Golden State Warriors
Xzibit f/ Ras Kass & Saafir – “Plastic Surgery“
from At The Speed of Life (Relativity, 1996)
Xzibit f/ Ras Kass & Saafir – “3 Card Molly“
from 40 Dayz, 40 Nightz (Relativity, 1998)
Ras Kass f/ Saafir & Xzibit – “NBA“
from Van Gogh (Priority, 2001 Unreleased)
Golden State – “Bounce, Rock Skate“
from Training Day Soundtrack (Priority, 2001)
Xzibit f/ Ras Kass & Saafir – “Harder“
from Man Vs. Machine (Sony, 2002)
Check XXL for my interview with Ras Kass. I honestly feel a little bad that a rapper who’s made so much music I respect is getting more publicity than he has in years for some lame high school brawl with an inferior rapper. That said, I hope he sells a bunch of records off this business.
Unfortunately my capacity as an Official Post Fight reporter prevents me from the sort of full scale dorky Cocaine Blunts caliber interview. I can’t say for sure, but I suspect that most of the XXL audience doesn’t care too much about what Bird did with the master reels of the Soul on Ice demo. They just want beef and mo’ beef.
I did have the chance to briefly speak with Ras about the status of the forever delayed Golden State Warriors Project and here’s what he had to say:
Golden State exists. I just found out Saafir’s dropping an album the same day Xzibit’s dropping an album. Xzibit is one of my closest friends. His path took him somewhere else and it ain’t a bad place to be when you’re making a lot of money pimpin’ rides or in the movies. I’m totally supportive of what he did. There was a time when Saafir was really trying to get his spirituality together and he didn’t want to rhyme no more. And there was a time when I made some mistakes that put me in prison for two years. When things are supposed to happen, they do happen. Right now we all kinda where we at in life. I couldn’t do a Golden State deal anyway, I can’t even do a feature on a record right now because Capitol records is not lettin’ me eat too much.
So yeah, it’s not exactly the answer we were hoping for, but it’s not completely a defeatist one. I’ve posted the crews entire on record catalog, because those first few joints are so crazy (”Plastic Surgery” only sounds better ten years after the fact), and because I’m pretty sure I’m the only person on the planet to have “purchased” that Man vs. Machine record.
September 19th, 2006 at 11:55 am
It’s funny that Ras Kass is held up as this west coast OC that never fulfilled his immense potential, XZ is a multi millionaire, presumably, but its Saafir who allways steals the show on their posse cuts. “Plastic Surgery” is the shit. That “I date fat girls who weigh two fifteen with low self-esteem cos its easier to get the pussy” line is forever inhead.
Never heard those last two tracks so nice looks on that.
September 19th, 2006 at 12:07 pm
anyone know who sings the “i want the kind that makes me look like i can rhyyyme” part on “plastic surgery”? it sounds really familiar.
September 19th, 2006 at 1:58 pm
“doesn’t care too much about what Bird did with the master reels of the Soul on Ice demo. ”
I care. its funny you post this today homie, cos I’ve been cooling my heels from mad clients and deliverables to the soothing tones of Ras’ debut (which I finally found thanks to a friend with the soul seek)
I’ve never heard it before, but I’m thoroughly engaged – its a fucking banger of an album and I wouldnt mind getting more info about it, why it was deleted? and if any of his other albums touch this one, cos I’m about to start copping…
September 19th, 2006 at 2:09 pm
so I’m assuming you have eat or die the mixtape then????
mad “hint” wax
September 20th, 2006 at 10:43 am
I usually ignore your rants about the Indie hip hop scene, but the Golden State Warriors have been faves of mine since the late 90’s…
I don’t advocate violence, but I was glad to hear that they (Ras Kass & The Game) handled their biz like real men… I like the “lame high brawl” way… People walked away alive.
Nice selection…
Peace,
V,
September 20th, 2006 at 11:21 am
I saw all three of these dudes rocking a show 7 or 8 years ago, with DJ Shortcut. Probably the best hip-hop show I’ve seen. The lack of a GSW album this many years later is pretty fucked up.
September 20th, 2006 at 4:28 pm
“I usually ignore your rants about the Indie hip hop scene”
Ha!
September 21st, 2006 at 7:32 am
peep saafir on myspace..he even talks about how he resembles ti on crispy.
http://www.myspace.com/saafir
whatever happened to the boxcar sessions unreleased/ remix/tracks that didnt make the album album
September 22nd, 2006 at 11:53 am
The Unreleased Boxcar Sessions EP came out, if you hunt hard enough you can probably dig it up. It doesn’t have everything he did from that era, but it’s still a must for any Saafir fan.
September 23rd, 2006 at 2:17 am
“cash me out” is the schitt!
September 23rd, 2006 at 8:22 am
Xzibit’s first two albums were on Loud, not Relativity.
Great post still.
September 23rd, 2006 at 8:17 pm
Thanks for the linkback to the latest Saafir post on BBoys…. Anyone feeling Ras’ disses towards Game? “Hush Little Baby” is soo funny! I do wish GSW would come out, or even a decent collabo joint between all 3 of em.
September 24th, 2006 at 8:12 pm
Thanks for that post. The Golden State project is still one of my most anticipated hip-hop albums ever, along with the 4 Horsemen joint.
September 25th, 2006 at 7:53 pm
I will never understand why xzibit continues to support the strongarmsteady concept when GSW would destroy anything that ever came out of that shit.
September 25th, 2006 at 9:23 pm
mitchy’s kinda nasty serg.
byt yeah, i agree with you.
September 26th, 2006 at 9:29 pm
I’ll give you that but does anyone really want to hear Krondon rap?
October 5th, 2006 at 9:01 pm
maybe someone here knows there was a song i actually heard by a guy called k-borne, it’s called “the kwest’, but the thing about it is that it sounds like RasKass? i learned it was produced by fredwreck, and actually asked him one time about it after a show and he said no its not the same person, but still anyone else ever heard? just wondering,
and yeah i bought man vs machine too, bonus edition i believe it had three extra songs. and about Krondon, i’d recommended checking one of his black goldmember albums and prepare to be converted… Last soul on ice is an underrated album. people say the beats are weak but there are alot of good tracks there.
November 22nd, 2006 at 6:15 am
“I’m pretty sure I’m the only person on the planet to have “purchased†that Man vs. Machine record.”
Well, I’ve got it too. Really, I do.
March 1st, 2007 at 12:50 pm
[...] The idea alone is bananas. Sean and Guilty have similar styles that I think will compliment each other pretty well, and then with Black on the beats…..getouttahere. It’s over! Both had no idea when the album might come to fruition, and with Guilty’s solo coming out soon on Stones Throw I would imagine it will be a minute, but know that it’s not a rumor. I suppose it’s bitter sweet hearing about projects like this one; on one side it gives you something to look forward to, but one, two, three years later and the album hasn’t come out, it just leaves a bitter taste in the mouth (think Golden State Warrirors). [...]
May 14th, 2007 at 5:50 am
[...] Saafir & Xzibit – Green Lantern Freestyle (Mixtape, 200?) Shaft Sizzle freestyle. ‘Nuff said. Never give a bitch anything that starts with the letter ‘e’ – emotions, economics, energy, excuses. This joint was mockingly included on a Shady Records mixtape, attributed to the Golden State Project, although Ras Kassless, back when everybody was rumored to be signed to that label. Speaking of which I’m still waiting for that Young Zee album… var staf_confirmtext = ‘Mail sent’ #stafBlock { position: absolute; visibility:hidden; width: 180px;text-align:left; } #stafForm { background-color: #b3b89a; border: 2px solid #000; padding: 10px; margin:0; } #stafForm h2 {font-size:14px; margin-bottom:4; } #stafForm .input_text { width: 150px;margin-bottom: 4px;} #stafForm .input_submit {margin-bottom: 4px;} #stafForm label { width: 90px;display:block;} #stafClose { float: right; margin-right: 5px; } x [...]
October 24th, 2008 at 4:28 am
> > I’m pretty sure I’m the only person on the planet to have “purchased” that Man vs. Machine record.
*hands myself late pass for entry into two-year old conversation*
How’s about I BOUGHT/PURCHASED/PAID FOR WITH MY “OWN” DUCKETS not only the Man vs. Machine bonus edition (The Gambler on the main album, and the Premier cut on the bonus are both the truth), the Weapons of Mass Destruction deluxe edition (the photography art/design of the entire package are arguably the best of any hip hop album ever released, from an artsy fartsy p.o.v.; the album was quite poor by comparison), AND the Full Circle album (at least I liked Quik’s verse on his featured track, and the song X made about his girl who fucked around on him with Usher). These later albums can’t be held to the same standard as his earlier stuff, but there used to be something to be said for supporting your favorite MC’s by ADDING TO/COMPLETING YOUR CATALOG. (gold star for nikolas!!!)Take note, kiddies, and maybe we can turn this industry back around to how it used to be (no nostalgia).
nikolasxenophon, the dinosaur of purchasing albums