In 2015, Hell Razah hadn't yet fully recovered from the aneurysm that struck him five years earlier. At the time, the Brooklyn artist was coming off the best albums of his artistic career, released in 2007, and in 2008 he had released a collaborative album with his childhood friend Shabazz the Disciple, a solid project. Despite being childhood friends who grew up together in their neighborhood, for many years they took different artistic directions, meeting again only in the mid-2000s: in this period the duo T.H.U.G. Angelz was born with the desire to form a talented duo that could remain in the memory of the Wu, both also motivated by a common hatred for those who they believed had stolen and taken away their fame, money and success. Some outside the Wu, but others within the borders of Shaolin.
Among them, first and foremost, RZA: the founder of the Wu-Tang Clan takes both of them out of Red Hook, brings them into the studio and onto the Gravediggaz album and offers them a career under his wing as part of the affiliated group Sunz of Man, however, Shabazz pulls out almost immediately to take on the industry on his own. Instead, Hell Razah remains central to the Sunz of Man project, seeing an album shelved that we would now be celebrating as one of the best Wu-Tang releases of the mid-nineties, managing to get a first group album released without decent distribution, with the result that the album sells less than it could have and has minimal support from the Wu-Tang Clan, and also seeing a new studio album shelved, all in the space of three intense years. This leads to a downturn for the Sunz, and Razah debuts as a solo artist (2001) preceding Shabazz (2003) and Prodigal Sunn (2005): all three have neither guests nor producers from Wu-Tang Clan on their debut albums, which is reflected in the sales results.
T.H.U.G. Angelz record most of the new album and on the eve of their second collaborative album, despite the alleged common hatred for RZA, Shabazz tells his friend that he wants to record with RZA again for the new Gravediggaz album, expected around 2010. Precisely because of this betrayal, shortly after Hell Razah has a brain aneurysm and is forced to an emergency hospitalization at risk of dying. Shabazz's entry into the group, along with fellow Sunz of Man Killah Priest, who also left Sunz and Wu coinciding with Bazz's exit in the late nineties due to conflicts with RZA, was made official in 2011.
More than five years later, a still-convalescing Hell Razah decided to release this project as a free mixtape on his website under the duo's name and called it "R.I.P. Thug Angelz", marking the official end of the duo and placing a symbolic cover: the two members of the duo are present in front of a backdrop of a golden city, they are back to each other, Shabazz on the left and his name at the bottom vertex, Hell Razah on the right and his name at the bottom vertex. Below them in the center, the symbol of rapper Hell Razah that recalls Wu-Tang surrounded by a laurel.
T.H.U.G. Angelz are back with a mixtape. This should have been the duo's second official studio album, to which are added some joints recorded by Hell Razah and Shabazz always in that period. The tape starts from a deeply symbolic track for both artists, especially for Razah: "Audiobiography", included in "Razah's Ladder" (2007) and re-proposed with a remix by Blue Sky Black Death also in "Welcome to Red Hook Houses" (2008), here in the original version. The sample lasts only a few seconds to introduce a short skit and the first track of the tape, "Back Again". Boom bap, dusty drum, splendid soul sample, fantastic bass line, spoken by the two performers. "Keep Ya Wingz Up" boasts a boom bap with midtempo drum, good bass line in the background, funk samples, funky keyboard, regular delivery by Hell Razah. Sung hook.
Shabazz hits the ground running and delivers with a subdued, smoothness, fast flow, good contribution. A tight loop of a female soul sample introduces the third choice, midtempo metallic drum that kicks up some dust, good bass, dirty strings, Hell Razah & Shabazz drop bars for a minute on one of the best beats on the tape. Dilated soul sample on "Burnt Offering", poor drum, broken strings, uneven rap by T.H.U.G. Angelz on a production that leaves something to be desired, simplistic hook. "Motherly Love" is one of the deeper tracks on the record and appropriately features the best beat on the tape and one of the best in both artists' discography. Vinyl crackle sound in the background, sweetly wonderful soul sample, warm enveloping bass line, sweet delicious gorgeous strings, velvety delivery by Shabazz & Hell Razah in a cut dedicated to their respective mothers, one of his best lyrics in their catalog, tearful contribution by Razah who for once towers over Bazz in a track.
"Amethyst" has an introductory sung hook, then boom bap with poor drum, good melodic samples, loose rap. The next choice is "So Virtuous" that features a classic sample, poor drum, stuttering and amateur rhythm, scattered sounds that fail to adhere to the beat and give appropriate musical support to the rapping offered by the performers: the music is terrible despite a masterpiece loop and the boys' execution is uninspired, with a scandalous chorus. The only guest on the tape arrives at track number eight, "Harlots": 7th Ambassador, childhood friend of the duo with whom he founded the local group Mad Mob and later Da Last Future with the same guys and Supreme, already present as the only guest on the other T.H.U.G. Angelz album, comes down dropping bars together with the other two Sunz of Man emcees on a simple boom bap production, dusted cymbals, poor downtempo drum, dirty samples, thick booming bass line, good rap by the performers.
The unique producer clearly identifiable thanks to a tag is Vinny Idol for "Idolarity": cheap and very poor boom bap production, poor, filthy, marching drum, fourth-class club loops, uninspired rap by the performers on one of the worst productions in the catalog of both artists. It's curious that both the only beat with a specific producer and the longest cut on the record are the worst beat and the worst track. Bazz tries to shake up the rhythm, but the production chosen by Vinny Idol is horrible. "Our Father" presents a different soundscape, closer to the rest of the record. Calm production, boom bap, sparse midtempo drum, fresh bass line, melodic samples, serene quiet melody, mild sweet strings, sweet piano keys, calm subdued delivery by Razah and Bazz. Splendid joint.
"Priceless" boasts a noteworthy soulful production. Bright soulful sample in tight loop, beautiful ethereal strings, sparse drum, driving bass line in the background, loose delivery by Razah, calm, smoothness, flowing; good velvety contribution by Bazz that closes the track. Bouncy boom bap for "Prison Planet", chipmunk soul sample in the background, pop bass line, dance vibes, dance samples, drum disco dance, mainstream flow by Shabazz on this joint, uptempo drum, uptempo rhythm, unpretentious pop rap cut for the radio and for the club. Heavy delivery by Razah, slow, smooth flow, good rapping. "Other Wing" is one of the most symbolic joints of this mixtape: it closes the album and is also the last track recorded together by Hell Razah and Shabazz, the day after Hell Razah ends up in the hospital and the two stop collaborating. Simple hook, boom bap, midtempo sparse drum, melodic samples, soul samples in the background, smooth delivery by Shabazz and Hell Razah who try to make a new "Audiobiography" by retracing their beginnings and their troubled artistic path in the recording industry exchanging tributes. Among other things, Bazz reveals that he left Sunz of Man due to financial disagreements.
The album would have ended at 50 minutes, however seven more bonus tracks are added from Hell Razah. The first is "2012". Epic boom bap, triumphant samples from a cinematic final battle, cinematic rhythm, triumphant strings, orchestral beat, trembling violins, dry hard midtempo drum, steady delivery by Razah. Short switchbeat towards a trap production, trap drum, frenetic hi-hat without excess, melodic relaxed sample, few bars dropped by Razah on this type of beat before the original sound carpet returns, the Red Hook emcee delivers the last verse with a breathless rapping.
"Rock Alien" features a heavy production, boom bap, hard dry midtempo drum, triumphant roaring rhythm, cymbals beaten, slow delivery by Razah. The musical carpet breathes widely at the end, but it doesn't deserve it. "Pass the Halo" has a dizzying sample, poor drum midtempo, good bass line, dizzying piano sample, regular delivery by Razah, a bit choppy hook. "Unanswered Prayers" features a mix of ethereal and poor samples, poor drum midtempo, scattered sounds, ghostly church soundscape, effortless loose rap by Razah. And then "Pass the Halo" is proposed again if it wasn't enough. "Smite Them" has a cheap and loud production, loud drum, chaotic rhythm, random rap by Razah and Bazz. "Keep Ya Wingz Up Freestyle" is a short freestyle by Razah over 2Pac's "Keep Ya Headz Up", classic beat.
Final Thoughts
There's symbolism in Wu's discography. Five years after the aneurysm and a very complex period, Chron Smith bka Hell Razah begins to show improvements and changes his moniker to Heaven Razah, which is also the title of the last solo album recorded and released few later his near-death experience. This text of mine is written in June 2024, while this album is released in April 2015. For the day of Christian Easter, Smith intends to release his new solo album "El Raziel", using the name of the part of the angel that he uses in the efforts of the duo T.H.U.G. Angelz.
For the day of Good Friday of the same year, three days before Easter, the boy chooses to release this effort that marks the end of the duo with Shabazz the Disciple. There are no production credits, even though the entire project was originally intended to be entrusted to a single beatmaker, Ayatollah, and the only credited guest is 7th Ambassador, just like in the duo's only official album released seven years earlier. The project is released on Spotify and YouTube and later withdrawn by Hell Razah on both platforms: the quality offered doesn't replicate that of the first album, with a series of rhythms that sound incomplete, a slightly below-average rapping and tracks that, in almost all cases, should have remained on the recording floor, often buried by the hooks that are the weak point of both artists. Not recommended, 5/10.
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