I’m a musician and loves Good Music! Plain and Simple! 🎺💙

One cannot separate suffering from existence... that's the lesson Buddha Monk learned growing up in the streets of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. But as he continues his inward exploration, Buddha Monk elevates above the snare of the streets, taking his people with him. That is bliss. “Knowledge of the Buddha consists of analyzing different thoughts,” he says, “and making them work toward a better nation a higher level so we can help those who can’t help themselves.”
 The late Russel Jones a.k.a. Ol' Dirty Bastard of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan gave Buddha Monk his name. They've known each other since childhood, growing up in the same neighborhood and bumping into each other at parties at The White House on Franklin Avenue. “I would be DJ'ing and Dirty would show up and start rhyming. Then he’d take the turntables and I’d get the mic. Since we were kids, we knew we were gonna always remain family”. One day when Dirty was in the studio, Buddha Monk was giving suggestions on the production. “And it was working out,” he says. RZA then said, “Yo, we gonna let you work on Dirty’s album.” It was through this brotherhood that Monk collaborated with Wu-Tang, singing background vocals on C.R.E.A.M., appearing in several videos including Da Mystery of Chessboxin’, and Brooklyn Zoo.
 In 1998, after the proverbial years of struggling in the streets and hopeful records deals gone sour, it was Lord Buddha Monk’s time to shine. The Prophecy was finally revealed to the masses and received both fans and critical acclaim. The album was dubbed hard-hitting without being too self-conscious.
 On the first single, “Gots Like Come On Thru” featuring Ol' Dirty Bastard, Buddha applies the lessons that Dirty taught him: “not to clutter my music, to take my time and breathe, to harmonize and slurf my words” combined with Buddha's own ideas: “to make it swerve and have that extra funk that everybody can enjoy.” On tracks like “Warrior Chiefs” and “Eastside Story”, Buddha collaborates with other Brooklyn talents, such as Da Manchuz, who he's developing as his protégés.
 Years later, we would hear a lot more of Buddha’s Brooklyn Zu family with the release of the Zu-Chronicles series on Chambermusik Special Products. But between those times, the tragic passing of Ol’ Dirty Bastard in 2004 almost put an end to Buddha Monk’s career. Devastated by the loss of one of his closest friend and music compadre, the Crown Heights native thought about quitting the rap game altogether. After taking a hiatus, General Monk Monk returned through the underground circuit with one goal in mind: ensure that ODB’s legacy lives on.
 Throughout is illustrious career, Buddha Monk has toured the world, worked with people from all over the planet, including more than 250 artists in the Brooklyn area alone and produced over 10,000 tracks. He is proud to include singing, rapping, producing, writing & recording to his repertoire. With the release of Unreleased Chambers (a compilation of the best songs from the Zu-Chronicles series) he’s closing down a chapter of his life and ready to begin a new era: The G Monk Monk Era.  

When asked to choose between a promising career in boxing and his love for hip hop, 9th didn’t think twice about following his heart. Born on Staten Island, NY, and raised between the notoriously dangerous neighborhoods of Brownsville and Bedford Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, and the state of Ohio, music was always a major force in his life. The classics his mother played around the house – from Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield to Mtume and Atlantic Starr – became 9th’s first real musical inspiration, piquing his interest to pursue his passions further.

Generally reserved when growing up, 9th Prince’s respect for the classics later spawned an excitement for real hip hop: Rakim, KRS-One, the Juice Crew and Slick Rick were inspirations, and their work encouraged him to write his first rhyme with Shyheim (Wu-Tang Clan affiliate) at the age of 9. At 11, with his skills more finely tuned, he began performing at local talent shows, competing against adults more than twice his age, and yet still holding his own. His talent did not go unnoticed. RZA (Wu-Tang Clan) – 9th’s older brother and one of his 10 siblings –  put him in the studio for the first time to record “Soldiers of Darkness” (1995), with Sunz of Man (Wu-Tang affiliates), and he later began touring to support the single.

9th Prince later went on to form Killarmy (Wu-Tang affiliate), and at the age of 20, the group recorded their first album, the critically acclaimed Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars (1997) with 9th Prince leading the majority of the production and A&R work. They went on to record 2 more albums together – Dirty Weaponry (1998) and Fear, Love and War (2001), both of which, much like their predecessor Silent Weapons, had 9th simultaneously acting as artist and producer.

However, even as a member of this very successful group, 9th was beginning to discover his individual voice, and needed an outlet to express it. In 1999, anxious to show the world his unique perspective, 9th began to contemplate a solo project, and the Grandaddy Flow album concept was born. Independently released in 2003, Grandaddy once again successfully merged 9th’s skills as an artist with his resourceful business savvy – he assumed the roles of executive producer and A&R – to create the quintessential album. The response to Grandaddy was incredible, with the first single garnering heavy radio rotation and media attention. This led to 9th Prince being named “Independent Artist of the Month” by Source magazine in the April 2004 issue.

At the height of Grandaddy Flow’s success, 9th was unexpectedly incarcerated. Upon release, he emerged stronger than ever with his highly anticipated follow-up album, “Prince of New York”.  Now in 2009, 9th Prince is back with a vengeance with a new album, entitled  Revenge of the 9th Prince, featuring guest appearances by the RZA, Killah Priest, Shyheim, Planetasia, Killarmy and Boy Jones – who is the late Ol’ Dirty bastard’s son. The 9th Prince strikes harder than ever this time and considers this his best work so far. Rich with infectious beats as the backdrop for passionate lyricism, 9th’s rare, honest love for hip hop has become the template for more future endeavors.

http://itsmyurls.com/cappadonna
Cappadonna is a Rapper from Staten Island, New York that is a member of the Wu-Tang Clan. http://soundcloud.com/Wu-Tang_Clan

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