ROX-TV goes on location in Detroit City for the filming of Wiked Wood’s brand new video. We got exclusive access during the shoot, so buckle up, this is a good one

Welcome back to the ROX-TV website. As always, we appreciate the returning readers and welcome anyone stopping by the spot for the first time. I’ve got some dope news fresh off the block that I’ve been waiting to share with everyone, so get ready because we are taking you on a ride with the homies Wiked Wood. That’s right, they just hit the “D” a few days ago, in the area of E. Grand Boulevard and St. Antoine to be exact (for the Murder Mitten readers) to shoot their brand-new video, which featured some exciting special appearances. So, grab your coat and walk with us from the street level to the studio, and back again. You know how we do…proper hit by hit account…so let’s go…

 I first learned about the video shoot when Wiked Wood hit me up in January. They said they would be rolling through Michigan to film a new joint on January 28th and that ROX-TV was invited to check out the process. I couldn’t let that unique opportunity pass me by. I will explain more in greater detail so keep reading, but that’s how it all got moving for me anyways.

As the days got closer to filming the video, the more excited I got. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I’m always booming on and on about capturing the “history” and “essence” of what is happening today, for the future underground fans, Juggalos, and rap heads. This thing that we are all involved in, from the doorman at Harpo’s, to the merch slangers at gigs, to opening acts, and even the headliners…we are all together making up the fabric of the underground music scene. Each and every one of us plays a part, some roles are big like that of an artist, but everyone from the fans to the bums outside smoking butts off the ground…they all help make this thing happen.

Anyone who has been reading articles off the ROX-TV website will know, this type of documentation is “cementing” the stories into the wall for years to come. You never know when or where these articles will go, but someday someone will want to know what groups like Wiked Wood and others were getting up to and read this very text. How do I know that? Well, I know that because of the emails that people send me from time to time. For instance, my article on the Infamous No-Limit Show in Pontiac back in 1998 hit a chord with several people out in the world and half a year apart if I may say.

Think about that. The show I attended almost twenty fours year ago and wrote about on ROX was remembered and not just by me. A really cool lady from Detroit hit me up about the show on IG (Author’s Note: That one came in through Instagram, although I am no longer on the platform, and forget her exact handle for props, nevertheless, she reached out because she remembered. I got off the social media platform last month, if anyone is wondering what ever happened to me, sorry gang, it was taking up a lot of my energy and time. I dig it, just not for me).

Today I got an email from a cat named Tom who said he and his homies Mike, Glen, and Lawrence also read the article and were at the show. Someone came across it surfing the web and boom…history reaches out to touch the future. I don’t believe that there is anything cooler than that (beyond a couple fifty pounders of nitrous and some good music).

The fact that people remember is why we document today. What’s going on today, will be relevant to someone down the road. If that ain’t a fucking reason to get the history down, well….you might as well kill me because I would no longer understand the world at all. IG and social media are dope, but it takes a lot more to kill a hard copy book. Anyway, enough of that crazy rambling shit, where the hell was I? Oh yes, the homies Wiked Wood were coming to the Motor City and I was going. Carry on…

Grand Blvd E. at St. Antoine

Detroit City, Michigan

12:31 Pm

I hit the scene earlier than Wiked Wood had said, but I like being places early. If you don’t go somewhere early, you may never know what you missed. Why? Because you weren’t there. I’ve seen and done some weird shit by showing up early to places and that is across the spectrum. From job interviews to the wretched dentist office, going early has made a difference more times than not. So, if you got the extra time, go somewhere early and see what type of “gold” you can find. I came early, almost an hour before the scheduled start time and because of that, I got to take a few photos and admire some local Graffiti. I really enjoy graffiti and its place in the hip hop world. I always have. Although I never got much better than a “bomber”, I’ve always loved it just the same. From Sharpies to Krylon, graf-headz are getting up and making our world a more colorful place to be. Some call it destruction, but I call it art.

So, while I was waiting for Cray-Z, Grave Bait, and the rest of the W.W. homies, I hopped out on St. Antoine and took a few pics of the area for the benefit of the readers (out of state or those unfamiliar with Motown). There was a really nice piece covering one side of a building from top to bottom, so I had to get that. The air was crispier than a bucket of KFC chicken, and the wind was colder than a Witches Teet in the Tundra. Everyone knows what I’m talking about…the “it’s too cold to finish the cigarette I just lit” type of day. We get them in the Murder Mitten…every damn year. Obviously, you do what needs to be done outside but you’re not going to like it unless you’re so fucking drunk it doesn’t matter anyway (close to death on drunk scale). I was not drunk, at least not on that day, so the conditions were crunchy to say the least.

About twenty minutes later, my homeboy Bob Roxxx landed on the scene, so I jumped into his ride to bullshit for a bit. We talked about previous Wiked Wood performances and releases.

I had initially tried to interview Wiked Wood back in March of 2021 about their release “Simulated Reality” and ask about some of the artists they had been recording with such as Tre LB, SCUM, Damien Quinn, Whitney Peyton, Bizzy Bone, D-Lyrical, and Ouija Macc. I know for me, two recent collab type joints that I’ve been digging on were “Tomorrow” featuring Miss Blahzay Roze, and the killer track “Neck of the Woodz”. Heres a quick take on both.

Track: Tomorrow

Featuring: Blahzay Roze

Run time: 4 minutes, 7 seconds

Released: August 16th, 2021

The track has a really sad sounding guitar that calls to me like some type of evil pied piper. As Grave Bait pulls me in with his unique sounding voice, I close my eyes and try to feel the shit that inspired the track. The hook by Cray-Z hits the perfect tone and the hairs on my arms stand up, like they do every time I hear good music. It’s a proper track, thats running on all cylinders with ease, like drifting at night with a head full of NOS. This song speaks to me. The subtle pain and sadness, combined with a sliver of hope that always seems to be out of my reach. Blahzay rips into the track like a sexy sludge hammer, with some serious emotion and I love it. There is a graveyard harmony in this track. You either know or you don’t, about the world and the shit that is out there…lurking, just waiting to hurt your heart. If you haven’t listened to this song, fucking do it…please, but only if you are into that dark cloud vibe type shit. I am and I live there from time to time.

Track: Neck of the Woods

Featuring: Ouija Macc, Bernz

Run time: 4 minutes, 27 seconds

Released: July 17th, 2021

Again, another haunting sound. Like a situation that could be fucking dangerous, but not enough to turn back yet. Moments before disaster or some unknown problem arises. Ouija creeps into this track like a carjacking crazy fuck, tip toeing to do the hit and grab your pockets. Cray-Z has some nice rhymes. This is a song that plays around dusk, when you’re riding your stolen BMX bike down a dirt trail into the woods. You gotta be home or mom is going to whip that ass.

The short cut is obviously ill advised, but pressed for time, you have no choice. That’s what this song reminds me of, on the outskirts of the S.C.810 back in the late eighties. I had to do it all the time. Riding into the woods near an abandoned farm, with a decaying silo standing guard…I would peddle faster and faster as the last of the light was dying on the forest floor. I never turned around while riding my shitty bike, because it felt like there were ghosts or something hounding me. Obviously, I never got grabbed or you wouldn’t be reading this, but that’s what it felt like on the edge of my area in the trees and W.W. capture it pretty swell. I can appreciate the feelings and this song is basically a forest fire in the suicide forest in Japan. (Aokigahara Forest to be exact, where a hundred bodies are found each year, 35°28′12″N 138°37′11″E)

More Background Story

So, after that first interview attempt, we again near missed at Insane Clown Posse’s 25th Anniversary Prom Night Show at Piere’s in Indiana. I was rolling with Project Born that evening, documenting their performance, and taking a few photos for them. By the time Jumpsteady had introduced Wiked Wood and they had run through their set, I had basically missed it. Needing to eat something fierce after the almost four-hour ride from the 810, PJB and I were killing the plates next door.

But like I always say, well not always but when its applicable I do, “If it wasn’t time, it wasn’t time”. We are running on the universe’s clock and if it doesn’t want you to do something or the timing isn’t right, it won’t happen. I trust in this, and I believe in this. You might call me crazy, and you might be right, but I trust in the process (most of the time, when I’m not the Mad Hatter). We would be destined to meet but not on that April 30th night, back in 2021.

A couple of months would roll by, but when the Juggalo Army answered the call to arms at Legend Valley, we would finally get a chance to chop it up. Wiked Wood was performing on a very hot day in August of 2021. They had been slotted to perform on the dope set of the “Clown Drip” Stage. It was fucking boiling when they performed, amid the much appreciative Juggalos and Juggalettes with the vibrant tent world surrounding the area.

I spent a lot of time near the Clown Drip stage during the Gathering of the Juggalos 21. I took pictures, sold a few copies of “Forever in the Jects” with Frank Nitty, Lil Polk aka Polk D, my homeboy and Midwest hip hop expert FLIN TOSE (YouTube channel aka Gary) and yes even Big Will was hammered somewhere nearby. So anyway, I finally got a chance to crack it up with Cray-Z. We had time for a picture, and he even brought one of the “Forever in the Jects” books. We made plans for an interview, but you know how it is at the Gathering? Right Juggalos? Of course you do. The interview business would have to wait but that’s ok. The Universe knows.

Detroit City 1:30pm

January 28th

So low and behold not only did the Wiked Wood crew hit the spot, but another fire spitting machine gun also dropped in. You might have heard of him, does Lyte ring a bell? Of course it does. You already know so I don’t have to go too deep on that one. The man has resurfaced, like a blood crazed vampire at midnight. You knew he was away, handling his business, but the homie has done whatever he needed to do, handled whatever he needed to handle, and he had turned up on St. Antoine with Wiked Wood at nearly the same moment. “Shit is about to be real good” I thought to myself, and we joined the gang as bodies piled out of the vehicles like clowns out of a tricked-out Fiesta (Ford Chevette with shrunken balls).

I had put a few miles on (one interview) with Lyte for the “Forever in the Jects” book at Nitty’s crib. We had a great interview, and you can see it in its entirety if you buy the book, or jack your homies copy. The man might be a screaming AK-47 on the mic, but in person the cat is so fucking humble and dope, you can’t not like the guy.

Beyond that, there was a surprise from my own past, someone that I used to do dirt with back in the 1990’s and had run the same streets as. That’s right, my dog A.O. from all the way back. The C.O.C. and Swisher connection had been brought back together again after decades. Purple and Red were once again running together. This cat was a serious homie of mine and we used to have some times down N. Leroy Street and the general vicinity of the south 810. It was an amazing encounter, and he was Lyte’s homeboy. I liked Lyte before, but knowing he was rolling with A.O. cemented that even further. We all clamored into the studio, through a giant entrance.

At first glance, the lobby reminded me of an apartment building in the city (any city) that was old but still had some life left in her. It could have been a great place to smoke and drink in its own right, but the video set was calling, and the hours weren’t cheap. Them dollars were evaporating in the sky with every tic of the toc. But Wiked Wood was in no rush, they wanted it done dope and correct. Rushing anything can fuck up the results and these artists were professionals. They moved at the right pace.

1:40pm

After walking through a few different rooms, which looked like sets out of a movie, we entered into a large room. When I say large, I’m talking like a thousand plant farm large (my rooms were never more than twenty some plants at a time so that is a guess, but it’s my guess). Every sixty feet or so were different stage prop type stuff, obviously used for shoots by area artists. I found a giant playboy bunny cake, which was too good to leave alone. I kicked the cake with one foot, but no bunnies came out unfortunately. As we walked around the giant floor, I took snaps here and there to remember the times and maybe use for this article. There is something magical about a video shoot and although I can’t put it completely into words, a form of creation was on the way, and I was going to be a part of it. Covering the shoot for the ROX-TV website, helping Bob with some filming, and yes even sneaking into a few frames.

2:00pm

After everyone got comfortable on the set and the cameras were in place, there was nothing left to do but get things cracking. It’s fascinating to watch things being made in the underground, especially videos. They are a great snapshot in time, about what was going down in that moment, the feel of the music scene, and a historical gem some twenty years from now. Sure, for the fans, they are dope in the minute of the present day. But I look at the shit with a long view approach. When I look at anything, I’m doing so with five-year glasses on, ten-year goggles on, and twenty-year lenses as well. I like to gauge how shit will stack up against time. There is so much more going on in this world then the “now” time. I think people get caught up in that shit and forget to look at the back one hundred and imagine the front one hundred. The world is not forty years old. The past dictates where the present ended up, and if you look right, the present will tell you where the future will drop. You start to look at things with a past, present, and future outlook, then you have achieved that Ninja Master Status.

2:30pm

Just before we got really serious about capturing some takes for the video, I presented the homies from Wiked Wood with some dope from the 810. I thought they should be welcomed in Detroit proper and for me, that’s a gift from the smoke fields.

Kind of like it’s my own custom. If I show up somewhere and I dig what you’re doing, I will put some smoke down in your honor. Wiked Wood was dope and put some New Jersey weed down on me after the gesture. I really dig that. I watched as Lyte, A.O., and the Wiked Wood crew got to work.

It was bangin in that big room and that’s all I can say. There was also a lovely lady, whose name is Ash. She makes a few cameos that you do not want to miss. For real.

6:00pm

Over the next couple of hours, good times were had on the set. We moved around a bit, but I don’t want to give up anything or spoil the surprises. I enjoy this music world and the artists in it. I like observing, recording, writing, and participating. It’s a really dope thing and I’m honored every time someone asks me to jump in a scene, get pulled backstage, or given an interview. I live for all that shit, and it’s saved my life and given me function again. My life isn’t perfect, and I have plenty of troubles here and there, but outside of my own family, this musical family is a lifeline. I will write about it as long as the Universe allows and that’s a promise.

As the sun started to ease into the western sky, the temperature never got any nicer. Wiked Wood was going to be making a guest appearance down at Cruisin The Barrio’s CRB show with my LOS DRIFTERS BROTHERS, The world famous Rude Boy and DJ Carlito. The very best of the Southwest and that’s a fact. If you don’t know you better ask somebody. My old school homie A.O. and Lyte were heading north. I bid everyone left on the scene a farewell and aimed my car down E. Grand Boulevard towards the highway. After a couple of lights, I was heading north myself back towards the 810. Like Ice Cube said, “Today was a good day”. As for the video, we will keep the readers and fans updated as news rolls in from the Wiked Wood camp. Stay tuned for updates because as soon as we know more about the pending drop, ROX-TV readers will know too. Thanks for spending some time with us today. I hope you enjoyed the trip. Music is a wonderful thing and is the universal language of the universe. Know it and you can speak to anyone.

Signing Off,

Mike Shepard

ROX-TV Head Writer

shepard2909@hotmail.com