In 2022 Cappadonna holds the Wu-Tang flag higher than anyone else, he brings the flaming torch with the double-v trademark longer than anyone else, and pumps out three studio albums. The last is a collaboration with the producer Stu Bangas. The guests are Celph Titled, Planet Asia, Ill Bill and Sick Jacken.
The introductory track sees the main man chat over a solid boom bap, with soul samples, sweet strings, raw bass, good riffs. The first real cut is "Bring It Out": boom bap with dissonant piano keys, uptempo dirty drum, rusty guitar riff. Over this cinematic soundscape wisely realized by Stu Bangas, Cappadonna goes hardcore and delivers bravado bars with style, creating one of his strongest tracks in years. Simplistic hook, samples scratches for the outro. There's a dark piano scale in "Get Lost", skeletal midtempo drum, rough and deep bass, Cappachino runs fluid here, regular rapping. It follows a interlude with a phat bass, perfect midtempo clear drum, splendid riffs, the beat is beautiful, great job by Stu Bangas, a shame Cappadonna decides to not spit over this soundscape.
"Toss the Blick" boasts a splendid musical painting, dusty midtempo drum, solid bass, dirty horns. Cappadonna drop bars with a slow, smoothness rapping, he's in shape, inspired, focused, dope. The track presents the first guest of the tape, Celph Titled: the emcee of Army of the Pharaohs enters hardcore and rips the cut with his fluid rap. Cappachino the Great returns for the third verse with a fine style. "How We Rollin" has a beautiful production created by Stu Bangas: phat bass, raw uptempo drum, elegant piano keys, the rhythm takes the contours of the ballad. The rapper from Park Hill delivers with a slow and colloquial style for this effortless choice, in this period he's at his finest over this kind of melodic well-made music, the results is edifying.
The pick number seven is "Continuous Threat". It seems like Stu Bangas saved his best set for a Wu-Tang album from Cappadonna, it's incredible, extraordinary, exceptional, it's not something you can really expect, but the guy behind the keyboards doesn't miss a beat and comes up with some of his best musical solutions of his career. This production could easily be one of the high points ever: tight bass line reverberated, stretched, dilated, deep, dusty midtempo drum, sad and obscure piano keys descending towards a dark creepy place, this scale is stolen from a thriller movie, it brings the listener to a cinematic mood. It falls another piano scale, always gloomy, amazing rhythm. Cappadonna enters hardcore and delivers with energy, focused, tight, towed on the wings of the wind by the beat. Planet Asia for the hook, Don Cappachino returns and kills the cut realizing one of the greatest track of his discography.
Soft and robust bass line, eclectic keyboards, rough drum, rusty dirty production for "Everything is Measured" a philosophic joint along with Sick Jacken. Then there's a second interlude: dusty uptempo drum, phat bass line, magic keyboards, acoustic guitar riff, beautiful music. "No Fake Dreads" has a triumphal rhythm, rough bass, sparse and soft midtempo drum, cheerful horns, tight strings, good riffs, cinematic mood, comic book style beat. Cappadonna spits with a calmer style, slow, heavy pace, going with energy in the last verse. The last tune of the project before the outro is "Tryna Survive": funky bass line, skeletal dirty muddy drum machine, dark samples, the emcee from Staten Island narrates about the life in the hood pulling out a couple of stanzas, then joined by the last guest of the record, Ill Bill, that closes the album killing the rhythm with a sharp rap. Then, a four-minute outro ends the album, amazing beat by Stu Bangas.
I'm pretty astonished. Cappadonna delivers on what is easily the best set of beats he's ever put out since that mixtape with The Alchemist beats, it sounds like his greatest work since his debut in 1998. At the time, his CD was the best of the year from a member of Wu-Tang in what was, however, a quite lean season for the boys from Shaolin. The man doesn't manage to produce the best album of the year among those of the Staten Island supergroup until 2020, when in the year of the pandemic he becomes the only member of the Wu to produce a couple of efforts during the difficult year. Two years later he repeats himself, running one of his greatest artistic season, incredibly.
Stu Bangas has already worked with Don Cappachino for his album "Eyrth, Wynd & Fyre" (2013), producing a couple of tracks. The two get back in touch with each other through A&R M-Eighty, who provides the Park Hill rapper with the Boston producer's beats. The same M-Eighty is besides a deluxe edition of the CD released by his label Holy Toledo with the bonus track "Bring It Out (Vodka Gravas 'Holla & Moan' Remix)" that boasts the presence of the Wu-Tang Clan and Sunz of Man: over the same beat of the original piece, Cappadonna is joined by Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa, Chef Raekwon, M-Eighty, Prodigal Sunn, Killah Priest and Hell Razah that blesses the record with an extra-verse.
The tape is released by Brutal Music and Stu Bangas label, distributed by Fat Beats: with a pharaonic cover, lyricism anchored in the battle rap, quality music and good chemistry between the emcee and the producer, Cappadonna makes one of his strongest efforts. 7.5/10.
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