Frank Palangi, the homegrown Queensbury, NY indie rock singer, guitarist and musician who has shown he can do anything and everything he sets his mind to, has released his latest video for “Gone Mad.”
Filmed at Sweet Basil’s, as well as his home studio, Palangi coordinated for the video in recent months with Director Cameron Gallagher and Producer Frank Palangi.
The video is composed as an otherworldly talent competition at a mysterious location, which leaves Palangi walking into a rigged scenario and leaving him with no control. “Gone Mad” serves as the third chapter of of recent videos, including “Break These Chains” and “Set Me Free.”
Frank’s music is an evolution of the rock and metal sounds of the 80’s and 90’s with a dose of post-grunge mixed in. Despite the title, “Gone Mad” offers a refreshing and positive outlook that serves up a feeding frenzy of heavy guitar work and deep, gritty vocals.
With one of the more iconic hooks in hip-hop history, “C.R.E.A.M” (Cash Rules Everything Around Me) is by far Wu-Tang Clan’s most popular record, making them household names. The single was on their debut LP Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) and is considered a magnum opus of hip hop music. When you combine Method Man’s unique — yet silky-smooth flow — along with Raekwon and Inspectah Deck’s cutting-edge lyricism, you have the makings of a classic record.
“C.R.E.A.M” was recorded by the group in July of 1993, but was officially released November 9, 1993 as the eighth track from the 36 Chambers LP. RZA — the group’s defacto leader and beat maker — produced the song by sampling the opening piano riff from Charmel’s 1967 record “As Long as I Got You,” with a perfectly placed set of looping drum kicks added on.
Despite all the praise the record received within the hip-hop community and its current status as a classic record, “C.R.E.A.M” was not a chart-topp. Debuting at number 96 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, it eventually peaked at number 60 later that week, also peaking at number 8 on the hottest hip-hop/R&B songs. It became certified gold officially in 2009, 15 years after its release.
“The Rza is just razor sharp, he always on point with the beats with the rhymes”
In an interview for 247HH (hip-hop), Raekwon revealed the meaning behind the song’s tittle, revealing that “cream” was a slang term for money kids around the neighborhood would use. Saying that it came from cartoons like, Tom & Jerry, where the titular cat — Jerry — would slap Tom (the mouse) with whipped cream as they would fight over food. As a result, “cream” became something that they said when they were fighting over money or. in general, want of a better financial situation.
He also revealed that the acronym “cash rules everything around me” came from group mate Method Man’s associate, Raid. Detailing that back then, people would write graffiti and would break words down to give them meaning so, Raid broke down “cream” to mean “cash rules everything around me.”
RZA shed light on how the record came about, in an interview with SiriusXM. Divulging that the name of the original track was “The Lifestyle of the Mega Rich” and it had about 8 minutes of material from Raekwon and Inspacteh Deck. He wanted them to condense their lyrics into more concise verses and thought it needed a great hook. That’s where Method Man came in to play. The most culturally transcendent of the group, RZA even acknowledged that it was Method Man’s melodic flow on the hook that took Wu-Tang from gold to Platinum.
In a more recent interview with DJ Vlad, Inspectah Deck revealed that it was the success of “C.R.E.A.M” that made him realize how big of a group they were. Recalling a memory from a show the clan in Webster Hall, noticing that many of his heroes were there to see the Clan perform. From Big Daddy Kane, to Tracy Lee and Q-Tip.
The songs music video paid homage to where each member of the group was from, as a form of imagery that added even more depth to the record. The music video begins in the projects of Staten Island and then sees the Clan make their way to a more lavish lifestyle, driving Mercedes and sipping champagne.
Raekwon And Inspectah Deck were the only members of the group to have verses on the record. With both relating to the harsh realities of being from the inner cities. Telling their life stories’ in each verse. Rae gives a timeline of his life from his move from to Staten Island and his time spent in New York City. His first two lines perfectly captures the environment he hails from.
“I grew up on the crime side the New York times side
Where staying alive was no jive.”
Continuing with more personal tales of being separated from his father with his mother leaving and moving the family to Staten Island.
“Second hands moms bounced on old man, then we moved to shaolin land”
He chronicled his entire life on this verse and gave descriptive accounts of his times in the inner-city. The story being told is raw, real and vivid, something the man known as “the chef” is known for. Finishing his verse with:
“Figured out I went the wrong route, so I got with sick a** clique and went all out
Catching kings from cross seas hauling MVP’s every week we make 40 g’s
N***a respect mine or here goes the tech nine ch-ch pow move from the gate now”
Inspectah Deck took a similar approach to Raekwon, with similar accounts, while his verse detailed his own attempts at preventing the youth from following a similar path.
“Spent 22 long hard years we still struggling
Survival got me bugging but I’m alive on arrival
I peep at the shape of the streets
And stay awake to the ways of the world cause sh*t is deep”
With Raekwon’s story-telling abilities an entire story was told in one perfectly executed verse. From this verse alone, we learn, that at 15 he had plans of making “cream” but, was sent to jail for selling drugs. Yet, he only sold drugs because he never had much and only wanted a piece of the finer things in life – a sentiment many incarcerated Black men can share in. In the end, his life was taken away for trying to get his version of the American dream.
“Life as a shorty shouldn’t be so rough.
Though I don’t know why I chose to smoke sess
I guess that the time when I’m not depressed
But I’m still depressed, and I ask; what’s it worth
Ready to give up so I seek the old Earth”
“C.R.E.A.M” has left behind a significant legacy in hip-hop. The song’s popularity helped shift the balance of power from the West coast to the East, even going on to transcend any tension between the differing coasts.
The record has been sampled or interpolated by Drake on “Pound Cake/Paris Morton Music 2,” Notorious B.I.G on his hit record “Notorious Thugs,” featuring Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony. Other artists include Joey Bada$$ on his song “Paper Trail$” as well as, Mos Def on “Mathematics.”
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek thinks that it’s the artist’s own fault they aren’t making enough money because they aren’t putting out enough music. It’s been widely known that the popularity of streaming services instead of buying music from the artists or their labels has hurt the artists revenue but Daniel Ek is taking it to the next level by putting the blame on the artist for their measly payouts.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, photo via Bloomberg.
Spotify has a market value of about $21 billion in 2019 and Daniel Ek himself has an estimated net worth of nearly $2 billion. According to Business of Apps article they say,“Estimates vary on how much a Spotify stream is worth to artist: from $0.006-0.0084 to as low as $0.00318/stream” at a pay rate of $0.006-0.0084 a stream it would take a million streams for an artist to make $7,000. In comparison the article states that, “Amazon Music tops the list in terms of average payment per stream on $0.01196/stream. YouTube Premium delivers $0.00803, Apple offers $0.00563, and Google Play $0.00551. Pandora’s rate, on the other hand, is even lower than Spotify, at $0.00151.” In the first quarter of 2020 Spotify’s revenue brought in $1.85 billion from Premium subscribers, while ad-supported users generated $161 million for the company.
Daniel Ek stated in an interview with Music Ally that, “There is a narrative fallacy here, combined with the fact that, obviously, some artists that used to do well in the past may not do well in this future landscape, where you can’t record music once every three to four years and think that’s going to be enough,” essentially putting the lack of revenue the artists own fault. Daniel Ek explained that, “ What tends to be reported are the people that are unhappy, but we very rarely see anyone who’s talking about… In the entire existence [of Spotify] I don’t think I’ve ever seen a single artist saying, ‘I’m happy with all the money I’m getting from streaming.” Which begs the question, are artists not working hard enough or are they just not being properly compensated for their work by streaming services?
Musicians are not happy about this mindset in the music industry that Daniel Ek has been promotin. Ben Albert of Rochester Groovecast thinks Daniel Ek’s remarks are, “Disrespectful” saying that, “Music is not a fast food chain.” The fact that Spotify’s CEO believes that artists aren’t working hard enough and should just turn out more music is disheartening to the music community particularly those who are on the road a lot and believe in creating more complex and artistically driven music. Gabriel Marin from Consider the Source spoke on this matter saying, “People like [Daniel] Ek seem to only look at pop and commercial music as how all music is made. Yes those forms of music are easy to make happen and often a whole career of someone in that field will be 3-4 years. Music that has more weight takes longer; bands that make a living and artistically thrive in a live setting can’t put albums out at a predictable pace like that.”
In times like these where COVID-19 is hitting the music industry harder than many industries it’s hard to understand how someone running one of the biggest music platforms can so easily criticize artists instead of supporting them. Justin Henricks of Wurliday and Beau Sasser’s Escape Plan chimed in on the matter saying that, “Spotify is in a very unique position of ability to offer some real aid and relief to an industry that is in dire need of it at the moment. Take a page from Bandcamp who offered to relinquish their revenue share and give 100% of their proceeds on specific days to the artists/labels. I find it appalling that not only has Spotify chosen to ignore their ability and responsibility to help in any way but have actually double downed to say Artists should work harder, churn more music into their billion dollar money making machine, and leave us all out to dry. Shame on them.”
Dopapod‘s Rob Compa shared a similar sentiment, saying “I don’t think Daniel Eck understands that touring was how bands like mine and many friends of ours was how we raised any money to record albums, let alone make a meager living. Now, with COVID, we can’t even do that. So if he expects us to produce album after album, where does he expect us to get the money to make them? To me, he’s a little like some general who’s never even been in a fight, telling all of us to get out of the trench and run into no man’s land.”
For more on this story and Ek’s point of view, read Music Ally’s original interview here.
Philadelphia band Goalkeeper have come through with “Happy,” an upbeat pop punk banger of a track just in time for the dog days of summer.
Full of crunchy power chords, and catchy melodies, “Happy” is the bands first release off of their upcoming EP Life in Slow Motion which will be released this upcoming September 25th on the Lost Music Collective independent label. “Happy” encapsulates everything Goalkeeper have been about thus far; writing nostalgic-flavored pop punk songs from the early 2000s coupled with roaring vocals and hefty breakdowns.
Goalkeeper have proven themselves to be a group who is constantly seeking out new sounds in an effort to push the genre they operate in to the next level. Opening for bands such as State Champs and Real Friends, Goalkeeper are determined to leave their mark on the east coast pop punk scene.
Well, moe. was supposed to perform at Vernon Downs this past weekend, but the powers that be pulled the plug just two days prior to the shows. Making lemonade out of lemons, moe. instead streamed both nights of shows from Big Blue North Recording Studio in Utica, where they had been rehearsing for the shows. The band sent the following video message to fans prior to the show.
Over the two nights, fans were treated to a tracks off the new album, This is Not, We Are, a few classic moe. jam vehicles and a couple of choice covers that left the fans buzzing on the couch and online.
Highlights from the two shows included a “St. Stephen” jam in the new song “Crushing,” “Timmy Tucker” and “Brent Black” both providing ample room for improvisation, and a cover of Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side,” sandwiched in between “Bear Song” to end the first set of the weekend.
On August 1, the band paid tribute to Jerry Garcia on his birthday with a “West L.A. Fadeaway” that was anything but your typical cover of a Dead tune. Rob starts this out with heavy funk in his bass as Al’s gutiar takes a spacey journey to the lyrics. Full of just the right amount of notes, the band put a most unique twist on the song, one you’ll want to check out below.
With a rousing “New York City” to end the two nights, moe. tipped their hat to the Big Apple with their ode to the heart of the Empire State and epicenter of COVID-19 pandemic in America.
If you missed the shows, order here from Tour Gigs.
Setlist – July 31, 2020
Set 1: Johnny Lineup, Akimbo, Along for the Ride, Tubing The River Styx > The Pit > Dangerous Game > Bearsong > Walk On The Wild Side > Bearsong
Set 2: Brent Black > Mar-Dema > Who You Calling Scared, Four, ATL, Can’t Seem To Find, Billy Goat > Brent Black
Encore: Plane Crash, Jazz Cigarette
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uKkKXyMpKA
Setlist – August 1, 2020
Set 1: Buster, Downward Facing Dog > Deep This Time, Undertone > Letter Home, Tailspin, Skitchin’ Buffalo > Skitchin Buffalo Reprise > Wind it up
Set 2: George, Blue Jeans Pizza > Crushing > LL3 > Bullet, Don’t Wanna Be > Timmy Tucker
We head back to the Island for this week’s Jerry Sundays installment with a Grateful Dead show at the legendary Nassau Coliseum from 1979. The band played two shows here earlier that year in January, more than five years after their first appearance in Uniondale in 1973.
Now, in the middle of hockey season, and at the peak of the NY Islanders hockey dynasty no less, the Dead played three shows at the famous arena that surrounded Halloween. This was still the dawn of a new era of Dead as the band was still breaking in keyboard player Brent Mydland, new to the band as of April that year.
The tone for this evening is immediately set through a ferocious “Jack Straw” that starts the show off in grand fashion. Weir’s vocals are matched in intensity only by the lead guitar fills supplied by Jerry Garcia. “They Love Each Other” ends with a flippant comment from guitarist Bob Weir afterwards about Russia “bombing Staten Island” that evening. The Cold War Era was truly a different time. A robust and particularly uptempo “Mama Tried” that follows seems to take the place of the usual early show “El Paso” due to the “Mexicali Blues” that starts up immediately afterwards.
Another gem from this first set is a crisp version of “Peggy-O,” with delicate vocals and guitar play both handled wonderfully by Garcia. The swaying emotions that the cover of this traditional ballad brings with it would be a staple of Dead and Jerry Garcia Band shows for years to come. This one has a smooth delivery thanks to an in-sync rhythm section that motors along behind Garcia effortlessly.
The first set “Candyman” features even more howling guitar play from Garcia and the “Looks Like Rain” that follows is filled with even more emotional guitar fills that accompany nicely with Weir’s vocals that steadily build in ferocity as the song develops. And the newcomer gets a first set contribution as well as the Mydland-penned ballad “Easy To Love You” makes one of its earlier appearances.
But the true “meat and potatoes” of this show is the opening sequence of the second set. Some consider this longest “Scarlet Begonias” > “Fire On The Mountain” combination that the band has ever played. And they would have a legitimate argument as this one effortlessly stretches out past thirty minutes in all. Garcia and Mydland start hooking up as the “Scarlet” jam progresses and this carries all the way into and through a “Fire” that more than lives up to its name.
The rest of the second set is certainly no slouch, but the extended break and rabid fan reaction after these first two songs marked the end of something special. The “Terrapin Station” that follows later in the set features more of the same relaxed tone in some of its transitional sections that stretch out a little longer than usual. This eventually gives way to a “Playin’ In The Band” that races through its composition and serves up another psychedelic offering with more heavy Garcia-Mydland interplay steering the collective ship.
A late second set “Black Peter” gives Garcia’s guitar the spotlight and a chance to blissfully wail away again. And the “U.S. Blues” encore hits all the right notes, courtesy of more passionate playing from Mydland. But the legendary “Scarlet” > “Fire” pairing that opens the second set is what makes this show so special – one of the greatest versions of one of the band’s greatest pairings. In other words, just another typical New York Grateful Dead show.
Grateful Dead 11/1/79 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum Uniondale, NY
Set 1: Jack Straw, They Love Each Other, Mama Tried-> Mexicali Blues, Peggy-O, Minglewood Blues, Candyman, Looks Like Rain, Don’t Ease Me In, Easy To Love You, Promised Land
Set 2: Scarlet Begonias-> Fire On The Mountain, Samson & Delilah, Terrapin Station-> Playin’ In The Band-> Drums->Space->Black Peter-> Good Lovin’
WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to a ever-expanding listening audience. Each Sunday evening from 7-9pm on 102.7 FM, you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up and coming artists. NYS Music will bring you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.
These two songs make up the first new release since 2016 from this Saratoga Springs band. On Prodgnerd Dryer brings back the lo-fi sound of some of the bands that influence them like The Breeders, Pavement, and Guided By Voices. So if you’re into them and other cool 90’s alt rock stuff like Superchunk, Green Day, Weezer, or Varuca Salt, take 8 minutes out of your day and please listen to these new songs. Don’t you have 8 minutes? Actually it won’t even take you that long. And if you have more minutes, you can hear a decade’s worth of goodies by checking out Strut and Fret: A Collection of Songs from 1993-2003 You Missed the First Time Around. But if you only have 8 minutes at least listen to this.
This Voorheesville native has been playing piano since she was 6 years old and cites The Beatles and The Rolling Stones as early influences. Annie wrote her first song in second grade and taught herself guitar by the age of 12 when she began writing more seriously and even playing gigs. Fast forward to 2018 and Annie was rewarded with a trip to L.A. after being honored with the Producer’s Choice Award for the ‘Celebration of Music’ PBS special in Troy, NY. In L.A. she was taped performing this song and that recording will air internationally sometime this year.
Next Station formed in Niskayuna in 2009 and split up for a while due to different career paths. And though distance has kept them apart physically (one went to NYC and another to Dallas, TX) they managed to record their first new song in 4 years and are set to release their first new album since 2012. The songs were workshopped via e-mail and conference call after singer/songwriter Will Pedicone began writing new material in an effort to revive the band. And revive it he has! There is even talk of a tour when the world opens back up.
These two Southern Vermont multi-instrumentalists specialize in, well, instrumentals. Take the rich drone of the electric guitar and add some warm open-back banjo and you get a sound that is both intriguing and soothing. But that’s not all they are capable of. Their new album Soon Comes the Night has much more to offer. It’s both melancholy and high-spirited as it weaves tender music and upbeat fiddle tunes together throughout. Hear more of their work and check out some videos of the duo on their website.
On Tuesday, July 28, Lake Placid native Lana Del Rey released the audiobook for her upcoming poetry collection. Titled Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass, it contains 14 of the more than 30 poems to be included in the hardcover version, out September 29.
Del Rey’s lyrics have long drawn comparisons to Sylvia Plath, so her foray into poetry is no surprise. Besides Plath, she’s cited Allen Ginsburg, Walt Whitman, and Jack Keruoac as literary inspirations. The audiobook version of the collection, also a spoken word album, includes accompanying music from Bleachers’ Jack Antonoff. Antonoff co-wrote and produced 11 of Norman Fucking Rockwell’s 14 tracks, and recently worked on The Chicks’ comeback album Gaslighter. Lana Del Rey isn’t the first alternative songstress to release a poetry book: Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine published Useless Magic in 2018.
Originally from Lake Placid, Del Rey started her music career while attending Fordham University. She made her mainstream debut with the song “Video Games” in 2011, and followed it up with the album Born To Die in 2012. While garnering mixed reviews at first, she quickly acquired a loyal cult following and achieved better reception with subsequent records. Her upcoming album, peculiarly titled Chemtrails Over the Country Club, is scheduled for release on Saturday, September 5.
Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass is now available on Audible, as well as in CD and vinyl formats on October 2. Proceeds will benefit the Navajo Water Project, an organization that provides clean running water for Navajo families. The first poem, “LA Who Am I To Love You,” is now on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Music:
Danielle Ponder and Karate Boogaloo team up to create “Look Around,” a meaningful single to focus the public’s attention towards BIPOC being oppressed and murdered throughout the world.
Danille Ponder, an artist and activist from Rochester, started out this year by laying down a track for “Look Around,” a song that responds to the literal fires eating away at the continent of Australia. When she returned home to the US, she was, unfortunately, given even more dark events to add to those described in the song. The killing of George Floyd and countless other African Americans has ignited a call to action in many, Danielle Ponder included. On July 24, Danielle Ponder and Karate Boogaloo released the updated and finished version of “Look Around” as a way to remind everyone in the world of the deadly issues currently happening in America and across the globe.
Danielle Ponder spoke about the inspiration she had for “Look Around,” saying, “fires were raging through Australia and smoke covered the sky. It felt like all of our human sins had gotten the best of us and we were paying a price. I didn’t know that when I arrived back home in the U.S, the world would only get darker. I feel like my past self wrote this song for my future self knowing what was to come.” Danielle Ponder’s powerful soul vocals and visible writing talent make her voice memorable. This song was made in solidarity for all BIPOC.
Danielle Ponder Photo by Hannah Betts
Although they come from different continents, it was no problem for Danielle Ponder and Karate Boogaloo to make a connection. Their chemistry is clear in the music, as it flows naturally like they have been collaborating for years. The vocals and instrumentals together pack a powerful punch that effectively delivers the song’s message of unity for global justice.
Although Black Lives Matter is a US-based movement, it has a presence in Australia where Indigenous people undergo similarly harsh treatment. In July and August, sales of “Look Around” will be donated to the Equal Justice Initiative in the USA and Warriors Of The Aboriginal Resistance in Australia. Stream or buy “Look Around” now to support those in need.
For more information visit Danielle Ponder’s website.
Ghostface Killah is one of the more renowned members of the Wu Tang Clan, lauded for his exceptional skills as an emcee, where he mixes detailed storytelling with a unique sense of imagery and style. Those abilities were ever-so-present on his second studio album Supreme Clientele. On the RZA produced album, he successfully implemented a trendsetting combination of lyrical excellence and story-telling exclusive only to him.
The lead single was the oft-sampled “Might Healthy,” which showcased his deadly skills as an emcee, as well as the kind of presence that would make him a mainstay of hip hop culture. Debuting at #7 on the Billboard 200, Supreme Clientele was the most acclaimed of each Wu Tang member’s respective sophomore effort. And ironically, the highlighted record — “Mighty Healthy” — was one of the few not produced by Wu Tang head honcho, RZA, with production being handle by producer and Wu Tang Clan DJ, Mathematics.
The iconic album cover
“Mighty Healthy” was partly inspired by Brooklyn based hip-hop group, Divine Force, and their single pack “Holy War (Live).” Divine Force was made up of emcees Sir Ibu, Lady Nefertiti and her brother Supreme and their DJ, Jizer. They were managed by Melquan, who also managed RZA (then known as Prince Rakeem), GZA (then known as Genius), and Ol’ Dirty Bastard, before 36 Chambers fame. “Holy War (live)” sampled drum patterns from Melvin Bliss’ “Synthetic Substitution,” an uncharted record that went on to become one of the most sampled songs in hip hop history.
On “Mighty Healthy,” Ghostface begins the sampling at around the 1:12 mark. You can hear him using Sir Ibu’s flow as well as some of his lyrics as a way of paying homage.
When we hug these mics, we get busy
Come have a good time with G-O-D
Make you snap your fingers or wiggle
Scream, shout, laugh or just giggle
Shake that body, party that body
Don’t f**k with ghost you’ll feel sorry
That’s word, I’m not the herb
Understand what I’m saying, saying, saying
Sir Ibu’s lyrics on “Holy War (Live)” read:
“The wisdom that I’m speaking are words that I’m rhyming
The God of rhyme, Divine Force gets busy
Make you hip or hop or get dizzy
Make you snap your fingers or wiggle
Scream, shout or laugh or just giggle
That body, party that body
Don’t (F**k) with me you’ll feel sorry
That’s word, I’m not the herb
Understand what I’m saying?”
Besides the Divine Force interpolation, “Mighty Healthy” sampled records from other pioneers of hip hop, sampling “Wish I Could Talk to You” by The Sylvers, as well as, “Nobody Beats the Biz” by Biz Markie featuring T.J. Swan and “Funk President (People it’s Bad),” by James Brown (another heavily sampled artist).
Ghostface did much more than just interpolate others, and “Mighty Healthy” showcased some of the best rapping of his career. Heavily inspired by martial arts — much like the rest of the Clan – the song begins with a sound bite from the film Shaolin Rescuers. He starts his verse with his typical and colorfully descriptive lyrics.
Son trifling f**k, wildflower on the cycle and
Picked up the broom thought I was Michael in
West Brighton Pool, now I’m into Iron Duels
Turn nuns to Earth Whoopi, she at Allah school
He starts with an honest, yet blunt description of himself, then says he thought he was “Michael in West Brighton Pool”– a home goods store located in Staten Island — but the imagery, metaphors and double entendre are ever present, as “broom” is also slang for guns; in the next line he talks about now being into “iron duels,” (as a gun is made of steel). Before finishing off the bar with a Whoopi Goldberg reference, known best at the time for Sister Act, where she played a choir singer who had to relocate after having witnessed a murder and enters witness protection as a nun.
“The world can’t touch Ghost, purple tape Rae co-host
In his second verse, he continues his onslaught, first by paying homage to Sir Ibu on the bride before getting into his verse, setting it off with this”
Hit mics like Ted Koppel, rifle expert
Let off the Eiffel, burn a flag in your grass, spiteful
Ringleader set it off, rap Derek Jeter
Culprit, prince of the game wish you could see us
Ghost brags here, letting the audience know that he is better than most. Ted Koppel was a famous anchor and broadcaster for ABC and Nightline, from 1980 until the program’s end in 2005. Ghost continues by saying, he’s a rifle expert who lets off “the Eiffel,” and “burn a flag in your grass, spiteful” is his way of saying that after conquering his enemy with his superior weaponry, he will continue to acknowledge it to the world. Finishing off by labeling himself “ringleader” and the “rap Derek Jeter.” He continues his braggadocios rhyming throughout,
“Too hot to handle, one thought from scrambling the mandolin
Hundred game Wilt Chamberlain, smack ‘em, say when”
“Mighty Healthy” has meant a great deal to hip-hop and to Ghostface, with Complex Magazine even naming it his best song. It has also been sampled on a myriad of records, including “No More Parties in L.A” by Kanye West — off of his 2016 album The Life of Pablo. The chorus was heavily interpolated on the Pusha T and Kanye West collaboration “New God Flow,” as well as a J. Cole rendition titled “Mighty Crazy.”
“Mighty Healthy” is one of the many bright spots from Supreme Clientele, yet its enduring legacy within hip hop circles has solidified the album as a classic. Ghostface stuck to his style and made it something to behold, especially at a time when other rappers were changing their sounds to fit the new party and club theme music of the 2000’s. The album’s success also cemented him as one of the commercial faces of Wu Tang, a spot that had only been previously reserved for Method Man.
