Wu-Tang Clan. Photo Credit: Hip Hop Golden Age

Being aroung RZA, GZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, UGod, Masta Killa and Cappadonna has its perks and life lessons. Just ask Chris McKee.

McKee has been a booking agent for 20 years and has represented some of the biggest names in music. His soon to be released book focuses on his time as the booking agent and tour manager for one of the most influential hip-hop groups of all-time; The Wu-Tang Clan.  

A Staten Island hip-hop group, since 1992, The Wu-Tang Clan has released seven gold and platinum albums with worldwide sales of more than 40 million. Their 1993 debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), is considered to be one of the greatest albums in hip-hop history.   

Rolling Stone Magazine called Wu-Tang Clan “the best rap group ever.”

There are very few outsiders who have been allowed access into the world of the Wu-Tang Clan until now.  

McKee worked with various members of the Wu-Tang for over 10 years and is ready to let people see what really goes on behind the curtain while on tour with members of the Wu-Tang Clan.  

The book is both a window into the world of the Wu-Tang Clan as well as a teaching tool to understanding the ins and outs of the music business. The book will feature stories about sex, drugs, rock n’ roll (or hip-hop) and murder.

McKee has released excerpts from his book which include the story of how of how a concert promoter (Matt ‘Dutch’ Garner) who was involved with producing a concert for Ghostface Killah in Montreal was murdered a week before the show.

“The thing about Montreal is that the line is blurred between certain parts of the entertainment industry and criminals and gangsters; more so than any other city in Canada.  In Montreal you have to tread very carefully when you go about your business if you want to stay out of trouble.

I guess Dutch missed that memo.

Dutch was murdered two weeks before the Ghostface show in Montreal.

According to various news reports, assailants broke into his apartment on St. Henri and taped Dutch and an associate to their chairs and set to the two of them on fire. Dutch was found dead in his apartment on the chair but the second victim had tried to escape and made his way down a flight of stairs onto the street while still ablaze where he eventually succumb to his injuries and died on a neighboring lawn.

Chris McKee. Photo Credit: Herosports

They have yet to arrest any suspects in the murder and the case remains open.”

The book also features a window into the absurdity of having to do business with various members of Wu-Tang. McKee tells the story of a breakfast meeting with Ghostface in Montreal the morning after a concert.

“Before our breakfast meeting ended, Ghost had one other interesting request to ask of me.

He said, “Don’t be putting me in any more hotels with French TV channels.”

He continued, “I was trying to watch some TV last night and relax and whatever and every channel was in French.”

Ghostface added, “I can’t have that in any of these other cities, so no more hotels with these French TVs.”

I stared back blank not knowing how to answer.

The thought occurred to me that this was a man who has travelled the world over at least a dozen times. He has performed concerts as Ghostface and as a member of the Wu-Tang Clan on probably every continent on the planet.  Yet he hasn’t figured out that when you’re in a city or country that speaks a different language that it is highly likely that the TV channels will probably be in that very same language. “

The yet to be titled book is set to be released in early 2018.

Some of the artists that McKee has produced concerts for include: Rihanna, Black Eyed Peas, The Roots, Akon, Busta Rhymes, 50 Cent and G-Unit, Slaughterhouse, Flo-Rida, D12 and hundreds more.  

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The post Scoop B Selects: Former Wu-Tang Clan Booking Agent, Chris McKee To Release Book Chronicling Life On The Road appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Rae enjoyed himself without ever letting the energy or grit diminish. He put together a rugged set of classics from his and the Wu‘s catalogs (“Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nothin’ To Fuck With,” “C.R.E.A.M.,” “Ice Cream,” “Incarcerated Scarfaces,”) and performed them all with polish, only occasionally stumbling over a word and cutting the track. Whenever he took a moment out to speak to the crowd, it was to say something genuine and genuinely confusing, if only because Rae seemed too overjoyed and lost in his work to really worry about making sense. “Tonight…even if it’s today, it’s tonight,” he said at one point, getting a good laugh out of everyone left wondering what he initially was going to say. Later, he said “You know, you go to the South, they party, they have fun, but New York…New York we more like we-we-we visual. It’s a lot of shit going on, life is in front of us! We talk about struggle man, this is real struggle on wax! Pay attention!” It’s that kind of narrow focus that it takes to think that there’s more “life” in NY than other places that has kept Raekwon so detail oriented and sharp for over 20 years. It’s the trapped-in-the-’90s mindset it takes to think the South is all parties that has kept Raekwon Raekwon.

Raekwon thinking, “This beat is disgusting.”

Rae rapped nearly ever classic joint with the urgency that they packed 20 years ago. Scram called the crowd’s attention to Rae’s performance of “Triumph” in particular–“This man just did 8 rappers’ verses!” 20 years ago, however, not everyone in the crowd knew just about every bar; Rae was lucky enough to catch a breath every few rhymes as the crowd was well-initiated and served as a strong hypeman for most of the show. The only other help The Chef enlisted was a handful of alley-oop guest verses and less spectacular guest performances. Masta Killa notably came out for “Glaciers Of Ice,” keeping all of the Wu songs from being all-Rae affairs. With all the trouble going on in Shaolin, it’s good to know Rae and the Killa are still cool. AZ came out the verse from Illmatic. The crowd nearly lost their voices rapping the iconic bars along with the Brooklyn-born old timer. “Life’s A Bitch” was particularly special to hear live, to hear chanted with such ferocity, because it is remembered and loved above all else for its wisdom. There’s very little slick talk and no punch lines; it is simply a verse of tenacious intellect, and AZ certainly did it justice.When Raekwon brought Lil Fame out on stage, it was initially just to show due respect to another “Brooklyn real one” and M.O.P. in general. However, the sly DJ Scram Jones let loose those iconic opening horns of “Ante Up” just as Fame was waddling away from the stage, and, as Raekwon noted, you can tell Fame is a true MC, because at that sound, he jumped into gear. After a momentary delay to laugh, Fame ripped into “Ante Up,” and the crowd lost their collective shit. There hadn’t been much recklessness during the day before this, but something about the “Oh! Oh!” chant of the hook jolted everyone alive. True to the grit this year’s festival was based off of, it seemed that in that moment, everyone was more excited to see Lil Fame than they were to see Jay Z. (It should be noted that this is the 2nd year in a row Fame has made a surprise “Ante Up” appearance at the festival).
Troy Ave got a medium-strong welcome, performing the extremely appropriate “New York City,” featuring a Raekwon making an always-valid claim at continued relevance and ability. That momentum was lost, however, when Troy performed “Your Style.” The song was introduced as a “radio hit” but no one in the crowd knew the words or seemed interested in them. Due even more so to the weak and quietly played beat, this might have been the worst-received moment of the day.
Unfortunately, the show closed with Papoose. Even though “Current Events” was just about the least currently popping song to take the BHFX crowd home with, they did have the consolation of knowing they’d seen one of the most consistent rappers of all time rock (with incredible consistently), as well as seeing him cosign a song so extremely of-the-moment that it was surreal to see it performed on such a big stage: Bobby Shmurda‘s “Hot Nigga.” It was a strange link, but one that showed that even the most tooth-and-nail spitters of his and all generations knows how to just have a good time.

Photos by RESPECT.’s Julia Schur.

The post Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival: Raekwon feat. AZ, Lil Fame, Masta Killa, Troy Ave, Papoose (Photos & Review) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

If you missed The Roots, Ghostface Killah, Adrian Younge, Masta Killa and Killah Priest performing “I Declare War” on Jimmy Fallon last night, you can check it out below. Twelve Reasons to Die is slated for release next Tuesday.

The post New Video: Ghostface Killah & Adrian Younge feat. Masta Killa, Killah Priest & The Roots – “I Declare War” Live On Jimmy Fallon appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

With the release date for Ghostface Killah & Adrian Younge’s Twelve Reasons to Die rapidly approaching, Ghost hits us with yet another track from the upcoming project. “Murder Spree” features appearances from Wu-Tang Clan members Inspectah Deck, U-God and Masta Killa along with Killarmy’s Killa Sin. Twelve Reasons to Die will be available on April 16.

The post New Music: Ghostface Killah feat. Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa & Killa Sin – “Murder Spree” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Earlier this year we announced the arrival of “Hip-Hop: A Cultural Odyssey“; a coffee table read chronicling key players in the hip-hop game over the past 50 years. Although the book first hit stores back in February, it continues to gain a wealth of press as GQ Magazine recommended it to readers just two weeks ago, and numerous celebrities continue to jump on in support of the project. The book is starting to gain notice around the globe too:

On Friday night the Red Bull Studios housed the launch of the celebrated hip hop book, Hip Hop: A Cultural Odyssey- a compendium of artists and cultural figures featuring in the hip hop world over the last 50 years. The books took centre stage in the studio lounge, with people pouring in to lust after its thick glossy pages. At 15 lbs, the sheer weight of the book is a fitting representation of heavyweight influence that hip hop has had on contemporary culture as we know it. The content reads like any hip-hoppers wet dream, chock full of a cross section of hip hop culture including the often omitted graffiti artists, along with producers, DJs, and of course, some of the biggest artists in history- my favourites were Snoop Dogg in a Burberry shower cap followed by more poignant ones of Eminem looking strung out surrounded by crumpled lyric-covered scraps of paper. Beautifully shot, they show the diversity, humour and rise of a culture that was bubbling underground for many years in the US, and has re-written how we see beats, rhymes and life today.

So, we at RESPECT. suggest you check out “Hip-Hop: A Cultural Odyssey” if you haven’t done so already. We’ll allow Method Man and Masta Killa to give you a little sneak-peak below:

Via Red Bull UK

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