Released back in 2004, this mash-up took Jay - Z's a cappella version of The Black Album and mixed with music from, of all records, the Beatles White Album. The end product was nothing short of amazing and, not shockingly, was a scorching success. The high point of this mash-up had "99 Problems" paired with "Helter Skelter". For what was to supposed to be Hova's farewell, Danger Mouse gave him one truly amazing going away present.
Not shockingly, this good thing came to a quick and painful end. Upon hearing of the mash-up, EMI Records, who owned the rights to the Beatles songs, ordered Danger Mouse to cease distribution and that was that. The upside to this whole saga was the Grey Album introduced the world to Danger Mouse whose work with Gorillaz and Gnarls Barkley amongst others has proven that he has some serious skills.
Fast forward to 2010 - two producers based in Minneapolis, Cecil Otter and Swiss Andy, began the process of creating a mash-up with two highly revered but very, very distinct. This time, the unlikely brothers in arms are DC based indie rock legends Fugazi with Staten Island's hip hop powerhouse the Wu Tang Clan. While both artists were loved equally among similar music fans it is still a very unusual pairing. Just picture the late Old Dirty Bastard - known for collecting welfare checks while riding in a limo - rapping over music created by legendary purist Ian MacKaye. Pigs must be a flying somewhere
The end result of the duo's endeavors is easily one of the finest albums of 2011. 13 Chambers takes the collective power of Wu Tang's seemingly endless roster of stud MC's and seamlessly intertwines it with Fugazi's almost pop-like approach to second generation DC punk. While the title of the album is a mash up on both groups legendary debut albums (Fugazi's 13 Songs and Wu Tang's Enter the Wu Tang (36 Chambers)), the songs on 13 Chambers is a well crafted celebration of their collective works.
With Wu Tang's generally intense, very high powered approach to hip-hop it would make sense that Cecil and Andy would have meshed them with Fugazi's louder, faster, more punk oriented songs such as Great Cop. Surprisingly, the produces use Fugazi's quieter, more nuanced songs to compliment Wu Tang's intense rhymes
"Sleep Rules Everything Around Me",which kicks off the album, pairs C.R.EA.M. one of the Wu's most popular songs ever with "I'm So Tired" a very simple piano ballad which was one of the pleasant surprises of the Instrument soundtrack. The desperation of life in the projects as expressed by Ghostface, GZA and crew is intertwined with Ian MacKaye's simple, downbeat piano piece and lyrics about the wear of the road to maximum effect.
When they do decide to include the faster, more punkish Fugazi tunes into the mix, they go all in. "PLO Squared" combines Method Man's "PLO Style" with Fugazi's blistering "Facets Squared" from In On The Kill Taker Album. The combination of guitar beeps, chord flashes, and the rolling bass/drum rhythm loops perfectly compliment Meth's rolling style rap throughout.
The highlight on an album chock full of them is "Nowhere to Wait". This short 3 minute bomb combines RZA's side project the Grave Diggaz track "Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide" and starts with a loop from the relatively low key "Close Captioned" with an insane rap by the RZA. But the fun starts in the last minute where the song suddenly stops and then RZA lets loose over a sample from the classic "Waiting Room" eventually fading out with the chorus from the original.
When they do decide to include the faster, more punkish Fugazi tunes into the mix, they go all in. "PLO Squared" combines Method Man's "PLO Style" with Fugazi's blistering "Facets Squared" from In On The Kill Taker Album. The combination of guitar beeps, chord flashes, and the rolling bass/drum rhythm loops perfectly compliment Meth's rolling style rap throughout.
The highlight on an album chock full of them is "Nowhere to Wait". This short 3 minute bomb combines RZA's side project the Grave Diggaz track "Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide" and starts with a loop from the relatively low key "Close Captioned" with an insane rap by the RZA. But the fun starts in the last minute where the song suddenly stops and then RZA lets loose over a sample from the classic "Waiting Room" eventually fading out with the chorus from the original.
While mash-ups are generally few and far between and generally relegated to the underground, it's comforting to know that they are out there. Who knows, maybe this could be the spark to get Fugazi to come out of retirement for a tour? How about a Fugazi/Wu Tang tour? Maybe, please, pretty please with sugar on it??
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