Killah Priest — Heavy Mental

Walter "Killah Priest" Reed grew up in Brooklyn, became passionate about hip-hop and participated in neighborhood rap battles, where he meets GZA and through him meets RZA. Reed, initially known as Lord Messiah, is set to become the ninth member of the Wu-Tang Clan and the last available place in the group is disputed with Masta Killa, another friend of GZA who stays up all night to write and deliver what will be the verse of "Da Mistery Of Chessboxin'", song included in the Wu-Tang Clan's first historic album, "36 Chambers", while Reed falls asleep.

RZA also introduces Killah Priest to the public by bringing him to two songs from his group Gravediggaz, these pieces become some of the most famous of the group's debut studio album "6 Feet Deep", they are "Diary of a Madman" and "Graveyard Chamber". The success of the songs allows Killah Priest to continue his collaboration with Wu-Tang even as an external member and he becomes one of the first and best affiliates of the Staten Island group. In 1995 he was the main guest on Ol' Dirty Bastard's album ("Return to the 36 Chambers") and participates in two tracks in GZA's second LP ("Liquid Swords"), considered one of the best in hip-hop history: Priest is featured on the posse track "4th Chamber", then The Genius gives him the honor of closing his disk with a solo track, "B.I.B.L.E.", then also featured on his debut album three years later.

In the same year, Killah Priest joined the group Sunz of Man, the first to sign with Wu-Tang Records and one of the first Wu-affiliated groups, whose debut album was postponed several times until the summer of 1998, coming out after Priest's debut. After signing with Geffen Records, the same label as GZA, Killah Priest began recording his first studio album, but an early version of the album is lost and the label continues to send back tracks that it doesn't deem commercially suitable. Finally, in March 1998, the Brooklyn emcee manages to release the album.

The production is handled mainly by Killarmy producer 4th Disciple, other rhythms are realized by True Master of Wu-Elements, Y-Kim the illfigure of Royal Fam, The Arabian Knight of Royal Fam, Killah Priest himself and the Wu-affiliate John the Baptiste. The guests are Inspectah Deck, GZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard of Wu-Tang Clan, Hell Razah and 60 Second Assassin of Sunz of Man, Father Lord of The Beggaz, the Wu-affiliate Tekitha and Shanghai the Messenger.

1. "Intro"

The one minute intro is taken from the film "The Egyptian" (1954).

2. "One Step" (ft. Tekitha & Hell Razah)

The first track from Killah Priest's debut album opens beautifully, with a sample from a classic, William Bell's "I Forgot to Be Your Lover": powerful, fantastic, beautiful bass, wonderful strings, hard drum, dirty, dusty, midtempo, it's one of the most beautiful beats of the year, created by True Master. The boy is a member of Wu-Elements, the Wu-Tang production team, and at this time he has produced songs for Ol' Dirty Bastard, Guru, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Wu-Tang Clan and Gravediggaz.

Intro in which Killah Priest pays homage to Prodigal Sunn and Dreddy Kruger, not present on the album, as well as Royal Fam and Hell Razah, who contributed to the CD. Dirty, energetic, effortless smooth hardcore delivery by Iron Shiek, dope flow. When Hell Razah comes to recite the hook along with Tekitha, there's a beat switch, slow, light, ballad-like, with melodic samples and a distant midtempo drum. Killah Priest delivers a second verse with a nice and regular flow: part of this verse is taken directly from one of his verses of "Wicked Ways", at the time unreleased song recorded by Sunz of Man for the album "Nothing New Under the Sun". Another hook, final outro by Wu-affiliate Tekitha, who took part in Ghostface Killah and Wu-Tang Clan records.

The texts written by Priest concern the history of slavery during the period of European colonialism in Africa, various frayed passages with historical and metaphysical references and to the Black Hebrew Israelites religious movement. This is the first song in which a member of Sunz of Man is a guest: Killah Priest is taking part in the recording sessions for Sunz of Man's first official album and he decides to record the track by calling Hell Razah to do the hook for the song. Originally Popa Wu aka Freedom is also present in the song, which the Brooklyn emcee refers to during his second verse, nonetheless, Popa Wu's contribution is eliminated from the final version of the piece.

The song is chosen as the album's promotional single.

3. "Bleesed Are Those"

First production on the album by a member of the Royal Fam, Y-Kim the Illfigure. Solid and robust bass in the background, dark and eerie soulful chorus in the background, sparse metallic midtempo drum, pretty simple and functional rhythm for Killah Priest's smooth slow delivery, which composes a battle between wisdom, historical, socio-conscious and political references. Originally there's an Al Green sample in the beat, the boys are unable to obtain permission from the singer to use it and are forced to delete it, unfortunately: Al Green doesn't want to give the sample to a rapper who calls himself Killah Priest, the two discuss it, but in the end Priest has to give up the sample and redo the beat when the disk is almost complete. His second verse is awarded verse of the month on "The Source".

4. "From Then Till Now"

Second production by Y-Kim, artist from Brownsville, Brooklyn. The Wu-Tang guys fight over this beat, Ghostface is in pole position, but in the end the beat ends up on Killah Priest's record. Spicy violins, lively drum, hard, tough, intro performed by Full Moon, a friend of Killah Priest. Dark vibes, dark organ in the background, harmonization and whistling in the background are straight from The Man in the Raincoat's "Marion Marlowe". Ideal cinematic sound mat for Killah Priest. The boy delivers lyrics about socio-conscious and political topics with a slow, regular, velvety and flawless style, his two verses are heavy.

C'è un sample da "Diamond Are Forever" di Shirley Bassey.

5. "Cross My Heart" (ft. Inspectah Deck & Genius/GZA)

True Master returns behind the keyboards for track number five. Compelling and positive, enveloping and energetic, cinematic production, solid bassline, with lively and sunny drum and a good and cheerful sample from a Moments hit, "What's Your Name". It sounds like a RZA beat. Killah Priest recorded the song in California, originally there are GZA and RZA in addition to the main rapper: Bobby Digital isn't sure of the validity of his contribution and in any case wants to stay out of the track — which was therefore already destined for history, as in that case it would have been one of the few Wu tracks to feature both The Abbot and The Genius and outside of the group's records it rarely happened — instead of him comes a verse from Inspectah Deck, which kills the beat by recording his contribution in New York.

Intro, then Killah Priest enters the track as if he has just entered the presidential palace of the Byzantine Empire in order to assassinate the Emperor. Strong-paced, slow, hardcore, he's overwhelming, powerful, unstoppable. He delivers his verse with surgical precision and an innate knack for the game. In reality he puts himself in the shoes of a King of the Ottoman Empire, then returns in his guise as a prominent Wu affiliate with some braggadocio. Rebel INS continues slow, energetic, hardcore, dropping bars between street crimes and cyber crimes. GZA closes with a battle stanza after a short hook from Priest, with an energetic, hardcore, slow, velvety style. Outro by Priest.

This is the first single from the album and it's very strong, also included in the soundtrack of the film "Caught Up" (1998). In the following years the song was sampled by Wu-Tang (on a RZA production where they're all in for a cut on a Funkmaster Flex mixtape), Group Home, Canibus, Jedi Mind Tricks, Royce, La Coka Nostra, Masta Killa and Recognize Ali, among others.

6. "Fake MC's"

On the sixth track comes the first production from the main beatmaker of Killah Priest's debut album, 4th Disciple. Light production, vibrant bass, dusted cymbals, simple midtempo distant drum, elegant and dark piano, splendid melodic samples from "My Little Brown Book" by Duke Ellington and John Coltrane. Regular, slow, silky delivery by Killah Priest that turns against weak rappers in a deeply smooth melodic cut. The tune is made in Steubenville, Ohio.

7. "It's Over"

Piece recorded in California. Slightly experimental melodic beat from 4th Disciple, thundering bass line, syncopated, spare drum, flute sample from Michael Hoppe's "Petite Giselle", a gem, and persistent excerpt from The Tempos' "You're Not Here". Smooth, fast, energetic and fluid delivery by Killah Priest building a long abstract and cryptic battle.

8. "Crusaids" (ft. Tekitha)

Melodic experimental rhythm created by 4th Disciple: good dark samples, restrained bass in the background, syncopated drum, a single distant kick snare lead shot in the background, the foggy and dark loops envelop the rhythm and the drum seems to be held back by a force more powerful than itself. Killah Priest's almost spoken word delivery, while Tekitha sings melodically in the background; in the last seconds, the drum seems to find freedom somehow, but the song ends around the minute mark.

In the original cut, there's Rose Cartel aka Black Rose Kartel (Daddy Rose would later be a member of Killah Priest's Maccabeez) and all of Sunz of Man, for a total of about a dozen guests. According to Priest, 4th Disciple still has the original version in its archives.

9. "Tai Chi" (ft. Hell Razah, 60 Second Assassin and Father Lord)

Piece recorded around 1996, according to Priest himself this is the first song made for his debut solo album. Sunz of Man reunite over a haunting piano and chant loop courtesy of 4th Disciple. Prodigal Sunn is in the recording of another song ("Break It Down") which was never released. Dark production created by Killarmy's producer, melodic harmonization that comes directly from "Don't Leave Me This Way" by Thelma Houston, pounding bass, hard midtempo drum, dirty and dusty, perfect, magical galactic piano coming down from the sky from a Commodores song ("Three Times a Lady"), fantastic, spectacular rhythm.

Hell Razah comes in clean, hardcore, energetic, smoothness, reciting a boastful battle with some historical and metaphysical references to remain vaguely linked in some way to the themes proposed by the main author in this album. Right now he's definitely one of the best rappers in the underground circuit. Priest and Father Lord aka Wu-Chi of The Beggaz deliver a short simple hook, wrapping up the beat: the summer before the album's release Father Lord had been the victim of a car accident. 60 Second Assassin delivers a cryptic battle verse with a sing-song, slow, curious delivery style. Killah Priest completes the track with a third verse on wisdom delivered almost in spoken word at the beginning, then with a style closer to rapping.

This sounds like the best track on the album by far, beautiful and immense. Highlight in Killah Priest's career.

10. "Heavy Mental"

This is the only beat made by Killah Priest and coincides with the title track of the project. The author is on a ferry in Staten Island with his friend Prodigal Sunn, when he loses his original rhythm. Back in the studio, Priest takes the Didgeridoo, an Australian musical instrument, and invents the new beat, giving life to an experimental production of rare beauty and effectiveness: this is one of the first drumless beats in hip-hop and Killah Priest becomes one of the first emcees to rap on a track with no drums and no bass, both replaced by the didgeridoo, a particular wind instrument developed by native Australians that gives the listener the sound of an intergalactic journey.

Killah Priest delivers slow, firm, confident, unstoppable, almost in spoken word practically overbeat on a series of sensational sci-fi sounds, it's a truly one-of-a-kind beat: through his usual abstract stream of consciousness, the author takes us on a mystical journey inside the human psyche, seen as an endless galaxy. This is a fantastic, wonderful cut.

11. "If You Don't Know" (ft. Ol' Dirty Bastard)

Track recorded in California. Ol' Dirty BZA arrives at the studio and is in crisis, he claims to be chased by aliens, in a way not totally different from what Kit Ramsey played by Eddie Murphy in "Bowfinger" (1999) claims, strangely still in California. Except, in fact, ODB claims it a couple of years before the film came out.

Phenomenal production by True Master, melodic sample from Carla Thomas' "I'm for You", heavy tight dirty dusty dry hard drum, thundering, heavy and solid bass, some piano keys to lighten the beat. Killah Priest's slow, thoughtful, calm, solid, velvet delivery, reciting a battle of bragging and gangsterism, treading the pace and increasing the energy as the beat progresses. Ol' Dirty Bastard's wacky crazy hook contrasts with Killah Priest's calm, solidity and regularity and is one of the most ODB lyrical moments in BZA's career. Masada offers a second battle rap verse with religious references, maintaining a slow, smooth, solid, clean rapping style. Chorus by ODB, Malcolm X outro from the speech "Blue Eyed Devil".

This is GZA and Masta Killa's favorite cut from this CD.

12. "Atoms to Adam" (ft. Shanghai the Messenger)

The song was made during a period in which Priest was also recording the Sunz of Man album. It's recorded in California. Sensational production by 4th Disciple, one of the best producers of the period. Dark and light beat, sparse midtempo drum, fabulous magical bass, melodic samples from "Sweet Pain" by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Michael Brook. Minimal lo-fi boom bap, hook sung by Killah Priest's friend Shanghai the Messenger. The Brooklyn emcee shines with a fluid, silky, regular, unstoppable delivery, reciting texts that reflect on the origins of man, life and evolution and the afterlife in Heaven.

13. "High Explosives"

The musical carpet is made by Q-Base aka The Arabian Knight, producer of Royal Fam who was working with the other member of the group Y-Kim. This excellent boom bap is the only beat provided by Arabian Knight: dry and hard metallic drum, good thundering bass line, powerful and energetic, excellent samples, lucid, regular and clear delivery by Killah Priest, who recites a metaphysical and abstract text.

14. "Wisdom"

This choice is recorded together with "Fake MCs" in Steubenville, Ohio, towards the end of the album, while the label continued to reject the album and the boys continued to record other songs. The author creates another cryptic battle with metaphysical lyrics over a splendid production by 4th Disciple, beautiful sample from "Someday" by Carpenters, deep bass, sparse slow drum, various sounds that envelop the emcee's smooth, regular, crisp, clean delivery.

15. "B.I.B.L.E."

The original track was made at RZA's house during the period in which the Abbot was busy recording "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx" with Raekwon. Shabazz the Disciple brings Killah Priest to this beat and the guy records the track for Raekwon's album: according to Priest himself, this is the first track he ever recorded. This piece should be included in the Chef's debut album as one of the few non-gangsta tracks in an album with a clear mafia concept. Nonetheless, RZA loses the track in the pile, 4th Disciple comes in and does the track all over again, the result is excellent, everyone is thrilled. In the meantime, Raekwon's album is already out, there's time to put the piece on GZA's album: the cut is excessively positive to be included in "Liquid Swords" according to RZA, but GZA says he's in favor of including the song on his album. The track is the same as The Genius' iconic album, a skit from the film "The Egyptian" is added as an outro.

4th Disciple invents one of his many masterpieces. The beat combines two excerpts from "Our Love Has Died" by Ohio Players. Deep and precise bassline in the background, perfect midtempo dusty dry drum, wonderful sounds, crazy beat. Killah Priest, at his career best, creates a spiritual track delivering with smoothness and masterful rapping.

16. "Mystic City" (ft. Shanghai the Messenger, uncredited)

This is one of the last pieces recorded for the album, perhaps the last. Third and final production provided by Y-Kim the Illfigure. After a first version with a relaxed performance by the rapper, the kids ask for a more aggressive performance, and this version is then chosen to be included on the CD.

Excellent musical painting invented by Y-Kim, sad elegant piano, hard dry midtempo drum, melancholic samples, fantastic singing by Shanghai the Messenger, who already performed the hook in "Atoms of Adam" (he actually sang for the entire duration of the song and then the guys stitched together his contribution for the hook only) and here he makes another excellent contribution to the Killah Priest album. Long hook that leads the way to the crisp, clean, crystalline, energetic rapping of the Brooklyn artist who flies on a rare quality production, courtesy of Y-Kim, and offers an abstract battle rap between wisdom, crime, religious references and metaphysics where the title couldn't be more appropriate.

17. "Information"

Another piece created in Steubenville, Ohio, where 4th Disciple has Priest read a book on conspiracy theories and boy does he take full inspiration from that for this tune. Today we could say that it's a prophetic track or a track that raps some extracts from Orwell's most famous book, at least as far as the first verse is concerned, as in the next the Brooklyn emcee returns to mixing frayed bars between religious references and metaphysics with a slow, energetic and crisp delivery style. An outro from the film "The Robe" (1953) closes. Eclectic and melancholic experimental production performed by 4th Disciple, with syncopated and tight drum and exquisite samples of trumphets from "All the Kings Horses" by Grover Washington, Jr.

18. "Science Project" (ft. Hell Razah)

Song recorded in New York with Hell Razah, Prodigal Sunn, 12 O'Clock and ODB. Only the first manages to break the record. Sunzini advises Iron Shiek on the theme of the song, talk about his life and his childhood, and the guy rhymes in the third person mixing criminal lyrics, street and drug stories in two verses, dropping bars with a hardcore, slow, clear style. The other Sunz of Man's contribution is marked as a verse but in reality it's a long shootout that pays homage to the neighborhoods of New York and other cities, preceded by another outro. The beat is beautiful, melodic and cinematic, created by 4th Disciple: heavenly smooth sax, lively drum stopped a couple of times to leave ample room for maneuver for the sax, improvising synth, then the drum returns to accompany the melodic samples amidst the police sirens and choirs in the background. Dope cut.

19. "Almost There"

This piece is one of the first to be recorded. 4th Disciple decides not to do anything wrong on this album. Fast rhythm, boom bap with minimal drum, dry, hard and metallic combined with dark samples that create an eerie mood for Iron Shiek's hardcore, energetic, crisp and smooth delivery, who has a metaphysical battle in mind, but then he decides to take a quick peek at the geographic atlas and name-dropping a few locations.

20. "The Professional"

Piece recorded in Miami, whose original version ("How to MC") failed to enter the tracklist. Priest is one of the first to work with beatmaker John the Baptist, who later produced for GZA, U-God, Royal Fam, Sunz of Man and Killa Beez. Simple trumpet loop, minimal bare drum, slow, clear and silky delivery by Killah Priest who slices another piece. Outro with skit from the film "The Egyptian", which had consistently opened the album.

Final Thoughts

Walter Reed grew up in various Brooklyn neighborhoods, he becomes passionate about hip-hop and starts participating in rap battles in his neighborhood. One of the best battle rappers in Brownsville, Brooklyn lives in the neighborhood where Reed goes to live and his name is Gary "GZA" Grice, so the two get to know each other. Through this young man, Reed also met his cousin, Rakeem "RZA" Diggs. Both GZA and RZA had already attempted the adventure in the music industry in the early nineties, both signing with a major label, Warner Bros. Records, through agreements with Cold Chillin' and Tommy Boy, respectively. Nonetheless, for both of them the experience is negative and the two abandon their contracts. A few years later, Diggs began working with Grice on an album together with many friends and Reed should also be among them.

The group was born from the union of All in Together Now, group formed by cousins Grice, Diggs and Russell "Ol' Dirty Bastard" Jones, with that of the DMD Posse formed by Diggs himself as well as Corey "Raekwon" Woods, Dennis "Ghost Face Killer" Coles, Lamont "U-God" Hawkins, Jason "Inspectah Deck" Hunter, Selwyn "4th Disciple" Bougard and Clifford "Method Man" Smith. There's still room for a ninth member in this group, 4th Disciple being a producer who will then be the audio engineer of the first album: the place is disputed between Reed, known at the time as Lord Messiah, and Elgin "Masta Killa" Turner.

Reed is destined to become the ninth member of the Wu-Tang Clan, he competes with Masta Killa to join the group by writing a verse in a Wu-Tang track, but after having a quiet couple of weeks instead of writing the text, on the last available night the boy falls asleep, while Masta Killa stays up all night and delivers what will be the final verse for "Da Mystery of Chessboxin". Reed is out of the Wu-Tang Clan, however, RZA calls him to collaborate on a couple of tracks of his side project with the group Gravediggaz. In this period, RZA is among the guys that give Reed his definitive moniker, Killah Priest.

After attending the Wu-Tang Clan sessions for the first album "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)" as a spectator, Killah Priest ends up on a couple of tracks on Gravediggaz's debut album "6 Feet Deep", over disturbing beats that are news to the boy and are news to anyone, honestly. On the same tunes, he's joined by David "Scientific Shabazz" Collins, member of Da Last Future, hip-hop group from Red Hook, Brooklyn. One of the tracks is the lead single "Diary of a Madman", and today Priest and Shabazz are considered among the pioneers of the horrorcore subgenre together with the other members of the group for their contribution in the record released in 1994.

In the same year, Da Last Future releases a four-track demo without Shabazz: the last choice, "Evil Lulla Bye", also features Lamar "Prodigal Sunn" Ruff and Killah Priest, who performs the outro. Between 1994 and 1995, Killah Priest and Scientific Shabazz form the duo The Disciples of Armageddon (D.O.A.) and get a contract with Atlantic to record a demo: they choose to including Da Last Future members Chron "Hell Razah" Smith and Prodigal Sunn in the sessions, creating the cuts "Deep in the Water" and "Writing Rhymes With a Liquid Pen", both produced by Dropsect, Penalty Recordings-related producer with whom Shabazz has worked releasing several singles for his forthcoming solo project, on which he focuses on leaving Da Last Future.

Around 1995, Da Last Future becomes the first act to sign with Wu-Tang Records, and changes name to Sunz of Man: the group is composed by the founders Hell Razah and Supreme Kourt, along with Killah Priest and Prodigal Sunn. The other founder of the group 7th Ambassador aka Zodiac Killah left the group in 1994 before the affiliation with Wu-Tang and recording a single historical cut with Priest, "Valley of Death". His place is taken by 60 Second Assassin, cousin of Ol' Dirty Bastard and close to Brooklyn Zu, that is introduced to the lineup. Sunz of Man thus became the first known Wu-Tang affiliated group and one of the most important of the affiliates, Wu-Tang Killa Beez, forming the first part of a trinity consisting of the Killarmy and the Royal Fam, three hip-hop groups composed all by boys who grew up with members of the Wu-Tang Clan.

In the same year, Sunz of Man released their first single, "Soldiers of Darkness / Five Arch Angels", two of the group's finest tracks ever, both produced by 4th Disciple. "Five Arch Angels" it's a historical track, because it's the only one to have the five emcees of the group after the release of 7th Ambassador, namely Killah Priest, Prodigal Sunn, Hell Razah, 60 Second Assassin and Shabazz the Disciple, who briefly returns to the group after leaving Da Last Future shortly before. Also, it's probably the only track released by Sunz to have 62nd and Shabazz together. "Soldiers of Darkness" is performed by Prodigal Sunn, Killah Priest and 60 Second Assassin along with 9th Prince, younger brother of RZA, and Killa Sin, both rappers of Killarmy.

It's thought that this could be the basis for a group of elements at least as large as the Wu-Tang Clan, with the beats made mainly by 4th Disciple, but the idea is soon shelved even given the lukewarm response of the public. The two Killarmys are joined by other emcees from Steubenville, Ohio, and 4th Disciple becomes that group's in-house producer, while Sunz of Man, who already have their in-house producer in Supreme, continue their journey on their own, they're already in enough. For now. Another single is published in 1995, "No Love Without Hate". Prodigal Sunn, Hell Razah, 60 Second Assassin and Killah Priest, there are the four emcees later featured as Sunz of Man in the debut LP "The Last Shall Be First".

Despite being out of the group, his performances on tracks with Gravediggaz allow Killah Priest to remain one of the closest emcees to Wu-Tang. The Brooklyn rapper is in fact the main guest on Ol' Dirty Bastard's debut solo album, "Return to the 36 Chambers", which coincides with the second solo release ever by a Wu-Tang Clan rapper after the group's formation after Method Man's "Tical" in 1994 (the third counting "Words from the Genius" by a young GZA under Cold Chillin' / Reprise in 1991). Priest appears in "Don't U Know", "Snakes" along with RZA, Buddha Monk and Masta Killa, and in the huge posse track "Proteck Ya Neck II the Zoo", with Sunz of Man and Brooklyn Zu emcees.

A few months later, GZA releases his second CD, "Liquid Swords" and Killah Priest is one of the main guests, participating in one of the most appreciated tracks on the album, the posse "4th Chamber" together with RZA and Ghostface Killah, in which Priest inserts an imperceptible attack towards the Clan guys (including Raekwon, not featured on the song) who were teasing him right before they started recording. Furthermore, as a great form of respect towards him, GZA himself lets the track that concludes his album, what will be considered one of the best in the history of hip-hop and for many also the best by a wide margin among all the records released by Wu-Tang artists, is a solo by Killah Priest. This track, "B.I.B.L.E.", also coincides with the third track that is not produced by RZA in Wu-Tang Clan's first five solo albums (also considering Ghostface's "Ironman", released the following year), being produced by 4th Disciple. After this contribution, he became one of the favorite Wu-affiliates of fans. Iron Sheik also takes part in the "One Million Strong" compilation alongside RZA in the posse "Where Ya At?" and in the remix, and in the Sunz of Man's cut "Wicked Ways", with Hell Razah, 7th Ambassador and 60 Second Assassin in a choice originally destined for the shelved album "Nothing New Under the Sun".

Also in 1995, Killah Priest is definitively taken under GZA's wing. The Disciples of Armageddon duo of which Priest is part together with Shabazz, deal with GZA's management company, Liquid Swords Entertainment, and Sunz of Man prepares to release their debut album "Nothing New Under the Sun". Nevertheless, the first problems arrive: Shabazz goes on a collision course with RZA and decides to leave the group, disagreements arise between Killah Priest and RZA, moreover, the GZA management company goes folded. In 1996, Killah Priest collaborated on the Wu-Tang Clan's posse track "America" for the album "America Is Dying Slowly", in which the Sunz of Man emcee opened the song and Raekwon, RZA, Masta Killa and Inspectah Deck also participte with him over a production invented by The RZA. Furthermore, Prodigal Sunn and Hell Razah are also greeted in the outro. In the same season, Killah Priest is still part of Sunz of Man group (he's shootout by Prodical in the fourth single released by the group, "Bloody Choices") when RZA decides to interrupt Wu-Tang's collaboration with Sunz, canceling the distribution contract with Priority, cutting financing, stalling their debut studio album "Nothing New Under the Sun" and stopping the group's career.

There's also a rift within the Sunz of Man: some guys would like to definitively distance themselves from the dark aura of the Abbot, others insist on remaining faithful to the double v, despite everything. Shabazz the Disciple and Killah Priest break ties with the Wu, and consequently also with the Sunz of Man. The two exiles from the Sunz of Man join forces in The Disciples, heir to the D.O.A., releasing "Writing Rhymes With a Liquid Pen" around 1997 under an independent label, maintaining the verses of Sunzini e Hell Razah as Sunz of Man guest spots. Not having the support of a good management company like those of Wu-Tang, the two Brooklyn emcees are forced to find other less advantageous agreements and are not managed adequately from a marketing point of view: the response from the public for that track is around zero, both because the promotion is minimal and because the song would have been comfortable if it had come out four or five years earlier, now it arrives too late for the scene and is ignored. The duo breaks up and the boys take different paths: Shabazz believes that only a new name is needed and wants to continue the duo, while Killah Priest wants to form the Maccabees group together with Shabazz and Timbo King, leader of the Royal Fam whose debut album scheduled for 1996 has been shelved by Capitol. In 1997, the Gravediggaz publishes his second disk, "The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel": Priest is featured in "Repentance Day" along with Sunz of Man, represented solely by Hell Razah.

Then, Killah Priest signs with Geffen, the same label as GZA, and starts recording his debut solo album around the same time that Sunz of Man are recording their first album. Some sessions for the two projects take place simultaneously at Power Play Studios in Long Island, New York. Somehow, Priest loses the first version of this album. The title track takes a swim in the bay on Staten Island. He records a second one, which is this one. In March 1998, Killah Priest released his debut album "Heavy Mental", four months before the release of the Sunz of Man album.

After having appreciated "B.I.B.L.E.", the Wu guys advised Priest to continue writing and after a few years, the Brownsville rapper creates his personal debut album. While the Wu-Tang artists used skits and snippets from kung-fu films for their records, Priest decides to use inserts from old biblical films, trying to create a sort of his own concept. Lyrically, it's not easy to find comparisons to other hip-hop projects of the time. Killah Priest decides to create a product that includes themes such as spirituality, metaphysics, religious history, history of ancient civilizations, references to Judeo-Christian-Islamic theology and mythology, drawing parallels to the condition of Black people in the United States to that of the Jewish people during Exodus, apocalypse, space, wisdom, Afrocentrism, crimes, gangsterism, street stories, drug stories, socio-conscious and socio-political extracts. All mixed together and intertwined with the language of the Five Percenters and strongly influenced by the doctrine of semi-unknown religious sects in a series of battles featuring complex and detailed metaphors, giving life to mostly incomprehensible, raw and abstract texts, which are deemed to be high quality, deep and heavy and which are difficult to absorb and assimilate even after a good number of listens, and the album is worth these listens. In this way, Killah Priest invents his own writing style, revealing himself to be a remarkable storyteller when he recites his lyrics in a calm, relaxed and quiet way, while he ends up hiding among the lesser performers when he forces his style towards hardcore rap with a more aggressive delivery.

The production is beautiful, the result of the work of producer 4th Disciple which lasted over a year together with the rapper. This effort is one of 4th Disciple's best work ever and overall, one of the greatest sets among Wu-Tang records. If there were no production credits, you'd be tempted to think it was entirely created by RZA, also because Priest has already performed over his rhythms in seven tracks from four different albums up to this point. True Master, Y-Kim and The Arabian Knight of Royal Fam, John the Baptist, all of them did an excellent job, no one was wrong, which is huge and rare on a hip-hop album. The rhythms are clearly inspired by Wu's production, by RZA's mid-nineties production, they look there, they look at "Liquid Swords", at those soundscapes, at that atmosphere, and they do well, because that's exactly where they have to look and aim and arrive. The beats are dark, icy, clean, minimal, relentless, there's no frost on them, some of the best drums of the period, some of the deepest bass and some of the best samples you will hear on an album that is marked with the double v. The music is profound and was created to accompany Priest and follow his stream of consciousness and never the other way around, while the emcee delivers verses with a velvety, orderly and precise rapping style. This is also why the album runs well for 75 minutes, which would be excessive in a normal album, and instead sounds right in this project.

The cover maintains a link with GZA's second CD, as well as many other elements, including music, guests, general atmosphere. The cover of Killah Priest's album features a space background in the middle of the universe, like the other one, and here you can see the stars everywhere, which are also present in the cover of the aforementioned album by The Genius, also inserted in a spatial context. At the center of the cover of this LP there's a stargate, above the image of the author, just below him there's his name in red with an almost gothic font heir to his period in Gravediggaz records, below that is the album title, half in yellow, half in white with a normal font. At the bottom of the cover, always in the center, there's also the symbol of the Wu-Tang Clan, to testify that this is a Wu album and that it comes from an affiliate of the group.

Published by Geffen Records and distributed by Universal, three singles were extracted from it, "Cross My Heart" (released in 1997), "One Step" (well received by the charts) and "If You Don't Know". The album achieved encouraging sales results, reaching #24 on the Billboard 200 and the top five among hip-hop records, which means it's one of, if not the most successful efforts ever for a Wu-Tang affiliate. Killah Priest becomes one of the first Wu affiliates to have a solo album, precisely the third after Shyheim ("AKA the Rugged Child", 1994) and King Just ("Mystics of the God", 1995), also anticipating several members of the Wu-Tang Clan itself including Cappadonna ("The Pillage", 1998; affiliated with the group at the time), Inspectah Deck ("Uncontrolled Substance", 1999) and U-God ("Golden Arms Redemption", 1999).

This is one of the first hip-hop albums to delve into spirituality, it's a reflective, strange, violent record, close to religious themes but not really religious, impressive and also sprawling, incredibly ambitious. Killah Priest takes his share of risks and realizes an immense project, musically impeccable and revolutionary and lyrically unapproachable by anyone in this period, wonderful, practically a classic on which almost all people including fans and professional critics have slept. The boy would like to stop with music after the release of this CD, but RZA convinces him to continue, fortunately. It's one of the best records of the year and one of the best created in the nineties, full of superlative cuts, although still a difficult listen. Recommended for hip-hop fans, mandatory purchase for Wu-stans.

Rating: 9/10.