Month: November 2011

A Few Rasslin Questions

I’ve had several out-of-towners request that I post a few of the questions from the rasslin quiz a couple of weeks ago. Here are some of the tougher ones. Let me know how you do. (answers below)

  1. What wrestling legend won the first ever ECW championship in 1992?
  2. In wrestling, what is juice (It’s not steroids)?
  3. This former Eddie Gilbert manager was managing the Nasty Boys when they won the WCW tag team title in 1993.
  4. What wrestling manager blew out his knee at Starcade ’86 when he fell off a 20 foot scaffold?
  5. Who won the first ever Royal Rumble in 1988?
  6. What two wrestlers were a tag team in the mid-1980s known as the Blade Runners?
  7. This wrestler won the WWF heavyweight title, the WWF tag team title, the ECW tag team title, the WCW tag team title, and the TNA heavyweight title. Who is he?
  8. The first ever African American heaveyweight champion was this former Florida State player, who won the WCW title in 1992.
  9. In one of the most hilariously awful moments in wrestling history, Sting and Davey Boy Smith  were introducing their mysterious new teammates when their mystery mate slipped and fell, his helmet falling off his head, and the mystery was instantly solved. What was this wrestler, previously known as Tugboat?
  10. Ernie Roth was probably the best known wrestling manager of the 1970s. He managed the Iron Sheik, Killer Kowalski, and Sergeant Slaughter. What was he known as?

 

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Ten of the Greatest Rap Songs You’ve Never Heard, Vol. II

A year ago, I posted 10 great rap songs that most visitors to this site had probably never heard. Well, I figured it was about time to drop 10 more. I was in a rut a few months ago, and was convinced that hip-hop was dead. Not so, I just needed to look a little deeper.  Here’s some songs that embody the spirit of all that hip-hop is. From lighthearted smack talk to the depths of the ghetto and even the horror of Vietnam, there’s a lot of great non-commercial hip-hop below (NSFW). Enjoy. If you like it, click like below to help spread the word.

1. Saigon-Invitation. Love this guy. He had a guest spot on the Roots last album. Possibly the best storyteller in hip-hop right now. Highly advise checking out his catalogue. Spent 7 years in prison after being a young thug and decided in the pen to turn his life around. “I represent the poor and profitless…” The Johnny Cash of hip-hop.

2. Reef the Lost Cauze-Commander in Chief. Running neck and neck with Meek Mills for best rapper in Philly, IMO. Not only is a phenomenal wordsmith, he’s also a damn nice guy, and even came to quizzo one night to battle rap me. So many great songs to choose from. This one shows Reef’s sense of humor. Some great one-liners in this song. Pick up his new album, Your Favorite MC on itunes. You’ll thank me for it, and you’ll be supporting a true Philly artist, and a damn cool dude.

3. Masta Ace-Take a Walk. Any time I post “Ten of the Greatest Rap Songs of All-Time,” Masta Ace will be on it. One of the greatest 5 MCs in hip-hop history in my opinion (along with Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, Jay-Z, and Eminem.) And nobody in rap samples as much classic rock as this guy. He samples Spanky and Our Gang in this heartbreaking song about life in the ghetto.

4. Phonte-The Good Fight. A new song from one half of one of the greatest underground groups of all time, Little Brother. The pressure of living in a recession, trying not to sell out, and supporting a family. “What the f*** is selling out when ain’t nobody selling?”

5. Meek Mills and Beanie Sigel-Dreamchaser. You can never tell in rap, since the industry treats rappers as entirely disposable, but all indications are that this guy is getting ready to be huge. He does some of the same old boring stuff about money and hoes, but when he digs deep, he is as good as anybody in rap. This song is beyond heartbreaking. The first time I heard Beanie’s verse, I started to tear up.

6. Brother Ali-Fresh Air. I get chicken skin every time I hear this song. An incredible celebration of life. Reminds me of Notorious BIG’s Juicy, a song about a guy coming from nothing, and being eternally thankful for making to where he is now. Beautiful.

7. We Major Gang-In the Mix. Ok, so I’m a bit biased on this one. These are two guys I used to coach. But there is no denying that this song is a hell of a lot of fun. This reminds me of some late 80s hip hop, a dynamic duo that’s having a lot of fun. Plus they shot the video at LOVE park.

8. Cool Kids-Black Mags. These guys are ridiculously fun. While most boring mainstream rappers are bragging about cars they don’t really own and mansions they rented for a video shoot, these guys are rapping about their bicycles. And I doubt the bikes are rented.

9. Jay Electronica-Jazzmatazz. Born in one of New Orleans most notorious neighborhoods, he bounced from city to city as a teenager, crashing couches and performing on every mic he could find. He was booed off stage repeatedly. But he never stopped performing, never gave up belief in himself, even when everyone else did. People like this never cease to amaze me. Finally caught a break a few years ago, and in 2010 signed with Jay-Z’s label Roc Nation.

10. Uncommon Valor-Jedi Mind Tricks feat. RA the Rugged Man. A song about Vietnam. Philly born Vinnie Paz delivers a terrific verse to open the song, then RA the Rugged Man delivers one of the most intense verses in hip-hop history. He tells the true story of his father, a decorated soldier in Vietnam, in horrifying fashion. Prepare to have your mind blown by this verse.

And let’s end with some good hip-hop news…Roots new album is being released in a few months, and the first song leaked off the album sounds great.

Wild Card Week Continues Tonight

Well, we had two teams earn their wild card passes with wins last night. Any team that finishes in the Top 2 this week gets an automatic invite. It’s gonna be a great event…this Sunday at 5 p.m. at City Tap House. Going to be a great show. Hope you can make it. Action starts tonight at Locust Rendezvous at 6:15 p.m. $3 Shock Tops and $2 Rolling Rocks. We move to Black Sheep at 8 p.m. Different beer special every week. Hope to see ya tonight!

New Power Rankings

Another wild week sends the QCS computer scrambling to figure out who’s ranked where.

1. Steak Em Up (Bards). Finally, a team holds onto the #1 spot for two straight weeks. Barely. A narrow win over Philliez Nutz. Last week: #1

2. Duane’s World (Black Sheep). 2 straight wins at the Sheep. This team has its swagger back.  Last week: #3

3. Philliez Nutz (Bards). Lose to Steak on number question at the end. These guys are for real. Last week: #4

4. Savage Ear (O’Neals). A win followed by a 2nd place finish. After a controversial hiatus, complete with vicious mudslinging emails between the Toddfather and myself, they are back in full effect. Last week: #6

5. Honey Badgers (Locust Rendezvous). Who dreamed of a day when the last 4 Rendezvous quizzes would be won by either the Honey Badgers or the Butterfaces? Last week: NR

6. Million Dollar Robot Baby (City Tap House). Two wins and three 2nd place finishers in the past 6 weeks. Last week: NR

7. Madame Butterface (Locust Rendezvous). A bad outing at the Vous sends them tumbling down the rankings. Nonetheless, they scored the most points in the JGTAI, so kudos for that. Last week: #2

8. Ruby Tuesday (Ugly American). Quietly making a name for themselves. Won at City Tap House a month ago, won at Ugly American last week. Last week: NR

9. Mister Lippers (O’Neals). If these guys played more often, I think they’d be a regular top 5 team. Whenever they play, they are really, really good. Last week: NR

10. Do It Live (Tap House). They’ve gone from first to 2nd to 3rd in the past 3 weeks. Will their slide continue or are they going to be a perennial Top 3 finisher at CTH? Last week: #7

11. PSU Defensive Coordinator (Tap House). Pull off a shocker last week at CTH. Is this a one-hit wonder or is this team for real? Last week: NR

12. Missing Heads (North Star). Didn’t exactly set any scoring records last week, but still got a hard-earned victory. Will these Black Sheep refugees establish themselves as the team to beat up North? Last week: NR

Also receiving votes:  Inglorious Barristers, Catdog, Goudafellas, Fracksylvania, Queen of Hearts, The Jams, Magnus ver Magnusson, Mysterious Mr. Mapother

Wild Card Week Continues Tonight

No wild card winners last night, though a couple of teams came close. An all-new quiz tonight. A good old fashioned quizzo….no specific themes. Action starts at O’Neals at 8:00 p.m. We’ve been rocking there the past few weeks. Been a lot of fun. On to City Tap House at 10:15 p.m. $100 gift certificate for the winners and $3 Sly Fox. Hope to see ya tonight!