In 2008, Sunz of Man rappers Hell Razah and Shabazz the Disciple released their first and, at the time of writing, only collaborative album under the duo name T.H.U.G. Angelz. The former is on his fifth studio album and comes directly from his two best albums of his career released the year before, while the latter, after a troubled artistic career, in 2006 released his second LP, considered to be a street album, and this is his third official effort.
The boys take the monikers of Razah Rubiez and Safiyah Shabazz for this project, Razah plays the part of the angel “El Raziel” and Shabazz plays the part of “Seraphim Shabazz”. The production is done by Bronze Nazareth, Jordan River Banks, Shroom, Vanderslice, Bond, Shawneci, RNS, Blue Sky Black Death, Smoke Shop Productionz, DJ Rated R, Hell Razah and Spell. 7th Ambassador is the only guest on the album.
The album opens with "Cab Ride", boom bap produced by Shroom. The beatmaker from Amsterdam, Netherlands, is at his debut, later he will work for Ghostface Killah, The LOX, Shyheim, Logic, RA the Rugged Man, DMX and Killah Priest, among others. Poor downtempo drums, old, rusty and cheap chipmunk soul samples, impalpable bass line. The tape begins with a skit, the two performers leave from JFK airport, take a taxi and ask to get to Red Hook. Then Hell Razah drops a single verse with a solid hardcore execution.
Jordan River Banks is credited behind the keyboards for the title track of the album and perhaps the most important track, as well as being the first to have a verse by both Shabazz and Hell Razah. The beatmaker has already produced for Razah and Killah Priest the year before, and is also at his debut. There's also an official video for this joint, directed by Supreme, the historic producer of Sunz of Man. Bazz himself introduces the cut with a tribute to Ill Al Skratch's banger "Where My Homiez? (Come Around My Way)", evil piano scale strung by Jordan River Banks, sparse and poor downtempo drums, warm bass line in the background, guitar licks to support Shabazz's smooth hardcore verse that runs with a effortlessly rapping, at breakneck speed, excellent. Hell Razah attacks immediately without a hook with a loose and regular style, a strong piece comes out. Wise choice not to stain the cut with a hook that would probably have lightened the atmosphere of the track. Spoken outro by both.
"Jail Saga" is one of the first beats of Vanderslice and it's beautiful: Bazz's skit intro without a rhythm, then comes a sweet and urgent piano scale, sad, melancholic, dark bass line, magnetic samples, dirty dusty downtempo drum. Seraphim Shabazz's hook, his verse that starts coinciding with the arrival of sweet and elegant strings, energetic, regular, hardcore delivery, in a single verse, extra-verse, this is a solo. Wisemen leader and Wu-Element member Bronze Nazareth offers a masterpiece beat for the fourth choice, "The Obituary (E.B.G.G.)": beautiful deep bass line, dirty dusty drum, chipmunk soul sample rendered by "Don't Change Me Now" by Mavis Staples, looped strings, the musical carpet deserves to breathe at the beginning to be better appreciated, instead the boys attack immediately. Hell Razah delivers with a slow, heavy style in this cut dedicated to friends who have passed away. Then he also goes on a second verse, this time with a heavier, more intense, energetic pace. El Raziel also scores a third stanza, with the usual regular rapping. Then comes the contribution of Shabazz, also with a heavy, slow rapping. Fifth and sixth verse of Bazz, closes an outro of both performers.
The fifth track is "My Brother's Keeper", Bond aka 007 behind the keyboards with one of the best rhythms of the edition. Boom bap, drum sparse dusty midtempo, soul sample ironed from "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Otis Redding (other sources erroneously indicate Sam Cooke), effortless slow rapping by Hell Razah reciting a text that seems addressed precisely to his friend Shabazz, but maybe I'm wrong. Bazz himself goes hardcore, unlike Razah's contribution, and seems to justify himself with the fact that the industry chewed him up and spat him out without making him any money. "Gang Love" credits Shawneci on the rhythm. The boy, also an emerging beatmaker in the underground scene, produced the year before for Dom Pachino of Killarmy and Popa Chief of Zu Ninjaz, both Killa Beez. Pop bassline, poor drum, dusty strings, hook from the two performers, subdued delivery from Bazz and Razah, sad subdued piano, outro back and forth.
The longtime Wu-Tang affiliate producer RNS, who has worked for UMC's, Shyheim, Gravediggaz, GP Wu, Pop da Brown Hornet, Dark Skinned Assassin, Ruthless Bastards and Shabazz the Disciple, creates the musical carpet for the next choice, "South Brooklyn (The Anthem)": cinematic boom bap rhythm, downtempo bare drums, tense samples, frenetic piano, hardcore delivery by Shabazz in an anthem for Red Hook. Hell Razah attacks in the wake of his friend's verse and delivers a second hardcore verse, energetic, flowing, breathless, excellent contribution. The eighth track comes with the remix of the best cut of the duo in their catalog and certainly among the best of their respective solo discographies, "Audiobiography", produced by the San Francisco duo Blue Sky Black Death for the collaborative album made by the duo with Hell Razah the year before. The beat changes significantly, which in this case is also beautiful. Stunning. Miraculous soul sample provided by Young God & Kingston, deep crunchy bassline, midtempo dusty dirty drums, melancholic piano scale, dirty horns in the background, heavenly soundscape. Above this wonderful music, Hell Razah & Shabazz the Disciple drop some of their best lyrics with a confident rapping. Clear highlight of the record.
Smoke Shop Productionz is credited behind the keyboards for "Apt. 7G (Blacksmiths)", a solo piece by El Raziel, which features two stanzas. The beatmaker, already employed by Razah Rubiez for his album released the year before "Renaissance Child", makes a boom bap that you wouldn't give much credit for in the first few seconds and that instead works quite well. Minimal midtempo sparse drums, dirty horns in the background, sad strings, effortless confident delivery by Razah over this stripped-down and effective soundscape. The only guest on the collaborative project between the two Sunz of Man rappers shows up only half an hour into track number ten and, surprisingly, it's another Sunz of Man, 7th Ambassador, who has already been featured on Hell Razah's albums. Shroom returns behind the keyboards as the only one on the record to create two rhythms, and produces one of the tightest beats on the record for "The Visit". Contacted by Razah on the internet, the Sunz of Man rapper eventually uses three of the beats sent to him by the Dutch producer for this album. Powerful bass line, sparse minimal midtempo drums, calm hi-hats in support, gorgeous soul samples in the background taken from "I Miss You (Part 1)" by David Ruffin, scattered piano keys, slow delivery by Hell Razah on yet another socio-conscious cut on a record that retains its lyrical heaviness. Short hook by 7th Ambassador to launch Shabazz's contribution, slow, effortless, steady, good joint.
"Under the Wing" is destined to be one of the best beats of the year. DJ Rated R & Hell Razah on the credits. The sample choice comes from one of the best songs of 1975, "Those Were the Best Days of My Life" by The Modulations. 9th Wonder, believe it or not once one of the best hip-hop producers of the era, used the same sample to create a beautiful ideal soundscape in his remix of Nas' "Second Childhood". The two beatsmiths of this eleventh cut keep a tight loop of the bass line, then offer a second, rather short loop of the sample, on which the entire piece is based. Hell Razah drops with one of his smoothest flows on a production of rare quality, although unfortunately not as great as it could be. Short hook, another hook from Shabazz, who then goes hardcore into the track and delivers with a rough, hard rapping, tearing up the piece and sending home one of the tightest cuts of the tape.
Swedish beatmaker Spell invents the rhythm for "Confessions of a T.H.U.G. Angel (Closing)", supposedly the album's final cut. There's a looped piano scale to introduce the track, then comes the boom bap beat, deep bass line, ideal midtempo dusty drums, dirty violins, tight soul loop sample from Willie Hutch's "Baby Come Home" that should give you Wu vibes, because if you don't remember that the song is also used by Lil Kim for a duet with Mary J. Blige, a few years before the release of this project Ghostface Killah made him famous for "Back Like That", one of his many masterpiece joints from his modern classic album "Fishscale", in which he's joined by Ne-Yo. Returning to the T.H.U.G. Angelz, long intro of Hell Razah, subdued, melancholic, steady delivery of Shabazz who drops two verses in his rare solo track. "144,000" is a bonus. Raw delivery of Hell Razah on a supernatural and epic choice provided by Shroom, who uses a skeletal drum and orchestral samples to create the last musical carpet in support of the two emcees of Red Hook, Shabazz enters hardcore and closes the album.
Final Thoughts
Collaborative album between Chron "Hell Razah" Smith and David "Shabazz the Disciple" Collins. Both members of Sunz of Man. Both affiliated with the Wu-Tang Clan. This is a Wu-Tang record. It's a pleasure, even if everything around it's unpleasant, it has an unpleasant atmosphere, it seems that the cover itself wants to communicate it to you with that gray mold patina that yellows the cover even more.
The boys grow up together in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and create the rap group Mad Mob, together with them there are also 7th Ambassador and Supreme Kourt. In the early nineties, a demo of Shabazz ends up in the hands of RZA, who brings it into the debut album of Gravediggaz together with Killah Priest. Priest joins Bazz, Hell Razah, 7th Ambassador (aka Zodiac Killah) and Supreme in the group, which changes its name to Da Last Future, recording an independent demo in 1994. In this demo, Killah Priest also brings his protégé, the young Prodigal Sunn, who soon joins the group as well. The Last Future demo also ends up in the hands of RZA, who in 1995 signs the group with Wu-Tang Records, Sunz of Man is born.
At the same time, 7th Ambassador leaves the group, while Shabazz and Killah Priest are also a duo under the name The Disciples of Armageddon, signing with Atlantic and bringing their respective protégés Hell Razah and Prodigal Sunn to record with them for a demo that has no follow-up. Shabazz's adventure with Penalty is also unsuccessful. In 1995, the group was joined by Brooklyn Zu affiliate 60 Second Assassin. The boys recorded a full-length album that was supposed to see its light in 1996, but was shelved. Shabazz and Priest left the group due to disagreements with RZA and trying to break into the music industry as a duo, again with The Disciples, without success, so they went their separate ways: while Collins believes that the problem of the duo's failure is only in the name, Reed believes that the collaboration should be extended to a third rapper, Timbo King, also burned by the experience with Wu-Tang, seeing his group Royal Fam's album shelved in a similar way as Sunz. In this way, Priest wants to create Maccabeez, but Shabazz refuses to be part of it and the two go their separate ways. Killah Priest gets a contract for a full studio album and manages to get Hell Razah and 60 Second Assassin as guests, also anticipating the release of the first official Sunz of Man CD.
In the same period, Shabazz, who was left out of both the Sunz and his friend Priest's albums, returns to his roots and intends to release an EP entirely handled by his historic producer and friend Supreme: the project should be released by Echo through Supreme's record label, which also published the Da Last Future demo, however, Shabazz argues with the beatmaker due to financial reasons and Supreme shelves the EP. The rapper also tries to create a duo with his cousin Freestyle, rapper of Arsonists who introduced RZA to the Mad Mob demo tape and allowed him to write a page in Wu-Tang history, creating the Celestial Souljahz, who aren't lucky.
While Hell Razah continued to work with Sunz, even releasing his first studio album, Shabazz only rejoined the Wu in 2003, he also released his first official CD and returned to Sunz of Man in the same year (along with Killah Priest), who released a reissue of "The First Testament" in 2004 and a compilation in 2006. The two Red Hook rappers weren't present together on an official album until 2007, when Razah placed Shabazz on his album "Razah's Ladder" entirely produced by Blue Sky Black Death and together they created "Audiobiography", the best piece of the album.
After this very rare collaboration, the duo's album arrives: Hell Razah & Shabazz are Thug Angelz, says the cover. The music is mainly managed by guys close to Wu-Tang and who have already produced in the past for El Raziel, with the notable exceptions of Vanderslice, Bond and the newcomer Spell. This production team tries to invent a set that recalls the vintage sound of Wu-Tang mixed with the chipmunk soul of Roc-A-Fella derivation: a well-blended and cohesive soundscape emerges, typical of the New York boom bap scene, dirty, dusty, rusty, soulful, dark, suitable for the gritty lyrics offered by the performers. Lyrically, the boys create a concept album homage to their neighborhood Red Hook by telling it in a documentary style through heavy socio-conscious lyrics detailed and violent that describe the life and problems of the ghetto, risking to enter into some easy clichés of the genre, but often remaining outside of them.
The album features a tight street rap without concessions that possibly becoming monotonous, serious and boring during these three quarters of an hour, despite the wise decision to forgo hooks for part of the project. The two guys have a good chemistry together, even if not great. Even in the execution of the rapping of the two Sunz of Man there are influences from the Staten Island supergroup: while Hell Razah boasts a slow and flowing style that can be generously compared to that of The GZA (and Killah Priest, by consequence), Shabazz the Disciple attempts to approach his lyrics with a style (sometimes even narrative) that (just as generously) wants to resemble that of Ghost Face Killer.
Distributed by Babygrande, like the recent Hell Razah album with Blue Sky Black Death, this project is a solid street rap / thug rap album with several great moments and worthy of being listened to for Wu stans. Despite being the first of two collaborative albums between Hell Razah and Shabazz the Disciple, with the second one produced entirely by Ayatollah, the events following the release of the album led to the cancellation of the second album and the dissolution of the duo. In the following years an unofficial mixtape was released and one officially published by Hell Razah that definitively put an end to the duo, "RIP Thug Angelz".
Rating: 7.3/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment