Around 1997, Walter "Killah Priest" Reed had the first idea for Maccabeez. The young emcee boasts collaborations with RZA, Masta Killa, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, GZA, Inspectah Deck, Dreddy Kruger, Buddha Monk, Brooklyn Zu, Smooth B, Chuck D, Ice-T and Mobb Deep, among others. He's the main guest of Gravediggaz on their debut album ("6 Feet Deep", 1994), ODB's debut ("Dirty Version", 1995) and GZA's second album ("Liquid Swords", 1995), album on which he boasts his own solo track, a rare event for a normal album, let alone for a Wu-Tang Clan album.
During the same period, Priest joined others in the group Da Last Future, soon evolved as Sunz of Man under the protective wing of Wu-Tang, but following some disagreements, the cancellation of an album and the bankruptcy of the management company with which he had signed (linked to GZA), the Brooklyn emcee breaks away from Wu, leaves Sunz of Man and tries to enter the industry alone. In the same period, his friend David "Scientific Shabazz" Collins is in the same situation: he debuts together with Priest in the songs of Gravediggaz, he is already one of the pillars of Sunz of Man, nevertheless, he also leaves the group to try a solo adventure.
Killah Priest and Bazz join together in the duo The Disciples and release their own single, "Writing Rhymes With a Liquid Pen", which has no commercial success: while Scientific Shabazz believes that the problem lies exclusively in the name of the duo, Killah Priest wants to expand the duo to a third member, Timbo King, renaming the group Maccabeez. When Collins refuses, the two go their separate ways, the first trying again as a duo with his cousin, also a rapper, while Reed gets a contract for an album and begins to make his way in the underground circuit.
In his second solo album, "View from Masada" (2000), Priest includes the first track that is officially considered by the group, "Maccabean Revolt": besides him, the other members of the group are Daddy Rose and Saulhadin, both members of Black Rose Kartel. The group is supposed to be working on recording a debut album, but shortly after the two guys from Black Rose Kartel end up in prison and the project falls through. Masada still wants to make a group album and decides to form a trans-coastal all-star group with some guests from his recent album, creating The Four Horsemen, a formation that is not successful.
Shortly after, Reed tries to put the idea of Maccabeez back down, again as a trio: himself, Timothy "Timbo King" Drayton and Chron "Hell Razah" Smith. Both of these guys have struggled in the murky waters of the underground circuit. Timbo King has an EP as a duo with Spark 950 in 1993, then he founds the group Royal Fam and affiliates with the Wu-Tang Clan. As happened with Sunz of Man, the group's planned debut album is also shelved. Hell Razah has been in Sunz since day zero and has seen two albums put aside in three years, debuting as a soloist in 2001 and bringing Timbo King and Killah Priest on his album: the three are together on a couple of tracks, "Must B tha Music" and "Ghetto Government". The same performers were also guests on GZA's third album, "Beneath the Surface" (1999), although not all three together on the same tracks.
Later, Killah Priest decided to include Tragedy Khadafi in the project and later also included his friend William Cooper, giving birth to a new group, Black Market Militia. This group released an eponymous album in 2005 that received a similar response to The Four Horsemen project and the Maccabeez only remained in bootleg form like this one. Hell Razah took the moniker of Renaissance Child, Killah Priest is Priest Hood and Timbo King becomes Bo King.
This mixtape opens with an introductory sample from Marvin Gaye, the boys in spoken. Jordan River Banks behind the keys for "Immaculate Spittin": Timbo King enters hardcore on a boom bap rhythm with a thumping bass line, double drum midtempo, screeching horns, chipmunk soul samples near the hook, Bo King again for the second verse, shorter than the previous one. Hell Razah boasts a smooth and regular style on this interesting production by Jordan River Banks. A battle track that doesn't give the direction of the tape, the guys seem to want to go conscious, but they don't have a particularly inspired pen to support these beliefs.
Killah Priest introduces himself to the following track, "Holy Warz", dropping bars after the first verse of Bo King. Hell Razah closes with an irregular chanting style on a somewhat dull boom bap production, discrete samples, poor midtempo drum. The next choice is a group anthem, long hook of Hell Razah, inside Bo King and Priest Hood in the first two verses to launch the cut on a boom bap rhythm with a completely annoying sample, poor drum, terrible production. Hell Razah closes with the final verse, the track doesn't take off. "Trust Factor" introduces the first guests of the project, The Last Poets and Bilal, to support the leader of Royal Fam on a boom bap beat. Bare drum, lively hi-hat, soft bass line, echoing melodic samples, good flowing rapping by Timbo King, hook by Bilal, close The Last Poets. One of the best cuts on the tape.
"Black Angels" is an interesting track. The production is splendid, solid bass line, sparse midtempo dusty drum, sparkling echoing piano loop, flowing delivery by Killah Priest, hook by Razah and Bo King, second stanza by Hellraizor, who enters with confidence and a velvety, effortless, regular rapping. In the third verse there's the former Sunz of Man member Shabazz the Disciple, in a cut that recalls the group, with the minimal presence of Timbo King on the hook. Good entrance by Bazz, energetic, dirty, flowing, hardcore delivery, fit with the chosen rhythm. It comes out one of the best cuts of the edition. The seventh pick is a freestyle from the guys over a sparse and dreamy soundscape, good samples, poor drums, almost experimental beat. "Nuttin New" takes the beat from a classic cut by another artist. I was convinced it was Ghostface Killah. After re-listening to every single beat from "Supreme Clientele", "Bulletproof Wallets", "The Pretty Toney Album" and "Put It on the Line", and re-listening to the first bars of Hell Razah, I knew I had to look elsewhere. In fact, the guys take directly from "No Idea's Original" by Nas ("The Lost Tapes", 2002), a song that Hell Razah immediately refers to in the first words of his hook.
With his entrance, the guy refers to Nasty Nas and how he would steal from Sunz of Man. In any case, the beat is a classic, courtesy of The Alchemist, whose talent would only be universally recognized decades later. Fat, chunky, heavy bassline, electric guitar riff backing it up, light, sparse downtempo drums, gorgeous samples from Barry White's "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby". Hell Razah comes in and continues to take jabs at Nas with a syncopated, slow, effortless style on this beat, name-dropping for the most part and coming back more lively for the hook. Priest Hood on stanza number two with a slow, regular, flowing, messy, irregular style, also with some jabs directed at Nas, Timbo King is left out of the track. The next choice is a freestyle by Bo King who drops a single verse over a heavy, messy, difficult production, tough drums, confusing samples, very heavy guitar riff. Track number ten sees Hot Flames aka Flames alongside Killah Priest and Timbuktu. Curious boom bap rhythm, tight dusty dirty uptempo drum, dance beat samples, synthesized keyboards, light electric guitar riff in the background, good soft bass line, slow loose delivery by Priesthood, hook by Hot Flames, almost spoken word verse by Timbo King. Final verse by Hot Flames that closes the choice in battle with quite poor and amateurish lyrics.
Killah Priest and Timbo King ride in "Maccabee Ridaz" on an extravagant boom bap production: robust bass line, poor midtempo drum, lively hi-hats, dark keyboards in the background, effortless delivery by the Sunz of Man leader who drops a couple of verses before making room for the Royal Fam emcee for the final verse. The two Sunz of Man interpreters are untouchable on the next cut, where they decide to steal another beat from Nas from the same album, this time it's "Purple", one of the best cuts in the discography of the Brooklyn-born rapper raised in Queens. The beat comes from the keyboard of the unknown beatmaker Hill, Inc. Phat bass line, solid, deep, beautiful, dirty, dusty, uptempo, perfect drum, hypnotizing piano loop, magnificent samples, classic, ethereal, heavenly soundscape. Killah Priest and Hell Razah deliver with their style, the second one comes close to being memorable, but Nas is uncatchable, Priesthood returns for a third verse going to close this piece.
"Maccabean Revolt" is the track from "View from Masada" featuring Daddy Rose and Saulhaudin (the latter not credited on the bootleg), produced by Daddy Rose. The next choice is "Right to Bare Arms": 7th Ambassador aka Ambassador, rapper among the founders of Sunz of Man, who left the group early, opens the track dropping bars with a hardcore style. Harsh boom bap, chunky and rough bass line, sparse drum, rough samples, effortless delivery by Priest, last verse by Territory aka Terra Tory of CCF Division, with a sing-song flow, effortless. Choice number fifteen features Hell Razah and Killah Priest on a boom bap production, rough and dirty bass line in the background, sweet piano loop, dirty uptempo drum. Two verses of Renaissance Child, hook and third stanza performed by Priest with a glacial flow that sounds particularly fit with the foggy, dreamy, dark and sunset mood of the track. Shabazz the Disciple leads the way in "Goldmindz", on a dirty underground production: sound of vinyl crackling, dirty rough raw bass line in the background, piano loop, dirty filthy strings, dry energetic delivery by Bazz, Timbuktu in the following verse, then Hell Razah descends on the mic with an irregular, rough style. Priest closes with the fourth stanza, one of the best pieces of the tape.
Crazy boom bap in "Project Doorz", amazing phat bass line, drumless track, wonderful samples, hardcore delivery by Hell Razah, slow, irregular, hardcore Timbo King, calmer, effortless, flowing Priest. Ghetto Govt aka Ghetto Government is credited as a guest on the next cut, but in reality it's still only 7th Ambassador, who also in this case has the honor of the first verse, dropped in battle with a rough and raw hardcore style. Proper boom bap, thick soft bass line, sparse sparse drum, lively synthesized keyboard, excellent samples, dance vibes. Regular loose rapping by Killah Priest, his hook, then Hell Razah in the third verse, Priesthood returns to close the piece with a few bars at the end in a track made by three Sunz emcees. "Watching Me" keeps dance vibes even with the rnb hook of Heart, the boys flow nicely on a melodic beat with uptempo dusty drum, thick bass line in the background, flute in loop along with what sounds like part of the melody by Mike Oldfield "Tubular Bells" for the theme of the film "The Exorcist" (1973).
This tape ends with a freestyle where Killah Priest and Hell Razah drop battle bars over a bouncy production, heavy bass, heavy drums, poor samples, forgettable cheap beat. Sometimes passed off as a studio album or as the only official album from the group Maccabeez can't be either of those and you can easily tell by listening to it, the boys should paradoxically pay Nas for those two beats and I personally don't think they want to do that. The tape sounds a lot like a duo effort composed of Killah Priest and Hell Razah, with Timbo King as the main guest. Former Sunz fo Man members Shabazz the Disciple and 7th Ambassador also make good appearances here. With the skits, freestyles and previously released tracks taken away, there's not much left for fans to enjoy. The album would have been released independently anyway and ignored by the public and critics in a predictably similar way to Priest's previous group efforts released around the same time. Fans might find some curious insights, while for the casual listener the album says practically nothing, because Priest, Razah and Timbo King go with their cryptic battles inaccessible for an hour. 6/10.
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