The Making of ILLMATIC

"I lay puzzled as I backtrack to earlier times
Nothings equivalent, to the New York state of mind."
-Nas

It's 1994, and I'm a 100 pound (if that) 9th grader, in a new high school, meeting new people who are just as awkward and anxious as I am, and we’re all trying to find a place to fit in. One of the better things about the high school that I went to, or rather one of the things that I appreciate it most for, is that it was a virtual cross-section of what New York was (and is) demographically, and, coincidentally, of what hip-hop as a whole used to be: one big melting-pot.

I went to one of the biggest and most famous magnet schools not only in NYC but in the US, so it wasn't just comprised of local neighborhood kids in the area going to their zone school, but rather it was made up of 3,000+ teenagers from all 5 boroughs and just about every single neighborhood within these boroughs, all under one roof, trying to find their place. Much the same, hip-hop was very similar. You could have street-poets or street-pharmacists. Didn’t matter, as long as the lyrics were gully, and the story was legit. You could have a De La or a Tribe, and then have an M.O.P or a Boot Camp. Didn’t matter, everyone was winning. And everyone was listening. To everything. As I said, we were all a bunch of teens trying to find our place in a new world, and I ended up finding mine around the same time that the game found Nas.

If you went to Bronx Science from 1993 to 1997, and you were into hip-hop...and you were broke...you probably knew Roger Galindo. Roger was a step ahead of the curve, and all of us, when it came to making a quick buck. This was all before the days of zShare, blogs, LimeWire...shit, even CDs. Roger had this 11"x6" plastic case he'd bring to school, and in it were an organized collection of assorted recordable audio cassette tapes. All clear, and all with a white label with a signature Sharpie’d title stating its contents, along with an upside down (or sideways, I can’t remember) smiley face to solidify its “Raj” bootleg authenticity. These cassette tapes would be how myself and a ton of other Bronx Science hip-hop heads got to know some of today’s modern day rap legends.

I got my first "Ready to Die" copy there. My first "Reasonable Doubt", too. My 2nd favorite purchase, and I will never forget this, was the "36 Chambers of Death" for $3. A "Raj" tape which I rewound at least 30 times on my Sony walkman until I memorized the entire "M-E-T-H-O-D Man". Before you jump to conclusions, calm down. Every - single - person that I know that bought these tapes from "Raj" would later cop all of these classics in stores. Either on tape (Purple if ya dig me), CD later on...or vinyl (I later started DJ'ing). That’s just out of respect, and because cover art used to be golden back then.

Well, this brings me to the point of all of this. In 1994, I was in 9th grade. And in 1994, Nas literally changed my life and how I looked at expression as an art-form. When I heard "Illmatic" for the first time, I didn’t even get most of it….but I got it. Granted, it may have taken some odd years to understand the impact that this album had on me, but over time it has become one of those things that happened during my generation that I can look back upon and really stamp it as being truly "timeless". When I die, wherever I go I just hope that they have "Memory Lane" on repeat...and a hundred bad shorties in nothing but aprons cooking.

For this post, I just had to go back, and reminisce about 9th grade, about Bronx Science, about Raj, and about a time when you could get something genuinely "good" for a very reasonably low-price…thanks to Roger Galindo.

Thank you Raj. And thank you to everyone who was there to share the Golden Era of rap with me.

The following is a XXL article that details the events during the making of Nas' first album "Illmatic". Read it when you have the time. It is worth it.

Click each picture and you can either download each jpg to zoom or "view full size"

Props to Thomas V. for the Blog Post that I took from his site, "The T.R.O.Y. Blog". Check it out. These are his words and links. Download the XXL article. Props to Steve Jerrick for putting me on.

When was the last time you bought a hip-hop magazine? Basically, I never buy new hip-hop magazines but I had to make an exception for the new XXL April 2009 Issue. In the beginning of this month when the magazine cover was revealed, I noticed that there was going to be an article commemorating the 15th Anniversary of Nas's Classic 1994 LP "Illmatic". With subtitles of DJ Premier, Large Pro, Pete Rock, & Q-Tip, I knew that it was going to be worth the reading.

Yesterday, after copping the issue, I immediately skipped to the "Illmatic" article. I was stunned by seeing these old hi-res '94 pictures of Nas; there's a picture of Premier, Large Pro, Faith, Nas, Q-Tip, & L.E.S in the studio. I would like to thanks Timmotep Aku, Carl Chery, Clover Hope, Rob Markman, Starrene Rhett, Anslem Samuel for taking a trip down to memory lane and compiling a classic article on a perfect album. Below are all the representers who each took their time to talk on the making-of of their incredible work on the track which they appeared on. This isn't something that you've seen before, you will learn a lot of new trivia...

Below that is the scan of the article.

Representers
Nas
Jungle
Faith Newman-Orbach(Executive Producer)
MC Serch
DJ Premier
Large Professor
L.E.S.
AZ
Olu Dara
Pete Rock
T La Rock
Busta Rhymes
Grand Wizard
Q-Tip

Download 9-Pages Scan (Hi-Res)

Make sure to support this issue by buying it at your local bookstore. This is the type of issue that will truly become a collectible. There are other noteworthy articles included in the issue that are worth reading after "Illmatic."

-- Thomas V

Blog Wars

So there's this guy I know, we'll call himmm.....Jim Bond. And he's completely lie-sexual. Meaning he lies about all of these girls that he doesn't bang, but he tells everyone that he does bang em, but we all know that he really doesn't bang em, and its just totally lame and sad, but whatever, whatcha gonna do, right? And who even says "bang", ya know?

He does.

So anyway, he told me about this one time when his mom had to go out of town for a few days so she had to hire a babysitter for him, and the babysitter that she hires is so unbelievably off-the-meter hot. Like Adventures in Babysitting on crystal-methamphetamine hot. So this character tells me, in all earnestness, that when his mom leaves, she leaves him in the care of this super hot chick who's wearing this "Vote for Obama '08" baby-tee and cut off shorts, and the first thing that he does is he sneaks out of the bathroom window and goes to booze with and bang out Sigourney Weaver all night.

Like, what's the point of that lie? In fact, I can think of double-digit reasons NOT to tell that lie.

Anyway, he has a blog. Check it out.

http://bondtana.blogspot.com/

Homeless and hungry, B&E at a studio near you.

Pseudo-Intellectual x Sexual Predator

What up! For all of you couples looking to spice things up missionary-monkey style, or you singles trying to impress that special someone you've met with a highly-sophisticated and cultured date, all the while letting them know what the deal REALLY is via some blatant sexual undertones (mostly animal related): look no more. Society and tax dollars are literally working their ass off for you....for you and for donkey-f*ckers.

MUSEUM OF SEX
233 Fifth Avenue (@ 27th Street)
New York, NY 10016
General Information: (212) 689-6337

Hours:
Sunday – Friday: 11:00am – 6:30pm (last ticket sold at 5:45pm)
Saturday: 11:00am – 8:00pm (last ticket sold at 7:15pm)
Closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day
Adults (18+): $14.50 + tax
Students and Seniors (with valid ID): $13.50 + tax
Group Visits are also available

I need say no more. Enjoy the view. The Panda's won't mind...they're into that.

Why I Social Network

Moments like the following remind me of why I even bother to social network at all...I do it for the "hahahaha's" of Darrol Dawkins' alike all across the internet. I don't know you Darrol and I probably never will, but I am glad that I was able to add those 0.7 seconds of joy that it took to hit the 'H' and 'A' keys in rapid succession on your keyboard. You probably didn't smile at all, your facial expression most likely didn't even change a fraction of a fucking centimeter, but I know inside you were rolling all over that goddamn floor aughing your little digital ass off, and I...I am just glad to help out.

FACEBOOK STATUS MESSAGE

Sharon Chung says it never fails - the pizza man upstate said thank U to me in chinese n I said no I'm korean n he said isn't that the same thing?

23 minutes ago - Comment - LikeUnlike

Shonté M. Carter at 9:48pm February 25

That is hilarious!!!!!

Anthony Waweru at 9:55pm February 25

Where is the humor in that?

Darrol Dawkins at 9:57pm February 25

hahahaha!

Write a comment...

E-T-H-E-R!!! ("Can you tell if one of them is on steroids, maybe?")

The song "ETHER" is a popular rap dis record penned by the artist Nas regarding the infamous hip-hop beef between he and his now-BFF Jay-Z. From this, it has also become a term in-and-of-itself made popular by and within my circle of retarded friends referring to any occasion or instance where someone is undeniably "sonned" or defeated during any disagreement, argument, or whatever-have-you in just about anything. Also, you can at anytime be ethered randomly and unprovoked for no reason whatsoever. (ie. my friend Gab masturbates to Jean-Claude Van Damme fight scenes. Ether.)

So on a related note, the two siblings, Eric and Jeff, from ItsTheReal.com IMO totally Ether'd the lame 50 Cent x Rick Ross beef. The following is my current favorite metaphoric dis to or about a rapper(s)...and its done without rapping. Observe:


ItsTheReal Presents The Food Fighters from jeff on Vimeo.

I just started this BLAH'G and I already have two Rosenthal Bros. produced clips. They are being put on timeout. Great stuff. If you see them on a Manhattan street, give these two Jews, Eric and Jeff Rosenthal, a dap and be sure to throw gang-related hand language into it.

Ricky Hearts Larry <3

Ricky Gervais Meets Larry David on Vimeo.

Sometimes you're lucky enough that some of your favorite people get on well with eachother, or are, perhaps, mutal fans of eachother. Sometimes you may even be lucky enough that they get to work with one another. In my case, I was lucky enough that two of my favorite people were SO on eachother's d*cks that they made time to share a couch, with no scripts, and bullshit 48 minutes away, and they were kind enough to let a camera crew catch it all as the comic brain-picking ensued. =)

PS - Pay no attention to the Spanish subtitles, unless you're Spanish and are into that sorta thing.

The Trouble With Having A Black President

Funny thing is, my cousin Solo called me up after Barack won in November and said "What up, my Obama".

Why that's funny is that Solo doesn't have a sketch show on YouTube....and he wasn't joking.

And by funny, I mean scary...my President.

Just in case you forgot...

No for real...free pancakes until 10pm tonight...Americans...they got STACKS. I wasn't joking. Proof:

"She got stacks like the International House of Pancakes!"

Check it...all you broke gentleman out there hard-pressed for an affordable place to take that new, Ugg-sporting, young jump-off that you met while coppin' 2 vanilla dutches and a loosy at the local bodega while she was on recess...look no more. IHOP has your back.

Today is IHOP's annual National Pancake Day and they're giving each person through the door one short stack (3 pancakes, no butter or syrup), and all they're asking for in return is that you CONSIDER donating to a local children's hospital through the Children's Miracle Network, or another local charity. Consider...not mandatory. So at the bare minimum, try to at least have a contemplating look on your face while eating that last bite of your homestyle hotcake. And in homage to the author of the title of this post, try to remember: "Wu Tang is for the children!"

If you don't believe me check out National Pancake Day's official site: http://www.ihoppancakeday.com/

Go for it...everyone knows how crazy those young'ns get on high dosages of sugar and carbs.

"And why the F*CK is everybody's name LOL???"

Just to let you know, it's KILLA CAM'RON APPRECIATION 2.5 MONTHS until May 5th...just to let you know, ya dig, B?

Priddops to The Real @ www.itsthereal.com

"Letters to Cam" or "Letters to Spacely Sprockets"...apparently its synonymous

Tone needs a shave and a stable career path

Incoherent...like every single frame...but dah well.

Just in case you haven't seen me in a while, thought you could use a "not a good look" on Tone.


Mix downs, work clothes, and little sleep sucks from Anthony Waweru on Vimeo.

Shout to Joe for keeping me hydrated, I know that Poland Spring costs a grip.

Kanye West x T-Pain - "Flight School"

"So I close my eyes tighter than asian eyes get"

...looks like 'Ye hasn't been keeping up with Hannah Montana's latest class action law suits. What was it, like 4 Billion for squinting on camera? Hope Louis V carry-on luggage is moving for 5 figures minimum on ebay, home skillet.

Kanye West x T-Pain - "Flight School"

Just in case there are those of you left who don't get naucious at the sound of auto-tune usage, or those of you who are thinking about finally going back to finish that Flight school degree that you were oh-so close to getting but then, you know, stuff came up...enjoy. Go back to flight school and learn how to get higher than T-Pain's hat. No clue what album this is off of...maybe Kanye's "Good Ass Job" follow-up to the college-attendee theme? If so, was kinda hoping it'd be a sing-a-long Kanye free effort, but that's just me.

Disclaimer: I enjoyed "808's & Heartbreak" for the most part.

The Trouble With Starting Your Own Blog... (and oh yea...made ya look)

Interweb. My name is Tony Waweru. And this is my blog.

In that, I think the first two questions that may come immediately to mind would be: "who the f*ck is Tony Waweru?" and "why do we care?"

Common sense would tell you that I could only feasibly hope to answer one of those questions, as the other is totally up to you, but, as I just told you, my name is not common sense. No, interweb, my name is Tony Waweru, and I'm not telling you shit. Well not tonight anyway. In fact, I strongly suggest that you do NOT cross your fingers hoping for a brief bio, or a list of bulleted reasons on why you should give a rat's balls about this blog, but rather just try to take the time - and God knows if you're here reading this, well you have that - and enjoy whatever it is that you take from the plethora of nonsensical randomness (dressed-up way of saying 'bullshit') that will soon be this web space. Some of it you may find useful. Some of it you will hopefully find entertaining. On some days you may even find yourself enjoying yourself (there will be no porn here, don't misconstrue that wording). But on most days, I suggest you find help...or a date. Because the only people worse than those that are narcissistic and self-involved enough to create a blog, are the wonderful people who lack anything better to do other than to enable us self-indulgent f*cks.

So without further adieu, welcome to "The Trouble With That Is...". A blog by yours truly. And don't expect an ongoing theme based on the title. That's just an ongoing title based on my life. And that's just an ongoing life based on trouble.

Welcome all....And I'll blog ya later.

Tone