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Girls of RUKUS from 2009-2018
This issue brings you every girl we’ve photographed over the past ten years in celebration of our 100th issue... Enjoy!
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All Access
The Latest Albums Reviewed Albums Reviewed: Ice Cube Everythangs Corrupt Method Man Meth Lab Season 2: The Lithium By Silas Valentino
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All Access Spotlight
Artists/Bands Featured: Ghostface Killah Ghost Files [The Bronze Tape] The Black Eyed Peas Masters Of The Sun Vol. 1 The Prodigy No Tourists By Samuel Wendel
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Contents R U K U S
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Pit Pass
Get In The Driver’s Seat Featured Event: SEMA 2018 Las Vegas, NV
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Game On
The Latest Games Reviewed Games Reviewed: Hitman 2
By Joshua David Anderson
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate By Jesse Seilhan
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Game On Spotlight Games Featured: The Division 2 Dead or Alive 6 Devil May Cry 5 By Jesse Seilhan
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Andrew Gates All Access Editor
Silas Valentino Games Editor
Jesse Seilhan Art Director
Andrew Gates All Access Contributors
Silas Valentino & Samuel Wendel Pit Pass Contributors
Andrew Gates & Greg Emmerson Game On Contributors
Jesse Seilhan & Joshua David Anderson Contributing Photographers
OG foto, Lowkey Captures, Andrew Gates & Rupa Begum Social Media Guru
Rupa Begum Contributing Make-up Artist
Too Many to List Contributing Hair Stylist
Too Many to List Advertising
Andrew Gates
info@RUKUSmag.com Mailing Address
RUKUS MAGAZINE 3115 e. Olive st. #42153 Las Vegas, NV 89116
Copyright Š 2008-2018 RUKUS, LLC. All Rights Reserved! November/December 2018 issue, Volume 10, Number 6. ISSN 2161-4369 (print) ISSN 2161-4377 (online) Visit https://www.RUKUSmag.com for more images and content.
Girls of RUKUS th 100 issue
I
n celebration of our 100th issue, we are bringing you every girl we’ve photographed over the past ten years. It’s been a wild ride throughout the years and we look forward to bringing you more great entertainment for many years to come. We hope you’ve enjoyed the content as much as we’ve enjoyed bringing it to you. There are some new things in the works so pay attention...BIG things coming for 2019. Thank you for your support. Enjoy!
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Which Side Words by Silas Valentino Photo by Jonathan Ng/Newspix/REX Shutterstock
Within the first few minutes of Everythangs Corrupt, Ice Cube’s 10th solo album, there’s his old school MC bravado (“When I drop the mic it hit the floor like Thor/You can’t pick it up no more”), a recording of the “you will not replace us” chants from the tiki torch Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Virginia plus a full-fledge call for handcuffing the commander in chief. Then track three begins. Everythangs Corrupt suggests Ice Cube, nearing 50 years old, hasn’t lost touch as being one of hip-hops most politicallycharged firebrands. His first album in eight years, and his first released during the tumultuous Trump Era, has Cube repositioning his presence in the game. He’s not the youngest gunslinger but he’s far from sounding like he’s caught in an era of the past. After a brief intro track when Cube reminds us he was “Always down to take a knee”, Everythangs Corrupt officially begins with the no-holds-back “Arrest the President.” He reflects the brass horn beat with a brash takedown on the 45th President, laying into him with allegations of Russian interference and ridiculing his unnatural appearance: “Arrest the president, you got the evidence/That nigga is Russian intelligence/When it rains it pours/Did you know the new white was orange?” While tearing into Donald John Trump isn’t unique and liberalism is already the predominant political mindset for most musicians, it’s still refreshing for an established artist to vocalize such detest without fearing the potential alienation of part of their audience. Perhaps the most refreshing aspect of Everythangs Corrupt is how consistent the record feels within Cube’s discography and avoids pitfalls like trying to incorporate new styles into the mix. There’s no awkward attempt to sound like a Soundcloud rapper or an abundance of featured artists to provide some sort of artificial boost to this record. Besides a quick appearance from Too $hort, this album is entirely Ice Cube and doesn’t lose focus on what made him one of the most successful rappers of all time. Over a 1970s-inspired beat – sourced directly from Bobby “Blue” Bland’s “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City” – “Streets Sheds Tears” is an update to the soulful classic with Cube relishing in his universal appeal (“Sorry, y’all, I ain’t got no haters/All I got is mother fuckers tellin’ me I’m the greatest”) and recalling forgotten greats like The Dogg Pound: “I’m down with Daz ‘cause everythang is Kurupt.” Cube often overdubs himself over certain lines to stress his dominance and the track stands out as one of the smoother moments on an otherwise confrontational album. The other silky moment on Everythangs Corrupt is the downbeat “Ain’t Got No Haters” featuring Too $hort. Cube was beat making well before Kanye West began crate digging at record stores for untapped soulful beats and Cube’s ability to cook up fresh alterations of past classics (in this case Delegation’s “Oh Honey” originally from 1977) has yet to fade. The final track, “Good Cop Bad Cop”, explores Cube’s perspective on the police which is rather nuanced for a traditional rap artist, he essentially acknowledges that good police do exist. But such positivity seems to be overshadowed by corruption, which Cube challenges by referencing the film he once wrote Friday to explain his thoughts: “Fuck the po-po actin’ like Deebo/Already know Craig’ll let the brick go.” It’s a brief moment that reflects Cube’s success in film, rhymes and remaining one of the loudest voices in hip-hop seemingly forever.
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Cookin’ it Up Words by Silas Valentino
The line between Method Man’s hip-hop and acting careers blur on Meth Lab Season 2: The Lithium but the veteran MC hasn’t lost what has made him famous in both fields. With cinematic storylines and spitfire flow, Method Man adds another mile to his enduring presence in hip-hop. This sequel to 2015’s Meth Lab is a house party with over two dozen guest features and several comedic “Commercial Break” interludes. Contemporary Hanz On has described the Meth Lab series as an opportunity to showcase new talent and the younglings appear in spades. Intell, Noreaga, Joe Young, Mall G, Jessica Lee Lamberti, Deanna Huntt, Freak, Cardi Express and Youngin are just a few new voices who get a shot at the mic on this Meth Lab sequel and this appears to be the album’s most appealing quality. Besides a couple of tight bars from Method Man, most of this album acts as a display of unheard talent. Episode 1 begins with “Kill Different” where Method Man invites us back and continues to deploy his clever wordplay and ability to slur speak any syllables into a rhyme. “No Malice, I’m just bad/The Crips’ll Pusha T and your head back/Go slap you in your head like, ‘go ‘head, rap’” he gels together like he’s yearning a tale in real time. A hustler who hasn’t had to work a street in decades, Method Man hasn’t lost his ability to tell a story. Fellow Wu Tang member Raekwon provides a verse about “Watchin’ Netflix and Breakin’ Bad bills/Pumpin’ krills back in 1980 fills/ FILA suits and grills.” The most crowded track is “Episode 4 – Drunk Tunes” where Noreaga, Joe Young and Mall G trades versus while Jessica Lee Lamberti sings the hook. It’s a simple tune about becoming too inebriated (the chorus is essentially: “I lost my car, what happened?/These drunk tunes got me trippin’/Take me home, damn, I’m buggin’”) and it inevitably comes off like a bunch of brodies hovering over the mic. “Commercial Break (Impractical Jokers ‘Torture’)” is hands-down the funniest skit with Sal Vulcano, Joe Gatto and Brian “Q” Quinn revamping a Wu Tang classic intro where they trade clever ways of defacing an enemy. But in this updated version, there’s a little more nuance to their threats: “I’ll fuckin’ fuck with your credit score”, “I fuckin’ erase shit off your DVR” and “I’ll fuckin’ log onto your WiFi router and change the password” they say in a comedic go-round. Teaming up with Pretty Blanco on the 808-tinged “Killing the Game”, Method Man embraces modern hip-hop with trap bird chirps and melodic versus. “I’m mashin’ the gas/I done mastered the class/Do not give these rappers a pass/These rappers is trash/I give these rappers the drag then ask, ‘Is you mad or you mad?’” he rhymes but it sounds like he’s withholding. Method Man is clearly a talented force but most of Meth Lab Season 2: The Lithium has the MC stunted or hidden behind the group of other voices he invited on board. The album ends with a brief tease into a future installment of the Meth Lab series which suggests Method Man is far from putting down the mic but if future outputs continue to be a crowded sound booth with unheard-of MCs then maybe Meth should retreat gracefully back to Shaolin.
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instagram.com/realghostfacekillah
Words by Samuel Wendel
Ghostface Killah, Ghost Files (The Bronze Tape)
Hot on the heels of delivering his newest solo effort The Lost Tapes, eminent rapper Ghostface Killah has let hip-hop producers take a stab at remixing the album. The result is the Ghost Files, which includes separate remixes from producers Bronze Nazareth and Agallah. They have plenty to work with, thanks to Ghostface Killah and his unique flow and vision. Ghost Files is another solid entry from the Wu Tang Clan member, featuring an A-list roster of guest spots, including Snoop Dogg, Raekwon, E-40, Big Daddy Kane and actor Michael Rapaport. And the remixes on Ghost Tapes bring new things to the table, changing the identity and feel of each track. For his part, Bronze Nazareth offers up lively new takes on his remixed version, called The Bronze Tape, with standouts including “Buckingham Palace,” “Majestic Accolades” and “Done Again.” For ardent Wu Tang fans and Ghostface Killah devotees alike, Ghost Files delivers plenty to dig into.
The Black Eyed Peas, Masters Of The Sun Vol. 1
instagram.com/bep
The Black Eyed Peas look to go back to basics on their new album Masters of the Sun Vol. 1, bringing in classic hip hop sounds that have mostly been absent from in their recent music. It’s the pop supergroup’s first release in 8 years, and their first since the departure of longtime member Fergie. Now a trio headlined by rapper Will.i.am, the Black Eyed Peas largely lay off their signature pop rap on Masters of the Sun Vol.1 in favor of jazzy production and soulful beats. It’s a welcome change, which revisits their roots as an alternative hip hop group in the 1990s. Still, they don’t abandon the pop recipe that made them famous, making sure to pump things up with big, sing-along hooks at regular intervals. The subject matter is also timely; they tackle topics such as race relations, gun violence, police brutality and social media. The political statements may not be as profound as The Black Eyed Peas intended, but they dig deeper than “My Humps.” By and large, Masters of the Sun Vol. 1 is a satisfying and cohesive album that could mark the beginning of intriguing things to come. instagram.com/theprodigyofficial
The Prodigy, No Tourists
U.K. rave vets The Prodigy add another reliable entry to their prodigious body of work with their latest album No Tourists. From start to finish, the album is further evidence that the group has mastered the craft of creating taut, energetic dance music. Still, there aren’t many fresh ideas or sounds here, with the final product remaining consistent with the formula The Prodigy began perfecting in the 1990s. But they still manage to rework their classic sounds with a rowdy efficiency. No Tourists is relentlessly aggressive, filled with rumbling hip-hop beats, heavy synths and snarling vocals, all of which are propped up by first-rate production. It’s a short, well-crafted album with no room for filler. All told, it should fit comfortably into The Prodigy’s live sets at festivals and beyond. Standout tracks include “Need Some1”, “Timebomb Zone” and “Give Me a Signal.”
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SEMA 2018 Photography and Words by Lowkey Captures
The 2018 SEMA Show hosted in Las Vegas, Nevada was one to remember as they all typically are. This one being my third show ever attending, it doesn’t feel like it would ever get old. Working the show as a media personnel is a challenge that I would personally say is close to impossible for one person to just see let alone photograph every showcase that’s presented. You will find everything and anything that has to do with the automotive industry in some way shape or form. Definitely one of the, if not the, biggest events in the world. Just getting to the event from the moment you wake up for the day is a mission within itself. There’s several parking lots not far from the convention center, but they do tend to fill up fast and come at a price. Personally my method is to park at one of the nearby casinos and take the monorail over to the convention center which is somewhat easier. As soon is you step into any of the entry points of the event you will see how large of a scale SEMA really is. Vehicles and crowds of people as far as you can see. Multiple models of lifted trucks as high as full scale monster trucks, and cars of all types that are so low that they literally sit on the ground. Also, for those not afraid of a rush you can go on a drifting ride-a-long with a professional driver on one of the several drift areas. It’s safe to say there’s some of everything at the SEMA show for any type of vehicle enthusiast. As media we have the privilege of being able to enter the show 30 minutes early before the vast majority of the industry which helps us greatly. Otherwise it’s pretty difficult to get that decent shot during regular show hours. A photographer could be standing at one spot waiting for half an hour just for that couple seconds of people clearing the area to snap the money shot. The amount of people that visit this event is pretty ridiculous, it’s really thousands of people in and out. Although, that makes good practice for any level photographer or videographer. There’s so much amount of content to capture. I personally had 300-500 photos to sort through after the end of each day. Definitely was hectic, but always worth it in the end. Achieving that perfect shot always makes the struggle of getting it worth while. One of my favorite parts of events like this is the people, and companies that you get to meet and connect with. Meeting with other photographers is always cool as well since you can network and get tips about the craft that we share in this automotive industry. You’ll see people like celebrities, Youtubers, professional drivers, models, and much more. Any serious car enthusiast or company from around the world will attend SEMA at some point in their venture at least once. That’s the beauty in it, because it serves as a reunion, and a place to make new friendships for many attendees. Thousands of people coming together under one huge event. Overall, I would say as an automotive photographer; that SEMA is the main convention that you have to see for yourself. Once you do it may become an event that you wouldn’t want to miss for the future years to come. It just keeps getting better, and I can’t wait for next year. If you missed out this year, you can find some images from the event on the following pages.
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WINNING STARTS IN THE GARAGE All The Horsepower In The World Won’t Get You To The Finish Line If Your Electrical System Is Not Up To The Job. Stacey David Trusts Painless To Deliver Professional Quality And American Made Dependability Every Time.
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The Hits Keep Coming Words by Joshua David Anderson
2016 was a great year for video games. Beyond the big-budget sequels and flashy sports titles for the new consoles, IO Interactive rebooted with stealth-action power fantasy game Hitman. In it, bald protagonist Agent 47 poisoned, stabbed, electrocuted, shot, and strangled the world’s elite assholes across some luxurious locales. The pure imagination that users could take into each scenario was unparalleled in gaming, creating some truly unique, bizarre, and fantastically memorable sequences. The episodic nature of its release was pulled off flawlessly, giving fans plenty to do month after month. But with the sequel, you get everything up front from the get-go with a few content drips coming after the release. So how does this new model stack up to the original and is this worn territory still fun two years after release? The setup is nearly the same: you’re charged with taking down the world’s biggest monsters, some plotting massive catastrophes and others’ misfortune simply looking to make billions off of others misfortune. Either way, Agent 47 is there, in a variety of costumes, to ensure they never eat another meal or take another breath. How he does that is completely up to you. Want to dress up as a security guard and strike when no one is looking? Rudimentary, but you can do it. Want to don a Flamingo mascot suit and snipe a Formula 1 driver as they race toward a checkered flag? Definitely more creative than the first option! Or maybe you want to ritually sacrifice a socialite daughter in front of her billionaire friends on a remote island, built for private parties the public will never hear about. Almost anything you can imagine is possible in the world of assassination that IO Interactive has built and that has only gotten richer and more entertaining in this sequel. Stories and narratives in the Hitman universe are generally straightforward and boilerplate, but the sequel attempts to mix things up. In this game, you’re partnering with the villain from the first one, as he is the only one that can unlock some secrets from your unknown past. He’s hiring you and your trusty aide Diana to take down these global baddies, all while dripping information about your upbringing in between missions. Sadly, those content drops are no longer gorgeously animated cutscenes, as they were in the first. Instead, comic-book-esque still-panel sequences get the story going, leaving much of the emotion out of the information. Still, the ending pays off and the baddies are still bad enough to kill, while the bulk of the “storytelling” spawns from your insane and sometimes hilarious path from mission opening to hurried escape, with all of the unconscious witnesses and strewn-about weapons left in your path. One of the big perks in this game is that if you own the first or if you buy the more expensive edition, you get all of the missions, levels, and items from the first game unlocked within the Hitman 2 game. That means you can stomp around Sapienza with the new gameplay upgrades found in the sequel, which are numerous. First off, the game does a much better job telling you about your surroundings. From the status of downed enemies to picture-in-picture looks at cameras that have detected you, your situational awareness has improved tenfold this time around. Helpful text like what weapons will pass a pat down or not also enhance your planning sessions, as do the more obvious rules of detection and stealth kills. One of the biggest improvements is the ring of stealth you get when crouched in tall grass, something the first game missed but now gets when played from the sequel’s launcher. While not perfect, Hitman 2 gets a lot of things right. The small gameplay improvements go a long way with its quality-of-life, as do the unlock methods and challenge systems. This is fundamentally more Hitman, which is not a problem, seeing as how it was our Game of the Year in 2016. Still, the lack of level parity (this has one fewer map than the original), the lack of episodic releases, and a lack of presentation between missions knocks it down a notch. For those that love the franchise, you will love this. And if you’ve never dabbled, this package is amazing and will keep you busy for 100+ hours. There is nothing in gaming quite like Hitman and Hitman 2 shows that IO knows how to get better with time and experience. Here’s hoping they get it right a third time with the next one!
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So Many Bros
Words by Jesse Seilhan
Super Smash Bros is consistently one of the most sought-after franchises for fans with a shiny new Nintendo console. There is only one per system release, each bigger and bolder than the last. This year’s version, exclusive to the Switch, is no different: a roster of 74 characters fight across dozens of stages, with hundreds of classic tunes, thousands of items, and countless memories. That’s every fighter ever to appear in an SSB game, including a few new characters, with DLC champions coming down the pipeline. And while this game is for the Switch, the Gamecube controllers some fans die to use are compatible, as are a host of 3rd party peripherals to ensure your experience is just how you remember it, be it on the N64, Gamecube, or Wii. But does all of that nostalgia work or does the game randomly trip and fall? If it works or not may be a moot point, as the game sold over five million copies within the first three days of release. But for those not ravenously hunting for the next big Nintendo brawler, we’re happy to report that there is still something for you to enjoy. The biggest change to this game is the single-player content, which is absolutely massive. We’re talking a 30+ hour campaign that spans the entirety of Nintendo’s history and then some. It’s called World of Light and it puts you in the (probably gross) pink shoes of Kirby, the surviving member of an alien invasion, tasked with retrieving the souls of his comrades. He does this by fighting the “spirit” version of them with some wacky modifier, like a poison floor or a stage where bombs rain from the sky. It gets really nuts when they tie in classic video game themes, such as fighting four Jigglypuffs, all different colors, to unlock the spirit of Dr. Mario. It goes places even weirder than that, but all in an effort to get you acquainted with the roster in a slow but sure way. That’s going to be the rub for longtime fans, as only eight characters are unlocked from the beginning: Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus, Yoshi, Kirby, Fox, and Pikachu. The others come randomly and in a slow drip, requiring a couple of minutes of game time before you get the opportunity to challenge a new fighter. Once defeated, they permanently join your roster, but don’t fret if you fail: there is a way to battle them again using a different character to add them to your stable. Collecting all 70+ will take dozens of hours, but leaves you coming back for more if you are just trying to unlock that damn one you are actually good with! Playing the normal Smash mode, either online or off, usually triggers a fight but sometimes it takes a little longer than you’d like. Other modes include a classic Arcade-style battle (face a series of foes) and some team fights, but almost everything has totally customizable rule sets to make it just the way you like. Most people playing Smash do so with friends and will probably skip the entirety of the single player campaigns. For them, the game is just as good as ever. The fighting is frantic but well balanced, lacking some of the overpowered nonsense from years past. New additions like King K. Rool and Ridley range from awesome to kinda bland, but future patches are sure to shake things up, as is the case with almost all fighting games. Nothing really “new” has been added to the core game: no new meters or systems. But the game has a delicate balance it attempts to maintain and adding something like that would drastically change the DNA of Smash. Syncing multiple Switch controllers can be a pain in the ass, so going with wired Gamecube ones isn’t a bad idea, especially if alcohol is involved with your Smash night and patience is not on the menu. Smash Bros is nearly the perfect “for everyone” kind of game. It has Nintendo, Sega, and third-party heroes from all of gaming’s history. It has easy and intuitive controls for pick-and-play fun. The music, levels, color swaps, and more will make your nostalgic heart grow three sizes. The only thing it’s really missing is a robust online suite of modes and an unlocked roster from the get-go. If those two things really bother you, buy it anyway, because Smash is best played with friends on a couch and you’ll be unlocking those character in no time. Once again, the Switch has put out an incredible first-party game so soon after release and has added another must-own to its growing collection.
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Words by Jesse Seilhan
The Division 2
While this may be too eerily similar to the real-world, The Division takes place in a world where Washington D.C. has fallen. Ubisoft’s first attempt at an open-world squad shooter was fun, to a point, specifically the endgame point where the game turned into an unfulfilling grind to earn nothing too special that was used doing nothing too special. The developers say they’ve learned their lesson, spending most of the run-up to the game talking up the activities you’ll do long after the level cap, from raids and weekly resets to unique weapons and more. The fundamental DNA of this game is so solid that it will still be worth it even if they end up not making good on that promise, but here’s hoping we have another king of the loot shooters in March of 2019!
Dead or Alive 6
Team Ninja may not be making the DMC games anymore, but they are bringing their stellar fighting franchise back to the forefront in Dead or Alive 6. Luckily, they scrapped the free-to-play model of their last game (which featured cosmetic DLC items that added up to over $150) and are putting together another solid entry. We’re getting the slow moments of brutality that games like Mortal Kombat and Tekken employ, as well as visible damage and injuries that show notch up the realism. But auto-combos and character customization should get newcomers excited as you can put together something unique and make them look and play badass without too much skill.
Devil May Cry 5
Capcom is attempting to ignore DmC, the stellar reboot brought to us by Ninja Theory. While that game leaned into the weird lore in a fun and youthful way, DMC5 is attempting to bring it back to its roots while establishing itself as the character-action game. Dante and Nero are back, and playable, and the scale and size of the monsters and story seem as large as ever. This one surprised us at E3 and we loved the time we spent with the demo, as the combat was fast, fluid, but always evolving as you incorporated new moves and enemies into each scrum. Even better, and an ode to the fighting games of Capcom’s past, the game features a dojo of sorts that lets you practice all your moves and weapons before heading to the streets and taking it to the monsters.
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