Wu-Tang’s low-profile man worth inspecting
When you think of the Wu-Tang Clan, many images come to mind.
A) The late phenomenon Ol’ Dirty Bastard and his misadventures at the 1998 Grammy Awards.
B) Ultra-star Method Man and his gradual decline, first as a rapper and worse as an actor.
C) RZA’s avant-garde progression from unorthodox production to unorthodox film scores.
D) The legendary tag-team performance by Raekwon and Ghostface on “Only Built for Cuban Linx …”
E) The classic “Shogun Assassin” monologue that was sampled as the opening for GZA’s “Liquid Swords.”
F) The rap-industry’s groundbreaking contract strategy dubbed the “Wu-Tang Deal,” where individuals in a rap group could break off to land solo deals on different labels and use that as leverage against the majors. (And opening the door for acts such as Cash Money Millionaires, The Click, Boot Camp Clik, and No Limit, Bad Boy and Death Row.)
You get the point: a lot’s going on in this nine-member microphone slaughterhouse from Shaolin, aka Staten Island, N.Y.
With the extra-strength personalities bursting out of the Wu-Tang Clan, it’s easy to overlook Inspectah Deck. He’s the calm brother who keeps a low profile in the videos and movie cameos.
But Deck has flexed gusto on most of the Wu-Tang’s hits. He matched Raekwon’s verse on the first Wu-anthem, C.R.E.A.M., from Wu’s “Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers.” He ripped lyrical slugfests “Mystery of Chessboxin’ ” and “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta F’ Wit,’ ” also from its 1993 groundbreaking debut.
The Rickey Henderson of rap, Deck was the lead-off batter on “Protect Ya’ Neck,” “T.R.I.U.M.P.H.” and “Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off)” – the quintessential Wu-Tang songs that feature nine swordsmen.
After 12 years in the hip-hop game, Deck (born Jason Hunter, aka INS the Rebel, Rollie Fingaz, Fifth Brother, Charlie Horse and Mannie Festo) has released only two solo albums. Even after 1999’s “Uncontrolled Substance” was plagued with delays (the album was finished in 1997) and had little promotional push, Deck still went gold. In 2003 he sold 100,000 copies of his independent sophomore album, “The Movement.”
Deck has a new album under construction, “Return of the Rebel,” but says he won’t release it until after the next Wu-Tang installment, which is being kept under wraps.
Inspectah Deck makes a rare Eastern Washington appearance on Sunday at 7 p.m. at Fat Tuesday’s, 109 W. Pacific Ave. Support acts include Afu Ra (formerly of the Gangstarr Foundation) and Planet Asia (one-half of the Cali Agents, named Source Magazine’s independent act of the year).
Local and used-to-be-local emcees Freetime Synthetic, Soul Rhetoric and Terms open the show.
Tickets for the all-ages show are $10 in advance through TicketsWest, www.ticketswest.com, or $15 at the door. Full bar with ID.
Look for an exclusive interview with Inspectah Deck at www.spokane7.com/soundwave.
Big B-Side Weekend
• As a prelude to The B-Side’s third anniversary next week, the live music venue and bar has a triple-threat weekend returning powerhouse acts.
Bellingham funk-karaoke marauders No-Fi Soul Rebellion come back tonight to The B-Side, 230 W. Riverside Ave., this time with fellow B-ham residents Black Eyes and Neckties. Locke and The Chris Wilson Five open the show. Music starts at 9:30 p.m. There is a $5 cover.
• The Rhymesayers Tour brings Seattle’s
Boom Bap Project back to The B-Side on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. Boom Bap dropped its new album, “Reprogram,” on Tuesday. The album features Gift of Gab, Raka Iriscience of Dilated Peoples, Lifesavas, Grayskul, Choklate and Snafu. Missoula’s MC Nasty and local deejay Supervillain open the show. There is a $5 cover.
Read a review of “Reprogram” at www.spokane7.com/soundwave.
• Local rock juggernauts Belt of Vapor and Weight join math- metal-scream-prog-rock band Book of Maps, of Portland, for a Sunday show at The B-Side. Word has it Belt of Vapor and Weight will combine to form the devastating Weight of Vapor on a couple of songs. Showtime is 9:30 p.m. There is a $5 cover.