In this first installment of the Sunday Special Alcoholic Edition, I’ll be teaching you how to make a classic cocktail called the Rusty Nail. Peep the vid:
note: apparently there were some technical issues as YouTube cut off half of my webcam blog; a fact I only discovered thanks to James notifying me a few hours ago. I will reshoot the video and post it in a few days. Sorry, y’all!
Now if you didn’t catch that, the Rusty Nail can be made as such:
1) Fill up a rock or old fashioned glass with crushed ice or ice cubes (crushed ice preferably) to 1/4th of the glass.
2) Pour 2 parts scotch (I recommend using a blended-malt premium like Chivas Regal)
3) Pour 1 part Drambuie
4) Stir and let the ice melt for 10 minutes.
5) Enjoy
I’ll be back tonight or tomorrow with another update, but more on the music business side of things!
The concept of the Hip-Hop dream team has always looked good on paper, but when executed, never lives up to its potential. Supergroups such as The Firm (Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown, Nature/Cormega over Dr. Dre production) or 4 Horsemen (Canibus, Ras Kass, Kurupt, Killah Priest) were able to generate intense buzz without a single, but just off the news of their formation alone. Ultimately, though, The Firm gave us Firm Biz at worst and Phone Tap at best; while 4 Horsemen gave us the odd posse cut here and there plus a poorly assembled EP (which was dope but certainly not what it should have been).
So when it was announced that four of my current favorite rappers were forming a group, I just said “meh.”
Again, on paper it looked crazy, especially considering the similarities that could be found in the careers of Joe Budden, Royce Da 5′9″, Crooked I, and Joell Ortiz.
Let’s go down the list:
Signed to a big record deal (Budden, Def Jam; Royce, Columbia; Crooked, Death Row; Ortiz, Aftermath) but then screwed over by industry politics or bootlegging as their albums were shelved or poorly promoted? Check.
Involved in several highly-publicized beefs (Budden vs. The Game, Method Man, Ransom, Jay-Z, Saigon; Royce vs. Eminem/D-12, Mistah Fab, Dr. Dre, Kanye West; Budden vs. Royce; Crooked vs. Snoop Dogg, DMX, Prodigy)? Check.*
Developed a heavily internet-based cult following after uniquely (Budden’s Mood Muzik series; Royce’s Bar Exam mixtapes; Crooked’s Hip-Hop Weekly myspace drops; Ortiz’ 125 6-part track) going the independent route? Check.
Consistently recognized as being the best current underground lyricists in their respective cities (Budden, New Jersey; Royce, Detroit; Crooked, Long Beach; Ortiz, New York)? Check.
Known for their legal or personal problems (Budden’s addiction to PCP and an assassination attempt; Royce’s alcoholism and subsequent jailtime for a DUI; Crooked being shot)? Check.*
*with the exception of Ortiz, who only appeared on the scene in recent years and hasn’t had time to make enemies or get into trouble haha
And even ignoring these common threads, I should have had enough reason to be hyped up for Slaughterhouse. Each member had something to offer: Budden could hit you with dark introspective insights, Royce’s flow was just naturally insane, Crooked had the multi-syllabic lyrics on lock, and Ortiz had a light-hearted swag that could provide comic-relief.
But still, I wasn’t excited. I figured they’d drop a posse cut or two and then go their separate ways… or they’d get signed and get lost in the industry mix, as evidenced by their individual careers.
Boy, was I wrong and I’m glad to admit it.
Since first appearing on Budden’s Halfway House album early this year on Amalgam Digital, Slaughterhouse has been dropping FIRE. They’ve announced August 11 as the release date of the album and I am officially anticipating it based on what’s leaked so far:
Also, the main reason I chose them to be my first music feature was that July has officially been established as Slaughterhouse month. To create momentum for the August 11, 2009 release date, each member will be releasing an online EP every week for July.
What I love about Slaughterhouse is that they aren’t just a group, but they present themselves as a fam in the way Wu-Tang, BCC, Bad Boy, and Death Row used to in the early 90s. They appear in eachother’s music videos and are constantly seen just chilling on Joe Budden TV. They also don’t always take themselves serious and allow us to have a good laugh at their expense, as seen in this promotional video they released:
Anyway, this has been the first Sunday Special for FenaxiZ Online. Next week will be the second Sunday of the month so I’ll be talking about whatever alcohol I’m feeling next week. It’s Sunday, July 5 in Toronto and that means I’ll be hitting up the Rock The Bells festival at the Molson Amphitheater to see noneother than SLAUGHTERHOUSE. I’ll be back in a few days with pics, but for now…
