Conflict has been tearing up the lives of non-combatants everywhere forever. It didn’t stop on Armistice Day, or when the troops came home in 1945, or when everyone realized Viet Nam was a big fiasco, or when headlines from Afghanistan and Iraq stopped being bigger than headlines from Hollywood bedrooms again.

And it didn’t start with those conflicts, either, and what you should never forget – if you are going to be never forgetting something – is that the world is always at war with itself. Massacres don’t stop. The thing that determines whether you feel like there’s a war going on or not is how much it affects white people near where you live. I’m sorry, but it’s true.

The song I’m posting today can only show you a sliver of the global condition, but what ginzu did was focus on the inevitable bystanders, the collateral damage, the human cost of violent conflict. Wherever people are killing, some contingent of the killed never asked to play.

The song is called “Civilian,” and in my humble opinion, it’s the best political song to ever come out of the Halifax hip-hop scene. For years it’s been kicking around in my headphones, haunting me. I’m privileged to be able to let you hear it now.

Stay okay, okay?

Okay.

A joint by ginzu3 reflecting on depression and alcoholism… maybe not the jam to get the party started, but solid nonetheless. Includes the intro beat and extended outro instrumental for hungry MCs who want microphone therapy.

The 3rd installment of the Backburner Podcast, recorded live from Osaka city, Japan. This is a free series of 60 minute online mixes featuring old and new classics, obscure joints, golden-era favorites, and other surprises, mixed and hosted by Backburner artist and Osaka area DJ Ginzu3.

This week’s broadcast feaures joints by Aesop Rock, Common, RZA, Black Milk, Classified, Channel Earth, Cannibal Ox, Kardinal Official, The Pharcyde, Immortal Technique, Planet Asia and many more.

Download, kick back and enjoy.

The 2nd installment of the Backburner Podcast, recorded “live” from Osaka city, Japan. This is a free series of 1-hour online broadcasts featuring old and new classics, obscure joints and golden-era favorites, mixed and hosted by Backburner artist and Osaka area DJ Ginzu3.

This week’s broadcast features joints by Jaylib, KMD, Roosevelt Tharpa, Beastie Boys, EPMD, Jay Bizzy, Blu and Exile, Anticon, Non-Phixion, Sixtoo, Company Flow, Jedi Mind Tricks, The Rascalz, Anti-Pop Consortium, J-Dilla, and many more.

Stream or download, kick back and enjoy.

Backburner DJ/producer Mutilator Ginzu3 presents a hiphop podcast live from Osaka, Japan. Old school, mid school, new school hiphop with the occasional surprise, the occasional classic, and the occasional trainwreck on the mix, just to keep things interesting. Press play and hang with ginzu for 40 minutes of beats, rhymes and probably alcohol.

Channel Earth’s new eclectically styled EP Welcome to the Super Culture (executive produced by Osaka’s Evisbeats, with guest production and turntablism by Backburner’s ginzu3) is now on sale in Japan (notably, at music/video megachain Tsutaya) on Osaka’s Amida Records label.

A North American release is coming, but you can already purchase the CD online
(Pick the best overseas distributor off of this google listing)
Similar to Channel Earth`s previous album (under the name Abunai Jones), an exclusive underground mix version from long-time Channel Earth collaborator ginzu3 may be available soon, pending label permissions.

(Listen to ginzu3′s underground mix of the previous album here).

If you’ve been to a Jesse Dangerously live show in the last three years, odds are good that you’ve heard a version of this song featuring only his guest verse over ginzu’s beat. The secret truth though is that ginzu originally made “Have Nots” as a solo joint for one of the many albums that have, over the years, fallen prey to his rampaging perfectionism.

Switching out of the third person (this is Jesse), every so often I persuade ginzu to furnish me with a whack of his active and/or abandoned works in progress just so that my ears can cry and beg me to try harder to be that good. One such a whack included the embryonic and long-abandoned skeleton of “Have Not” (you know it’s ginzu when there are embryonic skeletons afoot; literal or figurative) and I was so taken by the clever conceit of the lyric and the searing menace of the beat, I wrote about sixty-four thousand bars on the spot and phoned up ginzu to inform him that I’d be coming over shortly so he could record me on the track.

To my surprise and relief, he acquiesced without protest. Then the track sat on shelves and mouldered for ages… like a fine cheese. I don’t know if it will ever come out in a “real” format, but in any event I can’t stand to see you looking so sad without a powerful rap all over your face so please just take this one and start grimacing hard at suckers.

Left click the title to listen, right click to download:
ginzuintriplicate – Have Not featuring Jesse Dangerously

Supplementary: if any giant nerds or self-styled “otaku” are reading this blog, please be made aware that ginzu lives in Osaka, Japan in an apartment overlooking Capcom world headquarters. Jealous? Yes, you are.

Ginzu3 at Zerro
Saturday January 24th, 11pm till whenever
Zerro’s resident turntablist Ginzu3, of Canada’s Backburner crew, spins a mix of new and classic hiphop all night. Come down and vibe out to well-known favorites, obscure surprises, and some exclusive Canada-only releases that you can’t hear anywhere else in Japan.
No cover. Drink specials TBA.

Check out the Bar Zerro Myspace for venue info.

For anyone in Japan

Pauley Ethnic`s not just in a New York state of mind, he’s moving back to Brooklyn in February! So to mark the occasion, and the fact that its his birthday, we’re taking over LIFE Osaka Saturday the 13th to give some beats and rhymes to the masses before he is outta here.

**********
Sat Dec 13th/08
Pauley Ethnic [Brassknuckle, NYC] presents The Blender (aka P’s anything-goes-birthday-farewell stylee)
w/ ginzuintriplicate [Backburner, CAN]
+ guests
NAMA LIVE ACOUSTIC
SELECTOR BENNYMILK and the warlock aka jonathon UK
DJ JULES of HIJAK CREW
Scheme team GINZU3 AND PAULEY ETHNIC [aka Super Conbini Bros.]
EMCEE TAKESHI (Osaka)
SILVA KEN
THE ALL NIGHT PLAYERS

Live hiphop, plus ginzu3 on decks all night spinning classic and
new school.
Doors open 9:00 party goes all night 1000￥
Club Life
Osaka Shinsaibashi District 2-9-12 B1F of Golden Center Building
www.clublife-osaka.com
Osaka heads check Iflyer.com for complete listing and show details