Ronald "Allah Mathematics" Bean, bka Mathematics, grew up in Southside, Queens, New York. Passionate about hip-hop, approached to art by his brother, he began in 1987 during the block parties and park jams of the neighborhood, under the name of Supreme Cut Master. The following year he already became a full-time DJ for the rapper Victor C, performing in the locals, clubs and high schools of the city. A few years later, around 1990, Supreme Cut Master met GZA, who was preparing to build a career in the Cold Chillin Records label. In this way, the DJ became part of the label's tour, the Cold Chillin Blizzard Tour together with Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, Marley Marl and Biz Markie.
Mathematics left the label together with GZA, and later created the Wu-Tang Clan logo thanks to his experience as a graffiti artist. Over time, from a Wu-Tang street DJ, he becomes one of the Wu-Elements, the production team created by RZA. After attending a session by his mentor RZA, Mathematics learns how to build a beat from scratch. The track later becomes “Ice Cream” on Raekwon’s album. Around the same time, he also designs the iconic cover of GZA’s second album, “Liquid Swords”, one of the greatest covers of all time. In the following years, Mathematics begins producing his own beats between Staten Island and New Jersey, between Wu-Tang Clan tours and those of his father’s gospel group, The Soul Seekers. Ghostface’s "Fast Life" is his first production. From there, Mathematics begins producing many tracks for both Ghost and the other members of the supergroup and affiliates.
Among the tracks produced are "Oh-Donna" by Cappadonna ("The Pillage", 1998), Cobra Clutch by Ghostface Killah ("The Swarm", 1998), "Publicity" by GZA ("Beneath the Surface", 1999, of which he is the main producer), "Mighty Healthy" & "Wu Banga 101" by Ghostface ("Supreme Clientele", 2000), and "Rules" by Wu-Tang Clan ("Iron Flag", 2001). In the meantime, he puts the pieces together to make his official debut LP, released in 2003. The album is completely self-produced, with only one track blessed with a beat by RZA. The guests are a collection of Wu-Tang affiliates and friends of the producer.
Milton "Mouth of the South" Thompson launches the record on a cheap bouncy beat in the intro track, followed immediately by "Pimpology 101". Gorgeous soul sample from Willie Hutch's "I Choose You", downtempo, dry, rusty dirty drum, accompanied by rotten and moldy hi-hats, fresh vibrant bass line, Mathematics' thunderous rhythm. His fellah Buddah Bless delivers two verses, in a piece closed by a long skit that deserved to welcome at least a couple of Wu-Tang boys to make the piece classic. Choice number three credits Wu-Tang Clan as a guest. Electric guitar licks, dry dirty dusty uptempo drums, tense, vibrant, lively rhythm. The song is called "Thank U", but it's nothing more than an exact replica of "Clap" aka "Hand Clap" directly from "The W", a legitimate Wu-Tang Clan song on a Mathematics beat, which retains the verses of Ghostface Killah and Method Man, adding few bars from Chef Raekwon to introduce the song and a hook sung by Angela Neal, who also shouts something in the middle of the verses. The hook is a bit questionable and the song overall doesn't sound as good as it should for a track that features guests Lex Diamond, Tony Starks and Johnny Blaze on a Mathematics beat and a refrain sung.
A Queen Shatiyah skit leads into the next track, "Juscantluv", where producer friend's Eyeslow performs with a sleepy, soporific style over an effective beat: sparse midtempo drum, string stab, chopped and looped tight vocal loop breathing on the hook. Mathematics chops up different moments of a Whatnauts track to build the loop. The rapper's voice is so low that it's overwhelmed by the sample, something went wrong in the mix here. Another skit, then Wu affiliates Killa Sin & La the Darkman team up on "Hav Mercy": gorgeous male soul sample from Donny Hathaway's "Tim's High," dirty dusty uptempo drums powered by a bassline charge. The Killarmy emcee immediately tears up the cut with a smooth, fast, unstoppable, breathless flow, giving the producer one of the first real highlights of his debut album. La the Darkman delivers the hook, while Killa Sin provides another couple stanzas over a production that he crushes with memorable rapping in a deep and personal track.
Mathematics makes a dirty beat for another Wu-Tang joint named after a Raekwon bar: dotted bass line, sparse uptempo drums, eclectic piano keys, Raekwon intro and hook. Short verse by Method Man with a steady flow, Chef drops the next verse with a slow, velvet, smooth flow. After a short pause Cappadonna enters and his contribution seems to be taped to the track, his voice sounds "under" the beat, unlike Meth and Rae, he struggles to emerge from the rhythm, despite the effort. The track is closed by Method Man with a fourth verse, silky, flowing rapping. Good cut, what a shame no one taken care of the mixing here. A skit performed by Karim, Leo, Starking and Milton "Mouth of the South" Thompson previews "Gangsta", where Mathematics samples The Whatnauts' "Message from a Black Man" to make the beat. The same sample is used by MF DOOM in the same year for his King Geedorah album "Take Me To Your Leader" and later used by Mos Def, Nas and RZA, who places it in "You Can't Stop Me Now" (a song of almost the same name as Escobar's, released the same year) for his album "Digi Snacks" (2008).
The Mathematics track is a posse opened by Logic. Not that Logic, this guy is from Pittsboro, North Carolina (discogs says New York City), and is part of the group Tyfu based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. On the second verse there's Nemy, hook by Eyeslow, then third stanza performed by Mad Man aka 9th Prince: smooth delivery, effortless, fluid, good rapping by the Killarmy leader that gives meaning to this cheerful beat. Eyeslow closes, in a quite amateur way. Wu-Tang Clan is credited as a guest on "Da Great Siege": heavy electric guitar riff, rough vocal sample, dry midtempo drum, raw rhythm. The soundscape chosen by Allah Mathematics is ideal for the rough, slow, effortless style of Bobby Steels who drops bars calmly, letting the rhythm breathe widely, dominant here. The track is solid, but the piece disappoints, because you expect two or three swordsmen coming from Shaolin, instead only The RZA shows up, it's his solo cut.
Skit, then the reggae artist Poppa Don gets a solo in "Real Talk (Pop's Song)": the boy performs between singing, fast spoken word and a bit of chanted rapping on a minimal production, soft bass line, poor drum, urgent hi-hats. Song not necessary. We return to full hip-hop with "Hip Hop 101": raw and cheap boom bap, poor uptempo drum, haunting loop, samples from "Remember the Rain" by 21st Century, scratches. Prodigal Sunn of Sunz of Man opens the posse with a stream of consciousness recited in a hardcore style. H-Speed spits a shorter verse, leaving room for Born Justice, also with an understated amateur delivery. ShaCronz's entrance in the track seems like a professional compared to the previous ones: the CCF Division boy delivers bars with more energy, sounds almost hardcore, and his rough rapping sounds better than usual on this production, benefited by a syncopated drum. Allah Real brings the cut to its natural conclusion singing. Curious posse of Mathematics that places one of the Clan's mentors together with Sunz of Man, CCF Division and a couple of friends.
Poppa Don duets with Eyeslow on the festive trumpets and cheerful, positive strings of "Queens Day 88", from a nostalgic sample by Jerry Butler. The next choice is another posse: skit movie, boom bap, midtempo rusty drum, dirty bass line, haunting loop, Buddah Bless hook. Dusty violins, Buddha Bless has potential in the lyrics he chooses, but his execution is pained and stuttering, he doesn't use the extra verse to provide something memorable. Wu-Tang Clan is credited as a guest here too and Masta Killa steps up to represent him: the ninth member of the group delivers with his typical calm, cool and firmness, immediately establishing the track among the highest moments of this CD. In the third verse there's another underrated member of the Staten Island supergroup, U-God: the boy drops bars with a rough, irregular, slow flow, carries the track forward with his style and makes you regret that he wasn't there to provide that first verse of Buddah Bless. For whatever reason the last bars of U-God are cut from some versions of the track. Icarus Da Don finds himself dropping bars in a Wu-Tang piece over this bouncy beat, preceding the last verse: Inspektah Deck delivers a final verse with focused, sharp rapping.
"Gun Talk" is a duet between Wu affiliate Streetlife and Buddah Bless: smoothness, flowing, fluid delivery by Streetlife over a thumping beat by Mathematics. Melodic vocal sample from a late sixties Carla Thomas song, sparse drums, low content, melodic samples, chorus and second verse by Buddah Bless, energetic flow, good joint. "On Da Radio (Skit)" is placed as a skit. In fact, after an intro by Mathematics, the producer takes a freestyle that Ghostface did over the beat of "It's Mine" by Mobb Deep and places it over the beat of "Shadowboxin'" that RZA created for GZA's album "Liquid Swords". It turns out to be a classic. Tony Starks isn't even credited as a guest on the record. "Pimp Party" is the last posse of the album: on a somewhat chaotic and bouncy production, the main guests of the album Eyeslow and Buddah Bless, who both grew up with the producer, are found together with Almighty Infinite and Big Boy. The outro ends the CD, but there 's a bonus. Mathematics also goes down to the mic, giving a pearl with "Da Way We Were": boom bap, dirty dusty drum, deep bass line, dusted cymbals, splendid dusty strings, elegant piano keys, regular delivery of Mathematics who flows pleasantly on his beat. Perhaps the hook is a bit cumbersome and slows down the flow of the track, the only flaw in this choice.
The effort features all the members of the Wu-Tang Clan except GZA and ODB, as well as members of Sunz of Man, Killarmy, CCF Division and affiliates La the Darkman, Streetlife and Cappadonna. The album is released by High Times Records along with Mathematics own label Quewisha Records, selling over 30,000 physical copies. The title is a reference to the Nation of Gods and Earths's Supreme Alphabet. With about an hour of material divided into twenty-one tracks, including six skits, the project features some decidedly passable cuts and few rare gems worthy of being sought out and found by the most ardent fans of the double v. 6.5/10.
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