#VULTURE CULTURE. ATTENTION. EVERY DAY. THE LIST GOES ON

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darius is fangclub coded in this essay i will

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Wiley - Godfather III

I thought I should start this by giving a short intro to Wiley. Widely accredited by fans and artists as a pioneer of the Grime scene, it would be impossible to overstate the impact he’s made in Grime, in fact it would be impossible to overstate the importance that he’s made to UK music in general. Starting off as a member of Pay As U Go Wiley first began his life in UK Garage, eventually as Pay As U Go disbanded Wiley went on to form Roll Deep, containing Dizzee Rascal, Tinchy Stryder and many more. This was where we really started to hear an evolution of the UK Garage sound and things started to sound more like the Grime that we came to know and love. It’s certainly not just Wiley who thinks he’s the “Godfather,” not many in the scene would argue that, but he’s certainly not going to let you forget it. 

A lot of newer fans were put off with last years altercations with just about anyone who makes any music, after Wiley was widely publicised to have labelled Drake as a “pagan,” and Ed Sheeran as a “culture vulture,” before taking a much more direct approach with Stormzy, firstly sending very direct tweets on Twitter before the pair released a few tracks which must have been absolutely shocking if you hadn’t grown up watching Lord of the Mics. I think people who have been listening to the scene since the Rinse FM days will have attributed this behaviour as just clever marketing, I know I was expecting this album long before it came. This marketing is tried and tested and it works, it was certainly successful for Wiley, exposing himself to a whole host of people who’s entry point to this whole genre was Stormzy. I heard people talking about the tracks everywhere, at work, in bars, in fact I even got into an argument with my barber over who we thought took each round (word of warning kids, don’t start an argument with your barber). 

Then the dust seemed to settle slowly, I wasn’t hearing the arguments anymore and Stormzy had disappeared from Social Media altogether, but there was still no album from Wiley? I was hearing that Wiley was all over the capital, recording verses with MC’s from just about everyone involved in the scene, but there was nothing solid as to why. I’ve heard that it was something to do with labels telling Wiley he had to wait before releasing the record on his own label, but again nothing concrete. I saw something on Instagram that it was going to come out 1st of January, but at this point Wiley was posting a story or a tweet once a minute so I was hardly surprised when this date came and went. Finally in June, nearly 5 months had passed since Wiley’s last send for Stormzy, we had an album. Even then it wasn’t easy! It dropped first on Apple Music before making everyone on Spotify wait a little longer. I actually signed up for Apple Music when I already had Spotify because I couldn’t wait one extra day for it to come out, so if anyone knows how to contact Wiley I’d like to invoice him for that pointless subscription fee.

So finally it was here! I was really busy at the time and I don’t like to listen to a record before I can give it my full attention so I actually saw the track-list before I even had a listen, and at first was amazed by the lack of features, where had all those verses that Wiley had been collecting suddenly gone?! Then I saw a tweet from Big Zuu saying that he’d featured on on a track but had not been credited (Track 20 - West London, if you’re wondering) and I thought “Wow, that’s just so Wiley.” A couple of days later though Wiley himself released a list of all the features on the album, and when I saw that I had to listen straight away. There’s some huge huge names on that list, both established legends in the scene like D Double, Jammer and Footsie, to what I think of as the new breed of people that will carry the genre even further like Big Zuu and Capo Lee, and some people who I won’t lie I’ve never heard of. It seems like Wiley is determined to use his last record to make sure that the wheels of this genre are still spinning.

So onto how the record sounds. Normally I like to do a bit of a breakdown of every track, it allows me to really work out any tracks I really enjoy or any that I think could be left out, but I’m not going to be doing that right here. Purely because this record is incredibly long and I really didn’t fancy writing my thoughts when it comes to 22 separate tracks, I’m not exaggerating either it really is 22 tracks long! Obviously the whole thing does have a very Grime feel to it. Just the lengths of the tracks themselves make me think of the old days of Grime. With an average track length of less than 3 minutes it gives the whole thing a really fast paced feeling, comparable to the way that Wiley has always flung bars at us at a million miles an hour, his final album flings tracks at us with comparable speed. 

The first listen I felt almost overloaded. With so many features that I did find myself thinking “Was that so and so?” so much that I missed just about every punchline and barely even recognised the productions. So I had to go back a few times and listen all over again, although that’s definitely not a chore! Production wise it’s much as you’d expect, very Grimey and very heavy in the early tracks which leaves me feeling that Wiley really is cementing that flag in the scene before he departs. Don’t make any mistakes at all though because this is not a record in which all tracks sound the same, Wiley keeps even the Grimiest tracks sounding varied by switching up his rhyme flows often and the hooks change between each track. Production wise my favourite track would have to be family which features Flirta D, Footsie and Goldie1. I think the track is produced by Mr Virgo and for me it brings a really fresh sound which can often be quite difficult when producing a genre which is nearly 18 years old now. 

Lyrically Wiley comes just as hard as he always has. He comes out swinging on Intro letting us know exactly what he thinks of his role in the scene saying “I’ll be the father bro, you can be the son of it.” As a huge fan of wordplay I also feel like I’ve got to shout out the London scheme in Intro also, which end with a punchline saying “They’ll pull up to the junction, jump out and Clapham.” Had me screwing up my face like I was in 2004 all over again. The bars continue from Wiley as the record goes on, always following the similar theme with Wiley reminding us exactly who we should thank for this whole genre. In terms of features for me it’s Tempa T that absolutely steals the show, probably because I don’t think I’ve heard from him for so long. But having just written that I’m having so many more ideas, J2K is absolutely incredible on Double Dragon and Manga Saint Hilare shines on Amsterdam alongside Breeze, Scratchy and Wiley. Yes you did read that last sentence correctly, it’s basically a Roll Deep reunion on that track.

My only concern with the new album coming out would be that it wouldn’t have any flow. Lately Wiley seems to struggle to focus on one topic, in his interviews with Zeze Millz and Poet for Filthy Fellas I didn’t really know what he was talking about more often than not and I was concerned that lack of cohesiveness would translate into the record. My concerns were unfounded though and, like I’ve said earlier it’s very much a Grime showcase in the early tracks. This does get mixed up as we go continue through though, Rinse for example uses a production that Donae’o once released to give a more UK Funky feel. I also love the final track Press Record, which slows everything right down and moves as far away from Grime as it’s possible to go, but lets us really feel like Wiley is talking to us. I also find it quite emotional because it makes me feel like Wiley is actually serious that this is going to be his last album, and I just don’t even want to begin to imagine this scene without him.

Think what you like of him, and he’s certainly split opinions over the past few months, you simply cannot overstate the impact he’s made. And if you were doubting this statement, this final effort will make sure you rethink that. It’s quite amazing that there are 22 tracks and I genuinely cannot think of a single one that could be taken off this record, a truly sublime effort from the true Godfather. Thank-you Wiley. 

[elizas-writing]

Movie Reviews: Black Panther

Ever since he made his debut in Captain America: Civil War, millions upon millions of fans were dying to see a solo Black Panther film. And thank God, our wishes were finally granted.

Marvel films are always guaranteed box office and critical hits, but never has a film been more anticipated or become a massive cultural phenomenon than this. Not only is this the first MCU film with a black lead, but also the first directed by a black director with a cast mainly consisting of black actors in one of the first major Hollywood films showcasing Afrofuturism. So the hype was exemplified by the boost of black representation as leaders, fighters, scientists, etc to the point where whole shows were bought out by black communities to be sure everyone would get a chance to see it.

And of course, it lived up to expectations while delivering so much more.

Set only days after the events of Civil War, T’Challa returns home to Wakanda-- an isolated African nation which unbeknownst to the rest of the world is a thriving and technologically advanced society thanks to its vibranium rich land. He takes his father’s place as king, assuming major responsibilities of living up to his ancestors with the promise to do better for his people to keep their country secret. But new foes keep emerging to abuse their resources for weapons and overthrow the new king, including the threatening Killmonger, and T’Challa finds himself back and forth between how to be a great leader and what his country can do for the world, breaking years of isolation.

For only director Ryan Coogler’s third film, it’s a hell of a masterpiece with everything falling into place perfectly. The cast, the scenery, the special effects, the pacing, the social commentary, it all pieces together wonderfully. The attention to detail is phenomenal right down to basic costuming and color schemes, blending together various tribal attire with futuristic designs and tech. It’s been wonderful seeing the behind-the-scenes research which went into the film’s aesthetic of maintaining tradition but also looking towards the future and always advancing. It takes every advantage of a nation untouched by colonization and showcasing a vast array of technology, celebrating great progress but also remaining wary of what such powers can do and where to balance out. It’s one of the few Marvel films which doesn’t try too hard to make you laugh and just let the moments and tone flow naturally. And if you thought Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was heart-wrenching, you got a big storm coming.

Black Panther is as much of an analysis on what makes a great leader as it is on what an entire community can do for the world. And T’Challa is stuck in the middle on how to do right by his people but also to a rapidly changing world in constant turmoil. As king, he also has a lot of burdens to carry from previous generations to make amends and actual change happen. When is the right moment to strike or to show mercy? After all the raw anger he had in Civil War, it’s wonderful to see T’Challa further develop to know control, find balance, and waiting before making a next move. And he has a great supporting cast to help him along and establish his strong connection with his people.

Lupita Nyong’o is always great to see, and she fits perfectly as Nakia, a Wakandan spy. It’s also refreshing that she’s a former love interest who has character aside from the male lead. She has understandable reasons for the rift between her and T’Challa, but despite their differences, they can put petty shit aside to focus on the bigger tasks. Their falling back in love just works so naturally and patiently without any clumsiness. Okoye (Danai Gurira), leader of the Dora Milaje, is as stoic as she is endearing with her own struggles between tradition and progress. Shuri (Letitia Wright), T’Challa’s sister, is now one of my favorite MCU female characters. She’s witty, resourceful, and freaking smart as hell. I’d definitely love to see more of her in upcoming MCU films, cause she’d make great interactions just based on how she outdoes everyone in tech. The list of great characters with great black actors just goes on and on, most of them being women, and there’s just enough time to develop their struggles in departing from long-time isolation and how they want to approach solutions.

Nowhere is this struggle best highlighted than our villain, Killmonger, played by Michael B. Jordan. He’s easily one of the best MCU villains since Vulture from Spider-Man: Homecoming, particularly in how identifiable his motivations are. He has an incredibly heart-breaking backstory where you can understand why he is the way he is. He’s very similar to Nakia in that Wakanda needs to step away from isolation, but he takes a bit more radical approach in spreading weapons for oppressed people to fight back. He works amazingly as a foil to T’Challa in that Wakanda needs to help the rest of the world, but both have completely different methods to approach that. They’ve gone through similar traumas, but grew up in vastly different environments which warped their perceptions of the world, especially as a black man from an African nation which just barely escaped colonialism compared to a black man from the United States of America. I can’t say more on Killmonger without spoiling the film, but there’s a ton of compelling social commentary on the differing experiences of black communities and validating radical changes.

Andy Serkis is a lot of fun as Klaue with his out-of-control tendencies, but he’s really not in the movie that much. The focus is kept on the black cast and their characters’ inter/intra-community issues, not white colonialism, though it remains as a potential threat. Martin Freeman as Everett Ross does his usual wide-eyed, bewildered personality just trying to figure out how to react to the bizarre happenings around him and what he can do to help, which he always does well. Frank Leon Roberts on Medium puts it perfectly that Ross is much more than a white ally-- he’s a co-conspirator. He listens instead of speaking over the Wakandans and takes to their instruction when he comes in to play. But above all else, he knows solidarity needs sacrifice, labor, and selflessness, even at the cost of your life. He’s a great character to re-examine white allyship without taking the spotlight away from the main characters and conflicts.

If I had to nitpick freaking anything in this movie, the CGI and cinematography isn’t always the most polished, particularly in some of the fight scenes. It’s not totally distracting, but when something is fake, it looks really fake. Thankfully the cuts tend to be fast that you’ll forget it as soon as you saw it, and again, this is super nitpicky. I honestly can’t find much wrong with this movie.

Black Panther is easily one of the best MCU films ever-- top three in my book. It’s action-packed fun while exploring what it means to be a hero, celebrating black excellence, and promoting radical change and compromise. Perfect pacing, amazing characters and relationships, and so much careful attention to every little detail to present Afrofuturism in all its glory on the big screen. If you haven’t experienced it yourself, get to your closest movie theater and all the hype pay off.

[spotlightsaga]

Kevin Cage of @spotlightsaga reviews... GLOW (S01E05) Debbie Does Something Airdate: June 23, 2017 Ratings: @netflix original Score: 8.25/10 **********SPOILERS BELOW********** GLOW's 5th episode continues to move the show on the exact path that it needs to be taking... You can bet your bottom dollar that Kenny Herzog over at Vulture is still pissing me off... And in the spirit of Professional Wrestling, even snarky, positive reviews will be met with my tongue lashing wrath. Clearly something needs to be addressed because when it comes to Kenny, the man just can't give a review without sliding a dirty note underneath the door. He usually tries to pepper them among the reviews to hide his ludicrous notions that demonstrate a lack a full understanding and perspective of Professional Wrestling... And I like to 'bussitwideopen', if you will. By no surprise of any wrestling fan, GLOW has instantly become the big hit of the summer. Everyday I jump on twitter and you can pretty much bet GLOW is trending somewhere in the Top 20, depending on the time of day. People are watching and it's not just pro-wrestling fans, this is a show that's resonating with a broad circuit of fans of Arts & Entertainment and honestly, there's countless reasons for that. First of all, Kenny, never disrespect 'Tears For Fears' or 'Scorpions'. ECW was really the main promotion that defied all the music laws and had their wrestlers come out to whatever song they had no permission or license for. Simply put, Paul Heyman did not give a fuck... And even though ECW came about a year or so after GLOW ended, Professional Wrestling has always embodied the obviousness of pop culture, keeping it ironically now, and later... Hilariously dated. The music selection GLOW is using has been on the nose for this type of series, and if anything it enhances that shared excitement wrestling fans pass around a venue when their favorite wrestler's music hits, whether it be a few hundred people at a small Indy Show or 100k at a wrestling spectacle the likes of the pop culture phenomenon, WrestleMania... And yes, I said 'WrestleMania' out loud with the deep, rumbling intensity that WWE Guru Vincent K McMahon would have delivered the term he himself coined himself if he was sitting in the commentary booth with Gorilla Monsoon or Jerry Lawler (on one of his good days). 2nd Issue, Kenny... If you can't shout out every single real life wrestler that was used in this episode, then maybe don't list so many and leave out the most important one; Christopher Daniels (who is, btw, NOT the current ROH World Champion - on the 23rd Cody Runnels or Cody Rhodes took that honor), Frankie Kazarian, Kevin Kiley Jr aka Alex Riley were all mentioned. Thats just perplexing to me because none of those names are worth mentioning without the one, the only, sleazy, breezy, boob-plexing tease-y, hairy cub stud, lollipop licking, penis flipping, 'World's Cutest Tag Team' shipping, don't tell this man there will be no 'double dipping', sexiest man alive... King of Dong Style... Joey Fn' Ryan. Mmmmh'kay? Seriously, all wrestling fans should take offense to this. Joey Ryan (Joseph Meehan) is the man... And when he shows up on Netflix as 'Mr Monopoly', you throw that dirty dog a bone! Now Now, there will be no 3rd thing... In all truth, I'm just trying to embody the true spirit of Professional Wrestling here, but Kenny... If you want to square up in the ring, just let me know the time and places and we can do the damn thing. Truth is, besides the little (massive) issues, you're review was pretty spot on... And I'm glad that you as well as other critics, bloggers, and reviewers have suddenly realized that there's no reason to rush into action. GLOW will 'live long and prosper' for many seasons. Frankly, 10 episodes at this length is just simply not enough. That's exactly why I'd be just fine with a 4-5 season run to match the original series that this show is based on. In 'Debbie Does Something', Debbie (Betty Gilpin) goes to her first wrestling show and screws her first wrestler. Her sudden realization and bubbling excitement that wrestling is exactly like what she's been working on in her Hollywood career all her life, soap operas, is both exciting and infectious. She continues to prove she has terrible taste in men though, because I don't know anyone who'd screw Kevin Kiley Jr over Joey Ryan... And you can take that to the bank, Joey. Debbie has a 'moment' with Cherry... She was ready to throw her wall of defense up when Cherry approached her, but Cherry and Debbie share a common bond; They are both bad bitches, top dawgs, if you will. It's nice to see Debbie finally letting go and living a little, even if she feels slightly guilty. It's all part of the healing process, baby! Cherry (Sydelle Noel) has been cracking down on the women breaking curfew, particularly Melrose (Jackie Tohn). I found it amusing that Melrose encouraged Debbie to stay out and then went directly back to The Dusty Spur and told Cherry what Debbie was up to, if for nothing else just for shits and giggles... Or maybe to prove her own personal point with Cherry. Those two have tension mounting naturally and I'd love to see those two square off in the ring in the near future. Halfway through the series and I'm already envisioning future rivalries, I love it! Jackie Tohn just embodies Melrose so well, and even though there were no consequences for the soon to be star of GLOW (and Melrose probably knew that's how it would play out), it seems like exactly something that the Melrose character would've done... Always stirring the pot, a natural heel! Just because Debbie does something and someone, doesn't mean Ruth is still stuck in her own personal existential prison. Just like her rival and her other 'Sisters of the Squared Circle', Ruth made great headway too, coming up with her Russian wrestling persona at the opening of their sponsor's Patio Furniture dealership. Not only is this a huge step for Ruth career wise, she's basically positioned herself into programs with two women now... Both of which are positioned in real life drama that cultivated outside of the ring... The obvious Main Event with Debbie as the All American vs The Evil Commie Russian and what I hope will ending up being a lead-in program to sharpen her claws with Rhonda aka Brittanica (Kate Walsh), who's been sleeping with Sam (Marc Maron) to get ahead. You could tell there was some tension mounting as Rhonda did not like the attention Ruth was able to finagle at their sponsors grand opening... But hey, yet again, that's exactly what you have to do in the wrestling business, just ask Vince McMahon. He'll tell ya, 'Reach for the Brass Ring!' What that really means is seize every opportunity and play your cards right or you'll end up a Mid-Carder for life... Or worse, you could working for TNA! 💯