On Raekwon x Ghostface

Rock the Bells made a tour stop in New Orleans recently. Ghostface & Raekwon performing Only Built for Cuban Links & Mobb Depp performing Infamous all at the House of Blues, one night only.

I grew up in the mid 90s so I recall WuTang Clan & their offerings during that era. It was a grimey and dark time. Their descriptions of New York City life during that time reflected said reality. Crack cocaine had spread across the country and those involved were often shrewd businessmen whose patience often was thicker the dirty currency crammed deep into their dungarees. Their music would often transport you to a brutally honest space in time where your life could end for less than the change in your pocket. They were an untouchable group of Super Niggas, determined to make it known that money doesn't alter behavior patterns. They we(a)re WuTang. Sadly enough, they appear to be the same as 40 year old men.

The show was an excellent show for the Hip Hop purest, one of the esteemed classics of the genre was being performed by the original artists in it's entirety. It was in this moment that I realized I had matured beyond this phase of being impressed by this bravado. I'm rambling here but just finish the post. These men are millionaires, literally being paid to recite words spoken for the first time 15 years ago and there is a packed venue filled with people who esteem the offering.

I appreciate an honest story but I don't live in that reality. I'm not a drug dealer, and I don't need to drown out my conscious with the tales of men who have done and do things I am no where near interested in doing nor have I ever done. I need fantasies that are devoid of stress and suffering, not ones that would fail to exist in their absence. It was with this understanding that I left the show midday through the OBFCL set. I had no use for what was being performed and found no amusement in the performance.

As I walked away from the House of Blues, home of all corporately sponsored magic moments in music, I became even clearer to me that I need to readdress my relationship to some of the music I have grown fond of over the years. This will undoubtedly result in some album deletions, some albums will also be removed from the list of new music to acquire. I've outgrown a large portion of the lyrics I know Inside & out, My iPod should reflect as much. My speech certainly should.