In 2002, Sunz of Man released their second official studio album, their fourth including the bootlegs "Nothing New Under The Sun", which was originally supposed to be released in 1996, and "The First Testament" (1999).
Joe Loops aka O. Chandler produced the entire effort, Linx is the second main beatmaker. RZA, Method Man and Ghostface Killah of Wu-Tang Clan are featured on three skits. The guests include 12 O'Clock of Brooklyn Zu with whom Prodigal Sunn forms the duo Two on da Road, and is sometimes credited as such on the tracks, Ancient Coins, Madam D, Omar Conry, Smooth, MC Eiht, Makeba Mooncycle (Prodigal Sunn's sister) and La the Darkman, another Wu-Tang affiliate.
Killah Priest is now permanently out of the group. Like in a low-level horror movie with very little imagination, now there are three of them. These guys sign with D3 in 1999, D3 is the heir to Suge Knight's Death Row Records and the label is in disarray, it sucks. The guys record the album and is a huge flop. Zero production. Zero distribution, bad deal. Zero Wu-Tang.
After a confused intro produced by Linx that included The RZA uncredited as guest, the first real track is "S.O.M.". Linx takes an excerpt from Al Green's "Love and Happiness" (track already sampled in "No Love Without Hate", destined to "Nothing New Under the Sun" CD; the loop is different) and makes it chipmunk soul, making a robust beat, with dark strings in the background, honest bassline and a slightly weak and sickly drum to support the hardcore rap of the performers. Hell Razah delivers two verses, Prodigal Sunn aka Prodical performs the second verse, good track.
"Ghettio" boasts a decent eletronic rhythm provided by Linx and the duo Two on da Road is credited as guest: Hell Razah good at the first verse, then Sunzini and 12 O'Clock of Brooklyn Zu they both go hardcore to close the piece. The next cut compares bankers to gangsters and thugs, and is a posse produced by the Wu affiliated John the Baptist, who worked with Killah Priest ("Heavy Mental"), GZA ("Beneath the Surface") and U-God ("Golden Arms Redemption"). The rhythm is simple and is so slow that the boys seem to stumble over it. This is one of the few choices in with there are all the actual members of the group: Hell Razah, Prodigal Sunn and 60 Second Assassin. The RZA goes hardcore to shake up the track and bring the Wu-Tang flag to the record. The cousin of ODB 12 O'Clock performs the final stanza, in his second spot in a row.
Joe Loops aka O. Chandler is credited behind the keyboards of "House of Blues", solo of Prodigal Sunn supported by Madam D in background and in the chorus. The beat isn't good enought to keep the three verses of P Sunn. A skit by RZA is the prelude to the title track. Beat produced by Fatal Son, decent drum, good thundering bass, soul sample, dark strings in the background, Ghostface Killah, Prodigal Sunzini and Hell Razah fantasize about a better life while Madame D sings a bit throughout the track, before an outro of 60 Second Assassin. Good slow flow by Ghostface, soul chorus by Madam D, Prodical inspired here, Hell Razah with the third verse.
Choice number eight seems to be divised in a short skit produced by RZA and the cut "Black or White" produced by Data. The beat of this latter sounds good at the first spins, then starts to be annoying. Inside the two main rappers of Sunz of Man (Hell Razah and Prodigal Sunn) exchange bars along with Holy Smokes and Snuggle Up of C.O.I.N.S. (Calculating Old Into New School) aka Ancient Coins, group affiliated to the Wu-Tang. This blues beat sounds bland as the rap offered here.
"The Trinity" is a good example of how not to make a chipmunk soul rhtyhm, because the loop is too plaintive, the drum is scarce, the samples are weak: one stanza each for Sunzini, Hellraizor and 62nd, with the hook of Omar Convy, the track is a rare one in which there are all the three members of the Sunz, but doesn't work. The next one is a solo by Hell Razah over a simplistic beat created by Linx, the hook is performed also by Smooth of Skin Deep (rnb trio of the nineties).
Linx and The Platinum Brothers produce "People Change": thunderous bass, dusty midtempo drum, sparse, a little sparse, good loops, good samples. Intro by 60 Second Assassin, uncredited, hook by Madam D. Prodigal Sunn's introductory verse which he delivers with an effortlessly loose, light-hearted, smooth style, good flow on an honest, discreet and mild production, without infamy and without praise and without pretensions. Honey hook by Madam D. Hell Razah on the second verse, energetic, hardcore, slow flow, raw, good. Guest MC Eiht of Compton's Most Wanted in the third stanza completes the tune with a good, slow flow. Outro by 60 Second while Madam D continues to sing.
The rhythm invented by Joe Loops for "Honey Tree" isn't that bad, but also not sounds really well. All the rappers of Sunz drop bars with 12 O'Clock, the major guest of the record. Madam D and Black Satin (aka 60 Second Assassin) sing in background in this love song, never necessary. Even to 60 Second Assassin is reserved a solo tune, sometimes credited with the moniker Black Satin over a beat of Linx and Joe Loops that not sound complete. 62nd has talent, but isn't rewarded by a somewhat shoddy and inaccurate production.
Makeba Mooncycle is guest in "Doin Ya Thang", delivering the last verse after listening to her brother P Sunn and Hell Razah over a scandalous and very poor beat designed by Linx. The girl kills the cut anyway with a superior performance. The two emcees of C.O.I.N.S., namely Snuggle Up and Holy Smokes, they return to deliver a verse each along with Sunzini and Hellraizor on "Say, Say, Say", on a tune with bland lyrics and a fairly forgettable beat delivered by Joe Loops and T. Williams aka Data. The entire album is uninspired and this track is a clear symbol of this problem in a disk that falls quite flat.
The last three tracks on an illusion of the record having a resounding final peak. You read as guests Ghostface Killah & Method Man straight from Shaolin and on two different tracks, but in reality they are two skits. The only real cut left is "All We Got (Us)", where Hell Razah and Prodigal Sunn are reunited with Madam D to help on the hook as always and the historic Wu affiliate LA the Darkman. Beat by Linx, even if the album credits say that Joe Loopz produced the whole project. Whoever is responsible here did a great job creating one of the best rhythms on the album, beautiful: brilliant samples and loops, drum wisely mitigated in the background combined with an intriguing fresh bass line that provides a solid basis for the soundscape and for the fluid rapping of the performers.
Hell Razah immediately enters very well and delivers with a slick style, splendid rap, sounds inspired and elegant, looking back on his career with Sunz of Man. Soul hook by Madam D, P Sunn also credited as Prodigal Sunzini, delivers bars with effortless style, hook by Madam D shorter than before, then comes LA the Darkman. The boy originally seems to have a full verse, but for some reason his contribution is cut off and a handful of bars come out. You can clearly hear him after the first line, by the time he gets to "Nelson Mandela" he's moving on to the next line, which is truncated and laced with his last few bars. Madam D closes the piece with hook and outro. Despite the truncated verse by, this is one of the best on the whole record.
It's basically a duo album featuring Hell Razah and Prodigal Sunn, both with 12 appearances across 18 tracks. Then, occasionally, 60 Second Assassin (4) pops up, the third rapper left in the group. He appears less often than guest singer Madam D, with five appearances. 12 O'Clock appears three times, Ancient Coins twice. Released by D3, the former Death Row Records, and distributed by Riviera Entertainment, the album received a negative response from fans and critics, soon labeled as the group's worst album, lacking essential songs for fans of the group and of the Wu, composed of poor production, generic lyrics and not inspired rapping. Not recommended.
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