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Monday, July 2, 2007
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom

C-Rayz and his freestyling ways

Death becomes him
By CHRIS GAERIG
Daily Arts Writer
Die Hard 4. Die Hardest. Die Harder
Than Last Time.
Anyofthesewould *
have been accept-
able titles. With such Live Free or
a rabid fanbase, it
really didn't matter Die Hard
what they called it, AtQuality16
as long as they made and Showcase
it. And they did....
What is interest- 20th Centary Fox
ing about this film is
how McClane goes about his work. In
past films, he did everything himself.
In this fourth installment, McClane
finds himself bewildered by technolo-
gy, beaten by karate masters and stuck
in what is now an obviously dead end
job and personal life. There's no hope
for McClane this time around. He has
nothing to look forward to....

By TED CULLINANE
DailyArts Writer
"I got flavor like Adobo, you
ain't know though? / My raps go
back like quack delioso."
These non-
sensical lines
belong to C- C-Rayz Waz
Rayz Walz, a with Rising
Bronx native
known for his Sun and
freestyle prow- M-Eighty
ess and quirky
independent July 7
records. This Doorsopenat
Saturday Walz 9:30 p.m.
is bringing his 18+$10
scatterbrained
brand of hip hop Blind Pig
to the Blind Pig.
C-Rayz Walz first gained noto-
riety on the underground battle
circuit by boasting such freestyle
luminaries as Supernatural and
Jn. After parlaying his buzz into
multiple twelve-inch singles,
Walz signed with indie label Defi-
nite Jux in 2002.

SigningwithDefJuxandreleas-
ing two full-length albums did not
prove to be a difficult transition
for C-Rayz. While many freestyle
champs struggle to translate their
battle skills into studio success,
Walz sidestepped this common
pitfall by relying on a style that
remains true to his roots.
The majority of Walz's music
has a free-association quality to
it that embodies the spontane-
ity of an impromptu freestyle
session. Tracks such as "Buck
80" from 2003's Ravipops do not
aspire to be lyrical masterpiec-
es or chart-topping anthems.
Instead, C-Rayz offers stream
of conscious rhymes that are at
once clever, casual and down-
right hilarious: "Chicks dig how
I spit it, ladies love the phlegm
/ I don't ball with none of y'all
I'm still above the rims." Walz's
formidable mic presence gives
even his most lackluster lines a
distinctive punch.
In spite of his battle-oriented
background, C-Rayz is not strict-

MORE ONLINE
R Check out the rest of this film
review at michigandoily.com.

Hip hoppers just want to have fun
ly a punchline rapper. On his
recent full length, 2005's Year of
the Beast, Walz discusses a vari-
ety of social issues and his own
personal struggles. "Black Soap"
finds C-Rayz ruminating on his
transition fromstick-up kid to pro-
fessional rapper: "Peep the auto-
biographic havoc / Flashback to
past I used to pack bags for cash /
Use all the change for video games

~1

/Thinkin' longrange now my sce-
nario changed / Rites of passage
the civilizing savage / I adapted
this and embraced balance."
With his whimsical, well-com-
posed battle rhymes, Walz's live
show promises tobe an exercise in
refreshingly raw lyricism. If that's
not entertaining enough, chal-
lenge C-Rayz to a battle and watch
a true lyrical beast emerge.

Gain real world experience at
FRESHMEN!. BuiLD YOUR
SOPHOMORES!
JUNIORS! RESUME!!

Come by and pick up an application at the
Student Publications Building TODAYV!
Student Publications Building / 420 Mynard St., 1st Floor
Applications Due: July 13, 2007
Call 734-764- 0554 for more information

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