9th Prince doesn't pay the taxi fare and is taken to court where he's accused of robbery, ending up in prison for some time. Back free, the founder of Killarmy publishes this effort, which had already been put together in previous years in a sort of compilation of tracks, which passes as his second LP five years after its debut. The cover, you have probably already seen it, because it's almost identical to that of the CD released a few months later by his brother RZA, "Digi Snacks": both are seated on a throne, surrounded by half-naked girls, on the pink bra there's a black symbol which is in fact that of the Wu-Tang Clan and at the top stands the logo of the 5 Percent Nation. 9th Prince forgoes Wu-Tang production and entrusts the beats to Gooch, Monster and Freedom Productions, with William Cooper of Black Market Militia providing a beat. The guests are Islord and Beretta 9 of Killarmy, Tommy Whispers and Trife of TMF, Tekitha, Paradox and Tash Mahogany.
The disc consists of a dozen songs and just under forty minutes of material, maintaining a formula that is somewhat similar to that of "Granddaddy Flow", and which remains a winner. It's a pity that few fans have noticed the goodness of this record: lyrically, there's little to investigate, the guy writes thug bars, gangsterisms, various threats, puts together hardcore verses, he tries to place a few lines with some shock value and represents Staten Island as much as the other Wu-Tang members, while musically, he excels and it's not immediate to understand why he's doing so well. The rapper gives up the music created by Wu-Elements and other producers who have tied their name to the Wu-Tang and relies on three unknown names that put together a set that's derisively defined as an imitation of the Wu sound.
Although he has put himself in the hands of kids who may seem inexperienced behind keyboards, the result is musically brilliant, starting with the first track, which is one of the best in the rapper's discography and also in that of Killarmy. It's a pearl, on a fantastic soundscape, a bass line draws freely in the background, the dirty dusty drum is perfect, the breath of serene air that the bass continues to bring is contrasted by an elegant and somber piano keys and by a loop of sad and melancholy violins, giving life to a spectacular rainy beat, on which 9th Prince raps at his best ever, delivering a couple of hardcore thug verses with one of the best flows of him. The title track is incredible, and the guests are punctual too, including Tommy Whispers blasting the record's best stream of consciousness in "Aint Promised Tomorrow".
Being a compilation of one of the most underrated artists among Killa Beez, you might think the tape will collapse from the third track, instead, it resists and maintains a surprisingly robust consistent quality until the very end, with always fresh rhythms and a fluid and energetic rapping in every track. At the end of the year, 9th Prince makes an agreement with Babygrande and the record gets a reissue with six bonus tracks, presumably from sessions with Killarmy that hadn't found space in the albums of the group: the beats come from Spanish Jose, Rebel Danjar, Leggzin, Beretta 9 and 4th Disciple, and in rapping the author is joined by Dom Pachino, ShoGun Assason, Kinetic 9, Killa Sin and Masta Killa. Despite a few minor flaws such as some badly sung hooks, these tracks are as strong as the previous ones and help cement the tape as one of the most consistent and strongest of the season.
Rating: 7/10.
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