In 2007, Sunz of Man leader Chron "Hell Razah" Smith's fourth studio album was released, produced entirely by the production team Blue Sky Black Death, who the year before had released a collaborative album with another prominent Wu-Tang Clan affiliate, Holocaust, formerly of the Black Knights. The guests included Sunz members Prodigal Sunn and Shabazz the Disciple, as well as Ill Bill and Sabac of Non Phixion and KXNG Crooked.
The album opens with "Elevation", a rhythm rich of Blue Sky Black Death, piano scale, beautiful trumpet, male melodic soul, slow piano keys splendid, drum hints, wonderful organ keys, soft bass line. Hell Razah in spoken word explains his entire project: this is a concept about climbing the Ladder to Heaven, hence the title, taking a biblical reference. The title track follows, boom bap pop rhythm, intro of the main rapper and his verse, energetic, concentrated, smoothness, good flow on a lively production that contrasts with the totally dark and gloomy one made by Blue Sky for the Warcloud album the year before. The Sunz of Man column delivers only one verse and closes the cut with a hook making a short and concise joint, one of his finest.
"The Cube" boasts an exquisite boom bap production, snappy hi-hat, sparse drum, solid sounds, darker beat than the previous piece, slow delivery by Hell Razah that contrasts with the uptempo rhythm chosen by the guys behind the keyboards. Organic hook, second verse with a smooth and focused style, chorus, outro and skit from "The Boondock Saints". The album is getting ready to take flight towards the firmament of hip-hop with the arrival of "Halos". Masterpiece rhythm, solid bass line, vibrant soul vibes, splendid organ keys that take the role that normally belongs to the piano in a hip-hop beat. Piano keys that I haven't even finished naming and already come to support the organ along with an unexpected electric guitar lick, the drum drops and there's the entrance of Hell Razah, calm, silky, clear, he flies away on a heavenly production. Blue Sky also decide to include a crazy hi-hat to enhance the effortless rapping of the Red Hook emcee, a boom bap is born with few equals in the season.
If it doesn't seem rich enough, the duo behind the keyboards chooses to also include a fabulous trumpet loop during the verse of Hell Razah, other instruments follow to enrich the beat until it becomes baroque, while the boy drops a verse that begins as a normal and natural battle braggadocio that then increases its weight between biblical references, religious and heavy political similarities with which he "touches it slowly", as they would say in football jargon. That pop trumpet returns for the hook, made up of scratched samples, accompanied by majestic violins and rounded off by gunshots. The rhythm seems to calm down for the smoothness calm regular entrance of KXNG Crooked, the rapper offers one of his best contributions on a wonderful soundscape, providing cryptic lyrics that mix militant activism and gangsterism, lulled by an elegant and sumptuous rhythm that allows itself to introduce a harmonica together with melancholic samples and splendid strings and other guitar licks. Short break, hook, Hell Razah returns in the third verse and buries the cut with a political socio-conscious verse, when the musical carpet seems to be unable to surprise anymore, it calms down to leave room for the last bars of the leader of Sunz of Man, supported exclusively by strings and an excellent deep bass line. Outro skit from The Bondock Saints.
"Most Merciful" is one of the many peaks of the album. Young God & Kingston immediately puts it very strong from the first seconds. Hypnotizing and haunting piano loop coming straight from the deserted and foggy streets of Silent Hill, gorgeous sax, dark strings in the background. Intro of Hell Razah, which begins its verse almost in spoken word, slow, regular, precise, concentrated. After eight bars comes a tough deep bass line and the midtempo drum, snappy hi-hat, the sax loop remains prominent on the beat, energetic rapping of the emcee who delivers a single verse in one of the most beautiful pieces of the album, then the rhythm dies at the end, it deserved to breathe at the end for at least two minutes, it's beautiful.
One of the highlights of this artist's career is represented by "Audiobiography". Splendid boom bap by Blue Sky, immense female soul chipmunk sample, deep bass line, impeccable dusty drum, magnificent strings. Spoken intro by Hell Razah, who then enters with his best flow, silky, smoothness, effortless and delivers a piece of his life on wax. The emcee retraces his career in the music industry from his early days on the streets alongside his producer friend Supreme, through his local group Mad Mob, through the misadventure of his youthful incarceration, his entry into music through his older brother Traybag, the birth of Da Last Future, the subsequent friendship with Shabazz, the affiliation with Wu-Tang, the collaboration with 7th Ambassador and the bites of Nas.
In the second verse, one of the rare guests on the album appears, the first, Shabazz the Disciple, a former member of Sunz of Man. Boasting a more contained and attentive fluid rapping, he also narrates his musical career starting from the beginning, with a background similar to that of Chron Smith and with the common knowledge of Supreme, with Razah he forms the Mad Mob, he comes out as a soloist with his singles, RZA who discovers him and brings him into the Gravediggaz album, the boy goes on tour with Wu-Tang, gets a contract with Atlantic together with Killah Priest (with whom he debuted on the Gravediggaz album, ed.), each of the two wants to launch his protégé, Bazz's is Hell Razah, while Priest's is Prodigal Sunn. Sunz of Man is born, also Scientific Shabazz believes he was robbed by Nas (through Raekwon & Ghostface, again), this time for flow-wise (while Hell Razah accuses Escobar of stealing the title of his second CD from a Sunz of Man piece), the signing with Penalty, the singles, the independent path, the props, more Nas bites. Hell Razah outro, more outro with scratched samples of KRS and Guru. Arithmetically, the best track in the history of Hell Razah and Shabazz. And also the best on the album. Fantastic rhythm, tight lyrics, dope rapping.
"Pray Together", beautiful melodic intro soul sample. Spoken intro by Hell Razah. Female chipmunk soul sample, then comes the beat, boom bap, solid bass line, dry midtempo drum, lively music, plucked guitar, looped piano keys, initial soul sample that stays in the background, effortlessly flowing energetic delivery by Hell Razah who recites a couple of socio-conscious stanzas with political overtones. Simple effective chorus by the author with chopped and scratched samples. Two verses, excellent cut. Rhythm left to breathe for a minute at the end, deservedly so. "Poor Righteous Dreams", beautiful soundscape painted by Blue Sky. Thundering bass line, soul samples, dry midtempo drum, boom bap that comes out naturally. Regular slow delivery by Hell Razah on a fabulous upbeat production. After the hook, the Brooklyn emcee returns with a second verse still with a slow style almost in spoken word, making a socio-political cut that is a rarity in his discography. Blue Sky Black Death doesn't miss a beat on "Better Than Jewelry" either: boom bap, good deep bass line, honest drum, arpeggios, sweet strings, chopped soul chipmunk samples, regular slow delivery by Hell Razah that offers a battle.
The San Fran duo behind the keyboards amazes again in "Project Prophecy": electric guitar licks on the simple hook repeated endlessly by the author, chopped and looped female soul sample, dry hard dusty drum, good intro. Then come some very sweet strings to lighten the atmosphere and roughen the rhythm. Hell Razah enters convinced, concentrated, hardcore, dope flow, the chopped soul sample remains and accompanies the rapper's flow on an enchanting beat that continues to change, together with a circular loop of urgent and tense violins, and a slightly dark piano scale that moves plotting in the undergrowth of the production, distant, in the background. During the first stanza, it comes a switch introduced by violins that make their way on the beat together with a more loaded snare drum, the piano begins to hiss remaining in support in the background, the emcee's flow becomes heavier and more loaded. On the hook, shorter than the beginning, there's a bridge obviously: funky sounds, almost chipmunk soul sample stretched, lengthened and sent in loop, the drum is less loaded and more relaxed and light, skeletal, the still tense violins remain in the background, the piano protests vibrantly unheard by everyone.
Very clean hardcore entrance of Ill Bill, who flies on a clamorous soundscape of Blue Sky in continuous movement: boom bap, dry drum that pulls up dirt and dust, soul sample in loop, urgent dizzying strings, dark piano in the background, unstoppable rapping at breakneck speed by the rapper of Non Phixion. A male soul choir comes out of nowhere in the middle of the verse, Ill Bill continues sailing on the beat. Towards the end of his extra-verse, the rhythm calms down and becomes a lighter boom bap that keeps the deep bass line, looped soul samples, tough drums and sweet strings, while Ill Bill continues to drop hardcore bars. Then the production gets richer again for the last bars of the guest emcee. The hook this time is made up of scratched Killah Priest samples both from "One Step" ("Heavy Mental", 1998). The soundscape then breathes welcomes the third verse, performed by the other guest of the piece, Sabac Red of Non Phixion: clean entrance on the haunting loop of that female soul sample, strings in a circle twirling on Sabac Red's rapping, piano that comes back prominent, tense violins, male soul samples, sparkling synths in the middle of his verse, hook by Sabac Red himself, then final hook accompanied by synths. It's one of the most beautiful beats on Blue Sky Black Death, superlatives here.
Hell Razah flows smoothly on the musical carpet offered by the duo for "Painted Jezebels": graceful boom bap with looped chipmunk soul samples, dry midtempo drum, dirty bass line, good soundscape. Short simplistic hook, short second verse, then closing the joint with a third verse, all in battle. "Written in Blood" welcomes the last guest of the record, the Legend Prodigal Sunn, one of the best of his period. Blue Sky Black Death continue to provide superlative beats and this one doesn't disappoint. Boom bap, tough midtempo dusty drum, looped soul samples, piano keys, circular strings, tense violins, rich rhythm. Smoothness, slow, tight delivery by Hell Razah in a battle that represents the Maccabeez. Hook wisely formed by a Denzel Washington sample from the cult film "Training Day" (2003). Crystalline attack by Prodical, silky, clean delivery, great flow driven by the current of the beat. The cut is closed with a Laurence Fishburne sample from "Deep Cover" (1992). Extraordinary work behind the keyboards for the San Francisco duo.
Choice number thirteen is "Stairway to Heaven", the only verse from the author on one of the best beats of the year: boom bap, bare downtempo drums, ethereal melodic soulful samples, smooth silky delivery by Hell Razah who creates one of his finest cuts ever. The outro is a gift, with a Jeru the Damaja sample in loop interspersed with others taken from Canibus, Jay-Z, Raekwon, OC and Biggie. The album closes with "Sun of Man". Superlative production by Young God and Kingston. Exceptional boom bap, magnificent, ethereal sounds, dreamy sweet piano, dusty cymbals, hints of electric guitar licks and harmonica like in "Halos", the Wu emcee delivers in spoken word, offering a worthy closure to a masterpiece album.
Final Thoughts
The same author summarizes his career so far in one of the tracks of this album, one of the greatest. Hell Razah, Wu-Tang from the early days, goes from Mad Mob to Da Last Future, who after signing with Wu become Sunz of Man, of which the young emcee becomes a pillar over the years. In 1994 he's on the first album of Gravediggaz (uncredited on "360 Questions"), he begins to publish singles with Sunz of Man, whose album is postponed. Hell Razah debuts as a soloist on the debut album of Killah Priest, then he's on "The Swarm" (1998) and on the albums of GZA (1999), U-God (1999) and Royal Fam (2000), in a period in which Sunz manage to release their debut album, but a second album is again postponed, this time due to bootlegging. While other guys loosen their bond with the double v, Hell Razah holds it tight and creates his solo debut in 2001, calling back most of the Sunz, even 7th Ambassador, who becomes one of the main guests of his project together with his brother Tray Bag aka Baghdad who launched him in the game.
A few years later, the Brooklyn emcee brings out a sort of remix of the debut, helped by the Killarmy producer 4th Disciple, a historic collaborator of Wu-Tang. 2007 ends up being a memorable year for Hell Razah, who releases his two best works of his career: the first is "Renaissance Child", the second is "Razah's Ladder", both reveal themselves to be modern projects with underground structures. While the first one boasts important guests and always different producers, this one is loaded with the set of a single producer and calculated guests a little far from the spotlights like Non Phixion, Sunz of Man and KXNG Crooked who comes from the mixtape circuit and is still a little-known name, despite having rapped alongside Luniz, Dogg Pound, Ja Rule and Ras Kass, since this is one of his first appearances as a guest on an LP.
Hell Razah himself is described at the time as a "forgotten / obscure affiliate" of Wu-Tang, known only to the most faithful disciples of Shaolin. As happened the year before with another dark affiliate of Wu, Warcloud of Black Knights, the Sunz of Man emcee gets an album entirely produced by the San Francisco production duo Blue Sky Black Death. While the Holocaust album features very dark, gloomy and ghostly music, the sound choice of this effort is more soulful and sunny, by will of the Red Hook emcee: Kingston and Young God deliver another brilliant set and give Hell Razah the best album in his career, making some of most beautiful beats. For his part, the Brooklyn rapper doesn't make mistakes, assisted by guests who are one better than the other. The album could be entirely in battle, however, after the death of his father, Hellraizor chooses to base the project on a spiritual concept, stating that the album represents the escalation of his artistic career, leading to his next solo album, "Heaven Razah". The boy recites some of the best lyrics of his discography on a quality production creating a quality product and without weak tracks, finding its peak in "Audiobiography".
The disk has many elements in common with the Warcloud album released a few months before: a brilliant soundscape, rapping at its highest and a vision of lyrics that, although profoundly different, has a common denominator, the same North Star, because both artists look to Killah Priest and that type of lyricism, even if both Warcloud and Hell Razah in these albums produced by Blue Sky Black Death go in their own direction without managing to match the level at which they inspire, which is very high undeniably. For these reasons, it's natural to wonder how a Killah Priest album entirely produced by Blue Sky Black Death would sound with this production quality that never gives up or falters in an hour.
There are also differences between the two projects produced by Blue Sky Black Death for the Wu-Tang affiliates. Among the most curious, while on the cover of the first album Warcloud gets his name in a larger font than that of the producers and is highlighted in a white font while the name of the producers is almost not visible, on this album the name of the producers is highlighted in the center of the disc with a larger font than that of the rapper and even the title is almost invisible, even lower. The cover also contains a tribute to The Creation of Adam, the famous fresco by Michelangelo to decorate the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome.
Published by Babygrande, it's the best album in the discography of Hell Razah by a wide margin and one of the strongest albums of the year in hip-hop. Unmissable for fans. 8/10.
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