Wugazi. (Wu-Tang X Fugazi Mashup)

Those of you that know me know and understand that while I love hip hop more than most things, I still have a lot of love for other genres, and styles. Honestly, I think the only way music can be categorized is by good and bad, and while this is a subjective arguement, I find it to be true in most cases. Musicians and bands from two completely different hemispheres can have much more in common than meets the eye, or even the ear.

When I was 13, I discovered the Wu-Tang Clan and couldn't get enough of the gritty rhymes and raw beats. When I was about 20, I discovered Fugazi, and I would find it to mirror my experience with Wu-Tang; it was some of the most raw, uncompromising music I had ever heard. From first listen, the Wu-Tang and Fugazi may sound like polar opposites, but if you peel back the old wallpaper you start to expose the wall of sound that both of these legendary acts share. I've found that after magnifying, Enter the Wu-Tang and Repeater both blow the doors off of convention and carry redefinition to another level. The walls that encompass this brick house that both of these acts reside can easily be found in either DC or Killah Hills. With this ethos, Wugazi was born.

Doomtree's Cecil Otter and Swiss Andy saw potential in a Wu/Fugazi mash up homage; I honestly treaded lightly when I first heard about this project a few weeks ago. I had first heard a Fugazi/destiny's child mash-up years back and remember thinking that it teetered the line of gimmicky and poorly done. I was scared that the Wugazi project would hit and miss. I think it's pretty safe to say I was dead wrong. These mash ups are more than something special, they are a historical document that not only solidifies both acts' prominence but bridges gaps. Hearing Ghostface's intro over the opening riff of "Last Chance for a Slow Dance" gives me chills.

The Wugazi final product reaffirms what I've been saying in numerous posts throughout onlyhiphopblog; Simply, music can be whatever you want it to be. The more things blend together the more we find out how much we have in common with one another, not just on a musical, but a human level. I remember saying once that 2011 is an exciting time to be alive, and it is, because regular people are realizing what they're capable of-and other regular people can see sincerity and craftsmanship and appreciate the hell out of it.

-Marty.

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