Internet says this compilation is released June 2, 2008, while volume one would be released on the following September 26th: volume two would be released over three months before volume one. It does not matter. These two compilations were released in 2008. This second volume collects other unreleased songs, freestyles and appearances by Hell Razah, the songs increase to fifteen. Behind the keyboards are Blue Sky Black Death in "Halos" and RZA in "Concrete Jungle", they are the only two sure production credits on the tape. The guests are Sunz of Man members Killah Priest, 60 Second Assassin and Prodigal Sunn, Timbo King of Royal Fam, J-Kwest and Mezza Morta.
The tape opens with "Jasper", new name for "Labor Pains", track taken from Hell Razah's recent album "Ultra Sounds of a Renaissance Child" (2008): weak boom bap rhythm designed by Ciph Barker of Godz Wrath, poor drums, dull loop, subdued rap by Hell Razah which doesn't get off to a good start on this collection. "Fuck da Industry" features Hell Razah in a solo cut over cheap production, sparse drums, good rocking samples, the mixing has been a bit sloppy here and doesn't reward Hell Razah's voice which remains "under" the beat. There's a soulful chipmunk sample for "Burnin' Bushes", Hell Razah's political track on a decent boom bap with average drums and honest samples. “Angels & Demons” is basically a J-Kwest solo, because the lead rapper only delivers the hook here: the beat is acceptable, loop of sad piano keys, below average J-Kwest rapping.
"BK to Moscow" is a cut made together with Mezza Morta, Russian male rapper with an Italian female name who then puts the song on his album released in 2009, where the production is credited to the Russian beatmaker PTF1987. Punctual melodic boom bap production, careful drumming, good samples, around the hook there's a chipmunk soul extract, good rap from Mezza Morta which opens the track, good rap from Hell Razah which concludes it. "Don't Hate" is a Maccabeez collaboration: on a cheap production with poor drums, weak samples and poor looping, Timbo King, Hell Razah and Killah Priest spit for four minutes in a club-facing cut. The seventh choice is "Iron Gorillas": questionable boom bap, poor drum, poor samples, solo by Hell Razah who has to bring the track home in four minutes.
"Hip Hop Game Freestyle" boasts one of the best rhythms of the edition, triumphant boom bap with good lively positive samples and a worthy drum machine, Razah delivers bars with energy and inspiration in this freestyle. There's a skit that precedes a remix of "Halos", a cut made with Blue Sky Black Death which ended up in their collaborative album "Razah's Ladder" (2007) and which is reproduced here: this is one of the few productions with a secure credit, Razah delivers carefully and carves out one of the best moments in his discography, in what is easily his best album in the catalogue. The hook is repetitive, simplistic and weak, but somehow fails to make a dent in the quality of the piece.
The soundscape presented in "Hostage" is splendid, beautiful: wonderful bassline, flawless downtempo drum, heavenly sample, silky velvet rapping by Hell Razah in this freestyle that lasts less than a minute, incredibly too little. "Verbal Divorce" steals the beat directly from "Verbal Intercourse", iconic track from Raekwon's debut album "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx" (1995): one of the most beautiful sound paintings ever painted by The RZA, the Red Hook emcee freestyles for a couple of minutes over flawless production from The Abbot in what is widely believed to be his best musical period, during which he forged classic records for ODB, Raekwon and GZA. The author remains in freestyle also for the following choice, on a bouncy and squalidly cheap production that I have no idea where it came from, how or why. It's basically the opposite of Steels' previous beat. Luckily, it ends before one can finish complaining.
"Black Sleepin' Beauty" presents quality music, it seems like we're back on an RZA beat after that rubbish of "Red Coronas". In fact, we're probably on a soundscape created by 4th Disciple, on which Hell Razah delivers alongside Killah Priest for four minutes. It seemed to me that I had already heard the piece somewhere and in fact this track is also borrowed, this time from the Sunz of Man bootleg album "Nothing New Under the Sun", what was supposed to be their first studio album scheduled for 1996 and never officially released. The compilation ends on a high note, “Concrete Jungle". The song is taken from "The Swarm, Volume 1", the first album by the Wu-Tang Killa Beez crew. Over secondary production by The RZA, Prodigal Sunn performs intro, hook, outro and second verse, succeeding Timbo King, then the piece is closed by an extra verse recited by Hell Razah and 60 Second Assassin.
Killah Priest and Timbo King are the main guests with two appearances each: Priest is the featured guest on both volumes of these Hell Razah collections. This tape starts badly, continues better, but it settles into mediocrity until the piece with Blue Sky Black Death is included: from that moment on, this comp finds its own dimension and rises again by placing four wonderful extracts in the next five tracks, ending up being at least acceptable, although perhaps not at the same level as the other disk. Like its twin, this one holds some splendid moments from Hell Razah that fans deserve to seek out, find and listen to, despite not being an essential tape in the Brooklyn artist's vast discography. 6/10.
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