In the late 1990s, the Crime Syndicate formed by a trio of Virginia rappers had signed with Wu Records and changed its name to Wu-Syndicate.
They released an album in 1999, then they disappeared for ten years, publishing a sophomore in 2009, ignored by audiences and critics, then nothing for another ten years. Two more albums released from the blue in 2019, then "Underworld Kings", the fifth work of the duo formed by Myalansky & Joe Mafia, while Napoleon has left the group few times after the debut. The tape is a tribute to the 90s New York sound, that dusty boom bap jazzy that never leaves you. On these simple beats, someone darker or tense than usual, with always skinny slow syncopated drum machines and a smoothness slow syncopated delivery, the group delivers braggadocio and thug bars, without too much innovation.
The piano scattered throughout the record livens up different tracks with elegance and eccentricity, however the record lacks any real highlights: Gunit Cappo doesn't really add anything to the project and the best rhythms come in "Fallen" and "Godfather", in the latter the production is stolen to "The Godfather". You can savor the cover who present the Wu-Tang logo in the crime scene of the murder of Albert Anastasia, godfather of the Gambino family, in the barber shop of Park Sheraton Hotel, Midtown, New York. It's not an essential listen, recommended for Killa Beez fans. 6/10.
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