Sunz Of Man - The Last Shall Be First (July 21, 1998)

It's a damn shame when you miss the lone opportunity to make something better of yourself because you fell asleep.

Well, Walter Reed bka Wu-Affiliates Sunz of Man co-founder Killah Priest got another shot and made the best of it, but he could've been an official Wu General and he blew it! Him and the great Masta Killa were both vying for that same position, up to the point that they were expected to deliver a verse to Wu dictator the RZA by morning and had only a fortnight to write a worthy verse. Of course, being that Priest was already a full-fledged MC while the High Chief was not at the time, he rested on his laurels, opting to sleep it off then bring RZA a verse from his stashbox that'll blow him away, What he didn't count on was the fact that MK sat up all night coming up with the verse that the world finally heard on Da Mystery Of Chessboxin'. Priest was absolutely floored: He had was absolutely no way to top that legendary display of lyricism. And with that, MK was escorted into the realms of greatness with his now-brethren as the Wu-Tang Clan, while Killah Priest seemingly was destined to languish in the realms of obscurity forever.

That is, until he returned to Brooklyn and hooked up proper-like with his longtime friend David Collins bka Shabazz The Disciple to form a hip hop group called Sunz Of Man. And given that Walter still had relations with RZA stretching to the latter's Brooklyn roots, both dudes were awarded a chance meeting with another venture of his: Prince Paul's Gravediggaz. RZA was already impressed with Priest but he was absolutely floored with the heat the younger Shabazz brought to the table. Him and Paulie decided that they would be perfect on the lead single to the Gravediggaz now-classic debut, N****mortis/6 Feet Deep. The single, Diary Of A Madman, was an instant underground success, helping to establish a new genre of hip hop called horrorcore, even though despite the grim imagery, it actually had zilch to do with what technically consists as horrorcore, I digress.

From there, Priest and Shabazz would add new members to the Sunz Of Man collective, initiating dudes like Fredrick Cuffie Jr. bka 62nd Assassin (whom I guess should be considered as the Ol' Dirty Bastard of the clique. A fair enough comparison, since 62 is ODB's actual cousin) Vergil Lamar Ruff bka Prodigal Sunn, Chron Smith bka Hell Razah and Ian Smith aka 7th Ambassador. Many a Wu stan seem to forget about that last guy, which may be due to the fact that he left the group before they ever released a professional record. Another forgotten member is the group's one-time main producer Alaric Wilder bka Supreme Kourt, who also vanished from the group early, but not before recording an entire album's worth of material with them.

Said material was actually supposed to be released in 1995 as the group's debut and the first ever Wu-Affiliate record, Nothing New Under The Sun. Unfortunately, the ravages of time have swallowed whatever finished product that album was supposed to be whole, meaning that the only way you'll hear the finished version of that shit is if you go to the internet and look really hard. I'll wait. The group, however, released a single from those sessions called Solders Of Darkness/Five Arch Angels. The a-side was planned as a single to unite Sunz Of Man with yet another crew with deep roots with the Wu, one Killarmy. Soldiers Of Darkness left such a good impression that someone is still talking about it on random blogs dedicated to reviewing boom bap 20 years later. Still, the album's shelving was smack dab in the midst of the Wu's 5-year plan, so RZA had zero time to focus on managing acts other than his main crew. This naturally led to some issues within the management of Sunz Of Man, notably resulting in a couple of members leaving the group including co-fouder Shabazz The Disciple. Damn shame, that. He really was pretty awesome on cuts like Five Arch Angels.

Speaking of which, the group stayed releasing singles to and fro from the shelved album, including one of my three favorite songs from the group: No Love Without Hate. Still, the singles kept steadily coming, until enough interest was generated in a proper album from the foursome. And by 1998, Natural High, one of their final recordings with Supreme Kourt, was released to the adulation of their Wu-Tang predecessors. Now, the album had to be made.

By mid-1998, the world finally got a proper Sunz Of Man debut, called The Last Shall Be First, complete with full Wu-Element backing: The whole team sans Inspectah Deck is here. You're here to see if this album was worth this five paragraph intro.

INTRO
Skit.

COLD
First Wu-Element to step up to the plate is 4th Disciple and he erases whatever goofy shit the intro went for with his haunting mesh of Maxine Brown and James Brown. The first Sunz Of Man member you hear is also by far the workhorse of the group: Mr. Hell Razah. And I confess: I'm not OK with him being such, because every time I hear him, he comes off as a boring Shabazz The Disciple ripoff. That being said he bookends a scorching Prodigal Sunn verse with passable verses. This was a pretty good start.

NATURAL HIGH (FEATURING TREBAG)
Supreme Kourt gives you the first of his two contributions to his former group's debut, and it is a fucking banger. It absolutely transforms its Al Green foundation in a towering party beat. Unfortunately, the hook will make you eat yourself. Yep, that description was intentional. I want you to visualize every single one of its cringe-worthy details. That's how horrid this hook is. To top it all off, the only two who stick on-beat are Sunn and guest Trebag, who's ripping off Killah Priest's subject matter wholesale. Still, you need to hear this beat.

FLAMING SWORDS
Ya boy Derrick Harris is next, and curiously he chooses to give you his take on the Bobby Digital style of beats, with the result being pretty underwhelming. Weird, as True Master was on fire in '98. Whatever. The first appearance of 60 Second Assassin will, however, leave an impression on you: you will either overzealously love his delivery or overzealously hate it. There's no middle ground with this guy. I happen to be of the former group, though, as you see how he can come across as yet again another slightly focused version of ODB, following in the late great Grym Reaper's example. Priest cranks up the violent imagery to 1000, yet still comes off as a bit boring. I don't know how that's possible. Razah and Sunn end the song with their respective standards: one's awesome and one's a boring Shabazz clone.

ILLUSIONS (FEATURING MASTA KILLA)
The first of five Wu Generals on this album, the severely underrated Masta Killa, leaves his mark on this somber Donny Hathaway loop by Mr. Bogard, who sprinkles a dope Bob Marley excerpt mid-song. Nice touch, 4th. And I gotta say, everyone comes correct here. Yes, even Chron reigns in the Shabazz impression enough to give a very serviceable performance. So much so that even with MK's dope-ass verse, it's actually Vergil Ruff who outshines everyone else here. Simply put, the man was not to be denied this time. Good shit, y'all.

SHINING STAR (FEATURING OL' DIRTY BASTARD & EARTH, WIND & FIRE)
We now come to the oddball out of the entire album, as this song sounds as if it were made in a different reality than the rest of this album. The video accompanying this was so ludicrously awesome, as it featured the second Wu General of the evening, one ODB, at the top of his element. If you somehow still don't know what made people love this guy, hop yourself on over to YouTube now and watch this damn video. That being said, Sunz Of Man send Killah Priest out to get some lollipops for ODB's rest periods while the rest have the time of their lives on the actual record along with the late icon. 62 also references his harmless appearance on Raekwon's Glaciers Of Ice in a manner that adds to his verse properly. And this is the precise point where my praise for this song ends, as Wyclef's pretentious ass produced this song. This beat was screaming for the radio to play it as an alternative to the Comby joints fucking up the mainstream back then. In the most annoying way that Wyclef typically reserves for himself.

ISRAELI NEWS (FEATURING TREBAG)
Oh no. This track is obviously Walter's idea. Now while Supreme Kourt's Blackbyrds-sampling beat is pretty melodic, there's a reason why I generally stay the hell away from Priest's shtick: His subject matter is just way, way over his head. I get it: You want to inspire dialogue about the touchy subject of belief and spirituality. But such big questions, in my humble opinion, simply cannot be answered by mere thoughts or reactionary judgments, such as committing to what certain people like to call "blasphemy". I know it's a frowned-upon word for some, but there's a point behind such a branding. No, these questions take no less than entire lifespans of research and discussion in various interconnected humanitarian fields, whether they be history, thought, philosophy or even culture. Sometimes, even science can enter the equation. I really don't want to turn this site into a debate forum, as there's a time and place for everything. Which brings us back to the song: The whole thing is just Trebag and Razah taking leafs outta Priest's book, who's typically spouting utter gibberish here. So, this is a definite skip for me.

TRIBULATIONS
This RZA production splits Sunz Of Man (what's left of them, anyways) into two tag teams: 62 and Sunn against Priest and Razah. And I hate to sound like a broken record here, but Cuffie and Ruffie really don't leave much room for the other two to impress. Maybe it's because Walter and Chron sound too goddamn bored with their shit that I couldn't care less about its actual content. It really doesn't help that Priest is sticking to his crap while Razah is straight up unimpressive. Meanwhile, the other two are putting in the effort and it friggin' shows. At least it's over a RZA beat that's respectable enough to warp its Whispers source in his trademark untraceable technique. Although, I guess that the hook was Sunn attempting to shake things up through sampling one of his lines from the aforementioned Shining Star. Too bad said line wasn't really that good to begin with.

THE INTERVIEW
Skit!!

THE PLAN

Yes! I've been waiting all Album to review this track, as 4th Disciple kicks the best beat on the entire album. No, really: Selwyn's Ann Peebles loop is a masterpiece that really helps the crew up their game. That's right: Chron and Walter dial down their negative heavy. They sound fairly good as a result, especially Priest. However, the clear star performance goes to 62nd Assassin, who simply sounds like he's having the time of his life. Vergil is pretty enthused, as well, and the entire song is better for it. Great song!

COLLABORATION '98 (FEATURING METHOD MAN & TRUE MASTER)
TM returns behind the boards to try his hand again at producing a decent digital orchestra beat. This one fairs a bit better than Flaming Swords, to be honest. He also sets the song off with a rare showing on the mic, and I gotta say: Son is nice! He's truly cut from the cloth of the GZA style of MCing, with focused punchlines and bonecracking conviction in his delivery. Dude leaves so much of an impression that the album's debuting contribution from Method Man passes by without you even noticing it. Seriously, this is uncharacteristic of Cliffy, as normally he obliterates cameos like this. Maybe it's because the beat is too tame for him? Nah, that hasn't stopped him before. Whatever. By this point, Hell Razah is beginning to sound tiresome, to the level that you might find yourself itching to hit that skip button. Invest in your delivery the way you did when you first came in the game, man. Don't worry, though: Prodigal Sunn restores the enjoyment factor as he hands in another whirlwind of a performance. Overall, this song is aight.

INMATES TO THE FIRE
Whoops. I spoke too soon. With no Killah Priest to be seen in the vicinity, the remaining three members unload a proper thrashing on RZA's second contribution to this album, by far his best of the three. As I said: Sunn, Razah and 62 deliver a posse cut that's clearly the best song you've heard so far on the album, with everybody upping their focus appropriately. Yes, even Razah. Go figure. However, I must mention that it's actually 62 who walks away with this awesome song. Dude sounds straight up possessed as he blacks out with rhyme after sickeningly awesome rhyme. My lone beef with this track is that Dreddy Kruger should've spit his shit on this song, as I've always liked his sick punchlines. Oh well, still an awesome song.

NOT PROMISED TOMORROW (FEATURING TEKITHA)
Selwyn finally shows himself again, after a lengthy absence to provide a somber beat that housing his trademark sampling of classical music. And Hell Razah stays awake this time. Amazing! He comes across much more passable this time. Unfortunately, this song also housing the second home-run in a row for Mr. Cuffie. Seriously, how are this guy's rhymes not quoted more? "If it don't fit don't force it/Can't mix the nine with the Caucus/Picture the ocean without the saltness/Killas without the forfeit" This cat is fire! However, Prodigal Sunn surprisingly tops him with a takedown of the system's injustices against the impoverished. I always knew he had it in him. Nice!

FOR THE LUST OF THE MONEY/THE GRANDZ
I swear, this is the second time on the blog where my concern regarding a certain album from 20 years ago gets addressed as I'm making it so thank you, Hell Razah from 20 years ago, for focusing more on your delivery. It allows you to pull out performances like this that steal the show from your groupmates on songs like this. Although I don't really get the "repeat phrases"  thing y'all got going on, it's still OK as my enjoyment of this song hasn't dwindled in the slightest. Maybe it's because True Mas' finally brought an absolute banger of a beat? Seriously, this Sweet Inspirations-looping instrumental brings back his iron-clanging sound that he made his standard on albums like The Pillage and Tical 2000. This shit knocks.

CAN I SEE YOU (FEATURING BERETTA 9)
4th Disciple crafts a beat that, while good, fails to avoid the inevitable: a slump song after the previous three highs for Hell Razah. Not to worry, though, as Killarmy's Beretta 9 brings his elevated game from Dirty Weaponry with him in a scorching verse. Only for Sunn to predictably steal the show with yet another strong showing. By this point, it should be clear to you who my favorite member from this collective is.

THE BATTLE
Skit!!!!

NEXT UP (FEATURING METHOD MAN)
True Master is back and hogs production duties for the last two tracks of The Last Shall Be First. This song is strictly punchlines and, really: who better to join your punchline endeavor than Mef, the Wu's resident punchline king? 62 sets shit off nicely but Prodigal Sunn surprisingly slips up here. His verse is just plain uneventful. While in a reverse of fortunes, it's actually Hell Razah who's the best Sunz Of Man member on this joint. His line: "Y'all rappers couldn't blow if a windy storm produce/And sung a kiddie song and wore a Power Ranger suit" will issue a chuckle from you. Hell, I laughed so good I was shaken from my half sleep stupor. But come on, you there's only one outcome when you share a punchline track with Mef. Sure enough, he more than makes up for his underwhelming earlier showing with a verse that's up to his awesome standards. Great song, but I must ask, though: Where the hell is Killah Priest?

INTELLECTUALS (FEATURING RAEKWON & GOLDEN ARMS)
After an intro where 62 riffs about something, True Master loops a Flaming Ember sample effectively, eclipsing his work on the previous song. The album ends with two Wu Generals, The Chef and Golden Arms, boosting this song heavily. Rae sets it off lovely, with his patented crhymes taking center stage. Too bad, Hell Razah is in his drugged Shabazz clone phase yet again. Moving on. As you hear 62 spit his shit, you might also finally reach the point where his shtick risks being too overused. I beg you, though: Listen to what he's actually saying. The man is an MC, straight up. Finally, Golden Arms closes the album out with another trademark negative capability showing. And like all his others, his style continues to fly over Wu stans' heads to this very day. Too bad his hook throughout the song was a pile o' bile. Following Goldie's verse, Hell Razah almost derails the goodwill this song has generated so far with his abhorrent singing and extended outro. And unfortunately, still no Killah Priest.

FIVE ARCH ANGELS (OUTRO)
Fuck whomever allowed this insult to remain on the proper release.

FINAL THOUGHTS
That's it. No more Wu-Affiliate shit for a long ass time. That being said. Killah Priest shows up on only four tracks: I never said the dude can't spit. I just said I didn't like his quasi-religious spiel. No excuse to leave off the majority of his group's goddamn project, though. That being said, I still enjoyed this album, as Prodigal Sunn and 62nd Assassin kept me entertained throughout the vast majority of the album. And the constant presence of the Wu-Elements helped keep the sound pretty damn consistent, which is usually what happens when you hand over production to one team if you can believe it. However, there's technically a continuation to this review. Read on.

WORTH IT? Oh bet. This album mostly houses some of the best songs you'd ever hear from the Wu camp, which is just a testament to how strong that W was, not only from a business standpoint but creatively as well. As for the continuation I spoke about?

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
SOLDIERS OF DARKNESS (FEATURING KILLA SIN & 9TH PRINCE)
This is such an essential Wu-Affiliate experience, it ain't even funny, for this is the actual debut of the very concept. And it did its job to the fullest, lemme tell you. 4th Disciple helms this masterpiece with a brilliant Henry Mancini loop that is upgraded from somber to absolute dread as the MCs step up, and for an intended supergroup: these guys meshed very well together. The Killarmy half set shit off, with Killa Sin sounding fairly elementary compared to what he'd later accomplish on the lyrical aspect. 9th Prince went by the name Madman at the time, and while he sounds exactly the same as his later contributions to the first two Killarmy albums, that name fit someone else on the song so much more. For as we start the Sunz Of Man part of the song, it's Prodigal Sunn who comes in and steals the song from everyone present.Not even Killah Priest and 62nd Assassin's dope-as-fuck verses are exempt from Sunn's wizardry here. His delivery is so fucking chaotic that he earned the right to be called the true Madman of the Wu-Affiliates. This song is timeless.

FIVE ARCH ANGELS
Shabazz The fucking Disciple is on this song! This is what a Sunz Of Man album should've sounded like. 4th Disciple again helms this masterpiece of a Marvin Gaye distortion, while all the five MCs of the crew get down something right. This is where you'll notice just how much Hell Razah bit Shabazz' style, because for every witty line that Shabazz spits, Razah tries to recreate to little fanfare. I will say that his younger voice sounds weirdly squeaky, which is so different to how his voice sounds on the proper album it may be jarring. Priest is uncharacteristically funny as fuck with some of his punchlines, while Sunn continues his winning form from the previous song. Considering that this was the b-side to Soldiers Of Darkness, I'd that whomever bought that single was very lucky indeed.

NO LOVE WITHOUT HATE
This track is the best representation of what original producer Supreme Kourt could've brought to the table had he stayed on with Sunz Of Man. For this level of dark mastery behind the boards was present in most of his works with the group, but this song is where you'll be able to hear it the most: SK alters the most random of Al Green samples into a sorrowful beat coupled with drums that will shatter your bones for the foursome to dismantle. And boy do they ever do. Even Hell Razah's average verse is lifted by his awesome hook. Seriously, this is the best hook Sunz Of Man has ever came up with, and it was Hell Razah who wrote it! Of course, the remaining three share equal props for the best verse. I'm serious, that's how good these guys were together. To the point that I completely understand why many Wu stans eventually felt shortchanged with the eventual album.

DEATH BE THE PENALTY (SHABAZZ THE DISCIPLE SOLO)
For a producer for Killarmy, 4th Disciple sure did produce a lot of Sunz Of Man's records. Such as this masterpiece of a debut single, released very shortly after Shabazz split from his group. This song is a continuation of the skill that made people love this guy on Diary Of A Madman, as his imagery was so vividly descriptive you had to buy into what he was rhyming about.

CRIME SAGA (SHABAZZ THE DISCIPLE SOLO)
First time I seen this was through the music video, directed by the GZA of all people. The instrumental was a creative mashup of various excerpts from a Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson song from The EducationOF Sonny Carson OST. By this period, Shabazz the MC has evolved so much in such a short period of time that this song by its very lonesome was cited as a huge inspiration to one of the greatest MCs to ever destroy a beat, the late great Big Punisher. As cited by the man himself, Crime Saga, with its upgraded flow while retaining the vivid imagery Shabazz became known for, was instrumental in the dude's lyrical growth, because if you remember his showing on Fat Joe's Watch Out Now, his flow was much tamer then. Meanwhile Shabazz was continuing to wow everyone with the wordplay he displayed here about a kid who gets lost in the corruption around him. The level of metaphors and entendres reaches madness by the end of the song and you're left at how in the hell was this song lost in the bowels of the mid-90s underground scene. This is by far Shabazz' best solo showing, in my book. And we're done.

Lost in the rabbit hole of Wu-Affiliates and want a way back to the main crew? Here. If you actually like it here, then here's some more fo' yo' freaky ass.

La The Darkman - Heist Of The Century (November 17, 1998)

At the eve of my fifth annual trip to the dreaded financial capital of the West Coast of Arabia, (Nothing against the region, I just hate the way people drive there.) I decided to write about a rapper I was introduced to during my very first trip to that decadent wasteland of a city called Jeddah. (Fuck that place's infrastructure.)

That first trip was the very first time of me living in an entire city for a considerable period of time where I knew absolutely zero people. Naturally, my main recourse was games and hip hop. I played the ever-living shit outta Batman: Arkham Asylum and delved deeper into boom bap albums that, up till that point, I never heard.

One of which is the revered first chapter of the Soul Assassins series by one Lawrence Muggerud aka DJ Muggs of the legendary Cypress Hill, released in 1997. Keep in mind that this trip is the one that changed my outlook on music and how I look for it. That album, along with the Wu-Tang Clan's venerable 5-year plan collection of solos and the timeless Gang Starr discography, was a big transition stage for me. I might also mention that that trip was when I got into my absolute favorite two Cypress Hill albums: Temples Of Boom and, more importantly, IV.

Back on Soul Assassins Ch.1 for a bit: On that album was a solo track, called Devil In A Blue Dress, reserved exclusively for a rapper whose moniker I've already come across on my Wu-related Wikipedia voyages: Lason Jackson bka Wu-Affiliate La The Darkman aka LAD. I'd later find out that this song is one of his very first performances on wax ever. This is very interesting, as La is apparently the first Wu-Affiliate not to receive their first major exposure on a Wu-related release. Maybe it's because RZA has finally abandoned his role as Wu dictator by then. Whatever.

In actuality, La debuted with a promotional single in 1996 by the name of I Want It All with a special b-side called As The World Turns featuring one Raekwon the Chef, white-hot from his work on the famed Only Built For Cuban Linx. 

So, judging by the picture you see above of the album I'm reviewing here, Wu management liked La's performance on Devil In A Blue Dress so much that they furthered La’s adoption into the ranks and went about making his debut album, Heist Of The Century. Now, despite the album being a partnership between Wu-Tang Records and a label called Supreme Team Entertainment, of which this album is the only release under that particular banner, Heist Of The Century boasts a cracking list of guests, both on the lyrical and production fronts. First of all, production is largely handled by Carlos Broady aka 6 July from the abhorrent Comby's jolly bag of Hitmen. The remaining producers? The fucking RZA himself, the aforementioned DJ Muggs, Havoc of Mobb friggin' Deep and Killarmy's 4th Disciple. The rappers? Oh just the aforementioned Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Masta Killa, Golden Arms, Havoc (again), 12 O'Clock (the late great ODB's brother), Killa Sin (again from Killarmy) and something called a Shotti Screwface, to whom I offer my deepest condolences for the loss of his education. What? He calls himself Shotti bloody Screwface, get over it. Naturally with such a guest list, the album sold enough numbers for Lason to never leave the independents and start his own independent label, and he's been in and out of the game ever since.

Now before I heard this album, I scoured the internet various times to gauge the reaction to Lason and this album from hip hop heads. What I found was consistently inconsistent: People seem to either revere this guy or curse him to the depths of oblivion. Normally, these types of reactions interest me, as I always like to form a solid opinion on dividing entertainment material, but I don't know what kept me from actually forming an opinion on this guy. I mean, sure I listened to the album properly before but I've never felt strongly about actually issuing a verdict about its quality. It was just one of those albums in the background that you like to routinely listen to but don't normally discuss. Until I realized I'm going to have to properly review this thing. That's when my opinion of it formed very clearly

Read on:

LUCCI
La begins the album with the right idea if he's ever to be taken seriously as a Wu-Affiliate: 6 July hooks his boy up with a Five Deadly Venoms sample that best fits the young' un to open the song, then loops a Junior Mance excerpt in a fair imitation of a Wu beat, complete with dusty drums. For his part, La launches into some thug raps that, while technically proficient, are just too damn flossy to my taste, and they ultimately ruin the song. Shame, as the beat had potential.

SHINE
Unlike this shit, which is pretty goddamn dead-on-arrival. Seriously 6 July, what the hell were you thinking looping that Roy Ayers sample like that? This is what happens when producers try to be trendy, as this shit sucks wild moonhog balls. To top it off, the lyrics are mostly even worse, with the exception of a small mini-story in the second verse that shows an incredible talent for imagery. Still, fuck this song.

CITY LIGHTS
After a short dialogue skit where an O'Jays sample plays in the background, Havoc from Mobb Deep tags in for 6 July and gives him a beat straight outta his mid-90s vault of haunting beats, and the result is instantaneous: La sounds spits a 42-bar-long one-verse-story about the pitfalls of street life that sounds infinitely better than the first two songs off Heist Of The Century. Maybe it's because Hav, like many people, recognized the similarities La had with his own rhyme partner Prodigy: Lason sounds like a fan, and I mean that in the best way possible. It's here that La begins showing that he's pretty fucking awesome when telling stories. So yeah, I love this song.

WHAT THUGS DO (FEATURING DJ ROGERS & PUFF)
And we're back once again in shitty territory. 6 July has mostly made it his mission to supply La with the absolute worst beats he can muster. Did this kid take a dump in the back seat of your car, Carlos? The hook is a sewage and koala barf cocktail, by the way. To his credit, La tries his damnedest to save the song with as much vivid imagery as he can, but to no avail. Shame.

HEIST OF THE CENTURY (FEATURING KILLA SIN)
The venerable DJ Muggs steps behind the boards, and this time you get to see why so many people were hyped on this Lason Jackon character: He and fellow Wu b-teamer Killa Sin bring the heat something delicious with, as the title states, a dope-as-all-fuck heist tale. Muggs' beat perfectly sets the canvas for these two MCs to paint their tale, and the whole lyrical buffet's here: imagery, punchlines, detail, wordplay. This song has it all. I will note that while the dial-up sounds might've seemed like a good idea in '98, they sound hilariously dated now. Still didn't stop this song from washing all the horrid tracks outta my memory by its very lonesome. Once again, Lason continues to prove just how amazing of a storyteller he is.

FIFTH DISCIPLE
4th Disciple tags in for some proper Wu production from a legitimate Wu-Element in his first of four showings on this album, and he provides a short-but-sweet incursion into Cuban Linx territory, complete with Raekwon himself ad-libbing in the background. For his part, La doubles down heavy on the quotables, spitting his one-verse-wonder as if it were his final wish in this life. I don't care if the song is one minute long, this shit is splendid.

NOW Y
Please refer to my review of track #1. Seriously.

SPRING WATER (FEATURING RAEKWON)
Come the fuck on, 6 July! You can't be serious about putting La on with these beats! What's more, you brought out one of the shittiest Rae performances a Wu stan like myself has ever heard. I don't care how genuine La sounded here, Rae and 6 July demolished any chance of this song succeeding to kingdom come. Fuck this song.

4 SOULS (FEATURING SHOTTI SCREWFACE)
Whoa. I did not expect the 6 July from 19 years ago to listen to me! OK, that joke was lame as hell, but by God did 6 July cook up a heater on this track, courtesy of a smacker of a Wu-sounding beat, dusty drums and all, with exquisite dabs of an Aretha Franklin sample mixed with it. And it's the song featuring Shotti Screwface, of all people! And by God, do La and SS sound fucking bananas on this. Lason, in particular, dials up his grimy game to 300! No lie, this is essential listening if you're a Wu stan.

STREET LIFE (FEATURING TEKITHA)
After the previous song's high, 6 July brings us a beat that's very much tame by comparison, but still keeping the quality intact. However, once again La fails to deliver lyrics that match the beat's sombre nature, opting for generic thug raps instead. And yet the true reason this song is one of the absolute worst I've ever heard in hip hop history is simply just how off-key Tekitha sings her interpolation of Randy Crawford's famed track, turned into a blaxplotation mainstay by Quentin Tarantino's 1997 classic Jackie Brown. I've long since decided that the Wu just don't know how to recognise true R&B talent, because Tekitha has impressed me on only one occasion and it damn sure ain't this.

LOVE (FEATURING MAIA CAMPBELL)
4th Disciple superbly builds a beat around a carefully-picked Gladys Knight sample. La, in turn, fails to deliver on his end of the deal, choosing to spin a tired tale where he's pushing off a needy girl in order to pursue his career. I don't care how true this is to some people, I refuse to respect such negative stereotypes because they are not the majority of women out there. With this song, Lason breaks his hot storytelling streak. Groan.

FIGARO CHAIN (FEATURING HAVOC OF MOBB DEEP)
Havoc is back, and this time he chooses to fuel the comparisons between La and Prodigy by sharing the track with our host. And I must say, they mesh well together. I know many non-Wu fans consider La as a Prodigy knock-off, but all I care about is if the guy lyrically delivers. And here he most definitely does, as this sounds like a Mobb Deep purist's tribute. Nice!

POLLUTED WISDOM
The Abbot himself climbs down from his high horse to produce for Lason Jackson. And it must be said: His beat will take your breath away. RZA conjures a fucking '5-year-plan' beat while bringing not one, but two OV Wright samples sprinkled throughout the resulting instrumental. And fortunately, La makes up for his fable flop earlier with a sublime crime-ridden tale about a female thug that lost her life to 'the life'. This even tops the earlier City Lights. This is most definitely a RZA track, judging by the way he lets the beat ride for two minutes straight, which is a detail I absolutely love when the beat's this good. The icing on the cake is the Christopher Walken sample at the end, although for the life of me, I can't pick out where it's from. In closing: This is, by far, my favorite solo performance on this album from our host.

GUN RULE
Carlos returns with a mean Grover Washington loop, ingeniously spicing the beat up with an exquisite Carlton Fisk sample played at the hook. La lives up to his Darkman moniker by reacting to these sinister tunes in the most proper way: Upping the haunting imagery to a thousand. Trust me, this is one masterclass display. Albeit not quite as high as the preceding song, but still impressive. This album has now established quite a turnaround as this counts three amazing songs in a row.

ELEMENTS OF SURPRISE (FEATURING MASTA KILLA & GOLDEN ARMS)
4th Disciple solidifies his ear for classic music with this Johnny Mathis loop, while introducing two Wu Generals to share mic time with our host, and all three come armed to the teeth with a harrowing street tale each, told in a mesmerizing verse each with only a bridge between La's verse and those of his guests. Bar none, the best song on the album.

AZ THE WORLD TURNZ (FEATURING RAEKWON)
The b-side to the promo debut single. 4th Disciple composes the best beat on the album, even better than that brilliant RZA offering, and schools 6 July on how to pull a proper Raekwon performance, even if it is cut extremely short. Seriously, the beat is suffocatingly minimalist in the best possible way. And as you've read above, Darkman really reacts to beats like this, lyrically besting friggin' Raekwon the Chef in a definitive and convincing manner. This is the fifth awesome song in a row. 4th's workrate on the Wu-Affiliate albums of the late 90s truly is underrated and his work here's proof.

WU-BLOOD KIN (FEATURING 12 O'CLOCK & GHOSTFACE KILLAH)
Oh well, all good streaks must come to an end. 6 July utterly wastes his opportunity to prove 4th Disciple's prior showing wrong by completely mishandling the Al Green sample he looped, whilst also wasting a Ghostface Killah appearance on the putrid hook. To their credit, La & 12 try to save the song with two tales filled with as much detail as they can muster, but the beat is just too fucked to allow them any room for a comeback. Carlos: Fuck you for making this beat and for allowing the existence of that utter abomination of a hook.

I WANT IT ALL
The promo debut single was saved for last. 6 July’s beat is technically competent but when taking the rest of Heist Of The Century into context, the resulting placement ends the album with a most underwhelming beat, which could've been saved by a notable performance. Instead, La just seemingly coasts on some more flossy shit. Had this been placed as the opening track of the album, it’d’ve fit much better. Shame. This is one whimper of an album closer I ain't forgetting anytime soon.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Gut check time: I said in the intro to this review that people were split down the middle regarding Lason Jackson and Heist Of The Century. Here's my two cents: I understand the reasoning behind both opinions completely. Throughout this album, La was either impressively proficient or infuriatingly lacking. And no, this isn't another Pillage situation: The main culprit behind this is 6 July, who didn't direct La's talents enough times. True, he does supply more than a fair share of good beats, but a producer's main role is to ensure that his MC comes as correct as La and co. did on songs like 4 Souls and Gun Rule, in which 6 July aced his production duties. But it can't be a coincidence that a vast majority of La's worst showings on this album were 6 July productions, which is why the blame must be placed on him. Proof of which is just how awesome La sounds on the guest producers' contributions. Seriously, only Love from 4th Disciple, the 2nd-most featured producer here, was a misfire. The rest were stellar. Oh well, now Lason can sleep well at night confident in the knowledge that the vitriol of Wu stans who hated this album will be directed towards the one truly deserving of it: Carlos Broady. I'm kidding, he's probably a nice guy, right? Seriously though, in closing: this is an album where the quality is split right down the middle. Nine tracks are disgustingly awesome, while the other nine are just disgusting.

WORTH IT? This is where I leave the final decision up to you: If you're a glass half full cat like myself, then this album is worth your investment, even with its crappy ending. If you'd rather spend your money on albums more concise in quality, I'm sure La and 6 July'd understand.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN
DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS
From DJ Muggs' Soul Assassins Ch.1 album, I only added it here because it was apparently added to a rare rerelease on Heist Of The Century. Which is pretty appropriate as I've found this to be La's absolute best solo performance ever. Period. Seriously, if you thought he was magnificent on any track you might've liked on the proper album, he will blow you away here. The only track from the album that comes close to matching its quality is Polluted Wisdom, and that is one endorsement you better respect. In fact, go and listen to it now, just so you understand how much of an impression this guy left on people. Enough to inspire a review almost 20 years later, that's for sure. And we're done.

For more Wu-Affiliate shit, come and check just how deep the rabbit hole goes here.

Killarmy - Dirty Weaponry (August 11, 1998)

You'll see if this whole 'dropping a post every month' thing blows over. You'll just have to see.

I don't know how you can absorb the black hole that is the Wu-Affiliate discography without suffering a few seizures. Because covering this shit is taxing. And so far, I'm attempting to cover dudes who are 100% confirmed to have direct ties to the Wu-Tang Clan. Obviously, I bit off more than I can chew, but I'm sticking with this run to its bitter end, no matter how long I'll take.

Back in 1998, Killarmy, made of Steubenville, Ohio's Terrance Hamlin bka Wu creative mind RZA's younger brother 9th Prince, Jamal Alexander bka Shogun (hands down my favorite Steubenville MC from the collective), Samuel Murray tka Beretta 9 nka Kinetic 9 and Rodney Stevenson bka Islord (the Cappadonna of the group), along with Staten Island, NY's Jeryl Grant bka Wu manager& actor Oliver 'Power' Grant's younger sibling Killa Sin (the Method Man of the group) and Domingo Del Valle tka PR Terrorist nka Dom Pachino, were in a situation that many a rap act found themselves in throughout the years: How will we ever follow up our debut? (Insert the whiniest emoji you can think of here.) Now granted, it ain't like people treat Silent Weapons For Quiet Wars as a goddamn timeless piece of music, even though it's way more deserving of a spotlight than albums like the friggin No Way Out vanity project by Comby Combs with his mainstream-whoring ways. Nevertheless, enough people listened to it, and more importantly, enough people liked it. Naturally, a sequel is expected that still retains whatever said fanbase liked about the original. So it's probably a pretty good idea that Steubenville's Selwyn Bogard bka revered Wu-Element 4th Disciple remained as the group's main producer.

For 4th, my SWFQW review mentioned that it was his "proving ground as an album crafter", to which I believe I said that "he passed that particular test with hella flying colors". Now, people (read: Wu stans) know to associate him with minimalist beats with quite the affinity for classic music. His retention for this album as well boosts the chance that maybe the crew will repeat their previous feat. Keep in mind that these dudes are attempting this after losing their manager & leader, Steubenville's late General Wise, . Listening to them speak about him, you get the feeling that he was pretty goddamn prevalent in their lives and that his death hit them fairly hard. RIP General Wise.

Side note: I don't really remember when it was that I was convinced to give these Killarmy albums a go. Maybe it's after the constant stream of awesome performances by Killa Sin I was exposed to. Scratch that, I believe I can pinpoint the exact verse from him that forced me to check these dudes out: It was his performance on the Real Live Shit remix. He blew everyone else away on that shit, even a very in-form Ghostface Killah.

And with Dirty Weaponry, you're here to see if these guys can do the same.

GALACTICS
We set the album off with the revelation that this album will host not one, but two guest producers. Granted, it's on 3 of 13 songs, but it's still worth mentioning. The first guest producer is Queens, NY's Ronald Bean bka Wu-Element DJ Mathematics and straight out the gate, you can hear his audacious challenge to 4th Disciple in the Mad Lads-sampling beat he's provided the group, preceded by a sample describing their MO yet again: They're militant in their pursuit of greatness in this game. The dialogue sample opening the song kind of drags a bit, until the relentless loop forming the beat emerges from its depths to engulf you in a sense of foreboding. This might be another triumphant showing from these guys after all. You first hear Dom's boring-ass hook (read: he delivers it as if there's a carrot stuck in his teefers. Thanks for that word, Mef!), and I must admit my initial frustration at hearing friggin' Islord spit the first verse. However, everything after that is nothing short of hip hop bliss. You're treated to three blistering verses from Beretta, Dom & 9P respectively, and surprisingly Dom blew me away. No lie, this is straight up the best verse I've ever heard from the guy! Not even 9P's gibberish flow can fill the gaping hole he incinerated in the beat. Very nice! The song ends with a sample from the Spawn HBO TV series, for better or worse.

ALLAH SEES EVERYTHING (FEATURING KILLAH PRIEST)
I'd've figured that, given it's title, Priest would contribute more to this track than hook duties, but here you go. So, Dom's on fire now. I'm serious, something happened to this guy after the first album, because he damn sure ain't playing around with performances like this. 9P and Islord (Ugh) pale by comparison, although I get the feeling that you'll tolerate 9P's shit here more than that of the personality vacuum. 4th accepts DJ Math's challenge on the earlier song and elevates the sweeping feeling Math brought with his own sweeping take on the samples here. 2 for 2.

5 STAGES OF CONSCIOUSNESS
To date, this is the lone track to in Killarmy's entire discography to feature all the members on one song. Does it fulfill expectations, you ask? Well sure enough, 4th Disciple brings you his signature minimalist mesh of obscure samples that might be combined with some keyboard play from him. The group fittingly responds, no question: We begin with the Shaolin, NY duo of Killa Sin & Dom bringing magnificent offerings that effectively set the bar high enough for the Steubenville crew to shine. Except Islord, of course. He's that annoying to me.

UNITE TO FIGHT

The Steubenville duet of Shogun and 9P fail to impress over this 4th beat that deserved more. That's really all I got. Next!

MURDER VENUE

You first hear Islord's fucking grating voice on the hook over yet another appropriately minimalist 4th creation. It is here that Beretta 9 chooses to surprise the fuck outta everybody by lyrically besting the three most well known members of Killarmy: Dom, 9P and most surprising of all, Killa Sin. B9 accomplishes this through sheer conviction alone on an otherwise OK song.

DOOMSDAY (FEATURING HOLOCAUST)

After his showings on vanity Wu sampler The Swarm earlier that year, the Wu family's raging collective hard-on for Anthony Brown fka Holocaust nka Warcloud, temporary figurehead of West Coast Wu-Affiliates the Black Knights, continues as he guests on not one, but two songs on Dirty Weaponry. And as I mentioned in the previous post, the attention here is very much warranted. This guy rides 4th's blood-pumping custom beat as if it was his sole purpose in life while dropping some undeniable heaters in his verse. You can almost hear B9 & Dom throwing in their respective towels midway through their respective verses.

RED DAWN
OK, now the blame is solely on Selwyn for this song being dead on arrival. He's obviously aiming to recreate the whirlwind of a journey that his production on SWFQW took you in here, but his keyboard display is just too goddamn paint-by-numbers. Too bad, as this track also features another standout B9 showing, while Dom and especially 9P fall by the way side. I mean, I know that Dom was clearly trying, but it is what it is.

THE SHOOT OUT
The lone single from the album that got the video treatment, and the fall in budget was noticeable to say the least. Oh, and by the way: Every single member of this group should've bitchslapped whomever came up with the video's asinine concept of them competing in obstacle courses for RZA's approval. And maybe smack him, too, because it seems like the shit he'd use in his own videos. Back to the song, though: I'm pretty surprised that this was the song these six chose as the one that represents this album best when I can think of at least four more deserving cuts, especially 5 Stages Of Consciousness. (Once again, the one song in the group's discography where, you know, all the members share the track together?!) The beat may very well be 4th's worst on this entire album. Pretty unfortunate that, as this song features some magnificent performances from Killa Sin and B9 despite its brevity, including what may very well be the only performance from Islord that I find tolerable. Still, the beat ruined this song for me. Oh and don't go looking for The Cook Out, the accompanying b-side to this song's 12": It's grade-a materialistic manure.

BASTARD SWORDSMAN (FEATURING HOLOCAUST)
DJ Math is back, and so far his beats for the album have been stellar. The integration of the various Al Green samples splattered throughout the beat sets the mood of paranoia off right. Dom comes correct this time, recapturing his form from the first few songs on Dirty Weaponry, only to be completely disintegrated by Holocaust's contribution. The following 9P verse never really stood a chance. The real mystery, though, is how the hell did Shogun drop in quality so fast, notably after being a star contributor to SWFQW. His verse here is pretty good, though. Especially his closing line.

LAST POET
Selwyn sits this one out as well, as in comes Russell Presley aka Russ Prez, main producer for female Wu-Affiliate crew Deadly Venoms, to continue DJ Math's endeavor to make up for Selwyn's atrocious showing on The Shoot Out with a Cilla Black loop that's pretty darn redeeming: He manages to wring every last drop of melancholy from said loop, then hands the resulting beat over to Killarmy. In turn, they assign Dom, Islord (groan) and 9P to do it some sombre justice. To that end, only Dom succeeds, as Islord is being Islord and 9P's prattling flow fails to suit this slow beat. Ultimately, this is yet another misfire.

SERVING JUSTICE
Here, after a short and indifferent dialogue bit, 4th finally redeeming himself by bringing us the best beat on the album bar none, as he samples the famed Lonely Shepherd piece to masterful effect. After a hook from Dom and 9P, Dom and Killa Sin engage in a lyrical duel where they bounce off each other effortlessly, with Jeryl absolutely slaughtering Dom. Also, big shocker here, 9P contributing another of his prattling verses was a highlight instead of a drawback because, again, this beat was not a snoozefest. A definite album highlight.

WHERE I REST AT
It's finally official: Shogun has fallen off. You will realize that on this track if you enjoyed the fuck outta his shit on the crew's debut. He's still serviceable, of course, but he's nowhere near where he was lyrically on SWFQW. But I'll be damned if I don't enjoy the hell outta this track regardless. Why? Because this song houses the absolute best lyrical performance on this album, courtesy of (who else?) Killa Sin. Seriously, the fucker goes in on Selwyn's equally-epic Gladys Knight-sampling beat. One more criticism, though: I loves me some wordy hooks, but they need to be crafted right. Which, sadly, wasn't the case with B9's contribution here. Still, a very enjoyable song, nonetheless.

PAIN
The final song on this album doesn't sound like a Killarmy song in the least, This is more of early Sunz Of Man territory, as their unreleased material reveals they were serious about their dark imagery. This isn't supposed to be a knock on this track, as the grim dialogue between Spawn and the Violator from the HBO series is sampled perfectly here by 4th Disciple, who then proceeds to build the entire beat, keys and strings and all, around said sample. The Steubenville team plus Killa Sin close out the album with performances that are worthy of such haunting surroundings. Well, except for Islord, as he sounds goofy as fuck talking about how he'll cause ruckus to "weak motherfuckin' analog n****s". Trust me, he sounds this annoying almost every. Single. Time you hear him spit.

FINAL THOUGHTS
OK, this is where I lay the barebone facts on this album: I've actually come across many opinions stating that this album was a vast improvement on the first, going on and on about how the beats and rhymes were stepped up noticeably by all involved. To be honest, I find that to be too much of a stretch, as the only ones whom efforts at improving themselves clearly show are Beretta 9, by far the most consistent member on this album, and Dom Pachino, whom still fails to impress sometimes. The rest were either simply coasting on their earlier styles, which in Killa Sin's case is mostly pretty damn great, or in 9th Prince' case is too dependent on the energy of the beat. Because he sounds pretty goddamn shitty on the slower instrumentals. As for Islord and Shogun, one was Islord and the other was the most disappointing member from the group, bar none. We're talking about a guy who went toe to toe with a very in-form Killa Sin on the first album. And if a true Wu stan ever heard that form, he'd know how glowing a compliment that's supposed to be. Speaking of instrumentals, 4th is the most glaring drawback of the entire project. Don't get me wrong, he's still mostly phenomenal. But comparing his showings here with the gargantuan accomplishment he's done on SWFQW, and he just comes up short. Even though the guest productions by DJ Math and Russ Prez were pretty goddamn knee-slapping. It is what it is.

WORTH IT? Only if you loved the first one, as there are still some straight jewels on this album, as well. Just don't get your hopes too high on this album surpassing the first. As I've said, that just ain't happening.

Your destination for more Wu-Affiliate shit. You masochistic bastard, you. For more from Killarmy, check this.

Killarmy - Silent Weapons For Quiet Wars (August 5, 1997)

I know I'm not following chronological order. Fuck off.

So, it's the mid-90s and a certain group called the Wu-Tang Clan are in the midst of experiencing their biggest successes to date. Naturally, the next step was to spread their influence in a way that keeps the Wu flag high up both critically and commercially. Basically the plan was to debut a carefully-selected group of artists that would ensure their growth as a whole. These new debutants were dubbed the Wu-Affiliates.

The first mark these guys left on the industry was through Sunz Of Man, the very first Wu-Affiliate group, on Diary Of A Madman, the debut single of Gravediggaz, in which Wu ringleader RZA was a full-fledged member, which led to their debut album, the classic N****mortis/6 Feet Deep, on which they appeared on further songs along with a certain Dreddy Kruger (one of my favorite Wu-Affiliates period). From there, the slew of Wu-Affiliates only grew, as they kept popping up in Wu-related releases. Notice how many times I said 'Wu' and 'Wu-Affiliates' so far in this paragraph alone. Eventually, these dudes had to have a release of their own. And that's where our hosts come in.

In 1995, Sunz Of Man released their debut single under Wu-Tang Records called Soldiers Of Darkness. This song features the very first recorded rhymes of any member from Killarmy, the second group of Wu-Affiliates to ever be introduced. Naturally, it would be the two with the strongest ties to the actual Clan: Staten Island, NY's Jeryl Grant bka Killa Sin, who is the younger brother of Wu-Tang manager Oliver Grant bka Power and (similar to many a Wu fan) my absolute favorite member of Killamy, and Steubenville, Ohio's Terrance Hamlin aka Madman (an alias that should've went to Sunz Of Man member Prodigal Sunn. True Wu stans will know why.) nka 9th Prince, younger brother of RZA himself. Their performances in this song, well, mostly Killa Sin's, obviously turned enough heads for people to check for their later output. (Of course, the accompanying Wu banner almost ensures said outcome, which is always a plus.) So, when Wake Up featuring Sunz Of Man was released this time, more people took notice of this new unit in the Wu-Affiliate ranks. And by the time RZA shouted them out along with the effing Gravediggaz and, again, Sunz Of Man on the intro to Triumph on Wu-Tang Forever (the best material from the entire Clan, group or solo.), it was official: Album time was upon Killarmy.

Up until that time, Killa Sin and 9th Prince were the only known members of the group. By the time Wu-Renegades was released later that year, however, the late General Wise, founder and true leader of the group, had already added the remaining five members. Steubenville's Jamal Alexander tka Shogun Assasson nka just Shogun (who, unlike many a Wu fan, is my second favorite member of Killarmy) Samuel Murray tka Beretta 9 nka Kinetic 9, Rodney Stevenson bka Islord (hands down, the Cappadonna of the group) and Staten Island's Domingo Del Valle tka PR Terrorist nka Dom Pachino, the only other member besides Killa Sin who isn't from Steubenville. As you've probably guessed by now, most of these dudes are childhood friends of 9th Prince. I know the question that's on your mind right now: (whiny voice) 'But shoe-in. You said there were five more members? Where's the fifth member, huh? HUH?' Alright, alright. You see, both Soldiers of Darkness and Wake Up were RZA productions. Well, starting with Camouflage Ninjas, which also came out in 1996, Killarmy accomplished a goal many aspiring MCs absolutely disregard to this day: adding a producer who knows his shit to their ranks.

Selwyn Bogard bka 4th Disciple is yet another export of Steubenville. More importantly, his subsequent contributions to the group prove that the most important role in the creation of good hip hop is the producer, not the MC. Now I know that Bobby already did that with his five-year plan but still, the point begs proving yet again. 4th Disciple, along with fellow Wu-Element True Master, also get criminally overlooked as frequent contributors to many classic Wu songs. So in 1997's Silent Weapons For Quiet Wars, Killarmy's debut, 4th has a chance to showcase his true capabilities properly.

Silent Weapons For Quiet Wars was the other album besides The Pick, The Sickle & The Shovel to be released alongside the Wu's gargantuan sophomore. And it benefited way more than it should've. Now, it sold zilch because come on, but one can assume that it sold enough copies for Wu-Tang Records to warrant a follow up the next goddamn year.

Silent Weapons For Quiet Wars, boy/girl (pick one):

DRESS TO KILL

4th Disciple starts the evening off with samples from what sounds like a chessy-ass political documentary. You know, the ones that stale rotten orange cheeto, the one that the US government calls a president at the time of this writing, grew up on. Anyways, it serves as a very fitting introduction to the group's aesthetic. In place of their parent Clan's kung fu MO, we're supposed to treat these guys as an army of lyrical terrorists. Hell, for the duration of this album, one of their members calls himself PR Terrorist. As such, the three members displayed here relay the message very well. Although allow me to clear the air on something: Many a Wu fan complain about 9th Prince' deliberate disregard for rhyming on-beat, and at first I might be inclined to agree, but I find the shit too damn funny. I know that's not Mr. Hamlin's original intention, but here you go. Plus, you can't deny that the BNB (Boasts N Bullshit) he's actually saying fits the image a group named friggin' Killarmy is aiming for perfectly. That said, my two favorite members from Killarmy bookend this song. 9th Prince never had a chance. Awesome song.

CLASH OF THE TITANS (FEATURING STREETLIFE)
This was an interesting choice for the b-side of the 2nd single, which we'll get to. Shogun opens up this song, as well, sounding just as impressive over a 4th Disciple beat that sees him go way back, looping a Celeste Aida sample and sprinkling it with enough dusty keys and a drum break that will throw you instantly back to RZA's Tical days. Then, 9th Prince enters the picture and the laughter starts for me. Dom Pachino with his overrated ass punches in, interrupting the fuck outta 9th in the process, which only increased my laughter. By the way, to all you Dom Pachino fans shitting on 9th Prince, Dom's flow was equally as erratic, if not even more so. All's forgiven, though, as we have the first of two features from bonafide Wu generals in Streetlife. I've already said it in my Forever review and I'll say it again: Streetlife is an official Wu general. Even though he tends to be satisfied as Method Man's hypeman. Anyways, he blows every one of his costars outta the water, naturally. Poor Beretta 9 is left to pick up the pieces, and he sounds like an adult version of Islord on pretty much everything I heard him on. Having said that, he does OK. All in all, a very good track.

BURNING SEASON
Until this shit comes along. Yes, people. You get a true Killa Sin solo that is the first of many shots during his career where he proves that he's the most deserving of a solo album from the group. Alas, his numerous run-ins with the law (whom unfortunately have caused many an injustice on Staten Island throughout the years. RIP Case, Eric Garner & many more.) have resulted in him getting locked up for a long time. Sigh, now the only option you have left is supporting him through his music. I'll state for the record that this song is one of my favorite songs on the album. Basically, 4th Disciple provides a canvas of multiple head-nodding samples of the same Al Green record, while adding a few touches to make the result truly blood-pumping. He then passes the canvas over to 9th Prince, who lays the hook and gets the hell outta the way as Killa Sin burns the canvas, the surrounding area, the whole thing down. He may be the one MC who can access the 'crhyme' style popularized by Raekwon The Chef without coming off as a biter. This be some headbanger shit.

BLOOD FOR BLOOD
Again with the samples from left field! Very true to RZA's teachings. Except that 4th Disciple is a bigger fan of classic English odes than RZA. Or Irish in this case, as he samples a Dead Can Dance acapella and surrounds it with instrumentation of his own composition. The result's pretty impressive, as the members who punched in for the day: Shogun, 9P, Dom & B9, all accommodate themselves nicely to the beat, with Shogun again taking the cake. 9P's flow sounds like he's trying too hard to meet a deadline again, but somehow it fits slow jams like this. This was nice.

SEEMS IT NEVER FAILS

Ah yes, the advent of Islord. And he chose to debut his 2-year old voice on the 4th Disciple beat, composed from scratch, that is most likely to get stuck in your noggin. So, Islord does such a shitty job he manages to make 9th Prince sound like GZA by comparison. Although I must say once again that 9P's jumbled flow sounds a lot better on Selwyn's slower beats. This did what it could, so let's move on now.

UNIVERSAL SOLDIERS
With the most fitting kung fu skit that can possibly describe Killarmy, 4th Disciple constructs his most minimalistic beat on the whole album, building it around a distinctly sped-up Isley Bros loop. Really impressive work. In a repeat feat of Dress To Kill, Killa Sin smokes his cohorts yet again with the surprising exception of Dom, who comes admirably close.

LOVE, HELL OR RIGHT
Skit. Although this reminds me of the early Wu skits. Still a skit, though.

WAKE UP (FEATURING HELL RAZAH & PRODIGAL SUNN)
Weirdly enough, this song was chosen to be the b-side to Killarmy's debut single. RZA scores this song by looping a minuscule sample of a Joe Harnell composition for the Incredible Hulk TV show. Needless to say, this is 92-97 RZA we're talking about here, so you already know this shit's beautiful. Prodigal Sunn and Hell Razah from Sunz Of Man repay Killa Sin and 9th Prince for their contributions to Soldiers Of Darkness. Even though Hell Razah (my least favorite member of Sunz Of Man) had zilch to do with that song, so why is he punching in for 62nd Assassin again? Everyone else stepped their lyrical game way up, though: especially Killa Sin. Spectacular song.

FAIR, LOVE AND WAR

4th Disciple's back, and he brings with him a beat that could've very well fit the subject matter that Killarmy has hammered home numerous times by now, if not for one very noticeable and glaring flaw: Selwyn decides to introduce a goddamn synthesizer a la Zapp. By God, does this move stand against every musical direction the Wu has ever went for in the most inappropriate way possible. So much so that it'll be the only remaining memory that stays with you from the song, leaving each of the war-themed BNB inputs from Killa Sin, Beretta 9, Dom Pachino & Shogun to die a pitiful death. Shame, as they were quite up to the album's standards so far.

WU-RENEGADES

The 2nd single. This also oddly came out before the album. 4th Disciple's synth on the previous track was so horrendous that he had to redeem himself somehow. Well, my fellow Wu stan, I'm happy to say that he completely delivers on said redemption. Looping two of the most obscure classical music samples I've ever come across (courtesy of Norwegian pianist Christian Sinding & legendary Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov), Selwyn cooks up one hell of a recipe for the quartet of Dom Pachino, Killa Sin, 9th Prince & Beretta 9 to expand on the war-themed BNB we've grown accustomed to throughout this album. Once again, Killa Sin lyrically rules the bunch by a wide margin.

FULL MOON

A soulful excerpt from Brooklyn Bridge starts off this album cut, followed by a well-used Headhunters drum break by Selwyn. It's really impressive how he's kept the sound of the album this consistent while surviving the pitfalls of redundancy, and this beat is definitely no exception. Of course, the duo of 9th Prince and Killa Sin decide out of the blue that this beat is appropriate for a deviation from the subject matter prevalent so far on the album: 9P dedicates his verse to a friend on the verge of release from jail, while Jeryl mourns the death of his friend. Both express a vivid attention to detail, which always doesn't hurt. Yeah, I liked this and you will, too.

UNDER SIEGE

From two songs of expert sampling techniques to a completely original composition by 4th Disciple, permeated by dialogue excerpts from Stanley Kubrick's classic war horror film Full Metal Jacket. I tell you, RZA taught this Wu-Element well. This be the song that proves why Shogun is my second favorite Killarmy member by a considerable margin. Dude says: 'Now you're a mere memory of bloody victory'. Fellow members Dom Pachino and Beretta 9 sharing the track with him can only hope to sound this ill.

SHELTER (FEATURING HOFFA)

We're introduced to the very first Killarmy affiliate, something called a Hoffa who used to go by the name of Cloud 9. So that technically makes him an affiliate of an affiliate of the Wu. Fascinating. Anyway, dude's stuck with hook duties here, as this song is a completely Steubenville affair, with Beretta 9 and Shogun giving a verse apiece. Naturally, Shogun smokes his cohort to kingdom come over another jarring keyboard display from 4th Disciple. 'Jarring' here was somehow meant to be a compliment.

CAMOUFLAGE NINJAS 

The actual debut single, even though it's b-side, the aforementioned Wake Up, received the true lead single treatment, music video n'all. I'm also pretty sure Wake Up came out, in some form or another, before this song. Whatever. Selwyn chooses to insert the second kung fu sample here, after which he reveals his beat, composed from an Earth, Wind & Fire loop surrounded by singing from an unknown vocalist. I actually suspect it's Tekitha wailing her ass off, but I've looked everywhere for proof of such claim without finding none. This is the third song in a row where Shogun lyrically reigns supreme over whomever shares the track with him. Dom and B9 already felt his wrath and now it's time for 9th Prince to have a taste as well. Let's not get it twisted, though: Everybody did a good job here.

SWINGING SWORDS
This time, 4th Disciple builds an entire instrumental from scratch around a very well-known Billie Holiday sample. Wu stans who just so happen to be Billie Holiday stans as well will recognize it immediately. This time, Dom P finally shows some effort with the beginning of his verse, only for him to give up midway and revert to his lukewarm form of shittalking that you've begrudgingly heard from him all night. Fear not, though: 9th Prince and Killa Sin bookend his contribution. You don't need me to tell you who bodied this song the best, because by this point, you'd've already chosen him as your favorite Killarmy member, just like every Wu stan who's been exposed to them so far.

WAR FACE (FEATURING HOFFA)
RZA returns to the boards with another Full Metal Jacket sample, before committing one of the laziest production choices I've ever come across so far: He literally used the same beat he did for reggae/dancehall legend Bounty Killer's, wait for it, War Face (Ask Fi War), a remake of his own 1995 cut Ask Fi War. Nevertheless, it's a fucking cunt move. So, it was all for the best that Killarmy made the beat their own. Trust me. Hoffa returns with an actual verse this time. Oh sorry, he was known as Cloud 9 then. I think he was pissed of 9th Prince & Beretta 9 took all the 9-related names he thought were available to him, so he went with the only name he could think of: Cloud 9. And now everyone laughs at his stupid choice every time people come across this song. That being said, he admittedly sounds like the seventh member of the group, which is to say he sounds fittingly serviceable here. 9th Prince comes with the same flow he's used so far and Beretta 9 continues his overtly direct and simplistic style of braggadocio, which works on beats like this. Shogun, however, surprisingly turns in his weakest effort on the album, one which he rectifies later on in his verse. Thankfully, Killa Sin, in his final appearance on this album, bats cleanup and boy does he ever clean up. I swear, every time I hear him on this album my frustration with his current situation increases. The overall result will fill your appetite.

5 STARS (FEATURING MASTA KILLA)
Yes. Killarmy scored a cameo from the High Chief himself. Maybe the fact that he knew that his solo shot wasn't coming anytime soon helped. I doubt he was aware that it would be a seven year wait, though, or we would've definitely seen much more cameos from the guy. Nevertheless, he shows up here and, no lie, delivers the best verse on the entire album over 4th Disciple's recreation of a popular Johnny Mandel record. Killarmy can only thank the Lord Almighty that Masta Killa committed to such a degree. None of them come close to touching his lyrics, of course. But I will say that Shogun is back on his groove, making sure to banish his previous contribution far away from the listener's memory, sounding the best out of any of his groupmates. I would say that he was inspired by Beretta 9's surprising leap in quality. For real, he turns in a fantastic 10 bars. For their parts, 9P & Dom  make do with their bread n butter, with 9th sounding a tad more focused, in a sign of things to come.

FINAL THOUGHTS
It just hit me how long this album really was, and how long my write-up of it is, as well! So no one actually bought this. Come on, you were expecting another Death Row situation? The industry was very keen to never allow that again. Having said that, it may all be for the best, as this scenario guaranteed that only the most hardcore Wu stans were exposed to this shit. And I think that such an audience is exactly who this album is for. I'm not saying that this record can't be enjoyed by any other type of music lover. Hell, I actually feel that this project remains Killarmy's most accessible album to date. It surely set the standard for future albums from the group. Don't get me wrong, Killarmy is definitely no Wu-Tang Clan, but on projects like this, they properly display how to cover slip-ups within a group setting, so that the song as a whole doesn't get ruined. For that alone, they are worth mentioning and studying. But take in the fact that this was also 4th Disciple's proving ground as an album crafter, and he passed that particular test with hella flying colors. This project can always be presented as an exemplary showcase when debating Selwyn's status as one of the production greats. Plus, it's always nice to hear Killa Sin spit his heart out, and it's always equally nice to see Shogun finally get some shine. I believe I'm the very first person on the Interweb to ever praise duke's lyrics.

WORTH IT?
Many people have disliked Killarmy in the past because they didn't get to experience what they were about, what with the jumbled flows n'all. However, this album really presents the full spectrum of Killarmy's message successfully, so if any album from their catalog deserves your attention, my pick would be this one. We'll eventually see if there's another one deserving of similar recommendation later. 

Craving some more shit from the actual Clan? Here. If you're crazy in love with that W brand, though, here. Enter at your own risk. And finally, this is where all those batshit crazy enough to be Killarmy fanboys go.

Gravediggaz - The Pick, The Sickle and The Shovel (October 14, 1997)

I finally return with my 2nd Wu run, and this time it's gonna be a fucking doozy. Yep, I'm tackling their 97-00 output. Fair warning: this time some Wu b-teamer albums will be reviewed. By this sentence, you're probably saying: Clearly, shoe-in has chosen to wear his Wu stannery proud with absolute disregard to other hip hop acts more deserving of such extensive retrospect. You're motherfucking right. However, I didn't say all Wu b-teamers. I'm not that crazy.

So, last time we saw the Gravediggaz, they were rabid dogs backed into a corner. The brainchild of Paul Huston bka DJ Prince Paul, this was a group of blacklisted artists who lashed back out at the industry that rejected them in a most spectacular fashion covered in my earlier review of their debut. The co-conspirators in this unique idea were one Anthony Berkeley bka the late great Poetic RIP, one Arnold Hamilton bka Frukwon and one Robert Diggs tka Prince Rakeem. That last dude, though, had another project he was working on to bumrush the industry with: the Wu-Tang Clan, in which he changed his name to the infinitely-better-known RZA. Guess which venture panned out for son.

That W left an indellible mark in the industry, through a phase he infamously dubbed 'the 5-Year Plan', where he directed the Clan's output masterfully, yielding at least 7 classic hip hop albums starting with the group's debut: Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Here's the crucial part: Paul finished the Gravediggaz project before the Wu's seminal debut, but the Gravediggaz quartet were so blacklisted then that it took the Wu's most successful single to date, C.R.E.A.M., to break out for the Gravediggaz to be welcomed back. By then, their brash and confrontational practical joke was suddenly in high demand through the simple fact that the leader of the hottest hip hop act was a member in the group. Needless to say, Gravediggaz were stuck with their association with the Wu ever since.

But N***amortis/6 Feet Deep was still a Prince Paul creation through and through, to the point that he assigned each member a pseudonym Raekwon-style (Well, technically Rae imitated Paul so maybe Paulie should do a Shark N***as of his own?): Paul himself was the Undertaker, Poetic was the Grym Reaper, Frukwan was the Gatekeeper and RZA, most unoriginal of all, was the RZA-recta. (You already know I'm using these names for the remainder of the review, right? Just checking.) In true Undertaker fashion, though, he lost interest in the concept the minute he saw how successful their debut was. I swear, I think he was too stung with what happened after De La Soul's debut. Anyway, the Undertaker loosened his grip at a time when the Wu were achieving their greatest feats in the industry, so naturally leadership was overtaken by the one who had the most experience leading shit: the RZA-recta. This transition can be traced all the way back to 6 Feet Deep, where Bobby was the one who added the finishing touches on the album while introducing his close affiliates, who would then form the genesis of the Wu's wild family tree, which has surely spiralled the fuck outta control by now. And with Wu-Tang Forever being the monster that it was (it's not my favorite Wu project for nothing), the next Gravediggaz project was surely going to be as Wu-related as they come.

The Pick, The Sickle and The Shovel dropped on Gee Street, who were desperate to continue their business relations with the trio now that they were bona-fide Wu-Affiliates. The album dropped the same year as the Wu's coveted sophomore, in a calculated effort by the RZA-recta to capitalize on its success. Thing is, this album was the beginning of Bobby Diggs relinquishing dictatorial control over everything that wasn't an official Wu-Tang Clan release. Then, there was the fact that he had his solo aspirations to look forward to, as he was prepping for The Cure, his solo debut that was going to change the world. I tell you, everyone was waiting for that shit. Everyone's still waiting, you say? Look, it's the Gravediggaz sophomore review!

INTRO
In the interview featured here, Gatekeeper states that Undertaker is with the remaining trio in spirit. Telling, that. Yet another hip hop intro that wastes a dope-as-fuck beat.

DANGEROUS MINDZ
A 4th Disciple/RZArecta co-production, where samples from Lobo & the Classic IV are distorted just enough to achieve that vintage Wu sound. The trio accommodate themselves properly, tearing the shit outta said beat. From the very first word you hear uttered from the Grym Reaper's mouth, you sense his and Keeper's immense lyrical growth. Of course, you've already documented Bobby's with his Wu exploits by now, or else you wouldn't even give this post a second glance now, would you? I will say, though, that he still gives it his all every time he shows up on this album. Seriously, the dude is as focused as you'll ever hear him, and thankfully it's apparent here. For what it's worth, this is, bar none, the finest lyrical display by Anthony Ian Berkeley ever set to wax. No, really. You'll get plenty chances to check for yourself later on in the album and in his later discography. You'll agree eventually. You all do. Naturally, he walks away with the whole song, but the other two are very close behind him. I must note that Gatekeeper bragging about his ride in what is supposed to be a mission statement for the "elevated" subject matter of this album is unintentionally hilarious. He still did well. A smash.

DA BOMB
True Master establishes his connection with the duo of Grym Reaper and Gatekeeper, who do most of the lyrical heavy-lifting on The Pick, The Sickle and The Shovel. (Foreshadowing, much?) His beat is a pseudo-Arabesque tune on the keys (it provides the needed entertainment value, but is an absolute failure at imitating Arabic music) while on the hook, Gatekeeper decides that he has vocalism skillz, yo. He's horrible, by the way. Everything else about the track is pretty good. I was so sure I was gonna trash this one, but here you go.

UNEXPLAINED
The Pick, The Sickle and The Shovel also marks the debut of Grym Reaper, the producer. He would eventually become the primary producer of the group up to his untimely passing. And here I was so sure that Gatekeeper would take up that job, based on his excellent showing on Blood Brothers from 6 Feet Deep. Anyway, Grym proves he was paying attention to Undertaker and RZA-recta, the masters of production he was around in this group, by freaking a New Birth sample effectively. Which gives him and Gatekeeper ample room to flex their Killah Priest some. I must say, they do a better job than Walter Reed himself, even if we are talking five percenter crazy talk here. (Side note: I never liked Killah Priest's quasi-religious psychobabble style, even though I am certain that he's a very capable MC. But we'll cross that bridge when we get there.) Good shit.

TWELVE JEWELZ
In an attempt to change the pace, something called a Darkim Be Allah produced this short RZA-recta solo, where he goes into a batshit five percenter tangent of his own. The bass here wasn't fancy but it never needed to be. And Bobby further proves in this one-verse wonder why he's just as capable an MC as he is a producer. Back then, anyways.

FAIRYTALEZ (FEATURING KELIS)
That's right. Mrs. Motherfucking Milkshake herself debuted on a fucking Gravediggaz song. Her singing has always sounded terribly forced to me. If you have a problem with that, Kelis, you are welcome to comment on this post, and I'm welcome to not give a single solitary fuck what you think. So, yeah, this song marks the debut of producer Goldfinghaz (not to be confused with Grym's little brother Goalfingaz fka DJ E-Sharp), a short-term Wu-Affiliate who would fall out unceremoniously with the Clan and start shitting on them. Easy to see where his career ended up. For what his beat is, it's not bad as the Reaper-N-Keeper offer their take on the fairytales-reflecting-hood-life formula we see so much in hip hop. All in all, this shit is OK.

NEVER GONNA COME BACK

Unlike this song, where Goldfinghaz brings you his single best beat he ever did, courtesy of a Barry White loop. Seriously, don't go looking anywhere else for better work from this guy. You won't find none. This is not lost on Reaper-N-Keeper, as they deliver one of their best works on this album so far. Considering you already heard Dangerous Mindz, that's no easy feat. And might I add that there's no way that Gatekeeper's not walking away with this song, with this being his best lyrical offering to date in my humble opinion. His last few bars, and his delivery of said bars, are heartbreaking. This tale, unlike the previous song, accomplishes so much in so little time. My favorite song featuring these two as a duo period.

PIT OF SNAKES
So RZA-recta decides that now is a good time to re-enter the fold, with True Master this time sharing production duties with him, with his two cohorts. You know, because he just remembered that Gravediggaz is a goddamn trio. I must say that our three hosts are much more lyrically potent together this time round, and it shows in songs like this. RZA-recta and True Master further their journey into Bobby Digital musical territory with admirable results, even if the beat pales in comparison to the previous song.

THE NIGHT THE EARTH CRIED
This time, RZA-recta goes back to 4th Disciple for co-production duties. They head to a Peter Nero sample and loop it to achieve the desired somber effect, which works in my opinion. RZA-recta also chooses this song to outshine his two partners through delivering a full-blown thesis on slavery. Grym comes close with his 5%-based aspirations. But Keeper is a clear last place here, as he wastes his first 8 bars bragging about himself, even though he redeems himself with the second half. Overall, this is a very good showing.

ELIMINATION PROCESS (FEATURING SHABAZZ THE DISCIPLE & OMEN)
Production duties are handed back over to the Grym Reaper as he crafts another unorthodox beat, although this one isn't as effective as his last production. And that hook? I'm sorry, Grym, but how did this abomination of a chorus escape the studio again?! Even the lyrical quality's compromised here, as Sunz Of Man outcast and co-founder Shabazz The Disciple returns to yet another Gravediggaz project to ruin the reputation he garnered with his stellar debut on Diary Of A Madman, Gravdiggaz' debut single, and his fantastic solo singles circa 95-97. Only Grym and newcomer Omen represented with Grym launching a scathing attack on rappers who glorify violence needlessly, while Omen follows up on said concept with observations of hood life and how the ghetto's structured to keep minorities down and squabbling with each other. Overall, some touches work enough to give this a pass, but this was a very close call.

REPENTANCE DAY (FEATURING KILLAH PRIEST & HELL RAZAH)
Unlike this track. Here, the Grym Reaper delivers his best work behind the boards ever, while bringing a verse that really forces you to respect him. I mean, I stand by my opinion that nothing beats his Dangerous Mindz verse, but this is some awe-inspiring shit nevertheless. Gatekeeper goes missing on this song, as he was babysitting his baby mama's daughter from another man here, so Grym recruits more Sunz Of Man alumni in Killah Priest and Hell Razah to bookend his monolithic contribution. Killah Priest, another Diary Of A Madman debutant, is right at home in songs like this, so he does very well. Hell Razah, though, is by far my least favorite member from Sunz Of Man, and his contribution here does little to convince me otherwise. Taken as such, his verse wasn't bad. Grym Reaper should've switched him and Shabazz' placements on the album, because Shabazz has been known to amaze on backdrops like this. Oh well, still a great song.

HIDDEN EMOTIONS (FEATURING TRUE MASTER)
The lone track where former Gravediggaz ringleader the Undertaker contributes anything of note, as his skit here is one of the few skits he's done that are devoid of any humor. That's no knock on said skit, by any means, as it introduces the subject matter of the song brilliantly. Speaking of which, True Master freaks a revered Otis Redding sample in a befitting way as he lays out the canvas for Reaper-N-Keeper to paint a vivid picture that tells a gut-wrenching story of a street thug who's struggling between trying to be a better father to his son and taking vengeance upon the murderers of his friend. In a surprising move, True Master himself enters the fold as a mentor figure reprimanding said thug and setting him firmly on the course of positivity. Truly one of the greatest songs on the entire album, and that's saying a lot. Shame it didn't open the album proper, because that would've been... Sigh. One can dream.

WHAT'S GOIN' ON? (FEATURING BLUE RASPBERRY & 9TH PRINCE)
The final recording of all three remaining Gravediggaz together. Because c'mon. You know Undertaker's way out of the picture by now. Fitting that RZA-recta brought his lil bro, Killarmy's 9th Prince, to round out the Wu-Affiliate exhibitions on this album. He chose to represent the two main acts repping that W flag other than the main crew in a way that suits him. Can't be mad at that. This song's awesome, by the way. RZA-recta's for dolo behind the boards this time, and this is one of his better compositions as he gets on the piano to create a menacing loop while sprinkling it with two Chuck Cirino and George Jackson samples spread throughout the tracks that create the feel of a massive lyrical throwdown. And what a throwdown it is, as all three Gravediggaz, along with 9th Prince to a degree, tackle their beefs with society's ills and how far they're willing to go to prevent said ills from ruining the world. A great one-two combo when paired with its predecessor, even if 9th's flow can become aggravating to some, with him trying to cram as many words as possible into his verses at the time. Hell, this song even has a Blue Raspberry hook! Ever since Tekitha entered the Wu-Affiliate ranks, you hardly ever come across these anymore.

DEADLIEST BIZ
The final record for the evening is spent with Reaper-N-Keeper flexing their braggadocio muscles with a beat by Grym that sounds OK by itself, but sucks balls in comparison to the heights The Pick, The Sickle and The Shovel has achieved overall. Bad move, that, as your immediate reaction will be to switch off your media player of choice regardless of the song's quality, and I don't blame you.

OUTRO
Yeah, so this outro contains the lone Undertaker beat to grace the sophomore album of the group he created. And it's a goddamn scorcher, to boot. Completely wasted, of course, on snippets of the same interview you heard in the intro and before Twelve Jewelz. Truly a shame.

FINAL THOUGHTS
With The Pick, The Sickle and The Shovel, Gravediggaz have firmly stepped out from under the Undertaker's umbrella, for better or worse. Naturally, the RZA-recta was on hand to pick up the baton, which is why the album is infested with Wu-Affiliates, Wu-Elements and Wu-catering, even though he relegated himself to a recurring guest role a la Tragedy in The War Report instead of immersing himself fully with his brethren. Still, back in 1997 that Wu-Affiliate brand was a great look, and the album benefited from it, reaching similar critical heights as 6 Feet Deep, albeit inferior to said debut in cohesive nature. The lyrical abilities of the Grym Reaper and Gatekeeper grew, as well, with Grym gaining the most from said growth, as well as dipping his hands into beatmaking, mostly with admirable results.

WORTH IT? Hell yes. You can never have enough Grym Reaper in your life, and Gatekeeper is awesome on most of this album, as well. These two show you their absolute peaks here. Plus, this was back when RZA-recta was still willing to properly collaborate with other hip hop figures, instead of desperately sucking up to rock acts of various degrees of credibility like he does nowadays.

For more Wu-ness, here. For more stuff RZA dabbled in by his delf, here. For more Gravediggaz confusion, here. Finally, if you're a glutton for punishment and want more things Wu-related, here.