Friday, January 15, 2016

A toast to greatness

Fuck an intro. I'm just going to jump right into it, because this is a big post as is. Take it all in at once (in one sitting), or come back several times. Alright, let's get into it!

VON POE VII / POETIC DEATH:

Just in case you didn't watch the three interviews that were shared in Fiasco's previous post, I'm going to link them again: PART ONE, PART TWO, and PART THREE. After watching all of them (about 38 minutes in length total), I've learned a few things about both Von Poe VII and Papa J. Ruiz that I wanted to share with you in little bullet points. Here is what I learned about Poe that I didn't already know and some things that I did know that maybe you didn't (Papa J's are in his section below):

  • 1) He has a website for a reason. There, you will find music, merch, and more.
  • 2) If you genuinely want to kick it with Poe, you can. He's open for that. However, don't try to turn it into an audition, hoping that he'll give you a Green Lantern power ring and ask you to join up. Not happening.
  • 3) Poe has a slick vintage record player / radio sitting right behind him, in his house (I think that's his house and, at least, I think that plays records). This has nothing to do with "info about Poe", but I couldn't not notice it.
  • 4) Poe's main drive for making music are for therapeutic reasons, to find peace of mind, and to spread a message.
  • 5) He's aiming to release The Purity of Love and War sometime this Spring. Although, with the way Poe operates, it could change at any given moment (and, if you look at the description box of his newest music video [more on that below], it says that the project will be coming before the year is up--ahhhh! Let's just hope for Spring, haha). Just stay on your toes. You know what, though? He has that foreplay game on lock. By that, I mean that he's really good at teasing a muhfucka, getting someone real ready for the big move (this re-release), and just when you think he's gonna hit you with it... BOOM. "NAAAAH, GIRL. YA BETTA WAIT SOME MO'." I was anticipating that album re-release at the end of 2015 and just when that climatic moment was around the corner, he pushes it back to Spring 2016. BUT, like the hungry birds that we are, we will wait with open mouths for that good-good... music, that is. Haha! It's alright, though, I understand the (tedious) process and wanting to perfect everything before unleashing it to the world.
  • 6) He lists the following non-musical people as inspirations: Edgar Allen Poe, Lars Von Trier, and Willem Dafoe.
  • 7) He thinks Seinfeld (the show) is cool, but he doesn't think Jerry Seinfeld is funny person. Papa J. wholeheartedly disagrees.
  • 8) The hardest song for him to let go of was "Phlegmatic". He said, "I really like Phlegmatic for what it represented in terms of, I guess, my version of Illmatic. Know what I'm sayin'? Or, Stillmatic. Up until that point, ever since Nas did his thing, there's been a lot of Matics in a boom bap hip hop sound. Then I came with Phlegmatic, and I felt like it did justice to who I am as an artist; or my overall sound as an artist. I can't say that's my favorite track, because I like a lot of my bars. I'm egotistical when it comes to some of the shit I write. I feel like I'm dope as shit, so I can't give you a favorite. So, Phlegmatic and the Seventh Palace were definitely dope pieces."

Also mentioned in Fiasco's post was the Von Poe VII x Papa J. Ruiz collabo EP that was dropped on us earlier this month as a surprise. I don't want to reiterate anything that he might have said, so I've just embedded the album in this post for your listening pleasure. If you don't want to click play here, make sure you go to Bandcamp link below and stream + download the project for $5 (support these dudes)!


STREAM + PURCHASE 5 TRACKS AND THE INTRO EP


A few days ago, he dropped the new music video for the "Basquiat". In this self-directed video, there's a tight frame shot, that slowly creeps up closer, where we see a pensive Poe sitting in a low-lit room, by himself, seemingly unwinding from the day and writing raps beside a bright, burning lamp. It's minimally edited in a black-and-white color treatment, with the exception of the flames coming from the light bulb, and a few special effects. In combination with his powerful lyrical message that conveys pain, hope and self-awareness, the video also adds a lot of emotional depth. The song was produced by Ryuichi Sakamoto, and also features Saeed and LaTanya Givens (the vocalist from Jay Electronica's version of the song). See it below.

Based on Poe's latest music-related tweets, he's going to present us with a new song, or a new music video, or a new something. Stay tuned for Fiasco's next post, as well as all of Von Poe VII's social media.




Lastly, I want to share with you all some INCREDIBLY AWESOME news that Von Poe just unveiled today--moments ago--that has me all kinds of excited and proud. He/his music is featured in the OFFICIAL MOVIE TRAILER to the new (and third) martial arts movie, Ip Man 3. When I read his tweet, I legit did a double-take, like "SAY WHATTT?!", and got all sorts of hype. You know, the type of hype you get when M.O.P.'s "Ante Up" comes on. GET HIM, GET HIM, GET HIM! I am a big fan of Donnie Yen and the Ip Man movie franchise (I've even been following Donnie Yen on Instagram, and have been ultra ready for this third installment, based on all the pictures, behind the scenes shots, and stuff that he posts). I am also a big fan of Von Poe VII as a music artist and as a person (I mean, all that should be apparent, since I write for this blog), so I think that it's very dope that he got a big feature spot like that. What an accomplishment. So cool! *Salutes* Without further explanation, watch the trailer below, if you haven't already seen it:


From Von Poe VII:
"This trailer, cut by my good friend David Schenk, is very special to me due to the fact that I'm in it. This has been something that we've both been keeping under wraps for a couple of months now, but now that the trailer is released I can speak on this huge personal accomplishment. I'm honored and humbled to have been given the opportunity to have music heard over (not just) an amazing film, but as a piece of the great Donnie Yen's legacy. It's also an amazing feeling knowing that the legendary Mike Tyson is a part of this film as well.

I'm at a loss of words, truly. I just wanted to express how grateful I am, such an amazing way to start off the new year. Enjoy!"

PAPA J. RUIZ:

Here are ten things that I learned, or that you should know, about Papa J. after watching the 3-part interview series that he did with Von Poe VII (links to those are listed above).
  • 1) He has a website for a reason, go visit it to quench all of your Papa J. Ruiz needs.
  • 2) In explaining what the "iii" means to him, he said: "The iii means everything. It's just another form of peace--world peace. Unity. Grind. Hustle. Sacrifice. That what the iii means, it means everything to me. Cause when I found it, it represented me. I just came across it in my life; never forced nothing. It should mean everything to everybody."
  • 3) Papa J says if you respect women, they'll flock to you. He isn't lying--respect, no matter who it's directed at, is a big deal and it will take you further in life.
  • 4) Papa J doesn't seem to dip his curly fries in anything. This might seem like a dumb thing to bring up, but I'm the type of person that has to have a dip for my fries, haha.
  • 5) Papa J and Von Poe met at talent shows. Before they knew each other, they went to a couple of the same talent shows, kept noticing each other (both losing), they exchanged phone numbers afterwards because they liked each other's music, and parted ways. They didn't really expect much to come out of it... until, a year later (or, if you ask Poe, it was only a few months, haha), Papa J went back to California, kicked it with Poe, did a song, kept building and linking up several times... and the rest is history.
  • 6) He wants his art to reach millions, to be everlasting, to touch souls, to inspire, and to captivate the world.
  • 7) The number 55 isn't as deep as people think it is. It is not his favorite number, and he is not obsessed with it, despite having a handful of projects and songs with the number involved. In short, he describes it as an extension of a story that he was delivering to the people through different pieces of work that meant something to him.
  • 8) Of the few Jack In The Box sandwiches that Papa J. eats, he only tears the crust off of one of them. Again, not important information, but I did notice it. Hahaha, after writing that, I feel like this is one of those "pop up video" random-ass facts.
  • 9) He lists the following non-musical people as inspirations: Jim Carrey, Johnny Depp, Denzel Washington, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., John Leguizamo, Jerry Seinfeld, The Ninja Turtles, Superheroes, his mother, his father, and his son.
  • 10) His 2016 objectives include: Grinding, hustling, learning, new music, new videos, and doing a lot more shows.

Again, if you haven't downloaded the 5 TRACKS AND THE INTRO EP that he and Von Poe VII released on ---, make sure you do that as soon as possible. Following that grand-slam project surprise, Papa J. announced that there will be more big news on the way. Keep your eyes open for that.




Last, but not least, check out this throwback photo that he shared on Facebook. This is from 11 years ago!


- You gota stay down til you come up - -2005 - #iii #ORGANIZEDTHREAT #DREAMBIG #HUSTLE #EMBY
Posted by Papa J. Ruiz on Tuesday, January 5, 2016


SONNY SEV:

Yesterday was Sev's birthday. Even though it's over, you should go flood his timeline with "happy belated birthday" wishes. He's been neglecting social media lately, so give him something to look at when he signs on. For good measure, let's throw it back to a couple of his older music videos and go show him some love by downloading (whether you pay or not, but paying him is nice too) his 2014 album, titled Seven Empty.




VIC VIRTUOSO:

Vic Virtuoso dropped a brand new music video, from his Victor Van Gogh album, for the song "Gloom". Cut entirely to some personal home footage of his uncle who passed away (RIP), Vic Virtuoso spits deep, reflective lyrics about life, hope for race equality, trust, love, and being protective of his family, all over a mellow beat led by warm guitar chords, delicate keys, and a head-nodding drum pattern. Watch and listen below. Grab that album, too.


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That wraps it up, guys and girls.
Thanks for reading and I hope the new year is starting off well for you.
Look out for Fiasco's next post at the beginning of February.
Until next time...
XOXO, TIFFOLOGY
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