Notorious MSG
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Founded in Chinatown, New York City, the Notorious MSG is a performing trio of Chinese gangsta rappers who sing about their rise to fame and fortune, survival on the streets, and boasting innuendos regarding women and Chinese food. Their group name is a parody of famous post-mortem rapper, Notorious BIG (a.k.a. Biggie Smalls).
Their lyrics, while usually explicit in nature, are geared toward humor and full of double entendres. They fuse background beats and lyrics with various flavors of Chinese words, phrases and sexual connotations related to foodstuffs. They put in large amounts of current pop culture references into their songs.
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[edit] History
The group started in the summer of 2002, and comprised of:
- Hong Kong Fever. The ringleader; from Hong Kong; worked as a waiter.
- Down-Lo Mein (or D-Lo), the "Yellow Gigolo". From Taiwan; worked as a cook.
- Futomaki. One of the original members; had to leave the group due to the deportation by the INS in 2003; from Japan; worked as a cook.
- Funky Buddha (September 8, 1973 — October 2, 2005). Replaced Futomaki; mainland China; worked as a dishwasher.
- The Hunan Bomb. Replaced Funky Buddha; from South Korea; ex-underground pit fighter.
- Noodles. Noodles is the current drummer; origin unknown.
They decided that being rappers was a far better job, so they quit their restaurant job at The Crazy Wok and started writing lyrics.
Notorious MSG's website had a few singles for download. Their first cut, "Wok the Party", was received with mediocre fanfare. Shortly thereafter, they released three singles that showed their potential for splicing rhymes to background beats, and garnered much popularity.
On October 2, 2005, Funky Buddha was supposedly shot in the chest and the arm after leaving a restaurant in New York City's Chinatown. He died one hour later in the hospital. Currently, the suspects are still at large. It is rumored that the death of Funky Buddha may be a giant hoax, especially considering the band's name Notorious MSG is a homage to Notorious B.I.G., who also died in a similar manner.
Shortly thereafter, a replacement joined their group; known as "The Hunan Bomb", they had all met in the kitchen of the Chinese restaurant they all worked in.
[edit] Live performances
In 2003 and 2004 Notorious MSG started to give small, organized concerts, generally to a few hundred people at any given time. One of their earliest performances was given at Rutgers University. Their most recent performance, given in February 2005, just outside of Los Angeles, was part of a night of Asian-themed standup comedy.
After concerts they stay around to mingle with the audience, sign autographs and have their pictures taken. The members stay in character during the event.
[edit] Discography
In the Fall of 2004, Notorious MSG released their first album, Die Hungry. It is approximately 35 minutes, with four interludes and eight songs, of which one is a remix.
Track list:
- Intro
- Straight out of Canton
- Heat it Up
- Hong Kong Heartbreak (Sketch)
- Dim Sum Girl
- Chinese Funk
- Buddha Time (Sketch)
- Egg Rollin'
- Last Meal (Sketch)
- Streets of Chinatown
- Yello Fever (feat. Whip Montez)
- Straight out of Canton (Iron Wok Remix)
Another album, Hard Money, was due to be released in December 2006, but was delayed; it is still slated for release, but at an unknown time. The Lunch Money EP was released in April 2007.
[edit] Singles
- "Straight Out of Canton", whose name appears to borrow from Straight Outta Compton by N.W.A.. The single is different from the original version heard on Die Hungry, featuring new instrumental pieces.
- "F.O.B. (Fresh off the Boat) For Life", a song boasting about their physical attributes and skills. This song is nowhere to be found on Die Hungry.
- "Dim Sum Girl", a love ballad about the heartbreak of Hong Kong Fever from his former love, a dim sum girl (woman pushing around carts of dim sum in Chinese restaurants).
- "Kowloon Bay", a love ballad similar in flavor to Dim Sum Girl where Hong Kong Fever reminiscences about his first love back in Kowloon Bay (a district in Hong Kong).
- "Chinatown Hustler", with the promise of a purchasable single and video shortly. This also the single in which The Hunan Bomb is first heard. The music video officially aired on August 14, 2006, and was, until recently, available for viewing at the group's official website.
