GZA - Beneath The Surface (June 29, 1999)

Throughout hip hop history, one can come across certain acts that produce a work so strong it forever attaches them to it. So much so that it becomes a standard that all future works of said act are held to, many times to the detriment of said works' actual legacy. However while Raekwon experienced this with the Purple Tape simply because he's too stubborn to revisit the reasons why it soared above the rest of his discography, some of Nas' albums, namely It Was Written and (to a lesser extent) Life Is Good, remain unfairly shitted on by many of his fans simply because they love Illmatic too damn much. Now granted, this practice might not mean a big deal when talking about Nas, because lord knows he has released his fair share of stinker albums, but when we're talking about an artist like Gary Grice bka the Genius aka Wu-Tang Clan co-founder the GZA, whom I've previously stated to have never dropped a bad album, this shit starts to become insulting.

Because, let there be no mistake about it, GZA's sophomore album Liquid Swords is one of the most acclaimed albums in musical history. In my book, it stands as the absolute pinnacle of his entire Clan's solo output. As such, you seriously might endanger your life in some circles if you talk shit about this album. Good thing this internet anonymity comes in handy during these blasphemy urges you get from time to time, eh? The simple fact of the matter remains, though, that the vast majority of his fans haven't checked for anything else from him because they're too fucking butthurt that he didn't make Liquid Swords again.

Which brings me to my subject for this post. See, I too was once a firm believer in the saying: 'If it ain't Liquid Swords, it ain't worth my time.' But as time went, I naturally started getting bored of the status quo I childishly imposed upon myself. So, I went searching for more quality in Mr. Grice' catalog. I'd get surprised almost every time I chose to explore an album of his, because the man's lyrical sword has remained satisfyingly sharp, with no signs of dulling anytime soon. He may've lost some flow points in recent years, but by God his bars are still addictive.

Interesting thing is, my journey into GZA's remaining war chest did not start with this album, but with Grandmasters, since it's yet another collaboration of his with another producer who's worthy of his rhymes not named RZA: DJ Muggs from Cypress Hill, following  the electric chemistry they've exhibited together on songs like Muggs' Third World. I'll leave talking about Grandmasters for another time, but the key factor here is that I was driven away from this particular album simply because of all the bile it gathered from critics and fans, similar to what happened with Method Man's Tical 2000. Hell, said attention to album reviews drove me further away from GZA's actual debut, Words From The Genius, an album many hip hop heads who claim to love his work have not even heard to this day. You can gather what I'm trying to point out here.

With that we arrive at Beneath The Surface, the only album in GZA's discography aside from his sophomore to sell more than five hundred thousand copies Stateside alone. Granted, most of those were looking for another Liquid Swords, but still. Since Gary had total creative control of this project now that the acclaimed 5-year plan ended, it says a lot that he mostly split the album's production duties between Ronald Bean aka Wu-Element DJ Mathematics and new recruit Suleyman Ansari bka Arabian Knight, with a few obligatory additions. If you're anything like yours truly, then the curiosity has tormented you enough to disregard all the negative feedback this album accumulated throughout the years and keep searching for an unbiased, objective & detailed retrospective regarding this album.

Well, too bad you came here then. Read on.

INTRO
Since it's widely reported that The Power 105.1 Breakfast Club's Angela Yee wrote all the skits to this album, I'd like to issue an extended middle finger to her ass for this pretentious bullshit. The beat by Arabian Knight shows promise, though. If only someone would rhyme on it, it could be something.

AMPLIFIED SAMPLE
DJ Mathematics debuts his first beat on Beneath The Surface, and you can hear the myriad of samples meshing together to create a banger worthy of GZA's first performance on this album. GZA makes the controversial choice to spit a verse, then repeat it immediately afterwards. Now, I'm very half-n-half with the practice of repeating verses on the same song: One one hand I find it a very lazy practice when the verse in question is just some random piffle. One the other though, I love it when the verse is dope as shit, a la Large Professor's Mad Scientist. Since we are talking about Gary Grice after all, I'm of the second opinion with this particular song. Nice start!

BENEATH THE SURFACE (FEATURING KILLAH PRIEST & RES)
Inspectah Deck, the forgotten Wu-Element, submits a beat that cements his status as one worthy of such a branding. He chops up a 7-second Jean Plum loop and manipulates it in a legitimate full-blown instrumental that was dying for the Rebel to destroy. So of course, he gives it to GZA to use as his second single, even though no video treatment came its way at all. Now while I love the lyrics Gary and Sunz Of Man co-founder Killah Priest laid on this beat, I still think Deck could've made better use of it. So much so that I mashed this beat to an acapella of his Show N Prove single and did whatever I could to remove that song's chorus.(100% true story,) The end result is still the absolute worst hip hop-related mashup you'll ever hear in life, given the embarrassing fact that I miserably failed at removing all traces of said hook. Don't believe it's that bad? Check for yourself. You have been warned. Back to this song, though: I've came across a statement that Res' hook here was sampled, but I can't find any significant proof to back up said claim for the life of me. Song's still the shit, by the way.

SKIT #1
Fuck you, Angela Yee.

SKIT #2
While the sentiment is appreciated, this most certainly does not fit the context of the album whatsoever. So again: Fuck you, Angela Yee.

CRASH YOUR CREW (FEATURING OL' DIRTY BASTARD)
Even though Gary shouts out DJ Math on the lyrics, it's actually fresh Wu-Elememt recruit John The Baptist who handled production here. The beat is jarring at first, given the off-kilter Willie Hutch sample. The choir sample that comes in after GZA's finished rhyming yet another lyrical challenge of a verse is the reason this song eventually grew on me, because now I just can't disassociate it with the rest of the instrumental. Oh, and Cousin ODB's hook really makes you miss the man: Russell Jones was an entertainer like no other, without a doubt. Very nonplussing is the fact that this song got the video treatment despite it not being a single. Furthermore, the video version featured an added verse by Sunz Of Man member Hell Razah, a verse that neither adds nor detracts from the song: It's just there, which is to be expected from my least favorite member of said collective. Also, the album version credits RZA on the song when he only provides a minuscule opening ad-lib. That shit pisses me off. Other than that, this was pretty OK.

BREAKER, BREAKER
The project's lead single, and a good representation of what this album was supposed to be at that. Arabian Knight made this beat from scratch and I must say I'm a fan of the result: Dude comes across as a real musician. Probably why RZA added him into the Wu-Element ranks in the first place, duh. Anyways, GZA continues his mission to school prospect MCs in this artform, as he litters his two verses with quotes from the Art of Worldly Wisdom by Balthasar Gracian and still finds a way to flip them in a way that keeps him relevant to said quotes. Truly an awesome song.

HIGH PRICE, SMALL REWIND (FEATURING MASTA KILLA)
DJ Math is back and this time, he keeps his piano-laden instrumental, complete with hard-hitting drums, short and sweet. Read: This shit will knock you the fuck out. The bass slowly coming into the beat is what does it for me every time. Oh and I absolutely love how Masta Killa completely steals GZA's thunder here. No, he really blacks the fuck out on the beat, ripping it apart worse than a hungry carnivore, then pissing on its carcass. GZA's verse was still battleworthy, though. Pity this shit is only slightly less than two minutes long.

HIP HOP FURY (FEATURING HELL RAZAH, TIMBO KING, DREDDY KRUGER & RZA)
Another tag-in by Arabian Knight who provides a dope key-plodding instrumental for GZA and friends to lay to waste. And I must say: Props to everyone for pulling a decent performance outta Hell Razah, who sets shit off nicely, although he bigs up RZA's putrid-ass hook. GZA's up next and he predictably steals the show from his guests with some more addictive lyrical challenges. Royal Fam's two leaders Timbo King and Dreddy Kruger (yay!) step up next and, it must be noted, Timbo's verse was hella disappointing. If y'all Wu stans know your shit, then the Soul In The Hole OST title track should be burnt into your memory. There Timbo lyrically bested a very in-top-form Killa Sin from Killarmy. That alone should let you know what Timbo's capable of. Dreddy sounds a bit winded compared to his awesome showing on Graveyard Chamber by the Gravediggaz, but his battle rhymes still click. Overall, this was an awesome song, even though RZA and Timbo could've done a lot better.

SKIT #3
FUCK YOU, ANGELA YEE!!!

1112 (FEATURING MASTA KILLA, KILLAH PRIEST & NJERI EARTH)
The lone production by Cousin RZA, who gives a slept-on digital beat from his repertoire. The beat here is supposed to get the fuck outta the way as GZA and his three guests compete in an imagery stand-off. And despite it being painstakingly close (as all four turned in timeless performances) I'm delighted to say that Masta Killa edged everyone else out by a quark. (Thanks for that, Snizzy) Why MK? Because dude straight up refused to use the word 'like' in his descriptions. Consistently coming up with verses that are that dense takes a very notable amount of skill and, best believe, MK got that in droves. This was awesome.

SKIT #4
OK, props Angie. This was very heartfelt. However, it still doesn't fit into the album.

VICTIM (FEATURING NJERI EARTH & JOAN DAVIS)
Arabian Knight gives you a dramatic musical composition intended to capitalize on the seriousness of the previous skit and to that end, it does alright. Guest crooner Joan Davis goes against the status quo of Wu crooners and actually delivers an on-key performance that helps guide the track in the intended direction, even if what she's actually saying doesn't really come across as genuine enough. However, all is forgiven when you hear the somber lyrical duet of GZA and Njeri Earth. Both MCs give you one hell of a thesis each, as GZA is prone to do from time to time, on ghetto pitfalls. (I understand if someone reading this blog consistently is bored of this particular topic by now, but come on: You should be examining whatever caused a million of these human beings to continuously find new relevant ways to talk about this subject.) Each verse complimented its writer's attributes very well and, in Njeri's case, continued alongside her earlier showing on this album in establishing her as a lyrical force to be reckoned with. Because we can't have nice things though, homegirl decided to translate this momentum of critical praise into a lengthy hiatus from the game, only to return at a time when most of her fans forgot about her very existence. Well, aside from her on-screen appearance in a cypher on the Eminem vehicle 8 Mile. Yep, she's the head-garmented one in the parking lot. (Although that too didn't really translate into anything, either. Groan.) All in all, a must hear.

PUBLICITY

DJ Math is back to prove that he is not to be overshadowed on this album through chopping up a Terry Knight loop and focusing on the violins in a confrontational manner, thereby allowing Gary to unleash another one of his metaphorical displays similar to what he did on Labels. Only this time, his aim is locked on mainstream media magazines. I choose to believe he's dissing them all for the role they collectively played in perpetuating the East Coast/West Coast conflict of the mid-90s. If that's not really the case, I like disses aimed at those culture vultures, anyway. I'm sorry, but ain't no way I'm respecting the dumbing down of an entire artistic movement. It's just not happening here. More power to you, Gary.

FEEL LIKE AN ENEMY (SUNZ OF MAN FEATURING TRIGGA)

Sunz Of Man's presence on this album has been fairly notable, so far. So it's only right that the Wu traditional obligatory handaway track where our host cedes his spotlight to an act of his choosing goes to the foursome. Only one caveat though: 62nd Assassin is nowhere to be found on the entire album. So the remaining trio make do with guest Trigga. (Truly original, that moniker.) The team wreck shop over a dope-ass DJ Math beat in a satisfying manner. Yes, even Hell Razah. I know, right?! Shoutout to GZA for actually helping them out on the hook.

STRINGPLAY (LIKE THIS, LIKE THAT) (FEATURING METHOD MAN)

Arabian Knight works with GZA for the final time for this album, and it's a duet with Method Man. The anal fucktards bashing this album without properly listening to it claim that this song is the sequel to their first team up Shadowboxin' when in fact, the real sequel was As High As Wu-Tang Get off what I consider to be the Clan's best material ever. And as such, I feel that this song is pretty tight for what it is: A simple exercise in punchlines. Even Arabian Knight's beat is simple and minimalistic fun. GZA and Mef reflect this playfulness effectively, and while their previous two collaborations are light years ahead of this, this ain't bad at all. Moving on.

MIC TRIPPIN

GZA bows out with the final Mathematics beat of the album, a magnificent classical music display. This is where GZA drops all pretenses aside: Dude just straight raps for two glorious verses. And you know what? I'm perfectly fine with his final showing on this album being a trademark MCing lesson. This was nice!

OUTRO (LA THE DARKMAN & TIMBO KING)

Aha! So Arabian Knight's beat from the intro chooses to close out the album, huh? I wonder what pretentious horse dung Angela Yee cooked up for us here?! Pardon? This isn't a skit? La The Darkman is on this?! And he's teaming up with Timbo King?! Sign me the fuck up! This time, even though the whole song is barely a minute and a half, you can properly listen to what made this Timbo cat so dope on that Soul In The Hole OST title track. Translation: He and La tear shit up. End album.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Listen boy/girl (pick one): The Mic Trippin song actually offers the best illustration of this album as a whole. See, everyone's problem with Beneath The Surface (aside from, we get it, 'it's not Liquid Swords') is that it wasn't some sort of statement, when in actuality it never should've been. This album, even with Angela Yee’s abhorrent skits, is simply GZA letting loose: Every single song houses a beat dope in and of itself, yet savvy enough to not get in the way of what GZA's been all about all along: Lyricism lessons. And as expected, son delivers. In droves. The guests, especially Masta Killa and Njeri Earth, step up their game accordingly. As I said, the beats, guided by DJ Mathematics and Arabian Knight, are very effective. This is the Wu-Elements we're talking about here, after all. All in all, this album further proves my argument that GZA never dropped a subpar album. Pull ya bottom lip over ya head and swallow. (Thanks, Mef!)

WORTH IT? Don't let the bad talk fool you like it fooled me: Everybody badmouthing Beneath The Surface doesn't know what the bloody hell they're havering about.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
BREAKER, BREAKER (REMIX)
This remix definitely should've made the proper release, as it houses the immortal Duel of the Iron Mic trio: GZA, MK & Deck. Literally, every time these three got together on a song till this very day has been amazing, and this hidden gem is most certainly no exception. By the way, the hook is the lone tie to the original. Literally everything else is vastly different, which is a great thing in this case. In fact, this beat has nothing to do with the original, instead being a direct tribute to the classic Warm It Up, Kane, a fact furthered by GZA's opening verse, a tribute to said song in and of itself. Let it not be confused, though: All three MCs disintegrate their respective contributions, no survivors. Nuff said. 

Need some more Gary Grice? Happy to oblige.

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.