Hip-Hop References that fly over your Head

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petergunn

plywood violin
CrowleyHead said:
Yeah, but that's already what, '96/'97? This was around the same time Rza was Executive Producing Killarmy. What's more, Rza's little brother is one of the main rappers in that crew... And 4th produced close to about a fifth of Wu-Forever.

... I may have to go to the sacred cow thread and say something that will respond in more death threats than my dismissal of J.D....
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may 97 if memory serves, remembering copping the 4 disc vinyl for like 15 bucks...

i def took note of 4th disciple after that LP, specifically "a better tomorrow" was a sick tune, but i don't recall hearing any sped up soul samples on any of the 4th disciple produced stuff, wheras RZA was experimenting w/ voice samples in an odd way as far back as Bring the Pain...

i like 4th disciple, just not sure i buy the heresay argument that he was the one who introduced rza to sped up soul samples...
 
V

viktorvaughn

Well-known member
nomos said:
OK, different thing now.

the #3 circa 1990

lots of references from different sources. 3 Feet High is the most famous but there were a but of rappers going on about the power the 3. Master Ace had his a<sup>3</sup> Action Posse. Liner notes from the first album...

"Yes, I would like to say peace to all those groups that represent the power of <sup>3</sup>. 3rd Bass, De La Soul, 3xDope to name a few."

But I could never figure out what it was about. The geometric strength of triangles, pyramids, three dudes? Or was a it numerological, Knowledge Widom Understanding being 1,2,3 for Fiver Percenters. Except these groups were never really linked up with that stuff to the extent that a lot of their contemporaries were
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plus hieroglyphics third eye thing
 
cobretti

cobretti

[-] :: [-] ~ [-] :: [-]
baboon2004 said:
3 has always had a good rep, I guess. Much more so than 41, for example.

What happened to hip-hop trios anyway? I always thought it was an excellent number - three different voices/elements is just enough variety for about anything.
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Works pretty perfectly for having a verse each on every song too, anda lot more variation in order & chemistry than a simple duo would provide.

evanbbb said:
haha. Never really paid attention and sang along as if it was a ref to Marmaduke
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The one that always sticks in my head is Charizma rhyming about asking mom dukes for loot :)
 
nomos

nomos

Administrator
cobretti said:
Works pretty perfectly for having a verse each on every song too, anda lot more variation in order & chemistry than a simple duo would provide.
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yeah this is all true but the lyrics and liner notes about 3 always came off a bit more mystical than that. i mean it may just have been some empty meme that just caught on but i always figured there was more of an idea behind it. dunno.
 
cobretti

cobretti

[-] :: [-] ~ [-] :: [-]
nomos said:
yeah this is all true but the lyrics and liner notes about 3 always came off a bit more mystical than that. i mean it may just have been some empty meme that just caught on but i always figured there was more of an idea behind it. dunno.
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I'm probably a bit younger than yourself though, and always took it at face value because it was well past the period where trios were all the rage and all this mystical power of 3 etc business was going on. Maybe it was all a precursor to Jay Z & Nas's masonic conspiracy? :D
 
hint

hint

party record with a siren
Used to be very confused by LL Cool J's

Farmers! What?
Farmers! What?

... until I was told that it referred to a street.
 
nomos

nomos

Administrator
x clan: "pick up my monkey and back to the mother"

... you have a monkey? :slanted: one of the best lyrics ever in any case
 
nomos

nomos

Administrator
hey dart, good to see you. any thoughts on the #3 business mentioned upthread. i was curious about your take.
 
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Poisonous Dart

Lone Swordsman
Wow

padraig (u.s.) said:
this isn't a missed reference so much as a misunderstanding but for the longest time I when I was in my teens I thought the line in "Wu-Renegades" was "Yo Killarmy we the last armageddon/prepare yourself now for the six man wedding" - which, I mean...ahead of their time, Killarmy, with their advocacy for polyamorous same-sex marriage...

but it's true that Sunz of Man & Killarmy are like the distilled essence of all the most bizarre & esoteric bits of Wu/5% mythology, w/o Meth's mainstream appeal or Rae/Ghost's street tales or GZA's intellect to tie them down to reality. I quite enjoy it, personally.
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Six man WETTING. Being shot continuously in different places methodically a la the two man wetting/execution in the film "Sleepers" or being sprayed with automatic fire from all members of the crew...The end result? A body/scene WET with blood..

One.
 
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Poisonous Dart

Lone Swordsman
3 is the magic number

nomos said:
hey dart, good to see you. any thoughts on the #3 business mentioned upthread. i was curious about your take.
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As far as crews went. Bigger crews had more problems splitting up money so if you had two emcees & one DJ like the most successful crew of the early era (Run DMC) it made sense to follow that format. Two emcees & a DJ. EPMD. 3rd Bass. De La Soul. 3 Times Dope. Cypress Hill. List goes on...

One.
 
nomos

nomos

Administrator
Poisonous Dart said:
As far as crews went. Bigger crews had more problems splitting up money so if you had two emcees & one DJ like the most successful crew of the early era (Run DMC) it made sense to follow that format. Two emcees & a DJ. EPMD. 3rd Bass. De La Soul. 3 Times Dope. Cypress Hill. List goes on...

One.
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OK, not to bang on about this though but it seems to have been more than that, and not exclusive to crews of three people. e.g. Master Ace's "a<sup>3</sup> Action Posse." Like I say, people used to attribute some sort of mythical status to the number but not in any sort of obvious numerlogical way (i.e. no clear 5% link, etc.). Anyway, if you're not sure either then I'll let it drop ;) It's just something that's had me wondering all these years.
 
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CrowleyHead

Well-known member
It's like NOI, gone horribly wrong.

5%ers have some of the most colorfully bad science in the history of mankind. Wu-Tang managed to salvage some of the most brilliant of 5% lingo and turn it into slang...

I'm really bitter about 5% because, the devil is 6, and is usually automatically 'the (white) man'. However, there are so many white kids who over the years start spouting 5% analogy, their defense being that "Clearly, they mean the corrupt white man", trying to backpedal and defend the occasional racism that pops up in 5%, and it's infuriating.

Nothing's more obnoxious than some slightly chubby, nerd, dressed in cliche 'hip-hop gear', giving MCs a pound, telling them, 'We have to build on the day's mathematics, God." Even proceeding to watch the mix of disgust/confusion on said MCs face isn't even worth it.
 
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