Masta Killa's fourth studio album, which has one of the thinnest discographies among Wu-Tang Clan members. And more consistent, even solid, in silence, he never made a flop album and he never made sensational mistakes. He offers a sixteen-track tape, published by Nature Sounds, produced by PF Cuttin, 9th Wonder, Dame Grease, RZA, True Master, DJ Baby Snakes, Blocade, Chainsaw, Cruz, Illmind, and the Master Killer himself. In the rapping side, the Wu-Tang is represented by the bars of Cappadonna, Method Man, RZA, Inspectah Deck and GZA, while the external guests are Redman, Sean Price, Prodigy and KXNG Crooked, in addition to the unknown Young Dudas, AB, Boy Backs, Moe Roc, Chanel Sosa, Stacks and Nick Guns.
The intro is a composition by Ming-Hsueh Lin, who creates sad music with cinematic mafia vibes, with splendid crescent strings and the closing that reminds me of the pan flute of "Cockeye's Song", a song by Ennio Morricone from the soundtrack of "Once Upon a Time in America" (1984). The first cut presents Masta Killa and Young Dudas on an oriental boom bap, swinging and heavy made by P.F. Cuttin, rhythm not excellent: well Masta Killa, mediocre Young Dudas, Cappadonna raises the level of the piece. 9th Wonder places a tense and slightly cheery light soulful bap boom for the title track, Masta Killa delivers a vicious graphic cut with a quiet style, AB to the rnb hook. PF Cuttin offers a decent boom bap, with skinny hard thumping syncopated drum machine, to accommodate Method Man & Redman, intended to liven up the record on an urgent piano sample. "OGs Told Me" boasts a bright Dame Grease rhythm, raw jazzy boom bap, essential rapid and thumping drum machine, splendid sample of Cortex's "I Heard a Sigh": great attack by Boy Backs and confident velvet flow, Moe Roc hook, follows Masta Killa, with great flowing and raw delivery, closes Boy Backs, this track is a great showcase for him and he doesn't disappoint.
The following song is a two-minute interlude of words spoken by RZA on a stunning jazzy beat of his own invention, in a sequence devoid of Masta Killa: Bobby Digital jots down a bunch of random words that he calls "wise", but in summary he's telling us that the guy who made this LP is a good guy, because when the "C" in "C.R.E.A.M." started running low, that guy didn't demand his share, and when he went crazy and demanding that everyone spit on his unlistenable beats, that guy didn't complain. "Trouble" is another pearl of 9th Wonder, superlative production that pays homage to a homonymous cut from one of the Killa Beez records, good delivery by Masta Killa on this jewel to make a thug-drug rap song. True Master creates an excellent beat for "Skit", cheerful and hopping jazzy boom bap with noir bridge, good performance by Masta Killa, shame about the shortness of the choice. "Down with Me" is among the high points of the record: light boom bap, dark, tense and sad by 9th Wonder, skinny, slow and pounding drum machine, opening verse by Sean Price, cutting flow, raw, rough, effective; Masta Killa slightly inferior, but he was against a Legend.
"Tiger and the Mantice" has a Wu-Tang mood: Blocade rhythm, oriental jazzy boom bap, hard and pounding drum, Masta Killa boasts a good confident flow, hook-skit from martial arts movies, Inspectah Deck and GZA to complete this battle rap. The Genius, among others, surprises, whose flow is more cumbersome than usual, urgent, hasty, technically raw, he's not really in shape. "Real People" is a thug cut featuring KXNG Crooked and Don P over a bouncy, hardcore beat realized by Chainsaw: well Masta Killa, Prodigy performs with a relaxed and flowing style, closes KXNG Crooked hardcore and rough. Cut number twelve starts with a long skit, then Masta Killa delivers light and smooth on a light jazzy boom bap produced by the rapper himself and PF Cuttin, good proof from Chanel Sosa for the soul rnb hook. Beatmaker Cruz chooses a synthesizer for the following song, good delivery of the guest boys, closes Masta Killa: this cut has vibes trap and it's not up to the previous ones. The Brooklyn MC dusts off his Wu Gambino moniker for the final cuts. "Noodles Pt. 1" is blessed with one of the best beats of the edition, the work of Illmind, which creates a simple, light, relaxing, jazzy boom bap, essential, hard, limping and pounding drum machine, gorgeous string samples and fantastic noir / mafia bridge, good smooth, calm, shiny, and crisp delivery of Noodles, which kills the cut. The last track is "Noodles Pt. 2": the track dates back at least seven years, when the Wu-Tang MC had included it in his 2010 compilation. Dark and bright boom bap, with a bridge that is a tribute to disco dance, and a smooth delivery, good cut. The outro is a gift from Ming-Hsueh Lin, wonderful.
Blessed with a jazzy, dark and lush production, a solid, tight and composed lyricism, blessed with competent guests and an even magical mood in its most inspired moments, this is a true top-level Wu-Tang product: Masta Killa realizes a coherent, pleasant and confident project, interpreting his lyrics with a hardcore, light, flowing and dynamic style, with few slips and no particularly weak cuts, introducing fascinating noir mafia traits both in the music and in the lyricism that it should entertain fanatical listeners of the time when making a mob record meant something.
Highlights: "OGs Told Me", "Trouble", "Down With Me", "Tiger and the Mantice", "Real Peole", "Noodles Pt. 1", "Noodles Pt. 2".
Rating: 7.5/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment