9th Wonder — Zion VII

Seventh installment in seven years of the record series created by hip-hop producer 9th Wonder, "Zion". The author reduces the number of songs by half compared to the previous chapter and the length of listening increased from almost two hours to an hour and a quarter, approximately. King Draft & Swank, rappers from 9th Wonder's label Jamla Records, guested on the first seven tracks, the rest of the tape is entirely instrumental. The Jack Moves, Jalisa and Datsunn are the other credited guests on some of those seven songs. Sometimes the author guesses the melody and finds fresh samples, but the drum is often bad or weak and the rhythm never takes off. "Remain" is a rare exception, 9th Wonder creates a splendid beat, with a soulful sample and a perfect drum, Swank and King Draft deliver bars with regular style. "Lust 4 U" features a sample from Free Life's "Wish You Were Here" and "Know I" has a sample from "'Cause I Love You" by Lenny Williams, but both choices are unmemorable. "BeenChanged" is one of the high points of these 76 minutes, thanks to a series of clippings and chops from the excellent "Changed" by Donald Watkins and The Gospel Music Educators Seminar Mass Choir. Then, as per a die-hard tradition by 9th Wonder, it's his shorter inserts that coincide with the best of his selection, and are scattered throughout the listening: "BeSuperStar", "MissinYouJam" and "WorldWindSoul", boasting great samples and a good melody. Everything else feels unnecessary and makes it yet another bloated effort from the artist. 5/10.