U-God — Venom

U-God's fifth solo studio album, released five years after the last effort. Jose Reynoso and DJ Homicide are the main producers of the record, the other rhythms are provided by Ill Tal, Powers Pleasant, DJ Green Lantern, Large Professor and Lord Finesse. RZA is kept away from keyboards, while Inspectah Deck, Raekwon, Method Man and affiliate Jackspot Scotty Wotty collaborate on rapping.

Ill Tal provides a good tight and simple jazzy beat for the initial track, U-God delivers worthily. Powers Pleasant is the number two beatmaker for "Unstoppable": simplistic, trap-jazzy production, with a sparse and distant drum machine, Wu-rapper sounds decent, not too inspired on a sonic palette that isn't his. "Epicenter" is one of the highlights of the LP: simple, essential rhythm by DJ Green Lantern, one of the few professionals who arrived to help veteran Wu-Tang, in a posse track with Inspectah Deck, Raekwon and Jackpot Scotty Wotty, affiliate of the supergroup. On this dark boom bap, Raekwon brings out a good smooth performance, Inspectah Deck has good flow, and even Jackpot sounds better than a U-God, who's on autopilot.

"Bit da Dust" features a tight and simplistic minimal rhythm crafted by beatmakers DJ Homicide and José Reynoso, the rapper doesn't do much to impress the listener. DJ Green Lantern also provides a beat for "Elegance", a simple and minimal jazzy production, U-God seems more inspired than usual, but the choice to place a soulful hook performed by Nomadiq, brings the song closer to rnb vibes and away from its natural Wu mood. Reynoso is the beatmaker of "Climate": tight and jazzy, simplistic rhythm, UGodzilla flows decent aided by Jackpot Scotty Wotty, who still proves in shape. The title track is a solo song of Golden Arms, produced by Homicide and Reynoso, providing a simple and tight rhythm that's just decent. Large Professor brings out a better jazzy beat for "Felon", the rapper delivers inspired and carves out one of the rare discreet moments of the edition.

Lucky Hands sounds tepid in the following track, again produced by amateurs DJ Homicide & Jose Reynoso, while the tenth track boasts a beat made by Lord Finesse, The Bossmen, Davel Mc Kenzie and K Ford: this essential production is among the least successful of the record, the rapper sounds decent, but not good. In the final part of the edition, the MC attempts to lift the tape: "XXX" has good homicide minimal jazzy rhythm, U-God delivers worthily, then Method Man closes the track after spitting out a functional hook. "Jackpot" is a Scotty Wotty solo piece on Homicide and Reynoso's simplistic production, these guys offer him a scrap, but the kid grew up on Shaolin and kills the song. The final track is "Wisdom", produced by Reynoso with a tight and minimal sound, the rapper is generic as usual in this tape.

U-God makes a battle rap disc, mainly braggadocio: for thirteen tracks and just under forty minutes, he does what he has been doing throughout his career as a musical artist. That is, trying to convince the listener that he's truly at the same level to the other eight official Wu-Tang Clan members. I think the debut is his best solo work. It's not a completely successful or a totally solid effort, but it's by far his best record. Over the years, he has attracted a lot of hatred. He's hated at least as much as Cappadonna, if not more. With the difference that he has always been officially in the Clan. Now, it's hard to get fans to change their minds about being the first or, if you're lucky, the second weakest rapper of a nine / ten-person group, when your albums are so lacking in personality and charisma: the man has a totally forgettable production and his rapping is bland. The beats are provided by friends and there's no supporting by Wu Elements behind the keyboards. There are Large Pro and DJ Green Lantern, but they can't work miracles. There would be Lord Finesse, but three other beatmakers of whom I have never heard of, are credited to his rhythm: I have no idea what the actual contribution that the DITC producer gives to the song, nevertheless, that track is very poor from a musical point of view.

Lyrically, U-God isn't working hard in the effort, and it's been enough years to put together twenty decent stanzas to compose a studio album: the problem isn't even in the lyrics, as usual it's in the execution. He has no energy, no wickedness, he spits without verve, without soul: Cappadonna throws random incomprehensible bars at you half the time and going out of time for most of the tracks, but he does it with personality and an energy that makes you appreciate at least his attempts. On U-God records, this feeling isn't perceived, and this latest work is no exception. Distributed by Babygrande Records, a label in which other Wu took refuge after the disagreements with the founder RZA, the album comes out a few days after his autobiography "Raw: My Journey Into The Wu-Tang", and is almost ignored by the public and critics: it's an accessible, honest and inconsistent product, it's not as bad as his worst projects released in the mid-2000s, however, it's not too different from his previous two albums, "Dopium" (2009) and "The Keynote Speaker" (2013), so it goes unfairly unnoticed.

Rating: 6/10.