Ballin' Like Tim Duncan, Callin' Bank

by RaptorsHQ - Archives on Sep 4, 2008 12:00 AM EDT in General

Shad - Mad as March trying to knock off the top seed...

I don’t know about you but I found most of this summer’s new music to be pretty weak.

In fact, I spent most of the past four months listening to old Dandy Warhols and UGK records with a touch of Cool Kids, Crystal Castles and Los Campesinos thrown in.

So I was pretty happy to see late summer releases on the way by artists like the Gza, Beck, The Black Kids, The Brazilian Girls, and Lil’ Wayne.

However the two artists who stole the spotlight from all of the above were none other than a couple of Canadian MCs; Halifax’s Wordburglar and London Ontario’s Shad K. Burglar I’ve known about for some time but his catchy track "Cream of Wheat" really caught my attention earlier this year. Recently I finally got my hands on his full-length album, "Burglaritis," and if you’re looking for some hilarious throwback verses "the best GI Joe vehicle, the Tomahawk," and punch-line after punch-line, check it out.

Shad too has been around for a while as well and while his full-length EP, "The Old Prince," was released back at the end of 2007, it was only recently that I discovered that it had been released thanks to recent videos for "I Don’t Really Like To," and "Brother (Watching)," both of which have surprisingly been on MTV Canada and Much Music rotation of late.

And the album doesn’t disappoint.

In fact, I knew I had a winner when I found Shad constantly dropping basketball references in his rhymes. including this one that had me both laughing out loud, and shaking my head in amazement:

"Yo, when I’m writing I re-pea-ted-ly edit words and rework tracks,
I’ll admit,
I’m like the Raptors,
I’ve got weak first drafts.
So when I’m dropping a new flow,
It’s probably not aaaallllll that solid at first,
Post, you might call it Araujo."

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

Did someone not only get the Raptors into a rhyme-scheme but throw in Hoffa as well??

Talk about some creativity.

For those who haven’t checked out the album, pick it up and support some local talent, some that hopefully one day will be able to duplicate Will Smith paychecks instead of just Fresh Prince videos.

Do I expect to hear one of Shad’s tracks opening up things for the Raptors next season?

Well, it’s probably a bit early for our annual "HQ Soundbombing" piece where we discuss the various good musical choices Toronto WON’T pick, but the comments on the site lately have thrown out some great options.

Howland and I have both always wanted something epic, his pick being an extension of the symphonic backing for the Chris Bosh ads on RaptorsTV. I like that choice, but it’s used a lot in cinema and I’d prefer something a little more original. Lux Aeterna as a few readers suggested, is a great option as well, it needs to have that build. That’s why even though it was overplayed and not exactly original, I didn’t mind last year’s Kanye choice. I just thought the Raptors staff did a terrible job of editing the beginning to really capture the beat build. I’d suggest something like Roni Size’s Lucky Pressure, which could be amazing if edited and looped correctly, but I’m sure they’d make a real mess out of it.

So as of now, what song do I think the Raps will pick?

I think my vote would go to Lil’ Wayne’s A Milli.

It obviously won’t be the whole song, but some instrumentalish version. It sort of fits last year’s Kanye choice in terms of having a solid percussive beat and being a popular choice at that, although the lack of a real chorus might make it tough to use.

But who really knows with the Raptors right?

I mean in retrospect, was there anything more ridiculous, than the whole Beyonce-Raptors-dancing-around-like-idiots intro? Seriously, at the time I thought it was a bad idea, but now looking back, it’s 10 TIMES as bad. Imagine you’re an opposing team like the Detroit Pistons, and you see this as you’re about to play Toronto? Unreal. I mean, even comparing the Pistons’ intro to that of the Raptors then was pitting a fire-breathing dragon against a gecko.

Of course Toronto could go in another direction entirely and choose a more well-known anthem like oh I don’t know, Thunderstruck.

Apparently the newest NBA franchise has picked the old AC/DC banger as it’s intro and this is something some fans have been calling for since the team name, The Thunder, was accidentally leaked a few months back.

But if you haven’t seen the logos yet, check out these badboys.

Um…could the NBA not have come up with something a little better? The team moves from Seattle where it had one of the best and most iconic images in all of basketball and gets this? As Howland said last night, it looks like some kid got loose with his crayons. Either that, or an Arena Football league team.

Why not choose something that has some community roots?

So Cowboys and Sooners are obviously out but why not pick something completely different from the former Seattle franchise, something that speaks to the eventual community the team will be playing in front of?

In fact, the NBA has done a horrible job in terms of naming teams for a while now. Why is Utah the Jazz and not New Orleans? And the Grizzlies, Raptors, Wizards and Bobcats are all just a bit too cartoony for my liking. At this rate, the next expansion team or relocation job will be named Kansas City High School Musicals.

The other curious thing is that Golden State already has a number of "weatherish" themes to its club including a mascot named Thunder. Does this mean Oklahoma’s mascot will be dubbed "Warrior?"

I don’t know.

The whole thing just has me shaking my head a bit.

Sort of like my reaction to last night’s story that Kansas teammates Darrell Arthur and Mario Chalmers were thrown out of the NBA rookie transition program for getting caught with marijuana and women in their hotel rooms.

Arthur - Giving a whole new meaning to "the GREEN Room..."

This I don’t really get, I mean, doesn’t the fact that they were caught with some herb and possibly ladies of the night mean that they indeed HAVE made the successful transition from rookies to full-on NBA vets??

All jokes aside, maybe it wasn’t a kidney issue that teams were concerned about when they were passing on Arthur in the June draft.

As a Raptors fan, reading about things like this and the emerging Monta Ellis fiasco makes me glad that incidents like these are rare occurrences on the team and that perhaps the biggest source of immaturity is now a Pacer.

As Shad puts it on his album:

"We all get older but we don’t all get grown…"

FRANCHISE

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Comments

Great piece! Loved the Shad references. Just caught the video on the weekend and was impressed!
As for the theme song, while I agree that the Beyonce "Crazy in Love" fiasco was an embarrassment, but stranger still and something I could never figure out was why they dropped "Renegades of Funk" (decent selection) for that lame U2 song… mid-way through the season no less!! The U2 song (Vertigo?) got me ready for a nap, not hyped for a B-ball game!

Gotta disagree with the selection of "A Milli". Terrible song. Even worse intro… Just my opinion. I think we need to go in the "Epic" direction as apposed to the Hip Pop direction. Although I loved the use of "Technology" (50 Cent) by the Celtics during the Playoff run last year. It was mixed properly and played up tempo. Had a real presence and.

by MAS on Sep 4, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

lil wayne is utter crap. other then u alright lol.

by drew assoon on Sep 4, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

wtf....lil wayne is garbage in my humble opinion other than that great article once again.

Perhaps next year in the transition program they can introduce a phase and call it don't do what Mario and Darrell did....and what josh howard does in the offseason.

Most players do it...most players aren't stupid enough to get caught...and certainly don't do it when you are in the transition program.

by wtf on Sep 4, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

lots of laughs and some music to check out, nice piece.

by axl on Sep 4, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Guess I'm not the only one but love the music talk when you get into it franchise. I like some wayne stuff but amilli wont work. Plus the raps staff probably wont know what to make of it. Kanye was at least based on another popular song (daftpunk).

Gonna check Shad out for sure though now, still laffing about the jayhawks getting kicked out of the rookie stuff. Theyre there to learn how not to do that sort of thing, its like they wanted to be prime examples of what not to do!

by fromlongrange on Sep 4, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

As for tracks that build to a crescendo, how about Canada's own Godspeed you Black Emperor!'s 'Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennae to Heaven'?

Probably too arty, but talk about crescendo!

As for why Utah got the name 'Jazz', if I'm not mistaken the team was moved to Utah from St Louis - and against all logic and reason decided to keep the name. This is also how the LA Lakers got their name, once upon a time they came from Minnesota (the land of a 1000 lakes), and nobody had the cojones to tell mgt that the name was stupid when applied to a team in a dessert climate.

Gotta love the NBA.

by bedhead on Sep 4, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Why does it have to a popular song? Can't the Raptors staff get someone to create something original? Instrumental, even?

by rapsdude on Sep 4, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

If the Raptors struggle this year maybe they can use the theme to Lost.

by McGateway on Sep 4, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Some feedback would be appreciated on this one.....

In mentioning the opening track,I think something should be finally said about their introductory/motivational huddle. Seriously. EVERY game, they prepare themselves in some sort of pseudo mosh-pitish group tussle, I dunno... I read this post on the daily and never read anyone bring this agonizing display of pre-teen house party behavior to the table. I am not saying they need to emulate the the Eddie House-PP shootin' dice routine or have Pistons style pow-wow with CB dancing like a shaman-man in the middle. Just something a little less.... Maybe JO will drop something a little more, masculine. Every time I watch, I am scared to see Jamario land on Andrea's leg or Chris Humphries elbow AP. I will even accept a simple collective "Defence" shout out. Anything.....

As an aside, that Roni Size joint is dope but they would botch it. What about Kardinal's "Huslin'" Canadian, poignant with good production. A pretty good recent release is Emc's "The Show" (Masta Ace, Wordsworth, Punchline & Stricklin)

Peace
R

by Rob on Sep 4, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

I vote for Thuderstruck.

by Acie on Sep 5, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Rob - Now there's a good topic that indeed we've never discussed as I agree, the fake mosh pit at the conclusion of intros is WEAK. I actually can't belive we've never touched on this before but watching Andrea and a few others try to jump around with the rest of the team is

AWKWARD.

I like the Pistons pow-wow and some other teams' intros so perhaps with the advent of the JO era, he can establish something a little more...well...symetrical let's just say.

Some other great beat choices being thrown about, I'll have to make note of these for next month's Soundbombing article. As for A Milli, that's not my desired choice, I just think the Raptors will pick something along those lines.

And now that Kardi was mentioned, what's the over/under on the number of times we'll hear that instrumental this season during games??

by Franchise on Sep 5, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Am I the only one who wants John Tesh? Jordan era bulls intro still the best in the biz.

by kidk on Sep 5, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Gracias for the feedback, I had a feeling you would have something to say on the topic.

Moreover, I want to give you both due respect for taking the time to write on my fav team. Between this post and Dime Smack I can effectively quell my OCD with the NBA every morning. You guys know your ball, the L and write exceedingly well, so again much respect.

by Rob on Sep 5, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Heres a decent selection for a warm up song. For Whom The Bell Tolls by Metallica. The introduction in that song alone lasts for a good 2 minutes or so and it would be great to pump up the fans and strike fear into the other team. Imagine that song blaring over the speakers with flames shooting along each corner of the court. Only thing that would have to be done is getting the consent of Metallica. Hell if they did Guitar Hero and Rock Band, why not this?

by Thor on Sep 5, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

How about "ENTER SANDMAN" from METALLICA since THOR brought it up =P

It might be overplayed cause a lot of MLB closers use it but it has good build up and it does have an electrifying climax. And it gives the other team an ominous feelnig of what they are about to experience.

"Exit light! Enter Night!" lol okay I might be getting carried away..but me and Thor are thinknig along similar lines

by Aaron on Sep 6, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Hmm...7 am...perhaps I should go to bed now...

Oh good ol Film Fest.

Yep, got caught up in a last nights' Jays game and then various extracuricular activities and so now the Andrea discussion is going to have to wait till Monday...or whatever day two days from now is...

But that's not to say there's no Raps news. The Dinos media team issued a press release yesterday about the upcoming (gasp) training camp!

The Toronto Raptors announced Friday that Head Coach Sam Mitchell and
his team will conduct training camp at Carleton University in Ottawa,
Ontario from September 30 - October 4, and then back at Air Canada Centre from October 5-28. This will be the first time the team has held camp in the nation's capital.

"We are very excited to hold training camp in our nation's capital,
symbolizing our identity as Canada's team," said Bryan Colangelo, Raptors President and General Manager. "Carleton University offers us
state of the art facilities and a great working relationship with a
highly successful basketball program."

The Raptors will conduct two-a-day practices at the Ravens' Nest Gymnasium on the campus of Carleton University. All practice sessions will be closed to the public. A specific practice schedule with days,
times and media availability will be released later.

The team will host an open intrasquad game Saturday, Oct. 4 at 1 p.m. at
the Ravens' Nest Gymnasium. Admission information will be available in the near future.

The Raptors Basketball Development Department, in conjunction with
Carleton University Men's and Women's Basketball, will conduct three clinics for ages 10-14 at the Ravens' Nest Gymnasium. A co-ed clinic Thursday, October 2 from 6-7:30 p.m. will be open to the general public.
There will be no fee to register for the clinic, however a waiver must
be completed and brought by the participant to the clinic. Registration
for the co-ed clinic may be done online by going to the Carleton University web site, www.carleton.ca/athletics, and clicking on the
Raptors logo.

by Franchise on Sep 6, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions