Blogz. Interviews.
J-Zone Presents… Diggin’ in the (VHS) Tapes: 1991 Wu-Tang Footage
Southeast Queens is a bitch when it comes to basement flooding, but there was a bright side to the flood of 2009. I salvaged my early 90s rap video VHS tapes from the water in a frenzy, and when I popped one in to make sure it had been preserved, surprise surprise. I had forgotten all about this early 1991 GZA/Genius, RZA (Prince Rakeem) and Ol Dirty Bastard performance / interview I caught on public access TV when I was in the eighth grade.
Rhythm & Soul was a Bronx-based, short-lived, bodega-style version of Yo! MTV Raps. Living in Westchester County at the time, I got all of the Bronx’ public access shows on cable due to its close proximity. This show came on Saturday nights and was off the air by the summer of ’91, if I remember correctly. I also have an episode of this show where Paris is being interviewed.
Anyway, here is a rare (I triple dog dare someone to say they have this footage too), raw, and early look at the founding members of Wu-Tang, who were on Rhythm & Soul promoting GZA’s Words from the Genius album. The interview, GZA’s a capella and ODBs funkified beat box inspired me to buy that album, which was unfairly slept on due to the faux-cheesiness of “Come Do Me”. Nonetheless, that album featured some seriously funky tracks from a young Easy Mo Bee and GZA in early and very sharp form. It’s worth a revisit if the time is taken to investigate. I liked it better than Liquid Swords personally, but let me chill before I get my block knocked off. Thanks to the “Cold Killin Label”, Words from the Genius never blew, but all diehard Wu-Tang fans should revisit it and peep a clip you’ll probably never see anywhere else.
Someone wanna bet me $5 that Ol’ Dirty bagged the host when the cameras stopped rollin?
YOU MIGHT WANNA PEEP:
wow.
shout out to j-zone for digging this one up.
Amazing.
Pre-Wu-Tang ain’t nuttin’ ta fuckwit!
This is magic…a very important historical documentation…wow, what an awesome glimpse into their personalities before they blew up!
I got chills watching this, and not because it’s cold in my workspace.
YO AL WUT UP
Yo Zone!
Glad that you got back to blogging!
that looks like the set of my public access show in college.
These guys are ICONS. RIP ODB!
DOPE!!!
Zone – Big ups for posting this rare find!
very nice J, glad you guys are back on online, keep the vintage ish coming. This joint is mad awkward and super downto earth. They picked up their images later on. And the host…she’s about as engaging as senior citizen bingo.
WOW, vintage as fuck. Who is the fourth dude? Anyone?
This is classic. So raw… beatbox footage? You don’t see that type of greatness anymore. The vibe of rap cats in full unity, searching for genius material.
YO!!!! That was SO ILL! MUCH RESPECT to J-Zone for diggin this up!
Good lookin on the comments, y’all!
Whoa. Amazing, thanks for digging that up.
Just HAD to repost it on my new frenchie blog thingy.
http://hiphopgrandeepoque.over-blog.com/article-gza-rza-odb-interview-et-freestyle-en-91-93432161.html
At 4:21 when she says “the who, what, what, who” it makes me think of RZA’s line from “Cuttin’ Headz” (which was an old demo of him and ODB, right?) where he just says: “It’s the Wu, what, you knew what, you do what, what, who, what, what? I don’t give a flying fuck!!” I’m sure it’s not connected, but it caught my ear!