That old Rolling Stone photo

You know the one: it ran with the article on the abbreviated tour with Rage Against the Machine, circa 96 or 97. A black-and-white shot of the RZA's face, inches from a light bulb. He didn't look thugged out or self-consciously mysterious.

Just genuine, and it's tragic that Rolling Stone won't run shit like that anymore.

Whose helping?

Raekwon calls himself the chef so often that whenever I hear him talk I start wondering what kind of restaurant he'd open if he felt up to it.

I'd bet on something French, just to fuck with everyone.

The Legend

"Legendary Weapons" has a funk vibe that I haven't ever heard on a Wu group album. And as usual, they turn a celebratory style into some truly haunting shit.

Who the fuck does it better? Who?

Pub Crawl

Anyone else remember that frame in the "Brooklyn Zoo" video where Dirty's stumbling around the bar and swinging his arms in the middle of a tiny entourage?

It broke the hip-hop video mold because it showed a guy completely unhinged, instead of utterly composed and content with his harem.

Great, great stuff.

Killa vocalist

Tekitha should figure much more prominently in future Wu group albums. She fits their scheme perfectly -- all soul, no glamour.

LL

Ladies Love Cool James mentioned great moments in Grammy history during his intro tonight and missed a golden opportunity.

He shoulda repped ODB's cameo back in the early 90s, when he crashed the stage in a red tux, ripped the mic outta Shawn Colvin's hands and said all that crazy shit.

A great moment? Nah -- the fuckin' greatest in the history of an otherwise incredibly vapid ritual.

Essential items

Hope they've got flashlights and bug spray in the Wu Mansion. As I understand, it's in the Catskills. Lotta mosquitoes and power outages up there.