Wrestling, Movies, Hip Hop En Español and Reggaeton Reviews by El Funky Bae

I just discovered who Loren Avedon was thanks to the Forgotten Fists YOUTUBE channel.  And wow!  This is some of the best martial arts I have ever seen filmed.  It blows most of the classic martial arts choreography even of classic Hong Kong Kung Fu flicks up until today's post Matrix world.  The Billy Blanks vs Loren Avedon fight sequence is perhaps the best ever filmed.  I had no idea Billy Blanks was that good. The story is also very engaging about an undercover cop going to investigate an underground ring of martial arts snuff films.  "The King of The Kickboxers" is one of the greatest martial arts action movies in history and is a must watch for any fan of the genre.  Rating:  9/10

  I consider this one to be one of the best PPV matches of the 1990's  You have to understand when Rey Mysterio first debuted, we weren't used to his kind of moves in the USA.  Nowadays, high flying wrestling is very common.  I remember up until then, the most impressive high flyers I had seen where Flyin Brian Pilmman and Shawn Michaels.  But what Rey Mysterio did here was leap and bounds above them.  And Dean Malenko "The Man of 1000 Holds" is one of the most gifted technical wrestlers ever.  Seeing Dean work is like poetry in motion.  The styles clash between the two was just fantastic here and in pretty much every encounter they went on to have.  Rating: 9.25/10

I heard of J Balvin before most.  He did some Colombian festivals in New England way back around 2008.  Around the same time he put out "Tranquila" he sold out a former popular club here of about 500 people with people left outside who wanted to get in.  If you had Colombian friends then you definitely heard of J Balvin prior to him becoming an international sensation in 2014.  J Balvin was a superstar in Colombia since pretty much "Sin Compromiso" in 2007.  And in neighboring countries like Ecuador and Venezuela he had been huge since 2010. People would call me crazy now, but I foresaw J Balvin becoming the megastar he became if the Reggaeton game changed into something different way back in 2008, which it did.  What I said back then is that if Reggaeton and Urbano became so commercialized that mainstream audiences couldn't distinguish mediocrity from greatness and had no reference points even like a Mas Flow, much less Boricua Guerrero or Playero... J Bal...

The Attitude Era, the most popular and universally acclaimed period in professional wrestling history, thus far.  This match here between HHH and Cactus Jack is a notable highlight as well as their overall rivalry.  Cactus Jack was the personality with which wrestling legend Mick Foley first became known.  But when he arrived to WWE in 1996, he transformed into Mankind.  Mankind was a fascinating character as well.  He was menacing, scary and a lunatic in the ring. But by the year 2000, Mankind's character became greatly watered down.  His matches were still intense, but character wise, he wasn't the menace he once was.  Seemingly being overcome by then champion, HHH, Foley chooses to go back to a more menacing version of himself in Cactus Jack to see if maybe then he can finally vanquish the champion. 2000 was probably HHH's greatest year in his historic career.  He was on such a tear and was at his peak athleticism.  HHH had really come int...

  Violadores Del Verso – Vivir Para Contarlo (2006) Man, I am glad to finally be doing this.   Y’all have to understand.   I love Spanish Hip Hop.   Ever since I heard Mexicano in Guatauba when I was like 10, I’ve been hooked.   Then when I heard my uncle’s ‘Hispanic Soul’ cassette a year later, I became a fan for life.   I also used to listen to Aquel Que Habia Muerto all the time .   Vico C was spittin’ real knowledge on that and that used to be cool when I was a kid. I remember hearing about Violadores through people from El Salvador.   They told me that was the hottest shit over there.   When it comes to Rap from Spain, back in the day not everyone knew and the ones that did wouldn’t always share it with anyone.   I think it was both because they were shy and also to not let perpetrators in.   I’ve seen people be the same way with the Underground, I was occasionally like that but only with people that were fake, I don’t mind...

Man, I don't know how to write this without offending.  That is because in places like Honduras, Panama, and Colombia with heavy Afrocentric influences, Latinos, not just black either, have adopted the Afrobeat Riddim as their own.  This is akin to how in the 1980's, Afrocentric influenced Latinos in Panama created Reggaeton by making the first Spanish Language Dancehall Reggae songs.  Renato in particular is the prime example.  El "Afrito" might be on the cusp of revolutionizing Latin Music as we know it.  However, I greatly doubt it. I think Afrobeat is awesome but I am too ignorant on its history to make any valid assessment of it.  I think Paul Simon made Afrobeat in the 80's with "Graceland", but back then the rhythms had less of a dancehall/soca sound I think?  But I did read the Wikipedia entry and recorded Afrobeat is nothing new.  The genre has been around since the 1970's. If people are wondering why all of a sudden such a big interest i...

This is a pretty fantastic album although the second lead single has a greater legacy than the rest of the album combined.  The first single, believe it or not was the underground hit "Hay Que Bueno" by Notch produced by DJ Blass .  A definite Reggaeton anthem.  The second was the ginormous hit "Reggaeton Latino" by Don Omar.   Had that record come out today, it would have done probably around the same as "W Sound with Beele".   It was a huge record in its day, but somewhat forgotten over time as most people don't know what album the song is from. The executive producer behind this work is Boy Wonder.   Boy Wonder, birth name, Manuel Alejandro Ruiz, is kind of a below the radar exec despite having done big things and worked with some of the most prominent names in the genre post 2004.  His label Chosen Few has released several compilations featuring some of the biggest acts in Reggaeton history.  And the label also released solo productions from t...

  For my money's worth, Chosen Few El Documental from the year 2004 is still the best Reggaeton documentary out there.  I will review the album later in a separate entry.  The release was originally a double album CD+DVD.  The album has original music from superstars like Don Omar, Nicky Jam, Baby Rasta & Gringo, NORE, Zion & Lennox, Cheka and more...  The DVD is a documentary containing the authentic history of Reggaeton. Up until now, Chosen Few is the only documentary that features Panama prominently.  The other Reggaeton documentaries either don't feature Panama or completely gloss over it.  There have only been about 8 prominent Reggaeton history documentaries and I believe I saw most of them.  I think? This is the first in a four part series.  The next 2 volumes get less entertaining as you go but are still a watch I feel.  They have different subject matters.  The second documentary which came with the Chosen Few II a...

  This one is considered an all-time classic from the Raw archives.  I think Meltzer gave it 5 stars.  I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it.  It is somewhat short and I prefer their clash at Royal Rumble 93 personally.  But this one is a solid clash worth your time.  Rating:  ***3/4 out of 5 Stars.

  When I first saw this one, I thought it might have been Top 2.  On second watch, it's still good but probably the fourth best one overall.  I have seen every Texas Chainsaw Massacre film except for the second to last one.  It is my favorite horror film franchise next to Halloween.  The first one is a masterpiece in Horror Cinema I feel.  The Michael Bay produced remake however, is a perfected version of what the first one was.  Part 2 was very camp and the unrated version is the best one, but it is a very fun watch. As far as this one is concerned, some of the characters we are supposed to sympathize with are over entitled, overprivileged jerks.  And you don't feel all that bad for them when Leatherface brutalizes them.  That could have been a mistake and might have turned some people off.  What I saw online is that some people did not like very much how they try to make Leatherface sympathetic giving him a background instead of lettin...

  What else can be said about this match that hasn't been written before.  From Hogan's tentativeness in passing the torch to Warrior, which some argue he was right.  To the fact that they both surprised the hell out of most experts in carrying out an undeniably good match.  Babyface vs Babyface matches are difficult to pull off as they often genuinely divide the audience.  That is why the formula of Villain vs Hero in wrestling is time tested, it will always work; though with time the audience becomes more complex as to who they'll cheer or boo. If you haven't seen this match, I must warn you... it is lightyears away from a technical masterpiece or anything resembling that.  No Bryan Danielson vs Kazuchika Okada at the Tokyo Dome.  But if you can appreciate "storytelling" in wrestling and know how to get lost in the moment created by the characters, then this is the perfect wrestling match for you.  It is just simply fantastic.  I saw it not...

  Some consider DJ Joe 2 the best work in his illustrious career which is saying a lot as he made several classic albums such as vols. 1-6, the Fatal Fantassy album, Los Genios Musicales and produced half of Los Bacatranes with DJ Fat and Luny Tunes' Mas Flow team.  This one is definitely up there and must be considered a true classic of the Underground era of what today is known as Reggaeton. There are ongoing arguments as to whether the Underground days or even Spanish Reggae days of Reggaeton is actually Reggaeton.  I argue that it is.  I mean they are literally using the same dubs before and after, but some like to disagree.  Most however do feel that with Playero 37, Reggaeton was born as Daddy Yankee first said the word earlier that year in Playero 34.  DJ Joe 2 was a hallmark of those early days. I am pretty sure DJ Joe 2 came out in early 1995 before the Puerto Rican govt later that year banned explicit lyrical content being sold in the island....

  When I first saw this film, interestingly enough, I was not a fan.  I cannot recall who I saw it with.  I am thinking of my childhood friend from Texas who I've known since 1st grade visiting and walking out for about half an hour, only to come back and laugh uproariously again.  But I did not get it honestly.  I never saw the original "Mr. Deeds" which critical experts swear by a million it's better.  So that did not influence my opinion.  I used to be kind of a movie snob in my teens however.  I thought I knew more than most because I saw "All The Presidents Men" in 5th grade and not because teacher made us.  I also sneak rented through my uncle "A Clockwork Orange".  My dad was right to not let me watch that movie but God bless my uncle and our weekly trips to West Coast Video. I liked every Sandler movie up until "Mr. Deeds", even "Little Nicky".  But for some reason "Mr. Deeds" felt slow to me at the time, and I...

  For lovers of the old school Playero Style Reggaeton, those who went beyond the Big Boy and El General music of the day may be familiar with DJ Frank as he was considered one of the top DJ's/Producers in the game during the era.  Known for his collaborations with DJ Joe and OG Black, his most internationally recognized work was "Time To Kill II" in 2003 which featured big hits from Mexicano 777, Don Omar, Hector El Father, Don Chezina, Ivy Queen among others...  And perhaps even more known is Guatauba 2000 from 1999 which though it sold low due to limited distribution within Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republicn and parts of the USA;  the hit single "Reggaetonic" by Don Chezina and Rey Pirin is one of the most famous Reggaeton songs from the 90's and continues to gain much traction over 25 years later.  DJ Frank produced "Reggaetonic" alongside the great DJ Joe. DJ Frank was known for his creative sampling over strong Reggaeton Dembow and/or Rap b...