The White Shadow - Victory (2009)

Finally, my new, and fourth album titled "Victory" is ready to hit the online stores on October 26th. You can cop it then at Amazon.com, ITunes, EMusic, Napster, Spotify etc.

15 new tracks for the hardcore Hiphop heads, a couple of remixes and the rest exclusive tracks for this album with production and cuts by me, The White Shadow Of Norway, once again featuring 25 MC's from the US. Some legends, some established underground artists, and some new up and coming cats.


1. The Rap Game (Featuring Melle Mel)

Melle Mel is my favorite MC of all time so this is my dediaction to him, and the old school of Hiphop. I was never in the studio with him for this track, but made a DJ Mix/Mashup style track of the Furious Five's classics along with some hard to find Mel verses, and an intro by Vinnie Paz of Jedi Mind Tricks where he talks about how fucked up it is that some of the artists who created Hiphop are broke now, and about how the music industry and artists needs to show respect for the originators of Hiphop cause hands down if it wasn't for them none of us would be in the Rap game, and there would be no Hiphop at all.
One of the hardest beats I had in my vaults, so that sets the album off lovely, and on topic as this is about the fight between real Hiphop vs. commercialized Rap music where Hiphop wins in the end..VICTORY!
I've always been a fan of albums where the first track really grabs you and forces you to pay attention, and hopefully I've accomplished that with this banger, remix, mashup, dedication to the old school, and so on that's my way of saying thank you to the culture, and people who have made it possible for me and others to even make this music.


2. Dark Side (Featuring Seven)

Beat's on some straight up victory shit. Orchestral with horns and the whole nine, and my man Seven, who is one of North Carolina's finest MC's who was also featured on Supastition's "Chain Letters" album that I did cuts for as well, recorded three crazy verses made exclusive for this album, and tells grim tales from the dark side of living in the hood. That was a perfect opportunity for me to pull out, and update, some cuts I used ten years ago for the Norwegian Hiphop classic "Darkside Of The Force. This song should please all fans of that raw Hiphop for the streets. Some sampled dialogue by Raekwon, and Wise Intelligent made it complete.


3. It's The Crew Again (Featuring Sadat X, and KHB)

Brand Nubian were one of the best groups in the early 90's, and along with other artists like Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Leaders Of The New School, KMD, Del The Funky Homosapien, and more, their label Elektra pretty much ran shit back then much thanks to a good staff who knew what was hot on the streets, and I used to hang out a lot at the label as I lived in New York back then, and got to meet the staff and the artists, among them Brand Nubian, so it was funny that so many years later my peoples in Milwaukee, King Hell Bastards who is Clark Bent from The Pizdamen and some other cats, recorded a track with the wild cowboy Sadat X from Brand Nubian, and sent me the verses to see what I could do with them. That resulted in this track which is also droppin' on a 12" single soon. The beat's a funky banger along the DJ Premier school of Hiphop, and people who liked "Without A Shadow Of A Doubt", "No Sell Out", or "Pimp Strut" should love this one.


4. Before (Featuring Awkword, Block McCloud, and Pace Won)

Awkword is a cat from Connecticut who is putting together an album, and a movement, called the World View Project which is the first Hiphop album ever to feature people from all continents of the world, he kicked a verse for my previous album "Untouchable" on the track "That's That Shit", and we've kept workin' on music after that, and got plenty of hot tracks to come, and this is one of them. Pace Won from The Outsidaz, and AOTP/Brooklyn Academy affiliate Block McCloud recorded some insane verses on this beat which is another epic, orchestral banger that actually samples a pretty well known cartoon outta all things, and some scratched hooks taken from some Hiphop classics made this a banger that's been online for a while to preview, but is finally available in good quality here.


5. Gotta Do (Featuring Bawston Strangla)

Slowing it all the way down with this one, I felt it was time for a breather for track 5, and a statement that "I'm back now" on some ready to fight but calm as whatever type shit, and this joint's way different from the first four tracks. About a year or so ago I did a remix album for Commonwealth Records in Boston, and this is one of the tracks I didn't get to finish before that album was released, so it's stayed in the archives for a couple of years, and like fine wine it just got better with time, and the lyrics on this one it's funny cause I could've wrote them as a lot of them are about how I actually live my life, and some of what I've been through, and these verses here fits real well by accident, so this track is personal to me though it was written by someone from the other side of the world who I don't even know, and all that made it essential to include on the album. The beat got a little "Paul Revere" touch to it with reverse drums, plus moody, quiet orchestral samples, and the MC Bawston Strangla is a great artist with a very original style. When this guy rhymes it's like nothing affects him, and no matter how hard the struggles he keeps his cool. My personal life is offline and private, but if you wanna get to know a little about me as a person this track's the one.


6. Victory (Featuring Craig G, The Grindhouse Gang, and Strick (EMC))

Back up a notch or two for the title track. Beat's a banger on some strings, and stabs shit with hard drums, and thanks to the Internet I managed to hook up with Craig G for this one. Craig G is of course the legendary MC from the Juice Crew, the MC battle-consultant in Eminem's 8 Mile movie, and a lot of other things. A great, and professional artist who handles his craft, and his bizness well, and he represents himself, me, Grindhouse Gang, and Victory lovely on this verse. Verse two, and three are handled by The Grindhouse Gang from Atlanta, South Carolina, and New York. Grindhouse Gang is Mark Deez, Powder, Dr. ILL, and Lord Lhus known from the Snowgoons albums, and are among the best MC's on the new underground scene of young cats comin' up in the game right now who I predict will run this Rap-shit pretty damn soon, and they kick sick verses on this joint. Track's finished by a verse from Strick from Masta Ace's EMC crew who is from Milwaukee, and friends of The Pizdamen, so they hooked me up with Strick's verse that was originally used as a radio jingle for the Late Night Hype radioshow in Milwaukee, it was remixed so the timing of his verse is a little different than the original jingle, and including his verse is my dedication to the LNH show that ran ten years, but shut down last year, and so the end of this track introduces the next one lovely...


7. All My Friends (Featuring The Pizdamen)

...cause this here is the LNH show crew aka The Pizdamen. People who know my music are no strangers to them as I've done two full albums with them, and they've been on all my albums, so no exception, this time I also had to have my fam from Milwaukee, and Minneapolis represent. No White Shadow album without The Pizdamen, and this here is their sickest moment ever, I mean, they kick the kinda rhymes that would probably give Necro nightmares, as retards, pedophiles, sadomasochists, and other freaks get their (just?) due on the mic here. It's all done in fun tho, and we're not tryin' to diss nobody, so don't take it personal. This is pure comedy, and that's all it is, and if it shocks some people too along the way then that's good, cause when was the last time a song shocked you?...well this might do just that. =)
The beat's on some 70's Funk soundtrack shit with plenty of crazed sound-FX to set the creepy, but fun backdrop for the illiotic verses, where The Pizda's do what they do best on the mic..go ALL out on some extra super funny SICK shit. Wu-Tang's for the babies, but The Pizdamen is for the children.


8. Verbal Assault (Featuring IDE, and Alucard)

With this one we're back on the vibe that started off the album. Epic orchestral banger and a choir to go with that, and this might be my personal favorite beat on the album, it's hard to tell cause I keep switchin' favorite songs, but yeah this is my kinda beat, and I don't know how my man Wulf could make cover artwork that fits so well with the album without even hearing it, but he did, and this is the soundtrack to the cover like that, as it sounds straight out a Horror flick, and would also do well as the theme for war. IDE, and Alucard from New York spits the fire that's perfect for this type of beat, I pulled some of my sickest acapellas to cut with like "Production snatchin' you like alien obductions", and a certified epic banger was born. This is for the heads. The raw motherfuckers keepin' Hiphop alive, and the hardcore fanatics, this one's for you.


9. Classic Regulations (Featuring Infinito 2017)

After that trilogy of madness I felt it was a good time to slow it down a bit again, and this beat's on some mellow laidback Jazz, with playful basslines, and my man Infinito 2017 from Chicago who was on my "Renegades" album returns droppin' science like only he can do it. People needs to stop sleepin' on my man who is one of the most talented, and creative cats in the game, and we have a new group called "Next Universe", and we're gonna drop an album together next year, so if you like this track you're gonna love that album, as it's on the same vibe. Spacey, Jazzy, soulful Hiphop for the grown folks. Smooth vocal cuts in the hooks, a nice beat that's pleasant to listen to, and skills on the mic is what this song's all about.


10. Straight Bars (Featuring Mark Deez, Powder, Main Flow, and Nato Caliph)

This one was actually gonna be a Rappers Delight for 2009, and I had planned to make the longest Hiphop song ever, as it was gonna be 20-30 minutes long with just as many MC's on it, but my man Mark Deez, and some other MC's talked me out of that idea as they felt people wouldn't have the patience to sit through such a long track nowadays, and I decided to listen to their advice, and make this more of a regular joint that's still all about the MC's, as there's no hooks and scratches, but just a tight, and sinister 90's style beat with a hard breakbeat and what sounds like the Phantom of the Opera on the keys. Grindhouse Gang gets dangerous on the mic, Main Flow, and Nato Caliph follow them with the dopeness...Straight Bars.


11. You Don't Want (Featuring Ripshop)

Another remix I did for Commonwealth Records in Boston that wasn't done by the time they dropped my remix album, so I remixed it again, and the beat sounds like some mid 80's Euro Horror soundtrack with a touch of some G-Unit or Dr. Dre type shit. Drums are nasty too, and so is the rhymes that are more or less on the battle tip.
Dope track!


12. Ready For War (Featuring The Grindhouse Gang)

The last of three songs featuring The Grindhouse Gang on this album. Watch out for Mark Deez' album on my label Uncut Productions next year. We just started makin' it, and it's already sick before we've even recorded anything. This beat's straight Hiphop..drums, stabs, and some floating space-FX, that's all you need really.
Grindhouse rocks the mic hard on the battle tip, and on every album I do I have one track where I showcase my skills on the tables at the end of the song, and this is the one for "Victory", as I tried to take the Star Wars on Acid style even a step further. Scratched hooks on this one are simple but updated and hard. Another banger on some headnod shit still with a dark feel to it at the same time.


13. Rap Thugs (Featuring Infinito 2017)

Soulful Hiphop in the tradition of a lost track for Common's "Resurrection" album, or something like that, so what better than to pass the mic to Chicago's own Infinito 2017 again for this one that's about Rappers talkin' that thug shit on the mic when they're really not. Another jewel for the grown folks.


14. Wild Wild East (Featuring Awkword, Castro (Lost Souls), and Block McCloud)

A final epic banger for the album, the beat's a combo of a Horror and Post apocalyptic soundtrack, with a bit of Heavy Metal, and Spaghetti Western in the mix all the way down to the sawdust, and Colt 45's. This is a take on Kool Moe Dee's 80's classic "Wild Wild West", but by no means a remake. We just grabbed the title, and went off with it on some 2009 outlaws agenda with Awkword, Castro, and Block finishing off this album in great style, and Block McCloud shot the Sheriff, and the Deputy.
Perfect way to end the album on the upside with an extended grand finale type outro as if it was the ending of a movie, and a movie where the villains win in the end.


15. The End (Instrumental)

And if the album was a movie then this is the end credits as it's an Instrumental where I got more dreamy, romantic, and laidback than I usually do, and will hopefully give the listener some time to reflect on the album. Titled "The End" not just because it's the last track, but also because this was gonna be my last album, but plans have changed since then so there will be yet another album from me in a year or two, but until then enjoy what is in my opinion my best work so far by far.



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