AOWL Mag - 7th Edition

[Mike Wrecka]

]

Season 2

7th Edition



What up its the AOWL Magazine coming through for the 7th Edition. This week we are celebrating all things Wu-Tang Clan. We have various Wu Tang songs titles as the topics this week. We have a big and highly anticipated Title Match between Frank and Certain. Should be really dope. They are already going at it. Pancakebrah is standing in the on deck circle waiting for the victor of that blood bath so he could get his title shot next week. Three more weeks including this one so its do or die time motherfuckers. This week Split Eight is the guest writer doing the predictions so look for that. Ok back to the Wu. Ive included some cool little features in the mag on that Shaolin tip so check them out and Certain's Corner this week is Wu Tang themed. As always though lets take a look back to last weeks action before we jump ahead.





Battle Reviews - by Mike Wrecka











Entertainment - by Mike Wrecka

The Wu Tang Clan got their name and many of their philosophies from old Kung Fu flicks that used to play in the theaters of Staten Island at that time. I own a few of these movies and if you watch enough you will hear every single interlude and sound effect from their albums. These movies are incredible, if you are into Kung Fu movies and here I will post a few to check out.





here is the full movie of Shaolin vs. Wu Tang. watch it. its worth it. Starring Kung Fu legend Gordon Liu. you will know him as Pahmei in the Kill Bill movies.



there are many more. you can find Master Killer, Old Dirty Bastard, Golden Arms. the list goes on. peep them, they are worth it.


Week 8 Predictions - by Split Eight

Title Match- Frank vs. Certain

I think Certain is a prose writer. Or maybe everyone else tends to be overly poetic in these leagues. Frank is the opposite of Certain. I recognize and respect both disciplines within the topical crowd, however Frank's writing is transdisciplinary. Certain will have to really heighten the appeal of his writing to get a vote majority here, it seems he has been coasting on his strong understanding of the basics of writing. Let's get intricate. I'm sure Certain can bring something to the table that will make this close, he certainly (lol) has the ability. Barring a recycle or DQ on either side, I see Frank sliding by as per his destiny as antihero of the AOWL.

Frank 53/ Certain 47


Contendership- Breathless vs. PancakeBrah

lol Breathless already got DQ'd for recycling. somehow. I searched like... twenty three different sections of that verse and couldn't find a single hit. Strong internet detective. I would have predicted PCB to win because of experience and more pleasant rhyming. Oh well, would have been interesting.

King Ra vs. YDK

I see King Ra taking this over YDK. King Ra tends to have highly embellished and stylized novela-verses that incorporate the topic rather than encompass it. YDK seems to pick his stories from cable news stories. King Ra's writing is more visceral and succinct than YDK's, in my eyes... Furthermore, in most weeks, YDK loses a lot of the face appeal of his heavyhanded style by rhyming awkwardly. Less edited than it should be, perhaps. Such is the price of boarding from a cell phone. He also got clobbered last week. I have YDK most likely winning because King Ra almost religiously no shows.

King Ra 35/ YDK 65


Mordycai vs. Clockwise

Cool names. We've had a bunch of cool names join the league lately, got me feeling self-conscious. Haven't seen either post really, but should be interesting. Will give Clockwise a slight advantage because there is only a 32.304% chance that his name came from a D.A.G.E.L. name generator situated deep in the recesses of a D'VegAngelo's booth somewhere in upstate TapOutica.

Mordycai 49/ Clockwise 51



Vividlyvague vs. Adonis

Adonis is a very tired writer. I don't mean that in a positive or a negative sense. I just think he is one of those competitors who has been through enough battles, that unless there is a wow-factor to the opponent or the battle is anticipated, he will write just enough to win. It's a strength because he can conserve lines and effort for the next week, but at the same time he is more prone to upsets and being uninspired. Vividlyvague seems like a relatively new writer or is returning, judging by his large activity. Vivid really stretches his bars. He has spastic rhyming and schemes, he seems to just need cleaner cuts on his language. I think Adonis will take this, but not by much.

Adonis 60/ Vividlyvague 40



Just Write vs. Diode

Diode is a decent writer but never "wows" with his use of language or rhyming, just continually writes pieces that you read and go 'oh okay cool'. Similar to Adonis, except I haven't seen Diode truly step up to the plate and prove he is a contender in this league. Just Write is a good topicalist, I can't recall any specific Just Write verses. Now that I think about it, I don't think anyone could recall any Split Eight verses. Either way, Just Write might not be a quotable/ quirky writer but he has talent. I have Just Write putting more into his verse and getting more votes due to overall lyricism and verve.

Just Write 70/ Diode 30



ZYG vs. ThisIsDam ***SPLIT EIGHT BOTW PICK***

Zygote is certified dope around this forum. I think he was a sleeper back in the NWL, but ever since AOWL Season 1 he's been hot on everyone's radar. he was the one who dethroned Frank last season after like eight weeks, I believe. ThisIsDam is a familiar name, I think he wrote on multiple sites and has been around a minute. I read ZYG's verse before the match dropped, and it was like top form Zygote. I'm sure Dam knew what he was doing posting so early, so this could be really dope. I think people will be receptive to Dam's established talent and uniqueness, this season seems to have the storybook theme "everybody is special" written in bold letters on page 1. Not trying to sound condescending just noting that everyone is appreciating the diversity of styles, approaches, techniques etc. in a new way. Anyways, I see this being very close, but ZYG closing out the win with near nonexistent amounts of rust.

ZYG 63/ DAM 37



symetrik vs. NYCSPITZ

no offense to symetrik, but he wrote a really boring verse last week. just blah. Yeah, it was good and all, but I would never go back and read it. I seem to remember his other verse or two showing good potential of him being a strong competitor, but I don't think he is quite harnessing it. This should be an easy win for NYCSPITZ. Giving the win to Symetrik because NYCSPITZ is like 0-64 from entirely no-shows

Symetrik 100/ NYCSPITZ 0



Vulgar vs. Mr. J

Cool match-up. Pent uP gave Vulgar the best vote I have ever seen him give. That seems to say a lot, by itself. Vulgar also wrote a strong piece that was a deviation from his normal creative angle, as was the piece before that. If I were Mr. J I would be worried. Both were in high profile matches last week, and both lost. However, I would give this to Vulgar due to his machine-like consistency and vote appeal.

Vulgar 55/ Mr. J 45



Mike Wrecka vs. Innovator

both are around .500 right now, both are veterans of the league. Honestly I do not see Innovator walking away from this week with a win. He has champed other leagues, but the AOWL has resisted his efforts and he has failed to shine for a while now. Mike Wrecka has more or less found his niche and will continue to write to it until playoffs or he manages a rank match. Straight autopilot. Mike Wrecka's edge also depends less on the angle and more on his rhymes, so the simple nature of the topic plays to his advantage.

Mike Wrecka 80/ Innovator 20



Certain's Corner (with a Wu Tang theme!) - by Certain


"I bomb atomically. Socrates' philosophies and hypotheses can't define how I be dropping these mockeries."

Inspectah Deck started off quite a few of Wu-Tang Clan's deepest posse cuts. He lead off the first one, "Protect Ya Neck," and the classic "Triumph," as well as "Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off)," "Guillotine (Swordz)," "Assassination Day" and "A Better Tomorrow." Few consider Inspectah Deck the best rapper in the Wu-Tang Clan, but he drew lead position for a reason: The man has a talent for setting a tone. The Rebel INS was the kindling sparking the flames, while hyper-energetic RZA and Ghostface Killah often served as the full flames and methodical GZA and Masta Killa worked perfectly as the smoldering embers.

In honor of one of the two (Masta Killa being the other) members of the Wu-Tang Clan who actually can be called underrated, Certain's Corner this week is taking a look at how to begin a verse on the right foot, complete with examples from this league. I put a lot of weight in how a verse opens, perhaps because my journalism background has taught me readers have short attention spans. If you lose them at the beginning, there are no second chances. Furthermore, a strong introduction sets the tone for the entire verse. Avoid false promises. Let the reader know what they are about to get themselves into. And make them excited to do so.

Few do it better than Vulgar. What makes Vulgar so unique is his constantly shifting vernacular and voice. So he consistently thrusts readers right into the heat of where he's going with his verse early on, and often if he struggles, it's simply in keeping up the momentum. Vulgar lost to me in Week 6, but that came more from a story that fell flat toward the end than this vicious opener:

Originally Posted by Vulgar in Week 6

One of the car bombs peeled the lawn, then the smog cleared up
Anton stood palmin' a beer mug, molotov in his pocket, balaclava & earmuffs
His parents feared him for obvious reasons: contras, arson, accomplished theft
was even dubbed a son of a gun...he used on his father when he shot him dead

We gain so much about what Vulgar is going to do from that four-line segment. The strong image in the first line is doubled-down in the second, as he introduces his lead character. Then he sets up the conflict in the next two lines by establishing a strained relationship between Anton and his parents. He does this all with brilliant rhyming, deft word choice and a literally explosive scene. There's nothing boring about that introduction.

But they can't all be like that. Most verses aren't about arms-race kingpins and their mothers. And it's important to build off your actual approach. Many writers struggle with that because either they come up with a great way to open a verse but can't follow it up with the content to justify the opening or because they simply are lazy about the opener. You see a lot of offset, somewhat meaningless couplets dangling on top of fleshed-out stories, providing abstract ramblings that somehow relate to the story below. Those can be effective but more often are shallow.

PancakeBrah never does that. Most of his verses open with strong character building and the touch of intimacy that runs through all of his verses. But he also often cranks up the rhyming for those introductions, giving himself another way to hook a reader. Here, in describing a graffiti artist, he breaks out a nice set of rhymes while clearly defining his subject:

Originally Posted by PancakeBrah in Week 5

He preferred black and whites, the dark and drab,
and a Blick palette knife for the arts he'd tag
on naked concrete slabs. Crouched in faded jeans,
spraying slouched maître d's with empty shopping bags
who pout "Delaying the Dream"; he popped the caps
like an aerosol fiend, free, sovereign, brash;

PancakeBrah uses a great mix of subtle phrasing and direct, clear images to establish his character. I particularly liked the choice of the verd "preferred" because good writing revolves around deliberate verb choices. PancakeBrah contrasted black and white with a gray verb, perfect for his gray color block topic.

But the best verse introduction I've read this season dealt in no such ambiguity. Just Write delivered a memorable opener to his verse against Mike Wrecka way back in Week 3, and the reason it still resonates with me is because of how clear he constructed a totally unique scene. He took a picture topic and somehow made it more vivid in two couplets:

Originally Posted by Just Write in Week 3

Every third thursday my family would head down to the riverbed
My sister shirley would joke as we sat down to our dinner sets,
The pound cake was astounding, with subtle hints of cinnamon,
Father & Mother would hover above us...
I loved to watch him take puffs from his cigarette.

Notice how he gave the narrator's sister a name and provided a flurry of small details. The last line in that quote was the best, the type of thing that so perfectly resonates with my own childhood and, I'm sure, the childhoods of many. Smoking was cool, right? That built-in nostalgia drove home this opening segment and set the tone perfectly for a story about a world that was and the brokeness that it became.

The best openers echo throughout the verse. They set the tone and create the images that become the basis for a great verse. Often, a great beginning can be wrapped back into the end, even if it's GZA instead of Inspectah Deck


Power Index - by Certain

Every week, I will rank the top 10 competitors in the league. These rankings will not be official or have any bearing on anything aside from my rankings. The goal will be to measure who is doing best in the league (excluding myself). You will not always agree, and I encourage you to post your own rankings. These are not verse of the week rankings, to be clear. They often won't line up with results or even necessarily with my own votes. So deal with it and enjoy them for what they are.

10. Diode (2-0)
He's been more successful in this topical league than he is at running a rap forum.

9. NYCSPITZ (2-3)
What can we expect out of one of the league's three or for most talented writers? His output has been all over the place.

8. Mr. J (5-2)
He got to choose his own topic, then dropped perhaps his worst verse of the season. I expect a rebound.

7. Mike Wrecka (3-4)
You just know Mike Wrecka isn't going to miss the playoffs of his own league. He turned it up in Week 7, and expect him to finish very strong.

6. Just Write (3-1)
When he left, he was No. 1 in these rankings. We're glad to have him back, but he'll have to show he's still motivated.

5. Vulgar (3-2)
He's lost by a combined 15-1 the past two weeks, but he still might be the best writer in this league. Is he competitive enough to give voters what they want at the expense of his own style?

4. ZYG (1-1)
He forces me to rethink everything I'm doing. He's not perfect (or a robot). But he is the most interesting writer here, if not the best.

3. PancakeBrah (4-1)
Well, he's already on to the title match. Will he stand up to the pressure of facing me?

2. Vividlyvague (5-2)
For the first time, he seemed to comprehend what he needed to do to be successful in this league, and he wrote the best verse of the week as a result.

1. Frank (5-2)
It felt like a matter of time until he climbed into the title spot. He showed great versatility last week, even though it wasn't his finest effort. Now he gets to lose, but he might still keep the top spot in these rankings



Entertainment - by Mike Wrecka


I was going to break down the whole story of the Wu from start to present day but this video does an amazing job of doing it. It was directed by the same guy who directed Da Mystery of Chessboxin video. It is an hour long and I watched about half of it so far and found it really entertaining. check it out






Outro - by Mike Wrecka



Ok that's gonna be it for this week. But not before I give you a little insight into my journey into the world of the Wu. My first exposure to Wu Tang was when I heard the song Method Man on the radio. I immediately went to the CD store and bought 36 Chambers in 1994. As I listened to track after track I was enthralled by the music. I played it repeatedly for months. The albums slowly became quite popular. Some time in 1995 I saw the Method Man album Tical had come out to a bit of fan fare. Buying that CD was a no brainer for me. I bought it and fell in love with many of the tracks like Mr. Sandman and Tical. With the many guest appearances from the other members it felt like a full fledged
Wu Tang album. That's what they always did since that point, drop solo albums to put their own personal spin on things but brought everyone in to make it a true group experience. One day I was at the mall and saw the Ol Dirty Bastard's CD Return to the 36 Chambers on the shelf. I copped it and it was great. Brooklyn Zoo is still one of my favorites and that album had the raw energy that ODB is known for. Next up was Gza's Liquid Swords. An incredible album and Certain's personal Wu favorite. This was followed up by my personal favorite album of all time period, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx by Raekwon the Chef. also known as the purple tape. Many people were still rocking tapes in that day and his was a clear purple. It heavily featured Ghostface and Cappadonna. It was a huge commercial success and got tons of radio play. At this point they were really changing the culture, at least in my area they were. People dressed like them and started using their slang. Next up was the incredibly anticipated second Wu Tang album titled Wu Tang Forever. I went to Sam Goody on Monday night to pick up the album in what was dubbed Wu Tang Midnight Madness. At exactly Midnight you could purchase the double CD and be on your way. I listened to it in the car and swore I wouldn't go to sleep for school. I did but damn I didn't get much sleep. It was a huge success and marks the height of the Wu Tang's popularity. They have continued making albums to this day. Do yourself a favor and check them all out


AOWL lets make this week one of the best this season.

Text isn't dead , its alive and thriving in the AOWL. pz

[Certain]

"Maybe people never been to a strip club."

[Inno]

I give all my best lines to @ThisisDAM

confirm it.

[ThisisDAM]

Props....u look familiar, ha

[ThisisDAM]

Originally Posted by Innovator

I give all my best lines to @ThisisDAM

confirm it.

Hahahahaha

[Inno]

how many years have I been pretending to ghostwrite for you bro..

gotta be true by now.

dope mag fellas.

[ThisisDAM]

U sir, are a zany womprat

[Vulgar]

Dope

[NYCSPITZ]

kewl mag thanks i'll drop lol

[Pent uP]

I hate newbies like split who think this is my first rodeo

[Diode]

lol @ people talking crap about me running a forum.

PR has been around for 7 years. we rivaled RM in activity and ad revenue in the first half of its existence. a bunch of teenagers and 20 year olds got older in that time frame. guess what happens when people get married, have kids, etc?

[Pent uP]

Originally Posted by Diode

lol @ people talking crap about me running a forum.

PR has been around for 7 years. we rivaled RM in activity and ad revenue in the first half of its existence. a bunch of teenagers and 20 year olds got older in that time frame. guess what happens when people get married, have kids, etc?

They start discussing the finer topics like scotch cars traveling and gadgetry

Until immature cats come back and make it boring

[Diode]

yeah i saw peb came back but i was in nj burying a family member so i didn't care all that much

he is harmless

[Split]

Originally Posted by Pent uP

I hate newbies like split who think this is my first rodeo

?

lol where did that come from?

[Pent uP]

Originally Posted by Split Eight

?

lol where did that come from?

Even though you didn't mean it as a slight I took that comment about that being my best vote as one because your unfamiliarity with me misrepresents me

[e11even]

dope mag.

Drake's Wu Tang Forever, although it's one of my 4 faves off the NWTS album, DOES NOT do the Wu's legacy justice. Just thought I'd say that.

[King Ra.]

@Mike Wrecka on God-status right now. Dope shit. Like the Wu Tang tidbits. @Certain doing a good job with he writing tips. When I drop a HOF verse I will shout you out. @Split Eight nice predictions, homie. I ain't no showing though.

AOWL still running shit. Now back to discussion about druggys with hoes.....

[Split]

Originally Posted by Pent uP

Even though you didn't mean it as a slight I took that comment about that being my best vote as one because your unfamiliarity with me misrepresents me

Oh I just meant it was a top shelf vote, and your enthusiasm in voting compared to your usual reserve showed how dope a battle it was

[Pent uP]

Originally Posted by Split Eight

Oh I just meant it was a top shelf vote, and your enthusiasm in voting compared to your usual reserve showed how dope a battle it was

My enthusiasm was based on a drunken promise.

[PancakeBrah]

I wish split liked me. He's such a cool bro. Coolest bro on the site. I picture him as an adventurer; venturing through the greater new england area, finding random hockey matches and glee club soirees to regale us with. All with this oddly confident manner about him, carrying a pocket sized copy of Ulysses by Joyce with 2-point text size in his half tweed half leather gentlemen's coat, smoking the latest strain of pot (blue Brazil) through a pipe while letting his stevia laced mocha tea cool in the autumn wind, steam wisps swirling.