Pete Rock & CL Smooth - Mecca And The Soul Brother (June 9, 1992)

Check out that flat cap. Stylin', yo.

So in 1991, the dynamic duo of Peter Phillips and Corey Penn, bka Pete Rock & CL Smooth, released an EP that firmly established these two as a force that's capable of doing BIG things in this game of hip hop. Aided by the Grand Puba-written The Creator, All Souled Out did good enough numbers to warrant a full-LP budget from the fuckheads at Elektra. Of course, this was back when sampling was treated properly. You know, before guys like Comby ruined this particular art form for mainstream rap forever.

Yes, sampling was once a very recognized factor in the making of hip hop music. This particular approach was vastly popularized by great and incomparable legends like DJ Premier, Large Professor, Q-Tip and Pete Rock himself. Because I'm reviewing his album, I'm going to stick with his output for now.

Speaking of which, the critical acclaim that All Souled Out gathered entailed some important call-ins for our duo, with most of them usually asking for Pete. Which is a damn shame really, as Corey has proven on the EP that he is nothing if not a phenomenal MC. The first of those features was a big-time showing on the late great Heavy D's album Peaceful Journey, where Pete produced two songs for Hev, who is incidentally Pete's first cousin. The most important of those two was the single Don't Curse, a who's who of hip hop heavyweights of that era which included the following: Hev on two verses (because it's his album, see), Puba (CL's cousin), Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip and thankfully CL Smooth himself. Oh, and Pete rhymes as well. His own rhymes this time, and it showed. Painfully. Those who were expecting the blazing display on The Creator were in for a horrible awakening. Nevertheless, the song did its job of elevating Pete as a producer worth his weight in gold, because he was commissioned to do a shit ton of remixes right after that. And that's when Public Enemy came knocking. Remember, this was when Public Enemy were the absolute hottest act in rap, so this was big.  The resulting remix of Shut Em Down is nothing short of timeless, even with Pete Rock's cornball-ass rhymes threatening to ruin the show once again. I heard that there was a version without Pete's rhymes on there, so if you happen to find it hold on to it for dear life. Anyways, great remix. Probably his best ever, although I must mention his fine work on Das EFX' Real Hip Hop remix in there, as well. Funny thing is, Pete also did a remix to Nighttrain, yet another PE track, and that remix featured CL on them rhymes. Once again, the issue I have with Pete somehow pushing himself as a bigger lyrical presence than Corey on the hit singles rears its ugly head, but I've gone about that long enough in the last review.

Believe me, Pete's remixes warrant an entire discography devoted exclusively to them. On the production front, though, PR followed that up with some sweet production on ATCQ's Jazz (We've Got) and Main Source's Vamos A Rapiar. Well, in the second case, he simply found the sample whereas Large Professor was the one who worked on the entire beat, yet Pete still got co-credit. Unlike what happened on Jazz (We've Got), where Pete did the whole beat, then Q-Tip re-did the beat exactly the way Pete made it, and all Pete got was a shoutout. Well, PR says he's over it now, and judging by the fact that he worked on Illmatic with Tip later on, I'd say there's a fair share of truth to that.

Frustrating thing is, I wish I could say the same about CL Smooth's solo moves. I will say, however, that CL has always showed his lyrical progress when partnered alongside his DJ and the album I'm reviewing today might not be any different in that particular aspect.

Of course, no mention of Mecca And The Soul Brother the album is complete without mentioning its lead single They Reminisce Over You, widely considered as the absolute peak of both PR & CL's respective careers. Now of course, they released another single before the proper album called Straighten It Out which was pretty dope, but T.R.O.Y. is the single that people still talk about. Story time: I've established that our duo were very tight with the late great Heavy D and his group the Boyz. Well, apparently the glue that kept all of these guys together was one Troy Dixon, backup dancer and best friend to Heavy D and his Boyz, so naturally he was very close to Pete Rock as well. How he met CL Smooth is the stuff of Mount Vernon myth: Apparently, CL and him got into a legendary street fight that ended with them becoming steadfast friends. Unfortunately in late 1990, Troy (nicknamed Trouble T-Roy) fell to his immediate death in an accident caused by honest-to-God innocent fun. He stumbled off a ledge that just so happened to be at a considerably dangerous height. Now, because he lost his life in a pure accident, this somehow hit his family and friends even harder. Which is understandable because there's nobody to focus the negative emotions you feel on. Especially when someone that young dies from something that unexpected. This single was the result of that.

T.R.O.Y. was an immediate smash that tore through the hip hop world, especially with its unparalleled ability to aid a grieving human soul. It has now become so big that many hip hop historians have listed it as the absolute greatest song in hip hop history. While I completely understand their passion for it, I am steadfast in my stance AGAINST ranking art in any way, shape or form. You can mention your preferences, but generalizing is a definite no-no in my book. But you still understand the magnitude of this song now, so you better get ready for this album I'm about to hit you with.

Pete Rock & CL Smooth's sophomore, boy/girl. (Pick one)

RETURN OF THE MECCA
Remember my remark about Mecca in the previous review? I told you I'll get back to it.

First of all, I have to ask: Why is it that a sizable portion of good hip hop songs just have to come with putrid intros?! Second and most importantly, I have only the following to say about this intro: Please learn Arabic. And after you do, please read their history books. You will eventually find that most of what is being preached here to be inspired by the teachings of Louis Farrakhan's NOI and Clarence Smith's 5% Nation and to be absolute psychobabble. Normally, I am above badmouthing another person's belief but this intro, along with that godawful Wu-Revelation track on Wu-Tang Forever, attempts to directly dishonor the beliefs of over 1.5 billion human beings on the planet. It doesn't even matter if it's doing so willingly or not, that is something I cannot ignore.

Once again, thank God for iTunes, because I haven't listened to that intro ever since I figured out how to skip to the 39th second, which is the duration of this blasphemy.

As for the song itself? I don't mind it one bit. CL's always branded himself the Mecca Don, which can mean the Mecca in Ohio. Or Texas. Or Tennessee. Or Missouri. Or Indiana. Or Florida. Or California. I simply don't give a shit. As long as it doesn't contain any reference to Wallace Fard's teachings. So of course, this was a dazzling punchline display by CL, befitting of the famed b-side that gave this album its name. One thing I forgot to mention about Corey here, and this is for all you lyrical heads out there, is that his rhyming choices forerun a certain Ghostface Killah, critically acclaimed for his unique blend of imagery and punchlines. Well, pay close enough attention to CL's rhymes, and sure enough you'll notice that he follows a very similar lyrical pattern, even though they sound and flow nothing like each other: See, CL also utilizes a unique blend of imagery and punchlines all his own, and he's been doing so ever since All Souled Out. It is for that reason that I absolutely refuse to listen to anyone front on him in general as an MC. As for PR? You needn't doubt him bringing the goods behind them boards, because he did so something proper. His Mountain loop is a thing of sonic beauty, with dashes of Three Degrees and Tom Scott sprinkled throughout. Remember the name Tom Scott. Just saying.

FOR PETE'S SAKE

A mere two tracks in and this album's already hitting a brilliant stride. All it took from Pete was a Freddie McCoy xylophone loop interwoven with bits of Kool & The Gang, Sly & The Family Stone and Tyrone Washington. If your head doesn't nod for even a slight second from the resulting beat, you need your heart checked. Corey obviously takes the music to heart and starts spitting for his life before long, with one of the man's most quotable verses ever. Of course, Grand Puba answers his cousin's challenge perfectly, penning an equally quotable sixteen. Corey comes back to close out the song with a verse that establishes his superiority over his cousin on Pete's beat. What the hell am I doing mentioning Grand Puba when he's nowhere to be heard on this song, you ask? Well, I'm going to keep doing this every time Pete spits a verse completely written by someone else, in this case Grand Puba. Just to show you how jarring this practice is to me and to simply open your eyes. You're welcome.

GHETTOS OF THE MIND
And somehow, PR finds yet another killer loop in the same Mountain song sampled on Return Of The Mecca. This time though, he couples it with touches of Maceo just enough to give it a different flavor, and the gamble works magnificently. CL, however, didn't get the memo. I say this because the man turns in one hell of a thesis regarding ghetto life and its many pitfalls while highlighting a major cause: the song's title. I wish I could say this was a perfect marriage of beat and rhymes, though. This song suffers because of the decision to match such a beat with these lyrics, as they clearly deserve something more worthy. That decision falls squarely on Mr. Chocolate Boy Wonder's shoulders, so he's the reason the song isn't as awesome as it could've been.

LOTS OF LOVIN'
Didn't take long to venture into this sappy bullshit, did it? Literally, everything about this crap screams 'corporate cash-in'. From Pete's various Ohio Players samples to Corey's slippery rhymes, this was a definite misfire. I get the allure of a guy with Corey's voice pitch spitting love raps to women left and right, but I ain't feeling. You knew this was coming, mind you.

ACT LIKE YOU KNOW
Yet another Pete Rock/Large Professor collaboration. This time it's the other way around, where LP found one of the samples, the Woody Shaw one I presume, and PR flipped it into a banging beat and gave LP the co-producer credit. But not before adding some Eddie Senay guitars and Grant Green organs in the mix. As for CL, you'll rarely find a better trace of Ghostface's lyrical lineage to him than this song here. You tell me just how similar are the following lines: CL's "I stand by the rabbi, sail in Shanghai/Always had an alibi even if I lie" to Ghost's "I ran the Dark Ages, Constantine the Great, Henry the 8th/Build with Genghis Khan, the red suede Wally Don". Uncanny, right? Regardless of what you thought, this was pretty friggin' awesome.

STRAIGHTEN IT OUT
The second single. One that easily tends to get brushed aside when compared to the monster preceding it, T.R.O.Y.  It must be noted that this track's is almost of equal importance, since both the lyrics and the beat tackle the forever-relevant issue of music piracy. Now, let's be honest: I'm sure each and every person who fell in love with 90s boom bap during at least the past seven years has sampled an album or two off the internet. Way the cookie crumbles, really. Well, back in the actual 90s it was called bootlegging, our subject for this song. PR goes in with the Simtec & Wylie sample (actually called Bootleggin') bookending a majestic mashup of Ernie Hines and Kool & The Gang. CL answers his partner's challenge with three distinct verses, each one aimed at a specific threat to their musical fortunes: First is a dart aimed at bootleggers that still features some punchline flexing. Second is a shot fired at the musicians sampled, and how greedy they were getting in charging for their samples. As we all know, they got too fucking greedy. The third verse is the most overlooked but probably the most deserving of attention, for it schools the aspiring musician on formatting a solid business plan and not fuck it up for the rest. That and some more punchlines mixed with out of left field imagery. If I were to look at theses songs as a duel between MC and DJ, which seems to be the way everyone else looks at them, CL would definitely take this one.

SOUL BROTHER #1
Oh look, Grand Puba's back to give us yet another solo number, after his hit The Creator created a fairly big splash on the previous EP. Understandably, this might aggravate a reader of this blog that might misunderstand this as false advertising but hey, who's keeping track, right? So Pete constructs a monolithic beat for Puba's lyrics that welds together a trio of samples from Eugene McDaniels, Ohio Players and 9th Creation respectively, fleshing the result out with a sublime JBs sample chopped up and flipped to aid in the beat's progress. Puba keeps matters within the punchline realm, where his work remains revered to this day. So yeah, Pete hit the jackpot with this one.

WIG OUT
We now come to one of my favorite beats on the entire project, and the one I admittedly revisit the most. And it's all because of that Johnny Lytle xylophone sample, punctured by a sweet Eddie Harris sax note. You know, I'm slowly coming to the realization that Pete's signature sound being horns was a very rushed judgment of the man's ear for music, as he's proven with this track and For Pete's Sake that his ear for xylophones is even better. Props to him sampling Puba lines from The Creator. Corey, on the other hand, keeps true to the song's title and simply wigs out. This time, he chooses to add a ton of references to his already-successful blend of imagery and punchlines, thereby further establishing just how much people are sleeping on dude. True story: I almost crashed my car while listening to this song because I was enjoying it a bit too much.

ANGER IN THE NATION
After a short Les McCann sample, PR makes sure he doesn't repeat his mistake on Ghettos Of The Mind by giving CL the most suitable backdrop possible for his most focused lyrics ever. Never mind the 5% references in the first verse, he makes sure to highlight a set of the most glaring problems facing African Americans. And you can't help but admire how he still paid attention to flow throughout the track. Unfortunately, even though these two made this song as a commentary to the 1992 LA riots, the issues presented here are even more relevant today. This song is essential hip hop, folk.

THEY REMINISCE OVER YOU (T.R.O.Y.)
What a way to follow up the social commentary! The first single, boy/girl, (pick one) and you bet your doughy, smelly ass it still lives up to every bit of acclaim it accumulated throughout the years. Remember Tom Scott? The name from the first song review? Yeah, well this dude made a record, also sampled in the first song, and this record fell into Large Professor's hands, who gave it to Pete. That's right, fellow lonely soul: Pete didn't discover the sample. LP did. Although in the end, he did cut up the sample in various ways and make this beat from top to bottom similarly to both situations on Vamos A Rapiar and Act Like You Know, respectively. So, I must wonder: Why didn't you give LP the co-producer credit this time, o' Chocolate Boy Wonder?! (Pun very much intended) I've already talked about the inspiration behind the song's title, but I've yet to discuss the lyrical content itself besides highlighting its ability to aid a grieving human soul. This is one of the greatest mourning songs in hip hop, scratch that, in musical history. And according to Pete, the sheer emotion Corey and him went through when they lost Troy drove them to grieve in their own way separately. Only when Corey heard what Pete was working on was he inspired to spit the timeless rhymes you hear today on this particular beat. Of course, Pete was blown away with the three verses dedicated to Corey's mom, stepdad & Troy himself respectively, thereby establishing Corey as an authority in introspective MCing. So Pete went back to the beat and flipped the Tom Scott sample a few extra times to achieve the best result possible. This timeless piece of music is what we got, so if by any chance you're reading this review and you still haven't stopped, looked for the song on YouTube and listened to it, do so now. You're welcome.

ON AND ON
Damn, CL's killing it with the reflection! His first verse is a semi-biography that still makes you nod your head with his amazing attention to flow despite all the lyrical wizardry he's displaying. The second verse is basically a lyrical anti-establishment exercise, one that works fairly well I might add. The third verse is straight up MCing, pure and simple. And you know for damn sure by now how good CL can be at that. Props to the line: "But the past can never choose my future correctly/I found a greater source directly." On the musical front, we have PR answering his partner with one of the most complex beats on the entire album, one that constructs the main loop out of three samples: Lee Michaels, Kool & The Gang and mostly Jimmy McGriff. And the end result is pretty dope, if a bit underwhelming given all the ingredients. Still a damn good song.

IT'S LIKE THAT
A prominent Elephant's Memory sample assaults your senses (I honestly mean that as a compliment) after Pete's opening ad-lib (trust me, I'll get to those) which lets you know it's lyrical dominance exhibition time. Corey answers the invitation spectacularly, might I add, in what is ultimately a perfect marriage between beat and rhymes this time. Excellent track. Next!

CAN'T FRONT ON ME
Another braggadocious display by CL that almost totally eclipses his performance on the preceding song. I say 'almost' because his Arabic reference was simply ill-attempted: He was basically saying "Thank You" and "You're Welcome" to himself. That just sounds weird. Nevertheless, his performance on the rest of the track was truly stellar. PR also displays his patented wizardry behind the boards with him combining Dave Wintour with a sample from the same Tyrone Washington song he's used on For Pete's Sake. All in all? A great song.

THE BASEMENT (FEATURING INI, HEAVY D & DEDI)
The crew's first venture into posse cut territory, and by all accounts their biggest one yet. Pete sets the backdrop with the timeless Sister Nancy sample popularized by Large Professor on Just Hangin' Out, merged with a famed Keni Burke sample and surrounded by Lee Michaels and that Season Of The Witch note. The result is, and I know I've used this word many times but it's the only one that fits this beat, monolithic. You feel like you're in a city-large palace of hip hop, where the MCs present proceed to bring the palace down with their respective performances. Props to DJ Premier for making Heavy D's hit "Here Comes The Heavster" from one bar out of this song. Something to note, though: Seems to me that Pete finally got his lyrical act together. Hooray! A triumph on more than one front!

IF IT AIN'T ROUGH, IT AIN'T RIGHT
CL's back for dolo this time, and he's in the unenviable position of following up the mammoth song prior. He fails of course, but the important thing here is the effort, right? Well, his effort was a punchline clinic. Truly well played, good sir. PR goes absolutely crazy on his sample selection here, truly contending for the title 'Mad Scientist' that various producers seem to call themselves. He builds a smorgasbord of samples over the main Skull Snaps one, including bits of James Brown, Nautilus, Talking Heads, Parliament and Stetsasonic. About damn time I mentioned these dudes on this blog! Nevertheless, this song did the best it could, which is pretty damn good in the end.

SKINZ (FEATURING GRAND PUBA)
I fucking hate this song. No ways about it. The beat pisses me off, with that loud sax sample serving as the main loop seeming as if it's doing its damnedest to piss you off as much as you can. And you know damn well what I feel about the lyrics. it's just something about sex raps and their frequency that screams insecurity. But the thing that pissed me off the most about this song was a discovery I made long after I burned this song into my brain. I used to listen to everything back then. Story time: Remember how happy I was with Pete's lyrical contribution on The Basement? I was totally convinced that his lyrical days of woe were behind him. How could I not be? You heard his lyrics. That is, until one of my boys smugly showed me a reference on Discogs that one of the writers on this song here was one Robert Odindo. Who the fuck is Robert Odindo, you ask? He's none other than Rob-fucking-O from In-fucking-I, and he spit a magnificent contribution on The Basement right after Pete's supposed lyrics. Sure enough, I carefully studied their respective verses and Pete's bars damn sure sound like Rob's. Now do you feel the disappointment setting in? This is what happens when you realize that some of your favorite lyrics that make you love a certain rapper's work weren't written by him. Fuck this song. Fuck Pete's decision to end the album with it. And fuck Pete's decision to not admit that he's absolute shit on the mic. (Any problems you might have with me, Pete, remember that I love your production. Which where you get your bread from, anyways. If you want to add something I don't know, sound off in the comments section below. It's there for a reason.)

FINAL THOUGHTS
Two songs and a stupid-ass intro aside, Mecca And The Soul Brother realizes every bit of potential All Souled Out hinted at. This was a very focused LP from two very focused individuals: CL Smooth was a revelation of an MC on the EP, but here he delivers consistently breathtaking performances song after song. Whether it's his enviable ability to merge flow with substance and skill, or it's his confidence shining through conscious as well as boastful songs. Pete Rock, on the other hand, really elevates the legacy of his production that he built through his remixes here with his endlessly-talented ear for new music. On a different note: I flatly refuse to acknowledge the lyrics he didn't write as some lyrical accomplishment on his part. And yes, that unfortunately includes his contribution to The Basement. Furthermore, I must address the most irritating thing about him: His fucking ad-libs on every goddamn song. They seem to get more and more annoying with each passing track. For some people, this is an experience-ruining flaw. For others (myself included), I eventually tuned them out and focused on the quality music present on this here album. This was a definite win for all parties involved.

WORTH IT? I'm sorry, but we can no longer be friends if you don't get this album, study it and repeat the experience over and over and over again. Go listen to your Desiigners.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
IT'S NOT A GAME
This one's a b-side of the 1993 Lots Of Lovin' single. Ugh, I hate that song. This one, on the other hand, features a single solitary second of a Compost guitar number looped to infinity, surrounded by vocal samples from Willie Henderson. Yet somehow, PR makes it work. CL decides that this should be an exercise in bragging, even though the first verse is one of the more filthier sex raps he spit in his career. The hook, though, is either so bad you'll enjoy it, or so bad you'll turn the shit off. I happen to fall in the category of 'so bad I friggin' loved it'. This was pretty entertaining.

DEATH BECOMES YOU (FEATURING THE YG'Z)
This contribution to the Menace II Society soundtrack was originally intended as a parody of all the violent rap songs that began emerging in the early 90’s. In time, it was looked at as one, too, and it's not really hard to see why. Corey manages to fit all the curses, violent threats and thuggery he would ever need had he become a gangster-rapper (a fucking ludicrous branding if you ask me) in three venom-filled verses. Thing is, he's so good here that for a brief moment, you actually believe he's been one all his life. Of course, the only possible guests for such a song were the YG'z, the duo of Kenny Austin and Tommy Guest: Two rappers from Mount Vernon who ran with Pete & Corey during their come-up days, and while they're nothing special on that mic, they get the job done. Unlike the last rapper here, Pete himself, who manages yet again to utterly embarrass himself. I'm fed up with this guy's lyrics, to be honest, to the point I'm even doubting that the one good bar in his verse, 'I'm Menace like Dennis so don't try to play me close', isn't even his. You want proof? The following bar doesn't even rhyme with this one! All in all, I'm still happy. Because the three average-to-wack rappers on here always come after a scathing verse from Corey that softens the blow. So, this is still worth your time and investment.

For more on the Soul Brother, here. 

Pete Rock & CL Smooth - All Souled Out (June 25, 1991)

Sometimes in life, one can feel pretty stupid. Sometimes the cause for such feeling is known only to said person. Sometimes it's plain for all to see. Unfortunately in my case, I'm the second scenario. You see, when you establish a blog called Boom Bap Reviews and a year goes by without you writing about a group that embodies boom bap in every sense of the word, you probably deserve to be branded as stupid.

Well, this shit ends now.

Peter Phillips was a scrawny little teenager living in a little place called Mount Vernon, New York. South side Mount Vernon, to be exact. Being that his home was literally a stone throw away from a certain place called the Bronx, he was very close to the epicenter of hip hop's birth. So naturally, he was introduced to the shit at a very young age. However, the importance of his age when he did is irrelevant compared to the importance of whom introduced him to this passion of ours. See, Pete is the younger cousin of a certain Dwight Myers, bka the late great Heavy D, who is right up there with the Rakims, the KRS's & the Kanes of the world as an integral part of a generation of MCs that changed lyrical contribution to hip hop forever and right up there with the LLs, the Beasties & the Run-DMCs of the world as one of the most successful rappers of all time, selling at least five million records throughout his lifetime, with his hits Now That We Found Love and Big Daddy still getting airplay on mainstream hip hop radio. (Just listen to his guest feature on Naughty By Nature's Ready For Dem. Go ahead, it's on YouTube. Great, huh?) One can safely assume that without the Hevster, Pete Rock (Hev's nickname for his younger cousin) would not be the hip hop household name he is today. The same goes for a certain Corey Penn.

Corey Penn also lived near the Bronx in a little place called New Rochelle, which neighbors Mount Vernon. He too was exposed to hip hop at an early age by his legendary cousin Maxwell Dixon, bka Brand Nubian's Grand Puba. Insert my praise for Heavy D here, except without the mainstream success part. Sorry, GP. Anyways, Hev and GP, influential legends that they are, arranged for Corey and Pete to meet in one of their many get-togethers in Lincoln Park, being that their respective crews were down with each other and all. And this meeting just so happened to coincide with Corey's serious efforts in following his beast of a cousin's footsteps into the realm of MCing while Pete gets a big time job in WBLS for his DJing skills under yet another hip hop great, legendary DJ/producer Marley Marl. (Yet another favor Hev pulled for his cousin. Of course, Pete had to have the skills to back such endorsements up in order for this favor to not seem as a total dick move. Which, thank Almighty God, he did) So you start seeing a pattern here: All this legendary influence would eventually result in something worthwhile, right?

These two got together, and the chemistry was off the charts. Pete, fresh off Marley's production tutelage on a few tracks off Hev's popular Big Tyme album, showed that he was ready to become a legend himself behind the boards, while Corey, whom Hev dubbed CL Smooth, showcased a certain talent in multisyllables that proved his cousin's endorsement of him was no fluke. The result? Their lead single, The Creator, is a Pete Rock solo song with Pete rapping.

I'm sure you're currently jammed proper in WTF mode. I don't blame you. But isn't Pete Rock the DJ, you ask? Why, yes indeedy feed the needy, he is. So how was he able to write lead single-worthy lyrics, you ask?

Here's the thing: He didn't. And according to him, he never wanted to rap in the first place. Yet, on one breezy night, him, CL & Cousin Puba were in the midst of a studio session when during break time, Pete started reciting lyrics from a favorite song of his. Puba, seasoned MC that he is, heard a certain quality in Pete's voice that was perfect for lyrical delivery. So being that Pete's only contributions to the art of MCing were a few corny-ass bars on Cousin Hevster's Don't Curse and a few cornier-ass bars on Pete's own timeless remix to the legendary Public Enemy's Shut Em Down, Puba offered to write all the song's lyrics for him. And when you are a producer of Pete's caliber and you have one of the best MCs of all friggin' time writing your lyrics for you, you're free to focus on the aspect of hip hop music you're actually good at. So, of course, The Creator was a hit. Here's the thing though, Pete: All this still doesn't justify why you, the DJ of the group, chose your first debut as a group on wax ever to be a solo song of yours, whereas the MC of your group is stuck on the b-side. I only attribute it to my lone gripe with the legendary Pete Rock: He's a bit too much of a mark for himself. I apologize to the hip hop heavyweight if this seems a little disrespectful, I don't mean it to be, but I am for damn sure no dickrider and I call it like I see it.

The success of The Creator spurred Elektra, the group label, to approve the making of a six-track EP, which indeed is my focus for this post. And you're here to find out if they blew it, you malicious piece of shit.

GOOD LIFE
Petey starts us off behind the boards with a soothing loop of O'Donel Levy while sprinkling in some Mountain ad-libs and a very famous Eddie Kendricks interlude. Corey utilizes the ensuing wizardry to open a basic-yet-incredibly vivid lyrical window into various tales and journeys of escaping poverty in America. This style fits him very well, because he has an authoritarian voice of someone you can definitely learn a thing or two from. That's right, exactly like a Chuck D. I loved this shit.

MECCA AND THE SOUL BROTHER
However, what's pretty impressive about CL Smooth is his ability to sound right at home doing either conscious rap like the above song, or displaying straight dominance on that mic, like this song here. Pete's beat (Hey, that rhymes!) showcases that the kid was a true genius behind the boards, welding two O'Donel Levy samples together, and cutting up Cousin Hev's first ever shout-out of PR & CL ingeniously as the hook. Overall the result is nothing short of awesome. Now allow me to get back to the lead single situation: This track is, of course, the b-side to The Creator. Now, I want you to honestly listen to both songs, back to back. And I mean this version, not the remix shown in the video. Heard both songs? OK. Now, do you honestly believe that The Creator fits being the lead single better than Mecca and The Soul Brother? Or should The Creator have been the b-side here with Mecca getting the lead look? Another thing: The term Mecca refers to the holiest city in Islam, and it's located in the western region of the Arabian Peninsula. Just wanted to throw that out there because this explanation will come into play when I review their next album.

GO WITH THE FLOW
Pete goes left with the S.O.U.L. flute sample dominating this track. With braggadocio being the bread and butter of an MC, CL's contribution really hammers home the fact that these two are skilled musicians vibing off each other. This was pretty enjoyable, yet I would structure it a bit later in retrospect. It's too early to slow down things.

THE CREATOR
The lead single. I've already talked about this in abundance but let's talk some more. Pete surrounds himself with a prominent King Curtis loop that gets the blood pumping something proper. As I've mentioned before, Cousin Puba wrote the lyrics to this song. And since he's a certified MCing legend, writing some killer punchlines is a walk in the park for him. Furthermore, his prediction that Pete has a good voice on that mic came true, because Pete delivers these lines as if he's been spitting all his life. I really do think this was a pretty good song, yet I'm still pissed that it was picked as the lead single. Spoiler alert: Thank God, Pete doesn't make this mistake again. Ever.

ALL SOULED OUT
Lou Donaldson is all over this instrumental, from the drums to the organs played to the light horns in the background. Brilliant work by PR. The speed of the beat forces CL to kick in high gear as he display yet another offering of punchlines. I must admit the fast pace fits his flow well, and he makes the most of said fact. Excellent song, but I might've been expecting more from a title track by such a team. That's pretty much all I got.

GOOD LIFE (GROUP HOME MIX)
I've been a staunch supporter of the original mix for a very long time, but it's only during listening to it while writing this review that I've finally changed my mind: This remix, where Pete cooks up a storm with a sweet Ray Barretto appetizer to start you off, followed by a brilliant Meters loop with some added Kool & The Gang flavor. I'm now totally convinced that combining this beat with the original lyrics realizes the desired vision better. And we're done.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Oh, how so little can go so long. All Souled Out is the place to start if, by a freak accident, somebody introduced you to Pete Rock and his importance to the game without somehow playing TROY for you. The following statement has been stated countless times, but PR & CL really do bring the best out of each other. Granted, my issue with the lead single choice is nagging but it isn't enough to deter you from enjoying the hell out of this release. It truly is a testament to the quality of this little EP that I can't really pick a favorite song out of the bunch. But perhaps All Souled Out's biggest accomplishment was it set the foundation for a career in the golden years of boom bap.

WORTH IT?
You bet your malicious ass. All Souled Out is as consistent as any hip hop release can get. All the songs here have aged beautifully, and in such a freak case that you haven't heard them before: Be prepared for a lifetime of fandom of these two.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
THE CREATOR (SLIDE TO THE SIDE REMIX)
MUCH love to one Angus Batey for the heads up! I just heard this and I'm literally gobsmacked that I got the opportunity to hear something so rare! This must've been hell to acquire back when it originally came out on one of the single's many copies in '91. Anyway, the true highlight of this remix is that you get to hear CL share mic time with his DJ/producer and show him how it's really done! Over a typically masterful concoction of Mar-Keys & Tyrone Washington samples while retaining the genius Eddie Bo bass sample that made the original such an addictive track to begin with. If you loved this EP, you need to hear this! And we're done

For more in the scintillating career of Pete Rock, here. (You know because unfortunately CL hasn't really done much of note in his solo career.)

Wu-Tang Clan - Wu-Tang Forever (June 3, 1997)

Consistent output. The elusive goal that every artist worth a dime tries to achieve, and yet most end up failing miserably at some point during their careers. How many times have we seen entire acts fall apart because they never knew when to stop working? Trust me, it's a science.

The first artistic act to teach me this in any genre was the Wu-Tang Clan, and they did so through their lauded 5-year plan: A period of, you guessed it, five consecutive years where the Clan produced some of the best work hip hop has ever seen, reaching up to eight albums' worth of pure quality. Because of their sheer number, they gained an enormous advantage over other camps by producing all this in a shorter amount of time, although that meant an insane workload on their director, the RZA.

Speak of the Abbott, if he spends the remainder of his career trying to fuck up his legacy in hip hop, I won't care one bit. What he accomplished with the Wu's rise to the top is nothing short of groundbreaking. Humanely flawed, but groundbreaking nonetheless. This genius 5-year plan was his brainchild so, of course, he had to follow it through.

Now, the plan was always to enter with a deafening bang, splinter and conquer the various sides of the industry with a round of solo albums that would nevertheless further establish the camp's identity, then unite again to deliver the final act that would cement the Wu as a whole in pop culture history: Wu-Tang Forever. Sounds momentous, right? Well you bet your doughy and smelly ass, it was. This album generated a crazy amount of hype as the reunion album of the so-called "hip hop Beatles", even though their debut was only five years prior. As such, the lead single of the album needed to reflect this album's stature. Thus, the world was treated to Triumph.

Triumph was the first hip hop song to receive a video that cost $1 million, so naturally it got a ton of airplay on TV. For a Wu record, anyway, because, come on. It also sounded nothing like singles by other rap acts of that stature. Keep in mind that this single was released in the very peak of the playboy with the shiny suit era, a style popularized by the repulsive Sean Combs, known on this blog as Comby. The single, aided with nothing but the hype surrounding the record after the Clan's output in the past three years, fueled the commercial performance of the album, selling 2 million copies and thereby going 4x platinum in only four months, a reversal of the Wu's monetary fortunes, given the nature of their slow-burn sales. It remains the best-selling effort from the Wu camp to date.

I see your face. I said 2 million copies, yet I mentioned the album going 4x platinum. Well, silly. That's because Wu-Tang Forever is a double album! Holy buttfucking crapcakes, Batman! Double albums throughout history have almost always been highly bloated, highly inconsistent affairs that reflect Artist X's self-absorption, with said artist fully convinced that people are chomping at the nuts to hear whatever sow dung that comes out of his mouth under the guise of artistry. These obese works usually contain a single album's worth of good songs (if the artist is worth a shit, anyway) alongside a usually bigger album's worth of utter sewage. There are also double albums by highly respected artists that are, top-to-bottom, absolute menses. Now, compilation double albums are a different story: I'm very supportive of well thought out compilations, like the timeless Full Clip by the timeless Gang Starr, because they act as proper introductions to people who might not have heard of the artist displayed on said compilations. One of the  handful of exceptions in my mind is the Wu, because of one very simple reason: There are nine members in the group. It would theoretically be very easy to shift the weight of the album around between so many players.

On that note, many Wu fans were acutely aware of the shortage of some Wu members in comparison to the first five members that made the cut for the solo shots during the 5-year plan. RZA took notice of that and made sure he shed some extensive light on those members. This resulted in guys like Inspectah Deck receiving a ton of airtime on the album, for better or worse. Unfortunately, this came at the expense of the other two co-founders, the GZA and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard, who were his damn cousins. That pissed me and a whole lot of people off, and more importantly, it pissed ODB off, too. Now, granted, ODB was in full-on party mode and didn't make it to many of the sessions but how would that explain GZA's absence as well? Enough rambling, let's move on.

This album also marks the very first time that RZA explicitly requests the help of his handpicked Wu-Elements: the first draft of which is Brooklyn's Derrick Harris bka True Master and Steubenville, Ohio's Selwyn Bogard bka Killarmy's 4th Disciple, who handle seven tracks shared between them: five for 4th Disciple and two for True Mas'. A lone track was given to surprise producing prospect Inspectah Deck. Let there be no mistake, though: RZA has his fingerprints deep in all of these dudes' tracks, mixing them after they're delivered to him with the Clan's verses just enough to fit the album structure, which is the sole reason why I blame RZA for not including ODB nor more of GZA on Triumph.

I remember the very first time I heard Triumph. It was just after I started researching the Wu on Wikipedia and Youtube, and this was at the very start of my voyages on both these services. I actually went looking for it right after I was done with Protect Ya Neck following my exposure to the latter record on True Crime: New York City. So, in a sense, Triumph is the second Wu-Tang Clan song I ever heard. I remember feeling blown away at the evolution of the group in every aspect: The rhymes, the musical backing, the video's scale. (I still somehow like the video, even though it had some pretty stupid choices. e.g. RZA's bullshit wings, Golden Arms dangling from a fucking tree. etc. Thanks Brett Ratner, you steaming pile of cinema excrement.) The two songs were light years apart. I spent an incredibly long time studying the single's lyrics, because the flows were so elevated I didn't understand them right away. But even back in my beginner days, I knew that I was becoming a fan of something fundamentally different than what little hip hop I used to listen to at the time.

And now, you're here to find out if I was right.

For clarity's sake, I've decided here, as well, that I won't be stating the songs that are credited as featuring Darryl Hill bka Cappadonna (aka Cappachino The Great aka Papi Wardrobe aka Oh Donna aka that dude who almost ruined this double album aka he who was kicked out of the Wu camp for a long time and had to resort to driving a goddamn cab until he got back into the Clan's good graces) and Patrick Charles bka Streetlife as being such. Because both members, especially Oh Donna, have since been included in the lineup of legitimate Wu generals. And as usual, I will be reviewing the version with the most official tracks of this album, the international version.

CD1:

WU-REVOLUTION
With a title like that, fans expect an epic display of lyricism, production and subject matter from the Wu, right? Well, too bad, as RZA thought studio time for the opening track on their triumphant return is best used for the mother of all Popa Wu rants. Seriously, this shit goes on for over six fucking minutes. No wonder people are so put off by this album. Hell, at least Words From The Genius had an actual song opening the album. A putrid song, sure, but a fucking song nevertheless. Remember my rant against Popa Wu in the Ironman review? Magnify that a million fold. The horror of this song is further amplified by something called an Uncle Pete attempting to sing while sharing equal babble time with Popa Wu. After 6:17 minutes, (I'm telling all you digital owners of this album the exact moment to where you can skip this shit to spare you the torture vinyl & cassette owners go through. Damn, I love iTunes.) we hear the thing we should've heard all the way back in the beginning of the track: A kung fu sample, and an exquisite one at that. This sample is really the only reason why I haven't deleted this track the fuck off my tracklist of this album, which brings me to another issue I have with Wu-Tang Forever: Why aren't these kung fu intros mixed into the very tracks they're introducing? You read correctly, I wrote tracks, because there's more than one instance that this happens. Fuck anything not kung fu-related on this piece of shit.

REUNITED
The kung fu sample of bliss leads into the TRUE album opener. Remember how Bring Da Ruckus was the perfect opener for 36 Chambers? This song's function is the exact same. The marriage between beat and rhymes even pumps your blood in a very similar way. On the musical front, this song is a live-instrumentation RZA composition top-to-bottom, and it's glorious. The various strings and keyboards really do their part in elevating the feeling that you're listening to the Wu arriving at their coronation party. And the lyrics, by three co-founders and the bankable star no less, also add to said image. I know GZA's verse earned a quotable in The Source, and rightfully so, but I've always preferred RZA's contribution. Fuck it, I gladly admit the hook is a guilty pleasure. This bangs in all right ways so hard it successfully washed away the previous track's remnants without a trace. This song was so popular it was issued as the third single, complete with a video and everything. Granted the video was a crapfest, but it's still a video of a kickass track.

FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE
I didn't think it possible, but by God RZA pulls it off: His beat here, provided mostly by live instrumentation as well, is an even better production than the previous one, and I'm not saying that because of the sped-up King Floyd sample (which scares the bejesus out of my wife, for some reason I'm not privy to at the moment.). The bass riff, the Wu-Tang chants in the background, it's all pretty energetic. So, imagine my bewilderment when Inspectah Deck starts his verse: Believe me when I say that, in a continuation of his fine showing on Ironman, his lyrical abilities have grown so much on this album that it's no longer a debate, he has without doubt evolved into one of the best MCs in history. His punchlines on this song are Exhibit A. After the Rebel blazes through his bars, Masta Killa, another underutilized Wu member, follows up with an imagery-laden verse beautifully contrasting with Deck's that echo his own transformation into his own legendary status. Finally, Cappadonna of Oh Donna fame closes out with a verse that signals a certain change from his triumphant displays on Ironman, though not quite the drop in quality that I've been painting previously. I said almost ruined, didn't I? His command of flow does seem to be a bit off, though, but it can still be taken as him toying with his flow a la Kool Keith. And trust me, on this album, that comparison is not that far off of a stretch. Yet. But yeah, I love this song even more than Reunited.

SCARY HOURS
I know it's not the song's full title. I simply chose not to write the whole thing because: a. It's my fucking review. b. It's my fucking review. c. The title is too long for no goddamn reason whatsoever. And, yeah, did I mention that it's my fucking review? The first 4th Disciple contribution of the night, and unlike RZA, he and the rest of the guest producers mostly stick to samples with their beats. 4th's beat, for example, is comprised of two expertly cut seconds from a Skeeter Davis record. The first cut, in particular, is nothing short of genius: by cutting it mid-lyric, the result sounds like the singer is singing "Money!" when she's singing "shining"! Of course, any reference to material wealth on the track is bound to attract Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, who bookend a Method Man verse that sounds like he's being sedated mid-performance. RAGU kill their shit, by the way, with Chef as usual delivering his crhymes while displaying the peak of his flow skills, a peak that he somehow sustained for a few years, only to drop such a drop from which he would never recover from again. Enjoy that shit while it lasts and cherish the fact that he debuted it on his crew's best-selling album. As for GFK? He hits his peak on this album as well, one which he sustained much longer than his portly cohort. However, he elevated everything that was good about his writing on Ironman, to the degree that I honestly think that that while his future output is legendarily consistent, nothing tops what he shows you on Wu-Tang Forever, in my humble opinion. And this song is his first display of the night. By the way, I'm a fan of the fading out of an MC's verse and how it gives the illusion that he can rhyme forever. Not as good as the previous two songs, but still very good.

VISIONZ
Inspectah Deck's lone production, and it's his second ever to boot! His debut was his solo track on the Tales From The Hood OST, Let Me At Them, which was an interesting punchline/thuggery display. But this track? Visionz is a posse cut masterpiece, italics emphasized. The keys you hear on this instrumental equip you with the feeling that you're a towering giant walking among men, and for a producer to achieve that on only his second try is amazing. Five members deliver the goods, some even trading styles with each other: Rae, of all people, handles punchline duties, while Mef joins Masta Killa in taking care of imagery. And even though half of GFK's fantastic verse was on Comby's putrid Face to Face Mix of Babyface's equally irksome This Is for the Lover in You (I don't know how the fuck GFK's lyrics ended up there. Maybe the theme suited them, yet I doubt it.), they feel right at home here because it's clearly evident that they were written primarily for this song. He successfully blends imagery and punchlines resulting in a potent mix. But the true star, predictably, is the song's producer as Deck obliterates his own beat to kingdom come. Seriously, it's a full-blown MCing lesson, with all the elements present: powerful imagery, witty punchlines, addictive flow. The whole gamut's here, baby. A fucking epic track.

AS HIGH AS WU-TANG GET
A lot of people are stuck on how GZA and Mef haven't yet released a worthy sequel to Shadowboxin', and how Stringplay from GZA's 3rd album Beneath The Surface was an unworthy followup. First of all, Stringplay was awesome. And second but most important, do Wu fans have selective memory? The Shadowboxin' sequel is right the fuck here, complete with a fantastically batshit ODB hook. GZA and Mef continue their awesome chemistry with one blistering verse each. GZA's is appropriately an MCing lesson that is my favorite verse from him ever, including his most quoted line: "Make it brief, son. Half short, twice strong." Mef's, on the other hand, is a healthy smack in the face to anyone who has the gall to say Mef didn't bring it as hard on this album as he did on 36 Chambers and the solo joints. Your only real point of argument is his verse on Scary Hours, and that was by fucking design! His verse is a wonderful mix of punchlines and introspection, an inspired combo that he's been developing from Cuban Linx onwards. This song is smash #5 in a row.

SEVERE PUNISHMENT
A kung fu sample that still feels like a breath of fresh air. Damn, why doesn't RZA rely on these as much anymore? Anyways, there's one final Wu member we haven't seen much of so far, but fret no more, boy/girl. For this song is this album's official introduction to Golden Arms, negative capability extraordinaire. And, folk, he brings it something nasty here, please believe. Backed by yet another one of those organic custom RZA beats, it speaks volumes that he sets off a song where GZA, Chef and RZA co-star. Speaking of the Genius, he's in rare form because on this album he schools you in the art of MCing every time he spits. And this song is no exception. Rae follows with his own hybrid of thuggish punchlines and vicious imagery. Then, RZA starts his verse by quoting four bars from GZA's early single Words From A Genius, after which he finishes the remainder of his MCing lesson of a verse with his prattling flow, which he adopted, again, from Cuban Linx. He's really trying to surpass GZA, his mentor, on this album. But it's the surprise final MC on this song, Masta Killa (yet another of GZA's students), who succeeds in closing the song out properly with his display of metaphor wizardry. Think about this for a second: Three of the most famous Wu members were overshadowed by the two most unrecognizable of their brethren, both book-ending the song. And I loved every second of it.

OLDER GODS
The second 4th Disciple contribution, in which he follows his mentor into live instrumentation territory with fantastic minimalist results. Here, both of RAGU's contributions really seem to blend in together, with Rae doing his damnedest to adopt GFK's choice patterns. And they pull it off beautifully. Both, however, are upstaged by GZA, who seems to be under the impression that his fans don't consider him capable of delivering effective rhymes. Naturally, he delivers a performance that stands right next to his timeless displays on Living In The World Today. So, yeah, obviously this song's my shit.

MARIA
To all rappers everywhere: You do not have a gun pointed at your 10-gallon heads threatening to blow your brain's innards away if you don't include a misogynistic abortion of a song in your album. Hell, the next comment is specifically for the Wu: You pulled it off in three albums in your catalog so far!! Which is why I regret to inform my reader that this song is such an example. Furthermore, RZA's beat, sampling Blood, Sweat & Tears, succeeded in annoying me even more at him and his two cohorts ODB and Oh Donna, thereby adding to my initial frustration with their revolting lyrics, with RZA's verse the most revolting of all. Somehow someway, the Wu were capable of bringing the fantastic momentum established in the previous seven songs to a grinding halt with this horseshit. This song shares Wu-Revolution's infuriating trait that it's contains a sublime kung-fu intended for the following song, which is just peachy. Oh well, at least it wasn't attached to 6:17 minutes of abhorrent psychobabble like Reunited's intro was.

A BETTER TOMORROW
No lie: Ever since I started my reviews of the Wu catalog, I've been waiting to review this song. Why? Because I'm about to state the most blasphemous hip hop-related opinion ever written on this blog so far. Dramatic much? You bet your sexual organs, it is. This song is the single, solitary finest piece out of the Wu camp. EVER. You may be thinking: Come on, you're going to give such a grandiose title to this? You bet your digestive system, I am. First of all, the sample flipped by 4th Disciple here is his best work in music, bar none. The eleven seconds he repeatedly freaked, from a Peter Nero classic composition no less, establishes the importance of the message the MCs are trying to relay to us. And it's only right that we start with Inspectah Deck who, true to his spectacular form on this album, gives you the most powerful lyrics I've ever heard from the man. You know when you hear a statement so poignant that it shocks you into tears before you even register its power into your brain? I swear that this is what Jason Hunter did to me with this verse of his. From then on, the tearflow went uninterrupted as Masta Killa depicts a gutwrenching scene in his best performance, as well. His lyrics' power match that of Deck's blow for blow, and I was left a blubbering mess in their wake. Which wasn't good, you see, as the third verse (by Golden Arms, of all the Wu members) was the most powerful verse on the entire track, simply because of the fact that he pulled off a verse that stayed loyal to his complex negative capability while referencing the real-life accidental shooting of his then-infant son. If you know anything about this negative capability shit, then you damn well understand how hard it is to pull that off, and Golden Arms did it masterfully. Which means that Baby Uey, understandably the most ridiculed member of the Wu-Tang Clan, delivered the best verse on their best song. After this verse, I no longer care about his lame solo career choices. He's done enough on this song alone to warrant him a rightful place directly alongside his Wu brethren in my MC Hall Of Fame. Back to the song: RZA follows Golden Arms (in the first of five successive instances where, when he shares a song with Goldie, he pairs his verse directly with the ridiculed Wu member) with a 16 that's half-atrociously misogynistic and half-exquisitely poetic. My guess is that this was written during the time he found out that his girl was two-timing him. Still no excuse to include eight bars that almost fucked up the song's momentum. Thankfully as mentioned, his remaining eight bars rank among his most introspective work ever. Finally Method Man, with his closing contribution, proves that he's simply a more legitimate lyrical threat when he's costarring with MCs that push him into areas that force him to be brilliant that are far away from his punchline domain where he usually reigns supreme. For the record, his verse closes the song beautifully with my favorite verse of his, as well. I wish RZA didn't veer into his brief lady-bashing, I wish that Golden Arms' verse closed out this song and I wish said song was the final track on CD2 of this double album. But all things considered? This remains my all-time favorite song by the Wu.

IT'S YOURZ
Following up the previous song is impossible. So, the Wu just said 'Fuck it, let's floss on em!' And floss they did. This song became so popular that the camp packaged it as the second single, complete with a video showcasing the Wu clubbing their asses off, although they weirdly replaced GFK's verse here with his Older Gods showing, even though the single doesn't come with any version of said song. Hell, the only version of the It's Yourz single that features another song has a bullshit remix of Reunited, not the album version of Older Gods featured in the video. Enough nitpicking. RZA whips up a Jean-Pierre Decerf and Marc Saclays sample, laces it with some Gaz drums and lets the wondrous result loose for the Wu to hunt down. Rae insisted on being first, with his newly found GFK-aping ways. He still pulls off a classic verse, though. RZA gives you an ideal hook, despite the desperate 5% references, after which Golden Arms follows up with a dope-ass braggadocious entry in negative capability that shows you just how much dude is feeling himself. RZA, like I mentioned, returns after Goldie for a full verse this time, and for a flossy performance, boy he sounds pissed. Call me sadistic, but I like it when that much emotion succeeds in highlighting your qualities as an MC, which is definitely the case here. That display of rage is immediately cooled down by a calm-by-comparison Rebel INS showing, where my favorite Wu MC lets loose a quick flurry of punchlines that still showcase how much his talent is fully realized on this album so far. The hook returns, then gives way to GFK paying Deck back for his Visionz victory earlier, because while Deck had the best verse on the earlier song by a country fucking mile, GFK delivers a verse equally filled with quotables here, most notably the 'think like the man behind the register' line. The full picture becomes that the Wu made sure their choice for the second single was a smart one. Mission accomplished.

CD2:

INTRO
An intro is still mostly a skippable intro. However, RZA and co., including a badass-sounding GZA in the middle, call out wack-ass musicians in hip hop, whether behind them boards or on that mic. Can't ask for more than that on a skippable intro.

TRIUMPH
The lead single, and the biggest song from the Wu camp to date after CREAM. I am forever pissed at RZA for not including GZA and ODB's verses from Reunited on this track. Other than that, this song lives up to every bit of its reputation. Four seconds from a Rance Allen Group record was all RZA needed to create a monolithic instrumental. Imagine if all of NY's towers and titantrons were made of light and the entire city was home to the biggest red carpet premiere you could think of. Transform that into hip hop form and this beat is what you get. I also love that this is not lost on the rest of the Clan, especially Deck, who woke up too early one morning and found RZA with just Triumph's drum sample. He spit his now-legendary verse, previously used on Tony Touch's Power Cypha mixtape, and crashed back to sleep. When he woke up, he found that RZA added the legendary abovementioned sample, and that everyone else in the Clan got on the resulting beat and followed his lead. Mef continued his blistering form, with punchlines mixed with apocalyptic imagery, Cap with his left-field references continue to confuse Wu fans to this day, though let it be known: They're ultimately alright with me, regardless of his irregular flow. Golden Arms follows suit with yet another quotable negative capability performance. I don't care if y'all are sick of me referencing that particular aspect of his lyrics, because it's the least I can do after so many people bashed the ever-living shit out of his entire career, solo or otherwise, for so many years. Although, there are some who are completely justified in doing so. I'll explain later on in this review. The Abbott of the Clan follows its least-liked member for the third time on this album with a goddamn physiology lesson of a verse that really sheds light on how dope his post-Cuban Linx flow really is. Next up is GZA, and if you were waiting for him to finally follow up his magnificent showings from CD1, by God you're in for a downer: The GZA, a goddamn co-founder of the Wu, has only eight bars on the entirety of CD2, six of which are on this song. RZA should take full responsibility for such a fuckup. Anyway, Masta Killa seems to have sensed that injustice, because he turns in yet another shining gem of a verse, one filled with his reputed talent for metaphors. In fact, he just might be the most metaphorical of the entire Clan. GFK is up next, and dear Lord, he seems to be on a mission: Engrave his blend of imagery and punchlines into every Wu fan's brain by shouting. He really shouts the fuck out of his verses, trust me. And he does you one by adopting Rae's flow, further blurring the lines between the two MCs' styles. Speaking of the Chef, for the second time on this album, he adopts GFK's choice patterns in his bars, sounding much better in the process and ending this leviathan song on the high note it deserves. In closing: There's a reason why this song is their second-biggest track to date. Nine reasons, in fact. Even if one of them had only six bars to prove itself. My second favorite Wu track of all time, and their absolute biggest track in my opinion, by far.

IMPOSSIBLE
The high note established by the previous track once again puts this song in the enviable position of following it up, which it can't, of course. Hell, it sounds like RZA was so exhausted from his work behind the boards on Triumph that he had to take a breather for this track. So, 4th Disciple's back, and it's another somber piece of work that samples, of all people, the Beethoven himself. Even Tekitha sung her very distracting chorus to Beethoven's notes. Feeling yourself much? Apparently, though, RZA still has enough lyrical energy to drop a goddamn thesis of a verse that still had room enough to include a pinch of braggadocio and the odd punchline or two. He once again pairs his verse with another masterpiece contribution from Golden Arms, who followed up in the same vein with his patented take on negative capability. I must point out, though, that his verse here is slightly inferior to his gargantuan accomplishment on A Better Tomorrow. Of course, GFK ends the song with his greatest lyrical contribution to hip hop ever. A fact that has already been hyped to the moon and back, and you better damn well believe it's deserving of such. He dives headfirst into a tale that is shocking in its ability to convey what an event like the death of a human being actually feels like. So, even though he really didn't use his entire arsenal on this verse, he didn't need to. All he had to do was inject the emotion needed to maintain the strength of the image he was trying to paint through lyrics. To this end, I must mention the fact that RZA should've ended the song without Rae's following outro. Because even though you can feel Rae's honesty, what he ended up saying can only come up short in comparison with GFK's timeless verse. Yet another powerful message on this album, though I still edge out A Better Tomorrow as the *ahem* better track.

LITTLE GHETTO BOYS
So the Wu deliver a nice contrast between the presence of mind in the previous track's outro and the absence of said mind in the current track's intro. Nerd talk, I know, but it's part of the whole healthy meal that is this review. So, most heads complain about the originality factor being absent from this track's beat just because RZA delivered a similar concept for a Donny Hathaway tribute to Dr. Dre's Little Ghetto Boy from his 1992 overrated classic The Chronic. But most people overlook the fact that the similarities stop at the title and sample choice: literally everything else about the track cannot be more different. RZA's composition remains far more dreary than anything the soulful tunes of Dre's beat dished out. As for the lyrical front, Rae spits, no lie, his best lyrical showing to date. Seriously, every fucking thing one could like about Raekwon the Chef is present in this offering: Imagery, punchlines, thuggery, slick talk, the whole shit. Oh Donna then abandons the song's concept entirely by spitting an otherwise dope verse where he calls out east coast rappers who bit his costar's style, amidst other funny shit like: "Peep my new style fuck Cristal and Moet/I drink Evian water while my darts get published" Hilarious, but very far off the song's subject. Imagine what could've been had RZA swapped Cap's verse with GFK's from the previous song. One can only dream. Nevertheless, this song is a must hear for Rae's verse alone. It's that good. Once again, though, a kung-fu sample meant as an intro to the next song invades this track's space, transitioning you into...

DEADLY MELODY
The song where Masta Killa decides 'Alright, I'm done being in the shadows.' He straight up violates RZA's banging-ass piano-centered beat in such a way that nobody on the remainder of this track comes remotely close to topping. On some real talk his work is metaphorical perfection. Matter of fact, one thing I've always liked about the High Chief is the fact that you can't really find that many 'likes' in his rhymes. Example: 'The flow changes like a chameleon...etc.' Ever since Liquid Swords, he's been dialing down on that particular tool hard, to the point where he only uses it once during the entirety of his showings on Wu-Tang Forever. Granted it's on this song but regardless, that's fucking impressive. So, Golden Arms attempts to continue the momentum singularly established by the previous verse with yet another example of his mastery of negative capability. However, negative capability is a style much more suited to introspection than braggadocio, so Goldie is kept from upstaging Masta Killa this time. RZA, for the final time on this album, sides his verse with Golden Arms' in an effort to feed off its energy, and it works beautifully, yet RZA also starts a very unfair trend that continues throughout the rest of the track: He splits his contribution to two verses and convinces costars Mef and Streetlife to do the same. Oh by the by, this song marks the official induction of Streetlife as an official member of the Wu-Tang Clan. Feel free to argue my point of view regarding this matter in the comments section. It's there for a fucking reason, my lone reader. RZA alternates between him and Mef first, then he makes the weird choice of forcing both Masta Killa and Golden Arms to spit a minuscule contribution each. He then irritates you further by throwing in a measly two bars from the GZA. I know you've been on your musician flex for the longest, dude, but why would you shut out the most experienced member from your crew from this CD2? And he's your older cousin and mentor, might I add? Especially considering how minute his contributions are on both Triumph and this particular track? What you should've done is keep every single one of your contributions at one verse each. Hell, it's a right sight better than cramming three very capable MCs in a mere five-bar space, especially when one of whom is a bonafide co-founder of the Wu. Other than that particular fiasco, the rest of the track returns to the glorious heights established by Masta Killa with Method Man returning and establishing a glorious chemistry with his weed-carrier Streetlife for the first time on a wide commercial release. Seriously, these guys sound great together. Streetlife then makes way for a surprise GFK verse that seems as if it was planned to rectify the five-bar mess earlier. And GFK makes sure his verse accomplishes just that, with his trademark flavorful blend of imagery and punchlines. After which Streetlife returns and asserts himself within the Wu lineup proper. My final verdict on this track? Even with the five-bar fuckery, I still think it's an awesome song but reviewing it was a fucking nightmare. A three-week nightmare. The track, once again, ends with a skit intended for the next song, where RZA and the underrated Dreddy Kreuger call Inspectah Deck over for a smoking session until the Rebel notices a dude who has beef with his crew...

THE CITY
...After which multiple gunshots can be heard where it's implied that Deck either shot the fucker or was shot by the fucker. 4th Disciple is back on the boards and it seems like he's officially in charge of the more morose songs on the album, whether they be thug shit or introspective babble, two fields Inspectah Deck seems to be steadily staking claim in. Good thing that this song contains a dark mesh of both, as Inspectah Deck rips through the live 4th Disciple beat with two incendiary verses that comprise his most known solo song outside his own catalog. The lyrics rank right up there with his legendary work on A Better Tomorrow and Assassination Day, especially the second verse. In closing, I'll be honest: While the beat is a definite grower, I've always felt the lyrics deserved a more grandiose backing. It's certainly not as if 4th Disciple can't deliver on said standards. However, the track remains an essential part of this double album.

THE PROJECTS
Now why in the fuck does this track get to have its intro attached to it when other more deserving tracks don't, especially when the intro is a bullshit phone call between Rae and Wu-Affiliate Shyheim, whose mere mention now is legitimately depressing because of the way he eventually threw his life away. Here's hoping he comes out of jail a better person. Anyways, RZA orchestrates a beautiful piano instrumental sprinkled with a sweet violin sample from the O'Jays throughout. The Wu-Massacre trio (That album. Ugh.) handle this track while Golden Arms is limited to the embarrassing routine during the hook by simply exclaiming 'Projects!' three times before shouting 'New York projects!' once. Once again, RZA takes full blame for this. If Goldie wasn't able to deliver to the Wu's standards during that session, simply leave him out of the damn song. Back to the actual lyrics, though, as Rae begins with some top notch bragging. By now, he has fully adopted GFK's style of using the most out-of-left-field reference he can come up with to assist him in his verses, this one being no exception. Mef follows up with a verse that shows just how far he's come as an MC who would merely be associated with punchlines by himself, with a more condemning twist to his quality lyrical posturing. Check the first six bars and the last four to understand exactly what I'm talking about. Finally, GFK comes with a verse that, in all outward appearances, has been nominated for the most misogynistic verse ever written. I used to think so, too, which always drove me nuts. To the point that I'd always fail to distinguish his very last bar: 'The condom broke, bitch you got AIDS, I'm shaking in my bones' That lone bar made me understand the true nature of this verse: GFK is basically playing the role of a misogynistic asshole who gets what's coming to him. Matter of fact, what if he was talking from Big Moe from the shelter's perspective about his encounter with Stephanie? Remember? His friend that he told you about in Tearz, way back on 36 Chambers?! The dude who 'got stuck with the HIV'?! Come to think of it, he did describe him as an arrogant bastard who 'came out laughing with glory' when he fucked Thelma. I now consider this verse a very clever piece of fan service, and it has a positive message under a layer that pisses superficial people the fuck off. Let me make it very clear that I'm including my former self in that particular group. It's like he doesn't want any new fans while reserving his verse's nature to only the true Wu heads, whom he knows will dissect every single bar coming out of his mouth. Reviewing this track was immensely entertaining, and it's a kickass song to boot!

BELLS OF WAR
Yet another RZA masterpiece behind the boards, as he strings a soothing live guitar & keyboards loop that contrasts with the five Wu members currently attending's rough assertion of themselves over the scope of hip hop in general. Golden Arms continues his stride of amazing negative capability performances, banging out yet another boastful verse in superb form. Mef follows up with a chillingly menacing verse that still found space for them punchlines he's so good at. I honestly feel that this album makes a great case for Mef as a multi-faceted lyricist who can deliver beautifully on any topic he chooses to rhyme about. I say this fully aware that Mef himself criticizes his work on this album hard. The evidence is damning, dude: This album houses your best penmanship to date it's not even funny. RZA steps up next for yet another thesis punctuated with the odd threat or boast here and there, making me lament that he chose to head in that Bobby Digital venture afterwards, because it's obvious that being dead serious is where he lyrically shines best. Then, an interlude surprises you from out of nowhere, where RAGU and their own clique have a useless boxing discussion, after which GFK gifts you with another one of his trademark blackouts, once again proving why this album houses his finest material ever. I simply cannot stress enough just how much Wu-Tang Forever has been the best lyrical showcase for the Wu in general this far in. RZA then drags you into a long-ass intro that, honestly never felt that long. Maybe it's because he was having a natural discussion with GZA and Dreddy Kreuger that felt so informal, the shit just breezed through. Still a masterpiece of a song. Kudos to RZA and the Wu-Elements for keeping the standards consistently high with nine great songs in a row! That's pretty damn impressive.

THE MGM
Finally, True Master is allowed his time in the sun! Derrick Harris' first production appearance on the album is RAGU's worthy sequel to Heaven & Hell, and he made sure his beat was recognized as such. He normally concentrates on big, theatrical music anyway. As for RAGU, they masterfully tie their story to a real life event, the Caesar-Whitaker fight at, you guessed it, the MGM in Vegas back in 1994. It amazes me how these two can describe so much happening from such an insignificant instance as merely arriving in the crowd for the fight, and still find time to flex their lyrical muscles with imagery and references. The hot streak continues...

DOG SHIT
Or not. RZA returns with a beat that he tailored exclusively for the return of Old Dirty Bastard to the fold, and this time he's given a full track to rip. So, of course he goes on a misogynistic drunken rampage. I hated every aspect of this song: From the off-kilter music, to ODB drunk off his ass and biting from other MCs in his camp. That "Calling me a dog" bar? That was Mef's. I really hate this stupid song. especially when Dirt is capable of so much more than resorting to women-bashing. It ain't my fault RZA couldn't pick the right woman at the time. The outro with the dude snapping at everybody was hilarious, but only the first time.

DUCK SEAZON

RZA commissions a straight-up confrontational instrumental, perfect for an MC to deliver his punchlines on and make a listener feel that extra sting. Which is why it was so disappointing to hear Ol' Cheffy set it off with a boringly flossy verse. Sure his flow's still amazing, but it's a damn shame that he didn't use his crhymes here, as that would've been perfect. RZA sensed this and decided to school Rae on how to deliver a proper thuggish verse that still has some knowledge woven into it, doing so with a 50+ bar verse no less. Mef could only follow RZA's example with his following verse filled with menacing-ass punchlines. And the final verse on this track is...Rae again. Really, RZA? No room for GZA here? He would've been perfect on this song. What's more, Rae didn't learn the lesson Mef and especially RZA were trying to teach him, because he went straight back to the flossy shit that made his first contribution wack in the first place. Overall, the track is fairly decent, but that ODB solo still isn't washed out of my ear. The track ends with yet another kung-fu sample meant for the next track. UGH.

HELLZ WIND STAFF
What's very noticeable about this track is the fact that RZA went back to sampling hard on here. Every component of the beat is sampled, even the kung-fu intro! This seems to have delighted the rest of the Wu, as they bring forth yet another one of those posse cuts they seem to revel in. Streetlife sets shit off with a verse that would've sounded right at home in A Better Tomorrow or Impossible, but sounds a bit pretentious here. Don't get me wrong, it's still his best verse ever, but this beat feels more like a battle record, which is why it might not have the desired impact with some. And which is also precisely why GFK shines real nice on the following verse: The man has truly opened his imagery floodgates on this album, and by the looks of it, opened Raekwon's as well since Rae is once again aping GFK masterfully here, even though GFK, in what would unfortunately become quite the Wu trend, brutally teases you here with what could've been an epic followup to Cuban Linx instead of Immobilarity, which I will review later on. Mef is also in his element with the mythological punchlines he's been spewing on this album so far, continuing to do so in fine form here. RZA, in particular, seems to have put in extra effort to make his brash punchlines leave a mark. Peep this: 'Soul edged blade controls your Interpol' Or this: 'Pushed through like George Bush Operation Whoops' Damn, those two lines stung like a motherfucker! I'm even inclined to admit he got the better of a fully competent Inspectah Deck verse, which is the single biggest lyrical accomplishment RZA achieved on this song. This finally washed that ODB solo out of my ear properly.

HEATERZ
True Master returns with a damn fine followup to the previous track. His sample game, just beginning to hit the peak that he would sustain for two straight years, is solidified here with how he cuts up a Gladys Kinght record multiple times to form an epic beat in every sense of the word. Seriously, this beat is still a favorite for many a Wu fan almost 20 years later. Rae sets it off with his flow amping you up as you listen to another one of his dope GFK-aping verses, until he's blown away by a Deck performance that asserts INS as the true lyrical king of this song. ODB only gets four bars, because RZA. Golden Arms gives you his final relevant contribution on this album with an assertive negative capability verse. The song's final verse is left to Cappadonna, who might be getting flak for his numerous fuckups on his debut, but he's unfairly criticized on this album as his shit was still dope, sans the Maria joint where everybody involved sucked balls. In fact, Heaterz houses Cap's best lyrical performance on Wu-Tang Forever. And it's the second song where he establishes an infectious chemistry with True Master, the first being GFK's Fish. I'll even one up that statement, dear Wu head: Most of True Mas' best productions were Cap' tracks or ones that featured Cap. Think about it, and you'll definitely know it to be true. Then, we hear a shower running where we hear a couple exchanging romantic banter... wait...

BLACK SHAMPOO
And everything that was good in the world was sucked away into this gaping black hole of a song. This song is the lone reason why I wouldn't blame ANYONE out there ripping Uey's rap career a new asshole. I'm going to be fair, however, and rip RZA's an even bigger one. Why? It was his fucking idea in the first place! What kind of sick twisted fuck puts this sow manure at the end of a double album chock full of hits. Maria and Dog Shit sound like A Better Tomorrow compared to this, for we have the most pedophilic RZA beat that will ever come across any of your senses backing a Uey performance where he actually plays the female in the relationship! If any verse Uey spit on this album is anything to go by, you'd know that be some weird-ass shit. Imagine if EL James wrote Fifty Shades Of Grey as a rap song, and then people found out that EL James was simply an avatar of a disgusting 90 year-old man posing as a 50 year-old woman with a midlife crisis. That's what this song feels like! Motherfuck this song and its entire family. Sigh, at least I have Golden Arms' verse on A Better Tomorrow to fall back to.

SECOND COMING (FEATURING TEKITHA)
Because this makes sense: An R&B song. A boring-ass R&B song, might I add, on a hardcore Wu-Tang album. And it's about how the Wu are divine saviors of hip hop... Y'know, I'm starting to appreciate the contrast of this album even more. Because of the fact that this album has been majorly full of skyrocketing highs, it makes sense for RZA to purposefully create the most plummeting lows he can think of just to show that he's human, you feel me?

THE CLOSING
The outro, where Rae is really feeling himself. Here he thinks he literally saved the world, so he's ordering the fans to go buy Wu-Wear and shit as thanks for him blessing you with this album. Or maybe this was a waste of everyone's time. For US consumers, this is where the album ends...

SUNSHOWER
Which really sucks for them, as they were missing out on a RZA solo song that houses his finest lyrical work in hip hop, bar fucking none. Remember those lyrical theses him and Cousin GZA drop on their records from time to time? Well, here's a full song with two 50+ bar verses, throwing everything at you, from philosophy, to religion, to politics, to lyrical displays, everything. If that ain't a hip hop thesis then I don't know what is. Smart choice for the beat, as well, making that shit calm yet thumping to keep the listener following the lyrics being prattled off. Many people close to RZA within the Wu camp have stated that this lone song will be the closest anyone from the public will get to hear from The Cure, RZA's original plan for a debut album. Aside from that Tragedy joint, anyway. You know, before Bobby Digital was unleashed unto the unsuspecting public. I digress, this is how you end an album.

THE PROJECTS (REMIX)
Now this I find to be a complete waste of everybody's time. RZA, the fans, the label, everyone. Not only is RZA dead wrong by removing the exquisite piano piece on the original but his keyboards in the section's place are an absolute snoozefest. I wish there's something more to talk about, but everything else about this song is exactly the same as the original cut. If you own this digitally, you could delete this song from the tracklist and your life wouldn't be affected in the slightest. Unless you're an obsessive Wu collector who must have every single piece of work they ever released. In which case, I pity you and your loved ones who expect you to accomplish something, ANYthing, with your free time.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Whew!

This project must've certainly been hell to record, because RZA was obviously trying to showcase each and every member of the Wu-Tang Clan properly on here, with very unexpected results at times. No two ways about it, there were times where he fucked up bad because it's a 28-track album, for God's sake! He was bound to slip up somewhere! Granted the slipups were devastating but still, when 20 of those 28 are absolutely timeless hip hop. You know you have something special here. Of all RZA's experiments behind the boards, this is the album where he succeeded most. Throughout the massively-spanning careers of each and every MC featured on here, this is the album where they spit their best shit. And when all the smoke settled, the lesser-known members of the Wu shined equally as much as the figureheads. Well, maybe if GZA and ODB were featured more, that would be true but still. Everyone who jumped from 36 Chambers to this found nine very different MCs here, and it was because everyone incorporated their experiences froim the first batch of solo albums and pooled them here, making for a very satisfying meal where everybody hit their absolute peak, sans, unfortunately, ODB. The addition of 4th Disciple and True Master only added to the momentum this album was gaining over every other double album I know of. The final product before you is, in my opinion, the greatest piece of work the Wu-Tang Clan, group or solo, has ever released. Yes. This over 36 Chambers.

WORTH IT? You better fucking get this shit right now or, I swear to the Almighty, I will... do absolutely nothing because, grow up, this is the internet. What would I look like threatening random people on the internet? Although if there was some way I could physically deliver on those threats... One can only dream.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
AMERICA (FEATURING KILLAH PRIEST)
Ah yes, the public service announcement. Although this one is probably for the right reasons, as this was the lead single from the America Is Dying Slowly compilation charity album, the 8th in the Red Hot AIDS Benefit Series, recorded by the Red Hot Organization for AIDS relief. The beat remains one of my favorite RZA works, and the lyrics are predictably top-notch because the Wu has provided valid proof over the years that they excel in serious subject matter. I wish Masta Killa and Inspectah Deck had more time to give you proper verses equal to their costars instead of listening to the remainder of the beat for nearly three minutes without one verse to be heard. Oh well, at least the beat is a damn masterpiece that magically samples OV Wright.

DIESEL
Remember when I said that ODB was capable of wondrous things behind the mic? I present his most cryptic lyrical work ever, from the Soul In The Hole OST. (Allow me to add that the title track to this album by the Wu All-Stars is addictively timeless.) He steals the spotlight from everyone else on here so bad it's not even a competition. He had this eerie energy engulfing him here, because he describes in vivid detail how the government is after him. Three years later, the tragic events that set off his descent are set in motion, becoming well-documented history. RIP, man. RZA samples a Ruby Andrews record and mixes it with his own instrumentation to create one of his well-known left-field beats where he, Golden Arms, Rae and Mef share the spotlight with ODB. Everyone, especially Rae, was following wherever ODB went, with Golden Arms' negative capability, oddly enough, producing the best results of the remaining lineup.

DIRTY THE MOOCHER
Now this should've been ODB's solo track on the album, instead of wasting away with no sequence on the Hoodlum OST, home of that Mobb Deep-Rakim collaboration y'all love so much. I don't blame you, I love it too. Anyways, here RZA samples one of Cab Calloway's wilder songs before crafting a banging-ass beat, which seems to inspire ODB just enough to snap, the right way with his finest hour on the mic. This is just the type of record that the Wu should've been showcasing ODB with. I cannot recommend this song enough.

PUT YOUR HAMMER DOWN
Off of Vol. 3 from Funkmaster Flex' 60 Minutes of Funk mixtape series, RZA loops the first ten seconds of a Rufus Thomas classic and lets the Clan run wild on the shit, except for GZA who had his verse from Killah Priest's Cross my Heart imported to this track. Don't worry, nobody heard this track, yo, you're safe. Oh, and Deck uses this verse plus a few bars later on Rae's Wu-Tang Cream Team Line-Up. Don't worry, though, nobody heard both songs, yo. So, RAGU, Goldie and Mef are in full-on battle mode with everyone assuming their battle stations properly. Read: they all get busy, which is really all I ask of any MC.

EXECUTE THEM
Off of the Wu compilation album The Swarm, this song is more special to me  because my two favorite Wu members are given time to shine here. Sampling a Leonard Cohen trippy record and a Streetlife sample that sounds as if he was spitting right next to them, RZA gives you a triet between Rae, Masta Killa and Inspectah Deck, where Rae is predictably spitting a GFK-esque contribution that sounds dope as always. However once Masta Killa comes in with that 'like'-free verse, you will no longer remember what the fuck Rae was rapping about, as the High Chief's metaphor game takes you over, lulling you into a false sense of security until Deck comes to finish you off with one of his hybrid verses that got him so much respect on Wu-Tang Forever. And we're finally done

For the rest of the Wu's minuscule catalog, click here at your own risk.