Big Supa - The Long Beach Pusha Interview [West Coast Killa Beez Series #9]      

Big Sup, Supa, or Supa Best is a name that rings terror on the battle scene in LA, a fearless challenger, Big Sup has battled and beaten a number of artists in the game right now, most notable one was his classmate at that time, Techniec from Tha Dogg Pound click, who equally was also notorious at that time in the game. Coming out of the West Coast Killa Beez, Black Ball'd and Committee camp, Big Supa hails from North Long Beach, California and grew up with the Black Knights and like most teens in his earlier days was involved in so many things, from the rap game to the street hustle, the street lifestyle almost got him killed as he was shoot about 5 times around 2000. Coming out of hospital after the shooting, Big Sup kept a low profile and got back on with the Black Knights and on the very day the Knights recorded "Killa Cal Lifestyle" Big Sup was in the studio with the Knights, Snoop Dogg, 2Pac, Outlawz and more, and he promised himself and others to take the rap game seriously. Rugged Monk asked him to spit and he delivered and have never looked back after that as Monk and Crisis got him initiated into Black Ball'd movement and the Killa Bee Gang.

Big Sup has gone to release a number of underground albums "Supa: The Long Beach Pusha" and last years "8 Dayz A Week" which were critically acclaimed with versatile topics and songs covering every thing about his life, the streets, gangs, battling rhymes as well as something for the ladies, club scene and social and political topics. He is now currently working on a major release planned for end of the year or early next year titled "Bigger than what you thought" as well as other side projects, collaborations and shows. Wu-International caught up with him early this year as part of the West Coast Killa Beez serires to find out what makes him thick, what it takes to be part of the Killa Beez, his history with the Committee, Black Knights, the battle field, and much more..... Enjoy!!

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Eternal - The Dark Knight Interview [West Coast Killa Beez Series #8]      

The West Coast Killa Beez movement has long been credited for invading the entertainment business like a hostile army at their enemy’s gates. The artists for this week in continuation with the West Coast Killa Beez Series is none other than Eternal, while most of the Beez in the West are from either Compton or Long Beach, Eternal hails from San Diego, California and has taken it up himself to spread the movement past Cali, US to Europe and Asia.

Born and raised in San San Diego, CA, Eternal developed a deep passion for music at the young age of seven years old. It wouldn’t be until the age of fifteen that Eternal would begin writing down the lyrics he heard in his head and perfecting his skills. At the age of sixteen Eternal was able to get himself studio time and began to record his music and perfect his flow. He would then spend the next three years perfecting his style and lyrics and at the age of 19 he set out to make music his full time career. Instead of waiting for a label to show up or a financier to step into his life Eternal blazed his own path to success forming the legendary San Diego group Kastlevania. Kastlevania’s first release was “Str8 From Tha Dungeon” which Eternal not only rapped on but also produced all of the music for. “Str8 From tha Dungeon” released in 2000 was distributed nationally through major retail chains across the United States, which Eternal also lined up. The Success of “Str8 From Tha Dungeon” combined with Eternals consistent networking led him to not only establishing himself as a factor in the San Diego music scene but also to his first nomination at the San Diego Music Awards for best album. After his nomination Eternal returned to the studio and created Kastlevania’s sophomore album “Kastlevania 2; The Battle Angels.” Once again Eternal rapped on the project and produced every track on it. The album released in 2002 was nominated for two awards at the San Diego Music Awards for best group project and album of the year. The project won the Album of The Year award, which in turn further exposed Eternal’s name in the West Coast music scene.

With the release and success of both Kastlevania projects Eternal set out on a tireless networking campaign that would see him not only performing on shows weekly but also creating relationships with other artists across the United States. In 2006 Eternal returned to the studio to create his highly anticipated solo EP “Blazed & Konfuzed.” Upon the release of the project Eternal was once again nominated at the San Diego music awards for Best Album and later joined forces with another San Diego group Comfortable Creeps with his group Kaslevania to form Kastle Creeps to release another interesting self titled project "Kastle Creeps" in 2009.  After the release of his album Eternal connected with the one of the founding members of the West Coast Killa Beez and Black Knight member, The Rugged Monk who immediately recognized Eternal’s dangerous combination of a presence behind the mic crossed with his never say die attitude. Monk immediately made Eternal a member of the West Coast Killa Beez and Eternal made it his priority to continue creating classic music while representing the ever growing Wu-Tang movement. This new affiliation combined with his established name as a solo artist has led Eternal to not only sell over 50,000 units independently but also perform along such notable artists as; Cypress Hill, RZA, Ice T, Too Short, Devin The Dude, Bizzy Bone, Project Blowed,  Killarmy, Killah Priest, Papa Chief of Brooklyn Zoo, Canibus, Ill Bill, Necro, Souls of Mischief, Black Knights, The Indovizualz, and many more.

Eternal strives to be more than just an artists, he  recently launched an online show “The Eternal Show” which has been described as a Hip Hop version of MTV’s popular TRL featuring in depth interviews, behind the scenes footage and shows with artists such as Raekwon, Planet Asia and Brooklyn Zoo. The show is Eternal’s way of not only spreading his music, the "W" and name but also showcasing the independent artists he is around on a daily basis, who normally might not get the attention they deserve.

While versatile, Eternal is commonly known for his horror core type hip-hop, a sub-genre that is currently lost in hip-hop today, Wu-International catches up with the man to find out how it all started, his Gravediggaz and Marilyn Manson influence, being a part of the KBG, his impressive discography and much more... Enjoy!!

Please click on picture above or This link to read full interview.
 

The Committee - The Homicidal Committee Interview [West Coast Killa Beez Series #7]      

A committee (or "commission") is a type of small deliberative assembly that is usually intended to remain subordinate to another, larger deliberative assembly. The Committee in question is a group of artists who have grown up together and came together out of their mutual respect and love for the music and art form and the larger deliberative assembly mentioned is that of the West Coast Killa Beez.  Commonly referred to Homicidal Committee due to their ability to wreck havoc on the microphone, The Committee mainly consists of  The Arsinest aka Leathafase, Rah Arsenal and the remaining members from the Black Knights (Crisis The Sharpshooter and Rugged Monk).

Without going into too much details about the Black Knights and the West Coast Killa Beez movement again (If you are not up on game as to who the West Coast finest are by now then you shouldn't be reading this, do your research first), The Committee will be the first group out of Black Ball'd Entertainment to drop an album after the Black Knight's "All Skillz, No Luck" is released. The group has steadily been building a rep and name for themselves with features on numerous projects, tours, and local shows. With over 10 years in the game as students of The RZA, the Black Knights have grown, established their own movement and have extended their hands out to recruit and join forces with talents that have been around but never had the opportunity to showcase their skills until now. Like actual killer  bees, collectively the Black Ball'd entertainment has sparked sparked a West Coast renaissance that is ready to sting the world fatally and we are not just talking about the rap game, like Wu-Tang Clan and what the RZA did, they are also building their own empire that houses raw talents from emcees to business men, R&B singers, producers, video production and much more.

The knowledge, skills and experience of Black Knights is more than god enough to know that anything they endorse is solid gold; meaning, they would not just join forces or support anything that was not of quality or high standard that they have adhered to over these years, lyrically and musically speaking. This automatically suggests that the less familiar names to the fans (Arsenal and Arsinest) have something outstanding to offer to this movement as well as the game, don't just take our word for it, proof they say is in the pudding, listen to their music and you can see why Crisis and Monk teamed up  with these two gifted wordsmiths to form The Committee, their  combined witty styles, ill word play and knowledge of the culture is what makes them stand out from the rest of the groups in the game and will enable them to move this new movement forward to a higher height.

Find out more about the history of the Committee, formation, upcoming projects, and much more on this exclusive Interview which is part of the Westcoast Killa Beez series currently running on the site. Enjoy!!

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Stone Mecca - Meccanism Interview [West Coast Killa Beez Series #6]      

The L.A.-based funk/soul band and Touch the Music Records artists Stone Mecca, was hand-picked by The RZA to back Wu-Tang on the 2007 North American Rock the Bells Tour and co-headlined THE RZA’s Bobby Digital Digisnacks Tour in 2008. This nine-piece ensemble is quickly building a reputation as a versatile and dynamic live band that effortlessly slides from funk to hip hop to soul without missing a beat. Stone Mecca has been featured in Billboard Magazine and USA Today Online. Stone Mecca also performed on the Repo Men, Afro Samurai and Afro Samurai Resurrection soundtracks and Wu-Tang's 8 Diagrams.

Releasing a live album "Stone Mecca Live On 54th" last year due to request from fans with limited amount on CD, the group has been voted the best live band within the Wu by our site, and judging from what feedbacks we have had about the group from fans and critics alike, we were right! "This CD will give those who haven't seen us play live the opportunity to hear what it’s like at a Stone Mecca show," says band founder Trú James. "I truly believe we've captured the energy and excitement of our performances with this CD." Truly so, since The Roots, there have not been anything else like this to grace the hip-hop, funk and soul scene.

Independently releasing their début album "First Contact" in 2008, the fans have been waiting eagerly for another project from the group, Probably one of the upcoming greatest live bands currently around, Stone Mecca have returned to the studio and are half way through recording their second album. While they might not been seen as part of the Killa Bee Gang commonly claimed by the likes of Black Knights and Northstar, Stone Mecca are definitely part of the West Coast Killa Beez collective and they have brought in something unique that has been lacking especially within the Wu camp... that live element! Yes Stone Mecca is a proper band, under the guidance of Tru James the group members all play at least one or more instruments and compose their own music.  There have been talks since Wu came into the scene of other live bands that have played along side Wu on a number of occasions but Stone Mecca is the first official band affiliated with Wu and they bring in much more than just that live element as evident on their album and live shows.

The fans are now getting familiar with the group and it's members, while we have interviewed one of our favourite groups on a number of occasions, it is only right to showcase another chamber of music and a different side and part of the West Coast Killa Beez series with another interview with Stone Mecca. We caught up with the group's main leader Tru James to find out what the group has been up to, the much talked about Live album, upcoming album tentatively titled "Dreams", assisting RZA with the Kanye West's upcoming album, Stone Mecca's full length film featuring songs from upcoming album and much more, Meccanism is here... Enjoy!!

Please click on picture above or This link to read full interview.
 

Check Out The New Video and Single "Magic Carpet Ride"

 

Dexter Wiggle - The Official Entrance To The Chambers Of Dexter Wiggle Interview
[West Coast Killa Beez Series #5]      

An eruption is about to take place; there is something about Dexter Wiggle that forces one to listen to the man or rather ask "Who is that?". RZA is known for his gift of spotting talents and aligning himself with them, the proof is very evident with the likes of Black Knights, Holocaust, Stone Mecca and over on the East Coast, Sunz of Man,  Timbo King, Killarmy, Darkim Be Allah, Reverend William Burke, Suga Bang Bang just to name a few of the hundreds of talented artists, musicians and so on under the Wu family tree that have come through the Abbott to date. Dexter Wiggle is not an exception to this list, in fact, he is a great addition in helping to strengthen and add on to the tree.  Lately some fans have been doubting if the Wu is still relevant and the number of bogus and unrelated artists claiming the Wu that are not part of it have watered down the standards associated with such name and affiliation. A breath of fresh air Dexter brings something exceptionally new and unique to the table with his sing along rapping style that is not very common or resemblant to anyone out there.  A well rounded artist who charms the microphone be it singing, rapping, chanting or whatever with his unique flow, voice, word play and expressions; a skill that RZA noticed and got him involved in a number of projects and albums, it goes without saying that Dexter Wiggle is the first and only Killa Bee from the West that has ever been featured on a Wu-Tang album. A feature that is restricted to very few Killa Beez due to the large amount of them, the number of Killa Beez that have ever featured on a Wu album is probably not more than 4 if not mistaken.

Not much is known about Dexter outside the Westcoast Killa Beez gang and within the Wu fans until late. Whilst it would appear Dexter crept out of nowhere, he has been around the music scene for a long time, and met the Black Knights through the great late Doc Doom in their early formation, when the Knights were simply Dirty Doggz, returning after a couple of years break to find the Dirty Doggz were now Black Knights and signed with Wu-Tang. Few might have missed him on Black Knights' first album "Every Knight Is A Black Knight" on the posse cut "What ya niggaz looking at me for" due to the number of the then new names on there along the Knights and RZA, but he surely couldn't have been missed on his later contributions on Afro Samurai soundtracks 1 and 2 (Resurrection)  as well as the latest Bobby Digital "Digi Snacks" and of course his unexpected but relevant feature on Wu-Tang's last album "The 8 diagrams". He will also be featured on the upcoming Black Knights' "All Skillz No Luck" album amongst other upcoming projects.

A fan once described Dexter Wiggle as a "Marmite": you either love his music or hate it, and of course there have been forums where fans did not show any keenness to his style, it should however be pointed out that Marmite is nutritious and full of vitamins regardless of how one perceives the taste and can be used in different ways that are beneficially. It is time to find out more about one of the West Coast's best kept secret, find out about the man, his background, aspirations and more on this Wu-International West Coast Killa Beez series. Enter the chambers of Dexter Wiggle because you will surely be hearing more of and from him, Enjoy!!

Please click on picture above or This link to read full interview.

True Master - The Master Craftsman Interview [Wu-Element Series #8 ]

As the saying goes "better late than never" or maybe it's "all good things come to those who wait"? Either way we ran a Wu-Element series a couple of months back, and the intention was to interview every Element that was involved in that movement from those that were there in the very beginning (The RZA, Inspectah Deck, True Master, 4th Disciple and Allah Mathematics) to those that came in between (Goldfinghaz, Choco, Darkim Be Allah) and the latest additions (Cilvaringz, Bronze Nazareth and Moongod). Wu-Tang wouldn't be the legacy it is today if not for these Elements, the ones that were on the background and instrumental to every quality album and hit records that the Wu were known for. The series was a success and highly applauded by fans as we managed to get almost everybody interview with exception to The RZA, True Master and 4th Disciple. Interestingly, very few wrote asking if we were lucky to get the RZA for an interview, probably as they assumed it was impossible as the man is so often busy but many wrote demanding, asking, begging and enquiring about True Master and 4th Disciple's interviews. Now these producers/artists are equally as busy as the Abbott but one thing was certain, it was not just difficult to get hold of them but it was certain the fans were requesting for two of their favourite producers within the Elements. Read the interviews and comments, even Deck, Cilvaringz and Mathematics have all hinted that their favourite producers were either True or 4th Disciple.

For those who are not  fully in tune with the "Master" and his work, he was the one responsible for hits such as "Brooklyn Zu","Heaterz", "Fish" and and so on, some might not have recognised him tearing up the microphone on tracks with Gravediggaz, Sunz of Man, Royal Fam and lately on GZA's Pro Tools and Afro Samurai soundtrack.  True derives his rap nom de plume from the martial arts movies of the same name, and was initially known to have started off as an associate of the great late Guru from Gangstarr (he made a rare rapping appearance on Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2 project and his only released solo track ever, "Who's The Truest" appeared on a Guru  CD which also included "Hi-Energy", a song he produced for Fabidden). True Master joined up with the Wu-Tang and was mentored by RZA before gradually increasing his profile with standout tracks on Wu-Tang Clan and affiliate albums becoming extremely prolific and crucial member of the Wu-Tang production team to date and much like Mathematics, he has generally adhered to the traditional Wu-Tang sound, while the group's original main producer RZA ventured into cleaner, "Digital" territory with a limited use of samples and the inclusion of synthesizers and live instrumentation. A very versatile and innovative producer, True has created hits for those outside the Wu circle as well as such as Afu-ra, Black Rob and so on and he is currently working on his debut album "Master Craftsman" as well as recently joining forces with another master (BlastMaster that is) KRS-One to collaborate on  a full album "Meta-Historical" expected sometime in August. 

In midst of his busy schedule and with a little patience from us and the fans, True Master  finally came "Tru" with the interview answers, as the master talks about his upcoming projects, emceeing, producing, uncredited works, Gangstarr foundation and much more. Wu-International in conjunction with WuTangCorp proudly presents  the long awaited, highly anticipated and possibly the last in our Wu-Element series of interviews "True Master's interview, Enjoy...

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60 Second Assassin & M-Eighty - Remarkable Timing Interview     

He only sings in the end of the song, but this is where you can find him first say his famous "It's been a looong time..." sentence. He was also featured on numerous projects and collabos amongst all the Sunz of Man's albums. Sunz of Man were the first group ever affiliated with The Wu-Tang Clan amongst Killarmy and Gravediggaz. All active members have gone on to release solo materials except for 60 Second Assassin, and as the title of their first album indicates "The Last Shall Be First " 60 Sec after so many years of of a promised solo album drops his début "Remarkable Timing" featuring the production skills of Bronze Nazareth and a live band with a full guest list Wu fans would die for. This project would not have been possible without the intervention of M-80, the A&R and brain behind releases such as "Think Differently : Wu-Tang meets Indie Culture" The Almighty Project, and much more.

Remarkable Timing has just been released on physical format week, Wu-International caught up wit the 60 Second man for a round the clock interview and also snatched the opportunity to interview one of the busiest and hardest working man in the game right now M-80. Wu-International presents 60 Second Assassin and M-80 on Remarkable Timing (The Interview) , Enjoy!!!

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