop jewels and build with some of the brightest minds on the planet earth while gearing up for a new album in 2012.

Read more after the jump:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The GZA (above performing with Wavves) will lecture at the Harvard Black Men’s Forum, December 1st.

The Harvard Black Men’s Forum (BMF) is a student led organization focused on providing a space for African-American men at Harvard and combating issues that affect African-Americans at Harvard and around the world. The current President of BMF is Damilare Sonoiki, a junior at Harvard.

The founding member of the Clan will lecture the Havard BMF about about his Clan, his craft, and his creativity on Thursday, December 1 at 5 p.m. There will be a Q & A after the lecture.

While in Cambridge, The Genius, an avid student of many branches of science, will visit the Broad Institute and the MIT Media Lab to build with some the greatest thinkers in their fields to get inspiration for his forthcoming album to be released on Babygrande Records in 2012.

The Red Bull Music Academy in New York is doing a 5 day symposium on 5 Classic albums from the 5 Boroughs from September 25-30th..

Wu-Tang Clan’s 36 Chambers,, Dipset ‘s Diplomatic Immunity, Black Moon’s Enta the Stage, Slick Rick’s The Great Adventures of Slick Rick and Mobb Deep’s the Infamous are the 5 Classics….wow. For more info visit the Red Bull Music Academy’s site.

Wane, reas, wen, relm, jesto, rock a landmark wall in williamsburg brooklyn in 1993 for nintendo corp . the wall was painted entirely with spray paint & live action sequences were filmed. the music was produced by prince paul with voiceovers featuring wu-tang’s rza & ole’ dirty bastard. the video was banned from networks for being too ill.

(I Dedicate this post to Wes Flexner)

(via Vulture)

Raekwon will be performing at Alrosa Villa, Friday, 12-11-09. Above is the video of Rae’s Blakroc recording session.
Also on the Rae show is Capone N Noreaga and Greenhouse.
Noreaga’s interview in Life Sucks Die Graffiti Magazine is easily the best interview in the history of music journalism.
Read the PDF Here:LSD-Noreaga Interview
So good shot On The Floor for bringing us another banger,
Add On the Floor on Facebook to keep up on the shows they got coming around.

oh yeah..
after party at Sweatin: Detox and Tititonton

Remember when Black Keys were in Mass Appeal Magazine alongtime ago?

(I read it at a Books A Million in Lafayatte, Louisiana during the process of stealing the Espo book, “the Art of Getting Over”. I had already placed the book in my pants, and was flipping through magazines to ensure no one was following me.The article was about how this Akron band really liked the Wu-Tang Clan. So I stole that magazine too by curling it up and sliding the periodical up my shirt sleeve. Kinda risky but it was an impulse theft.)

Flash Foward a decade later.

Black Keys doing a Hip Hop album, Blakroc, with a zillion legends.

So Rza walks in the studio and says, ‘can I play some awkward guitar licks for y’all to build off of.’

Black Keys ,” sure!!”

So just as a fan, its kinda bugged to see Rza play guitar, rap and smoke weed with the Arkon band. Enjoyed watching the video throughly.

below is what is what one of the songs with the RZA sounds like. Also features Pharoach Monch of Organized Konfusion/ “Simon Says Get the fuck up” fame.

Blakroc comes out November 27th.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The GZA tells 50 he is garbage from stage in Europe. Mildy disses Souljah Boy Tell Em. New Wu-Tang album in stores today. The album is pretty dope except for George Clinton still singing about being a dog. It’s 08 George Clinton. Please find a new animal. Be an aligator or a turtle. Anything. Just stop being a damn dog chasing a cat. Turn on that Planet Earth network. They got vampire squids.

Thats the only flaw on the new Wu.