AniManga: Bleach

Bleach is an anime series that started out as a manga by artist Noriaki "Tite" Kubo. I started watching the anime long before I checked out the manga which is unusual for me. Normally I read a few episodes of the manga and see if its worth looking into the anime since most companies change parts of the story of the manga. With Bleach the anime closely followed the manga story minus a couple of filler story arcs that happened when the anime caught up to the comic which is still in publication.

Bleach follows the adventures of a teenager named Ichigo Kurosaki who obtains the powers of a Soul Reaper also known as a Shinigami which literally means "Death God" from another soul reaper who had been injured. Once he acquired the powers he took on the duties of protecting the innocent from corrupted spirits called  Hollows, and guiding lost souls safely to the afterlife. 

The main protagonist is a powerful and manipulative soul reaper named Aizen Sōsuke who betrays the other Soul Reapers and allies himself with the strongest of the Hollows, the Espadas. His main goal was domination over the Soul Society, the Physical world and everything in between. A war between the Soul Society and Aizen raged and at the end only one was left standing.

There's allot of controversy now that the Aizen saga is over because Tite Kubo planned on ending the manga there. But due to the popularity of the comic as well as the anime he continued with a story-line. This has some people in an uproar and others excited on what direction the comic is going to go. Me personally I find the new story arc a little weak but since its just starting I'm giving it a chance. The anime is still dope and if you're not a fan you should check it out! I posted a few clips of the Soul Reapers battling Espada in the final war below.

Mix of Flavor

Spring is in the air! I'm outside more and behind the keyboard less. When indoors I've been working on my own music more than listening to other peoples. So this post is a mix of flavor, which is a blend of new music with established artists and underground cats.

There's Riz a underground MC from Harlem building a buzz for making hot tracks. Killer Mike aka Mike Bigga who has been featured on several Outkast albums. He was also signed to Big Boi's label for awhile before being released and going independent. The beat to Killer Mike's track "Ready Set Go" is straight FIYA! Guilty Simpson has been reppin the D (Detroit) for a minute. He along with Black Milk and Sean Price formed the supergroup Random Axe and have been putting out bangers since. 

Last is underground rhyme spitter Reef the Lost Cauze from Philly. He's a former member of Army of the Pharaohs with Vinne Paz and has been putting out records for years. His buzz as a solo artist gained more momentum when he was featured on the Snowgoons projects. 

Album Reviews

There's some good music coming out in 2011 and the summers not even here yet. I never review music that I don't like, cuz I don't believe in giving bad press. If you're familiar with my previous posts you know how I grade music. If you're unfamiliar here's the scoop. I rate in a five star system 5 being the highest 1 the lowest.  

Wiz Khalifa - Rolling Papers **** (4.50)

Wiz Khalifa’s highly anticipated album Rolling Papers has been released. The Pittsburgh native had a stream of successful hits during 2010 that propelled him to stardom. Rolling Papers is a solid first release. Wiz carries most of the album himself, featuring only three collaborations off the 15 track LP. This was a smart decision cuz it shows Wiz is confident enough that he doesn’t need big names to co-sign him. It also allows listeners to hear more vocal range and lyrical diversity from the artist.

Pharoahe Monch - W.A.R. (We Are Renegades) **** (4.50)

Pharoahe Monch has been recognized as a lyrical giant since the 90’s. He came in the game spitting as half of the rap duo Organized Konfusion with Prince Po. Since then he has released three group projects, two solo albums and has been featured on numerous mixtapes. With his new album W.A.R. (We Are Renegades) Pharoah Monch trades barbs with other lyrical titans like Styles P, Jean Grae, Royce Da 5,9, Immortal Technique, and others. The album has enough heat that it can be played without having to skip through songs looking for the hot track.

 

Lupe Fiasco - Lasers *** (3.75)

Lupe Fiasco’s sophomore album Lasers is a solid politically charged project. The Chi-town native discusses a variety of topics from struggles in the industry "The Show Goes On" to the state of education and health care in the U.S. on "Words I never say" and "State Run Radio". He speaks his mind while balancing the music with pop influenced tracks that have mass appeal. I feel this album shows growth for the artist and is a tribute to his growing fan-base.

 

Joell Ortiz - Free Agent **** (4.25)

Joell Ortiz buzz has been growing steady since the release of his first project The Brick (Bodega Chronicles) in 2007. He spent a short stint on Dr. Dre's Aftermath label before moving on to release the project independently. Joell is 1/4 of Super Group Slaughterhouse who drop their highly anticipated EP entitled, Slaughterhouse in February. The Brooklyn rhyme spitter holds nothing back on the new project Free Agent. He sticks to the formula of spittin hardcore rhymes with witty punchlines over head nodding production.

 

Strong Arm Steady - Arms and Hammers *** (3.75)

Strong Arm Steady (S.A.S) has been climbing out the underground since 2000. The group became known for spitting gang related flows backed by front man Xzibit. He left to continue his solo career in 2006 and the trio of Phil Da Agony, Mitchy Slick, and Krondon have continued working hard to make S.A.S a household name. Over the years they have recorded many mixtapes and have distributed them all over the world.The new project Arms and Hammers is 12 tracks of heat. Standout tracks like "All The Brothers" and "When Darkness Falls" shows the group can spit about more topics than just Gang Bangin.

Awesome Anime

All work and no play makes Vinum a cranky artist. So to combat the stresses of daily living I've been playing sports and watching some awesome anime. The series Freezing I spoke about in an earlier post just ended and to be honest the manga is better than the anime. 

I've got sucked into watching Hellsing Ultimate OVA cuz I liked the first Hellsing series and wanted to see if there was a difference. The new Hellsing closely follows the original manga. It's aggressive, violent, gory (guro style) and damn good action. Hellsing (The Holy Order of Protestant Knights) is an organization that investigates paranormal activity in England. They deal with Vampires, Ghouls and any other unnatural threat to the crown. 

The organization is led by Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, a tough masculine woman with a sharp sword. Their secret weapon is the first and most powerful of all vampires, the vampire king named Alucard. He joined the Hellsing organization after being defeated by Integra's ancestor Arthur Van Helsing over 100 years before the series takes place.

The Hellsing organization finds out the remnants of a Nazi group called Millennium still exists and are intent on reviving the Third Reich by creating a legion of vampires. Millennium, Hellsing, and the Vatican section XIII (section 13) Iscariot clash in an apocalyptic three-sided war that encompasses the globe. 

There are ten episode of the series but only the first seven are released. What makes it interesting to watch (aside from the big guns and monsters) is the dialog and real historical tidbits about  World War II, the Vatican and the Nazi's they use in the story-line.

The only downer in the series is how they throw in juvenile humor at points to lighten the mood and make the complex subject matter and gratuitous violence more digestible. In my humble opinion the story doesn't need the comedy cuz its a poor distraction from the plot. I posted the trailer and a compilation clip of the first 7 episodes combined below.

Street Anthems

A street anthem is a song with a theme and catchy chorus. The Lost Boyz were one of the pioneers of the street anthem. The 4 man collective of Mr. Cheeks, Freaky Tah (R.I.P.), Pretty Lou and DJ Spigg Nice made more street anthems than any other rap group at the time. Hit songs like Renee, Lifestyles of the Rich and Shameless, Music Makes Me High, Jeeps, Lex Coups, Bimaz & Benz, and Beast from the East kept them on the Billboard charts.

The group Naughty by Nature consisting of Treach, Vinnie Rock and DJ Kay Gee also produced numerous street anthems. They were one of the few rap acts who were able to balance success on the pop charts while maintaining their street credibility. Songs like O.P.P., Uptown Anthem and Hip-Hop Hooray propelled the group to super stardom and gained them a Grammy award.

The West Coast don of the street anthem would have to be Nate Dogg (R.I.P). There's not much I can say about the man that hasn't been covered in mainstream media and almost every news publication (Hip-Hop related or not). What I can say is his melodic voice made hit records and contributed to the success of artists Warren G, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Ludacris, Xzibit, 50 Cent and countless others. 

He was an irreplaceable talent and will be missed. Below I posted hits by Nate Dogg and other artists who have had street anthems over the years.

Battle Rappers

Battling has been an integral part of Hip-Hop since its inception. There were historical battles like MC Shan vs. KRS-One that paved the way for battles such as 50 Cent vs Ja Rule, Ludacris vs. T.I., Nas vs Jay Z, The Game vs G-Unit and countless others. 

It takes more than just a dope flow to be a battle rapper. You need a dope flow, witty vocabulary, descriptive rhymes, and subject matter that pertains to the person you're battling against. Out of all the MC's with battling skills Canibus is arguably one of the best. He came in the game spitting with industry heavy weights, The Lost Boyz, Redman, Eric Sermon and Keith Murray.

In 1998 he was propelled to the forefront of Hip-Hop for his epic battle with LL Cool J, who at the time was considered untouchable. The song "Second Round K.O." produced by Wyclef Jean was uncompromising and gained Canibus respect world-wide. The video featured former world heavy- weight champion Mike Tyson. LL responded with a few tracks but none were as lethal and achieved as much notoriety as "Second Round K.O". The battle was covered extensively on the Beef DvD series. Since then Canibus has went on to release several albums most recently "C of Tranquility". Like many artists his talent is often over shadowed by industry politics.

Below I posted some of the more memorable songs that came from battles that raged through Hip-Hop and shook-up the industry. Canibus "Second Round K.O.," Nas "Ether" Young Buck "Stomp remix," ft. Game, T.I. and Ludacris, 50 Cent "Wanksta," and Cassidy vs. Freeway the full battle.

Creative Minds Art

Another artist whose creative mind and unique style of work inspires me is Belgian painter Rene Magritte. He was famous for creating detailed and thought-provoking paintings. The intention behind his style was to challenge the observers' preconditioned perceptions of reality and force the viewer to become more aware of their surroundings.

René François Ghislain Magritte (1898 – 1967) was an incredible surrealist artist. Little is known about his early life. His mother committed suicide by drowning herself in a river when he was 13 years old. When his mother was found, her dress was covering her face, an image that has been suggested as the source of several of Magritte's paintings in of people with cloth obscuring their faces, including famous piece Les Amants (The Lovers). 

Later in life his style was influenced by Futurism and Cubism which was popularized by French artist Jean Metzinger. He also began sculpting using a variety of mediums such as bronze and plaster. Posted below are some of his more colorful and eye catching pieces.  

 

 

 

Gamer's Playground

I don’t play video games as much as I used to but when I do play I do it BIG. I like action games that are fast paced with a good storyline and excellent graphics. Games like God of War, Devil May Cry, Tekken, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and GTA (Grand Theft Auto) are examples of my style of gaming.

I’m a PlayStation loyalist only cuz I never brought an Xbox and I stopped buying Nintendo after the 64 bit. I'll admit I've seen some games for the game cube that look interesting but I still won't buy it. On my last adventure to the gamer's playground aka the toy store, where all games and titles are tested, rated, reviewed and criticized. I was fortunate enough to play a few titles for the PS2 and PS3 systems that I think are dope.

Below are games Bioshock 2 (part 3 is on the way), Call of Duty series (some are for PS2 but recent additions like Black OPS are only for the PS3 console), Final Fantasy 7 (the whole series is dope) and Dragonball Z Budokai Tenkaichi. If you like the show, you will love getting to play the characters. Check 'em out.

Dutch Hip-Hop

One of the benefits of living in Holland is I'm in the mecca of cultural diversity. I know allot of people would argue that New York is that place but the Netherlands used to own New York. Which is why NYC has cities named Harlem, Brooklyn, Rotterdam and Amsterdam because its origins are here.

Although Holland is a tiny country it has enormous talent! Dutch Hip-Hop is a mix of US and European influences blended and twisted into their own style. Most of the older rappers here spit in English because they grew up on US Hip-Hop. The younger generation tends to spit in their own language (Dutch) so their people can relate.

Over the years I've worked with numerous Dutch artists and have shot video clips for MC's DJ Nemo and Gekke C (Crazy C). You can watch their clips under the videos tab or go to youtube. Below I posted clips from a few artists spitting in both languages. SugaCane aka Redlight Boogie, Mr. Probz, Deams, K.V. (Kleine Viezerik which means little pervert in English) and the group Opgezwolle. All MC's with talent and their own unique style. Check 'em out!

Speaking in Tongues

For awhile rap was busy with people adding new slang words or making up their own language. I call it speaking in tongues. Das Efx is the group that popularized this style. They went on to record tracks with Ice Cube and other influential artists that appreciated their music. Once it became exceptable to bend the rules of the language groups like the Fu-Schnickens (which at the time had basketball player Shaquille O'Neal as a member) started coming out of the woodwork. 

Most of the groups were whack plain and simple. There were a few groups and individuals who have successfully spoke in tongues and went on to sell millions of records. Below are videos from E-40, Das Efx, Camp Lo, Lords of the Underground and Digable Planets.