The soundtrack of "The Man With the Iron Fists" (2012) co-written, directed and starring Robert Diggs, also emerges as the best album made by him under the name of RZA. One of the greatest strengths of the project lies in the fact that for the most time, The Abbot contributes neither to production nor to rapping, leaving room for other performers and playing a role similar to that of DJ Khaled in his album-producer releases.
Frank Dukes takes care of half of the beats and does a discreet and honest job, does his homework and nothing more, building a generic soundscape that scribbles that of the Wu-sound, while it sounds better than all other RZA albums: Dukes builds minimal beats with a set of nostalgic elements for fans of the collective – using robust and dusty drums, melodic samples and some kung-fu movie skits – without being able to give anything particularly memorable, from a musical point of view. The rest of the producers also provide beats that are more or less all functional to rapping: in addition to Dukes, RZA (4), BADBADNOTGOOD (2), Black Keys, Fizzy Womack, Kanye West, Boogz & Tapez, Bob Perry, Steven James Brown, Corinne Bailey Rae, S1, Isaac Hayes and David Porter participate. Among them, RZA and Kanye West provide the best rhythm of the edition in "White Dress", whose production is also credited with Boogz & Tapez: relaxed beat with excellent looped male soul sample, good piano and light strings, West performs with a fluid and velvet style, at the expense of imperfect lyrics.
The tracklist promises a lot more than it actually delivers: unlike the worst products released by Bobby Digital, this record boasts some of the best rappers of the period. Guests are Wu-Tang Clan, MOP, Pharoahe Monch, Kanye West, Idle Warship (duo consisting of Talib Kweli and Res), Kool G Rap, Freddie Gibbs, Flatbush Zombies, Boy Jones, Pusha T, Joell Ortiz, Danny Brown, Wiz Khalifa, Sheek Louch and the singers The Revelations, Tre Williams, Corinne Bailey Rae, Frances Yip and Mable John. Among the performers, no one disappoints, and it's kind of an event on an RZA album: the only one who really feels out of place is Wiz Khalifa, performing a forgettable hook on a slow downtempo drum in "I Go Hard", alongside the hardcore delivery of Ghostface Killah and the sprawling, messy flow of Boy Jones. Talib Kweli stars in one of the least successful pieces due to his monotonous style, Res sounds better than him. The ballad / rnb and soul songs all go pretty well, from Tre Williams to Frances Yip.
The album finally breathes the Wu-Tang air: all the live members of the group are present, RZA, GZA, Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Masta Killa, U-God, Cappadonna and Method Man. Bobby Steels sounds inspired with his raw and slow style in the opening cut with the Black Keys and in "Just Blowin' in the Wind" with the Flatbush Zombies. Ghostface Killah is the major guest of the edition with five appearances and offers good performances, Inspectah Deck sounds better in "Bust Shots" than in the supergroup posse and Method Man maintains a fluid and effortless flow in "Built for This", with Freddie Gibbs that boasts a great velvety style. Raekwon doesn't take part in the supergroup posse, however, he's featured on the long and smooth "Tick Tock" posse, along with Pusha T, Joell Ortiz and Danny Brown, who rekindles the song when it seemed to be finished.
The tracklist deceives the listener, because few performers impress and most of the songs don't work or work poorly: "Black Out", "Rivers of Blood", "Built for This", "Tick Tock", "Six Directions of Boxing", "Bust Shots", they should all be classic cuts, they should immediately end in the highlights section of the record and of the careers of individual performers, but they don't. Personally, I blame the failure of this on production rather than on performance. In "Black Out" there are Ghost Face Killer, Lil' Fame and Billy Danze. Pharoahe Monch also spits hardcore and almost more energetic than the others, but the rhythm doesn't help enough, it's too simple. There's a similar story behind "Built for This" (where Streetlife isn't inspired to match the other two rappers), "Rivers of Blood", "Tick Tock", "Six Directions of Boxing" and "Bust Shots".
"Rivers of Blood" features two Godfathers of mafia rap, along with Tony Starks. Their energetic n smoothness style is good, Ghostface kills the cut with a confident rap, and there's also a U-God hook, nonetheless, the rhythm is a bit cumbersome and there's an industrial bridge that clashes with the rest of the track. It would be an easy classic if it weren't for the shoddy beat of Dukes & BADBADNOTGOOD. "Six Directions of Boxing" highlights the flaws of the whole project more: Wu-Tang Clan posse with atmospheric rhythm by Frank Dukes, skeletal drum and dark samples, six out of nine MCs of the group rap something. U-God spits the first verse with a hardcore, inspired and confident rap and immediately kills the track, the others chase him all the time without reaching him. There are Ghostface, GZA, Masta Killa, Cappadonna and Inspectah Deck, yet, this is a track that goes almost unnoticed. GZA is almost asleep, Masta Killa has more energy than almost everyone else, there's little to say, for being a posse of the Wu-Tang Clan on an album run by RZA, it's quite forgettable.
In the midst of this thick blanket of disappointment, a rare confirmation comes from the talent of Killa Sin, Wu affiliate member of Killarmy: the eighth cut "The Archer" is a solo jab. Kung-fu movie skit, slow dry drum, minimal sample, Frank Dukes skeletal rhythm. Over this musical carpet, Killa Sin delivers hardcore, fluid, determined, aggressive with an excellent text that consecrates him as the best performer of the edition.
Distributed by RZA's label Soul Temple, welcomed with critical acclaim, the soundtrack sells a considerable number of copies and enters the top 40 of the Billboard 200. It's not the masterpiece album that appears on the tracklist, the production is less good than it should be and the rapping sounds less good than usual. Nonetheless, the soundtrack stands out as the best album released so far by RZA in his solo career, 7/10.
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