#like infinite wealth had some bangers and so does this one

[kkrazy256]

I hope Pirate Yakuza will get considered for a best soundtrack contender this year at least

[that-house]

Viego Rant (villainy and character design and tragedy and all that jazz)

Introduction The more I think about Viego, League of Legends’ newest character, the more enamored I am with him as a villain (unrelated to his general sexiness, though that does tie in with what makes him such a good villain).

I’ve seen a lot of complaints about his design. The Ruined King, one of the greatest threats in Runeterra, the progenitor of the Shadow Isles, the lord of the undead, is finally released as a playable champion and he looks like this:

People were expecting another Mordekaiser (who is similarly an undead king with a ghost army), a lich-tyrant clad in iron, decayed flesh peeling from an aged face. What we got was an angsty anime prettyboy, and it was infinitely better than the alternatives. 

Lore Viego isn’t a conquering king. While his combat abilities are indeed badass, his personality is far from it. He’s a whiny brat and that’s incredible. He isn’t bent on world domination. His character arc revolves around just how human, how fallible he really is. For those unfamiliar with his lore, I’ll paraphrase it here:

Viego was the second son of a great king. Overshadowed by his brother and with no expectations upon him and near-limitless wealth, he wandered around being an idiot fuckboy for the vast majority of his formative years. Disaster struck when his brother died in an accident, and Viego took the throne with no training, no experience, and no desire to be king. He was a shitty king. The worst king. Just all-around apathetic. Gave zero shits. Can you blame him? It’s a lot of responsibility to be thrust upon someone who isn’t much more than a child, and with no preparation. He didn’t care about anything, that is, until he met Isolde. She was a poor seamstress, but he fell in love with her upon their first meeting. Together they ruled the country but it was really just them staring longingly into each others’ eyes. His allies were kinda fucking pissed about that, and one day an assassin came from Viego. The assassin fucked up and stabbed Isolde instead, and the poison on the blade made her fall gravely ill. As she lay in her bed, slowly dying, Viego went mad seeking a cure. He ravaged the land seeking any knowledge that might help, pouring all of his money into finding an antidote. He failed. As a last resort, he brought Isolde’s body to the Blessed Isles, a place rumored to be able to resurrect the dead. It worked, to an extent. Isolde’s wraith, confused, afraid, and angry at being ripped from the peace of death, unthinkingly stabbed Viego in the chest with his own magic sword, creating basically a magic nuke that turned the Blessed Isles into the domain of the undead. Viego resurrected as the king of the Shadow Isles some time later, having totally forgotten that Isolde killed him. He controls a big-ass ghost army, could probably beat up any living thing in a fight, and has evil ghost magic. Now this stupid simp wants his wife back and if he has to kill every living thing on Runeterra, well, anything for his queen. He’s even a tier 3 sub to her Twitch.

Music His musical theme isn’t some heavy metal anthem or intense cinematic piece (unlike the Pentakill song named after his sword, Blade of the Ruined King). It’s mostly sad and slow, almost sinister, with a piano and a music box. It has its loud moments featuring violins and choral bits like any villainous music, but the song is mostly subtle. It is a banger though.

In the comments section of this video, someone pointed out that the music reflects his story from beginning to end:

Everything about this champion is so well done. Riot Games really outdid themselves on this one. Bravo, encore please.

Motivation While the Mordekaiser circlejerkers on r/LeagueofLegends won’t shut the fuck up about how powerful Mordekaiser is, Viego is the better villain. Mordekaiser may be a bigger threat to all life on Runeterra, but Viego is a better character. (There’s a guy on my League discord server who won’t shut up about Mordekaiser so forgive me for being pissed at Morde stans).

Mordekaiser is motivated by a desire for control, to rule the world. Viego is motivated by obsession and misplaced love. There aren’t a lot of Mordekaisers on Earth. Supervillains are rare in real life. But Viego’s motivations are a lot closer to home. People in positions of power that they don’t deserve can do a lot of harm (for example: Trump).

He’s a grieving husband who was never prepared to deal with anything more difficult than choosing what wine to drink with dinner, who is trying to get his wife back because the world had always complied to his every whim. He’s a funky mix between a truly hopeless romantic and a spoiled brat throwing a temper tantrum.

Obsession is scary. It’s a real-world emotional state that’s been the cause of a lot of murders over mankind’s history. In contrast, Mordekaiser’s cartoonish Genghis Khan XXL schtick isn’t something that we encounter often. Of course a superpowered ultradictator would be worse for the world, but if you give ultimate power to a random person, you’re more likely to get someone like Tighten from Megamind. Or, more relevantly, Viego.

Design His design is sexy and stupid, just like him. He wears an open shirt into battle and wields his sword like an idiot (I’ve seen all the rants about how that’s not how that sword is meant to be used) because he was never really a warrior. Even at his most violent, right before the end of his mortal life, he didn’t do much combat himself, leaving his military endeavors to his underlings. Even now that he’s essentially a god, he still has a colossal wraith army that causes far more devastation than he ever could personally.

Despite his slim build (by League of Legends standards), he easily wields his colossal sword because of the strength of his state of undeath. Like his political power when he was alive, his posthumous magical and physical powers were never something he sought out, they were just given to him by circumstance.

The big cool-ass triangle hole in his chest where Isolde stabbed him is the source of the Black Mist, which is evil ghost mist that ebbs and flows from the Shadow Isles, bringing with it hordes of the undead. The sadder Viego is, the more Mist he creates. Poetically, his invasion of the world is inspired by his sorrow at his wife’s death and enabled by his wife’s reluctance to return to him. His story is perfectly reflected by his design.

Isolde Isolde’s spirit took up residence inside a young Senna (who’s another League champion, not particularly important here). This led to some Black Mist-related shenanigans and at least for the time being, Senna uses Isolde’s power to fight off the servants of Viego which threaten all life on Runeterra.

It seems pretty clear that whatever love Isolde felt for Viego is gone by now. Whether or not she ever loved him or was just unable to say no to the king is up for debate, but I’d like to believe there was something there. In my opinion, Viego’s story hits harder if they really were a great couple at first, torn apart by circumstance and obsession.

Much like the Maiden of the Woods in that one comic that circulates around here, to whom the knight gave his heart and she was like “yo what the fuck i literally never asked you to do this,” Viego went a little too far in trying to save her. They may have once been happy, but the Ruined King ruined his own life, too.

Unless Isolde is a lot less morally decent than we’ve been led to believe, I doubt she can forgive all the massacring that her husband’s been doing lately. In the recent cinematic, she was shown to be pretty anti-Viego. Maybe she’ll get a bastardization arc, but it certainly seems unlikely.

All of Season 2021 is based around Viego, Isolde, and the Shadow Isles, so we’ll just have to see what comes next. It’s possible that we’ll get Isolde as a playable champion, which should clear a lot of things up.

Final Thoughts Unlike so many villains, he’s not fueled by rage or hatred, but rather by sorrow. He’s stuck in his past, unable to move on. He regrets the actions of his life but is set on his course now. The sunk-cost fallacy comes into play here; he’s put so much time and effort and blood into bringing back Isolde, that turning away from it would feel to him like an insult, not only to her but to the innocent lives he’s taken in her name.

His tale is a tragedy, a love story gone horrifically wrong. Viego has suffered throughout his thousand-year life. Despite this, he’s undoubtedly the villain. His permanent death would be a net positive for the world. In has rage and grief he’s destroyed multiple civilizations, and will burn down the world to get Isolde back.

His heart may be in the wrong place, but it’s in a very human place. I don’t think he’ll get the ending he’s looking for, but I hope he finds some closure in the end.

[morganyevans]

My Blackalicious Chief Xcel Imani Vol 1 New Noise Hip Hop inty

Reposting this from the vault to honor the passing of the great Gift Of Gab (RIP).

Blackalicious: Gotta have "Imani" By Morgan Y. Evans Special thanks to Micah Blumenthal

"You never get to a point where you know everything, and if you ever do that is the point where it all ends." - Chief Xcel

It was a straight up honor to talk to someone as innovative as Chief Xcel of hip hop's mighty Blackalicious crew, back in a time that needs them more than ever to deliver the ambitious Imani Vol. 1, the first part of a stupendous trilogy and their first LP in a decade. Gift of Gab and Chief Xcel remain fluid, astute, sharp, culture rooted and funky on this banger, which features a range of guests from  Amde of The Watts Prophets to Lateef, Zap Mama, Imani Coppola, Lyrics Born and more. The Swahili word for "faith", Imani will spark your faith that hip hop and real soul can never die as long as it is alive in the hearts of people of good will.

Gift of Gab has the fluid and fast skills you can hear in someone like Shad, Weerd Science or Vulkan The Crusader these days, but with that O.G. veteran's delivery and knowledge that carries extra gravitas or playfullness in lighter tone moments, while Chief just kills with production that looks all directions at once, through a prism of what hip hop was, is and can yet be.

It is colorful, as real art and life experiences ache to be.

1. You guys got Prince crazy on this record! You have three records in the process. This one already has so any textures and sounds. Really inspiring, right out the gate. It sets a great tone set against what's going on right now.

Chief Xcel: Indeed, indeed. Thanks, man. I really appreciate that.

2. I am an Upstate, Ny white dude who grew up in Woodstock. I'll never say I understand the plight of the African American. I can try and have empathy but I wont say that "I understand". I appreciate hip hop culture and this is the kind of record that can create unity. What was it like having this outpouring of creativity?

Thanks, I appreciate that. For us, every time we come together to make these records they're all learning processes, y'know what I mean? Gab and I early on in our careers decided we want to take the attitude of the student. Music is infinite in the directions you can go or the directions it can take you. Infinite. You never get to a point where you know everything, and if you ever do that is the point where it all ends. For us we always wanted the passion and tenacity for learning new things, trying new things...just being vessels for the creativity. You get to a point where you realize there's a force beyng you and much bigger than you. Common had a line in one of his songs that said "Affected lives is where the wealth and merit is" and it's really true. When you step into it with that humility, that's when the most power comes out of it. So that is our coach, creatively. That spirit, y'know?

3. I relate to what your saying. If Miles Davis was content he never would've made Bitches Brew, which totally changed his sound, y'know?

Yeah, totally. Totally. You work to establish a body of work way beyond one record. When you realize you are trying to establish a body of work, you keep evolving. You never want to stay in the same place. Miles is the quintessental example of that.

4. One thing I've loved about you guys, Tribe or even early Jungle Brothers, it was about quality. You guys still have an old school flavor, old school funk and modern twists. I loved "Ashes To Ashes". Really cool. You bring the soul in and feeling, the real street funk I feel like people responded to so well in the new Kendrick record To Pimp A Butterfly, not just studio pop.

Yeah, you know...I mean, we just try to make soul music, man. Know what I mean? We have no intentions or desire to be retro on any kind of level. Our method from day one has been something rooted in the foundations but always trying to expand. That's just how we get down. We strive to sound fresh and hold up, stand the test of time. I want you to hear Blazing Arrow today and still love it the same way as when you first heard it (author's note: I still love that Harry Nilson sample from The Point). Nia or The Craft, take the same thing away from it.  

5. I think you succeeded on this one. The collaborations you pulled in amazing people like the song "Imani" with Zap Mama on the end. It rounds things out in such a beautiful way at the end of this installment.

It was just such a blessing to work with her. She is a creative genius and beauty on every level. When people say Marie or Zap Mama, the only words that can come to mind are amazing and incredible.

6. It seems your creative wheels were really spinning. I know you had challenges but how many things happened you never could've planned, like synchronicity?

We are always working. We're in the zone. I'm so deep into the development of the tracks. We're working on Volume 2 now. Gab is writing. The second movement of the story, since Imani is three movements. We really haven't had the opportunity yet to sit back and be like "wow". We're still moving forward.

7. The cover art has this eye candy, pop art but classic album and funk feel. You want to stop and look at it. It makes you feel something. Bright colors. You wanna put on headphones and lose yourself in it.

That's Bret Rollins, the visual art member of Blackalicious. All the U.S. releases since the start, at least, have been designed by Brent. An unsaid member. What I love about working with him is I'll give him any record and say create and that's what he does every single time. From, y'know, the very first one Melodica to The Nia cover to Blazing Arrow and The Craft. It's funny you mentioned it because I was just talking to him the other day and I want to put his pieces on big canvases. They're art, not just a record cover.

8. How fun was it making "On Fire Tonight"? I like the rapid fire flow and the "ba-ba-bum" horns. It feels live. Like you are watching it happen even while just listening to a stream of the song.

Yeah, that song is really...if there's any sort of like Big Daddy Kane infused songs in our catalogue, that is a nod to his greatness on "Wrath of Kane" or "Raw", where the beat is hard. I just kind of set the stage for Gab and let him go. It's what people love to hear him do. We just try and start with a concept and allow a story to tell itself as we're creating. That's always been our thing. I've always felt like the song will tell you what it needs. We just try and listen.

9. That's cool. Some people try and force it. I think maybe that's why your songs feel complete, even when telling part of an album's story. You don't want to skip a track. How did "Blacka" come together? It's an anthem track.

"Blacka" was one of the first songs we recorded. We'd recorded like sixty songs for Volume 1, we just narrowed it down to like 16. "Blacka" was like the actual first thing we recorded. It set it off.

10. My friend Micah works with O Positive Festival which is about trying to get health care for musicians. He is one of the bigger hip hop heads I know and had a question for you. He said ," hip hop, unlike most forms of music, is a culture. A way of behaving. A way people define themselves, for better or worse. It's become synonymous for African American culture and even for youth culture, regardless of skin." You have a diverse sound that maybe is outside of the mainstream sound that gets sold to African American youth. How does it feel to have the legacy but maybe not fit in sometimes? Where do you feel you fit in?

I feel we are icons within a genre. I feel like we have our own way and have worked hard to build our own lane. That's what happens when you make things on your own terms. It's kind of funny because the biggest song in our catalogue rose to prominence just in the past 6-8 months. It's a song we did fifteen years ago and people from 13 to 83 know at this point. What is mainstream in this day amd age? It had a meaning when there was one outlet, which was basically the radio, but with the true coming of the information age, mainstream is so many different things to so many people. We're really blessed to have a lot of fans on every continent. No matter where we are, Chicago, Oakland, Capetown, Sydney, Paris...I always feel blessed when people come up and say they put our record on and it made their day a little bit easier. I always say ,"Damn, this is what it's all about."