Notorious MSG

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Notorious MSG
From left to right: The Hunan Bomb, Hong Kong Fever, Down-Lo Mein
From left to right: The Hunan Bomb, Hong Kong Fever, Down-Lo Mein
Background information
Origin Flag of the United States USA
Genre(s) Rap
Pop punk
Hip Hop
Years active 2002–present
Label(s) Cordless Recordings
Website NotoriousMSG.com
Members
Hong Kong Fever
Down-Lo Mein
The Hunan Bomb
Former members
Funky Buddha
Futomaki

Notorious MSG is a performing trio of Chinese gangsta rappers founded in Chinatown, New York City who sing about their rise to fame and fortune, survival on the streets. Their songs feature boasting innuendos regarding women and Chinese food. Their group name is a parody of famous 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 large amounts of current pop culture references into their songs.

Contents

[edit] History

Notorious MSG started in the summer of 2002. Their members invented characters and back-stories for themselves to explain their reasons for forming the group. According to this story, they all met in the kitchen of the Chinese restaurant in which they worked, but decided that being rappers was a far better job, so they quit their restaurant job at The Crazy Wok and started writing lyrics. However, journalists suggest that they are probably American-born and of middle class origin, pointing to evidence which includes a reference to Cornell University in one of their songs.[1][2]

Their characters include:

  • 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). Real name Benson Lam.[3] Replaced Futomaki; mainland China; worked as a dishwasher; according to the news and the group's story, was killed outside of a restaurant in Chinatown in a drive-by shooting.[2]
  • The Hunan Bomb: The Killing Machine, Replaced Funky Buddha after Funky Buddha's untimely death; from South Korea; used to make a living as an underground fighter

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.[citation needed]

[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.[citation needed] Their first West Coast performance, given in February 2005, just outside of Los Angeles, was part of a night of Asian-themed stand up comedy.[1]

They performed on August 4th and 5th at the Vans Warped Tour 2007 (Nassau Coliseum and Raceway Park, NJ).

After concerts they stay around to mingle with the audience, sign autographs and have their pictures taken. The members stay in character during and after the event.

[edit] Discography

Album cover for "Die Hungry"
Album cover for "Die Hungry"

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:

  1. Intro
  2. Straight out of Canton
  3. Heat it Up
  4. Hong Kong Heartbreak (Sketch)
  5. Dim Sum Girl
  6. Chinese Funk
  7. Buddha Time (Sketch)
  8. Egg Rollin'
  9. Last Meal (Sketch)
  10. Streets of Chinatown
  11. Yello Fever (feat. Whip Montez)
  12. 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 under Cordless Recordings.

Track List:

  1. Pimp It
  2. No Good Muthabitch
  3. Chinatown Hustler
  4. Warlord
  5. Last Showdown
  6. Dim Sum Girl

[edit] Singles

  1. "Straight Out of Canton", whose name borrows from Straight Outta Compton by N.W.A.. The single is different from the original version heard on Die Hungry, featuring new instrumental pieces.[1]
  2. "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.
  3. "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). It was featured in a Chinese reality television show.[1]
  4. "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).
  5. "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. It is available for download on iTunes.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Liu, Ling. "Notorious MSG in the House!", Asian Week, 2005-02-04. Retrieved on 2007-06-15. 
  2. ^ a b Mazmanian, Adam. "Music Review: Pacific Rimshot (Reviewed: Notorious MSG's Lunch Money EP)", Washington City Paper, 2007-05-10. Retrieved on 2007-06-15. 
  3. ^ "NY1 - Funky Buddha news report". 

[edit] External links