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Method Man
A little less than a decade ago, some
of the hottest and largest names in
Rap music were steadily oozing out of
Russell Simmons’ Def Jam Records,
distributed by Sony Music. Remem
ber the classic 80s of Rap, with artists
such as Public Enemy, 3Rd Base, and
LL Cool J? Those were the rap-shout
ing days, with thick-thumping, “head
ache” stomping beats, and such little
use of samples that the Isley Brothers
and George Clinton were probably
lining up for food stamps and playing
lotto everyday. Just kidding! But yo!
much has changed with Def Jam and
her artists since then. Dissatisfied with
Sony Music, Russell Simmons packed
bags and signed Def Jam over to
Polygram Group Distribution. (Did
you know that up to this day the Presi
dent of Sony Music has never sat and
met Russell Simmons?!!- Just another
ni.g..!) However, the trouble started
then! Enter the wildest non hair-comb
ing rapper in the nation today. Your
honorable Mr. Tical: Method Man, on
Def Jam Records. Touring (more like
raising hell!) together with Redman
throughout the nation, Method Man is
just the most dominating rapper on
most Rap-Oriented Music Charts,
magazines, video programs, and even
record stores. His new single “Bring
the Pain” is an experience in a wicked
hip-hop club.
With a menacing scowl on his hairy
face, Method introduces the world to
the black ruins of his scattered soul on
his debut solo master work, “Tical.”
“In every part of New York there is
someone who makes up different slang
words that just happen to catch on,”
he explains. “In Staten Island, we
used to call weed, method, then my
man Lounger cut it down to metical.
And then, over the course of time it
cut down to tical.”
Produced by Prince Rakim (now
known as RZA), Tical is an extension
of aural madness that the famous Wu
Tang Clan introduced to the world.
With RZA’s minimalist beats drag
ging across the track like a wounded
body, Method takes the listener “deep
as the abyss” into his world of stress.
Like most children growing up in a
world of pure poverty, the hip-hop
culture helped save Method Man’s
life (a little). “I left my household at
an early age and wasn’t even trying to
come back home,” recalls Method. “I
was staying with my man Raid up in
6-B. No lights, just trying to live. I had
stopped going to school, which was a
mistake. The only thing that kept me
sane during that period was my music
and my comic books.”
The closest Method gets to perform
ing a Rap ballad is on the gritty song
that he dedicates to his woman. On the
laid back track, “All I Need,” Method
says, “Back when I was nothin’ you
made a brother feel like he was
somethin’/That’s why I’m with ya ‘til
this day, Boo/No frontin." Before and
after his verse, the song becomes a
verbal war zone of bitter women
dissing their own man. “When we
went into the studio to record this
track, we wanted to get the woman’s
point of view. We had no idea they
were goin’ be so wild,” he laughs.
One thing’s for sure, Method’s
rhymes are wild, but always honest,
and he attracts and attacks realness,
true emotion, and a masterful flow.
“Tical” is one of the most brilliant
albums released recently, and it could
to prove to be very addictive.
Huey, Elridge and Lumphead: All Gone
(continued from page 7)
Fugate). After the imprisoning of
Huey, Eldridge Cleaver takes over
the Party and the personalities start to
clash. Taurean Blacque has Elridge
pimping the black middle class
women, and deriding the peaceful
activity of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Members of the Party express distaste
over Elridge’s actions within and out
side the Party. But with members like
Artie Seale (played by the beautiful
Michelle B. Cooper), and the glorious
Lumphead, the party forges on. After
Huey’s release, nothing goes as origi
nally planned. A government agent
infiltrates the group (Chuma), Huey
and Elridge butt heads more often and
the assassination of Martin Luther
King, Jr. solidifies the schism be
tween the two, and marks the begin
ning of the downward spiral of the
Black Panther Party and Huey P. New
ton.
The various scenes in “Servant Of
The People” are all emotional. The
opening scene with the Panthers dem
onstrating at Alameda County City
Hall in SIW-like fashion conveyed
the awesome power that the real Pan
thers must have exuded when they
first protested as such. It was sadden
ing to see Huey fall into the cocaine
trap, and into the clutches of paranoia
and megalomania. To see such a man
as Eldridge Cleaver become a mi
sogynist and a “moonie” was the
height of disappointment. Watching
Artie take everyone hostage in the
office to find an explanation for the
misappropriation of funds, was in
credibly wrenching, for it showed the
...It was saddening to see Huey fall into
the cocaine trap, and into the clutches of
paranoia and megalomania. To see such a
man as Eldridge Cleaver become a mi
sogynist and a “moonie” was the height of
disappointment.
depths of depravity in which the in
ner circle of the Black Panther Party
had sunk. I must admit, though, that
between looking at Lumphead trying
to sneak a grab at his gun and watch
ing Elaine take about five guns from
her person, the comedy ran strong in
the scene. The most memorable scene
for me was Lumphead’s soliloquy.
He professes love for the man who
just had him killed (guess who!) and
paints a picture of a world that has no
absolutes. If I had to choose a favorite
actor for “Servant Of The People,” it
would be Thomas Byrd.
I could not figure out Tyronne
Robinson’s (played by Geoffrey D.
Williams) significance to the play until
the end. His portrayal of a roughneck
was laudable, but it wasn’t until the
play’s conclusion that I figured that
he was much more than just a drug
dealing hooligan. His role was much
deeper and thus, all the more impres
sive.
There were other narrators through
out the play giving their perspectives
on Huey and the Party, and each nar
rative was supported by slide projec
tions on the wall of the auditorium.
Those projections reinforced what
they said so strongly that one could
not help but be awestruck.
“Servant Of The People” is a com
mendable piece of work (the play
wright is from Virginia), and I strongly
recommend it. It is playing at the 14th
Street Playhouse, Wednesday through
Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 3
p.m. There is a student discount on
Wednesdays and Sundays. For more
information call (404) 876-6346. It is
playing through February 12.
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Is higher learning
achieved by education
or through experience?
By Rodney Nathaniel Trice
Two-time Academy Award nomi
nee John Singleton attempts to mar
ket his movie, “Higher Learning,” to
a diverse audience. In this motion
picture, Singleton ensures that there
is something appealing to all people,
regardless of race or color. Using race
as the primary building block to this
production, Singleton does an excep
tional job of portraying the different
attitudes racial groups have toward
one another.
In the opening scene, the
multi-cultural Columbus University
is filled with all the revelries of fresh
man week: the band performing on
the yard, cheerleaders cheering, and
each clique trying’ to get their party
on before classes Monday. From vari
ous backgrounds arise the three lead
ing characters: track star Malik Will
iams (Omar Epps), suburban Kristan
Connor (Kristy Swanson), who grew
up near Disneyland, and Remy
(Michael Rapaport), who grew up
being physically abused by his father.
Other characters of interest who add
substance and realism to this produc
tion are: Ice Cube, Tyra Banks, and
Busta Rhyme.
Similar to any real-life col
lege campus, the fictitious Columbus
University forces its students to ex
plore every belief, vice, and political
cause until they fit in. However, Hol
lywood doesn’t have four years to
portray the transformation of its char
acters, so the ideas in the movie may
seem a little extreme at times.
Being tagged a “gang mem
ber,” among other things, has Malik
thinking of quitting school. After her
second frat party, Kristen is raped.
And Remy, the outcast, finds a frater
nal bond with the skinheads. Their
inner struggles play out overthe course
of a morally turbulent college year
that leaves each of them-dramatically
changed.
Anyone who takes the time
to notice their pigmentation, or was
forced to, can find a stirring moment
in “Higher Learning.” The big issues
in the motion picture (date rape and
racial tension) are ones to which even
the most simplistic person can relate
and understand. Singleton molds the
characters into free-standing, free-
thinking individuals, each of whom
operate within varying degrees of
mental and emotional stability.
Singleton’ s intent is to convey each of
these transmogrifications to viewers
of “Higher Learning” in order to have
them change also. Whether he did or
did not achieve this aim remains to be
seen.
SOHO vs. VELVETS:
Round Thursday!
By Marlon Regis
The arena is the city of Atlanta; it’s
the night of the long-awaited duel
between Soho, Walton Street's finest,
and Velvets, hailing from the heart of
downtown Atlanta. In this metropo
lis, Thursday night is the most critical
round for the trendiest and hippest in
black youth, because of the skillfully,
spontaneously wicked masterpieces
of Hip-Hop and Dancehall which is
woven by the cities top two cubs.
They both equally weighed in at
$ 10.00 each, unless you’re looking at
it from a guest list, celebrity or press
entry point of view. Representing Soho
in the right comer are Djs Sol Messiah
of the Zulu Nation and Mars, two of
the most popular Hip-Hop Djs in the
Atlanta area. In the left corner, strongly
supporting Velvets were Djs Manic
D, Jay Cee, and Talib Shabbaz, with
the added ‘training’ from La Face
representations: Outkast, Cello,
Daddy-Q, Big Woo, and P-Funk.
Yes,Velvets had strong support and
back-ups too! Soho held a more ex
travagant image with its golden an
tiques and its 18th century paintings
overlooking the three bars. With its
dark, dimmed-red atmosphere, and
the intermingling of well carpeted
floors and wooden furniture, Soho
even had an underground room, and
definitely looked ready for battle. But
you know the saying: “Never judge a
book by its cover!” On paper, one
can’t really predict the outcome of
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this bout, but let me ‘statistically’
guide you through this unforgettable
round of this dramatic Thursday night.
SOHO:
My boy dropped me off at 11:15pm
after we busily attended to some ‘pa
pers’ . So my mind was clear and there
wasn’t a worry in the world. Outside
Soho, the lines were long, thick and at
a stand-still. As I said before, I wasn’t
worried, plus I was on the guest list. I
was wrong! “ There is no guest list
tonight!” said one of the bouncers,
and I now felt like ‘Miss Thing’. All
around, there were honeys, and by the
way they dressed, you couldn't tell if
it was summer or winter. Cars (no,
extraordinary rides) slowly rolled by
occasionally; the crowd was pushing
now, and all around I was hearing
thick New York accents, “Yo! Word-
is-born son! I’m on the guess list too
kid!” A slight scuffle started in the
line, but everyone else was in so good
spirits, that someone would occasion
ally shout, “Get your hand outta my
pocket!,” an infamous line from the
movie “X”. Outside was crowded but
inside was worse, and I had an hour
before I bounced to Velvets. I was
inside, and FREE too! The noise from
the voices in the lounge was so loud,
it somewhat drowned out the music
coming from the dancefloor area situ
ated towards the rear of the club. The
lounge was the ultimate in freak-look
ing girls, cuties upon cuties, ‘macks’
of all sorts (fake ones too), and of
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