Wu-Tang Killa Bees compilation that emerged out of nowhere in 2010. Production is realized by Allah Mathematics, RZA, Tommy Tee, Tyrone Fyffe, 4th Disciple, Phantom of the Beats, IzReal, Falling Down and Godz Wrath. This is a compilation of internal material from Wu-Tang Killa Beez and Clan members only, with no external Wu-Universe rappers featured.
Wu-Tang Killa Beez doesn't stop, this is the third series of Killa Beez in a Gotham City that calls loudly for the help of the Wu. And the Wu arrives. Or not. "Roll with Killer Bees", the first cut of the album, features Yellow Jackets: Armel, General Jihad, Ramith, Shaddow, Skratch and Supreme. Oriental-style rhythm, rough and sometimes flowing verses, functional hook and overall gray, bland song. The second choice shows in the credits names of guys you should have already heard of: 12 O'Clock & Prodigal Sunn as Two da Road, along with Armel and Rev Burks. Tense and gloomy boom bap, rocking, by an uncredited producer. Armel drops bars with a lazy flow, 12 O'Clock of Brooklyn Zu spits with more energy in the second verse, before the hook of The Reverend William Burk, member of RZA's group Achozen. Prodigal Sunn closes the track with a regular rapping style.
A pair of original Wu-Tang members revive the disc and try to raise its quality, hardly because Allah Mathematics offers an annoying rhythm with a soul loop too tight for the deliveries of GZA and Method Man. It's the turn of Ol' Dirty Bastard in "Dirts the Boogie": heavy and simplistic production, badly made by RZA, syncopated verses, quite dystopian mood: ODB's son, YDB Boy Jones doesn't add anything to the cut. Buddha Monk in uncredited here. RZA aka Bobby Digital with Kinetic on alternative rhythm, dark and mediocre in its various mixture of annoying sounds, created by Tommy Tee, decent delivery lowered by the poor level of this production.
Meth returns in "MEF" under the moniker Johnny Blaze: very dark boom bap of Steelz, excellent technical delivery, fast, smoothness and dope of the Wu-Tang Clan MC. Ghostface Killah makes one of the best cuts of tape, if not the best, the Theodore Unit track "Smooth Sailing": excellent looped soul sample and splendid heavy jazzy boom bap provided by Ty Fyffe. Starks boasts a rough, technical, dope, excellent rapping, Trife da God also goes strong, then Solomon Childs closes the joint with a technical, clean, fast, smooth, dope flow in the last stanza. "Get It Started" is a posse with King Just, Donnie Cash, Lethaface and Eyeslow, produced by 4th Disciple: good heavy jazzy rhythm with very tight soul samples. Mathematics affiliated rapper Eyeslow spits with a slow style, even the delivery of DC of Icewater remains close to the spoken word. After providing the hook, King Just of Shaolin Stars drops bars with an inspired style, then Hillside Scramblers leader Leathaface at the fourth verse.
Killa Sin and Streetlife deliver "Faced Down" on rhythm pulled out of Phantom of the Beats: heavy and annoying funky rhythm, with evident bassline, Streetlife goes well, Killa Sin sounds better than him over this soundscape. Sunz of Man emcee Killah Priest delivers a fine cut together with Remedy: uptempo rhythm, boom bap with dark violins, pleasant samples, robust drums, smoothness delivery from Killah Priest and Remedy, Heart is also there as a guest for the rnb hook. Solomon Childs's solo in "Action", on a boom bap badly synthesized by the beatmaker Falling Down, also places a looped soul sample too tight in the background, well Solomon Childs but the track is pretty forgettable.
"No Game Around Here" sees Killah Priest and Hell Razah struggling together with Killer Bees, Tash Mahogany and Suga Bang Bang on a heavy boom bap of RZA, a very tight and languid sample, here it doesn't work ruining part of the rap. Tash Mahogany, uncredited, also performs in the next pick with Rev Burks and Rugged Monk of Black Knights, on RZA's slow, light, and funky balla, slow deliveries of the performers, female rnb / soul hook, very slow and mesmerizing. The album is properly almost closed by "Transporting": underground jazzy rhythm, dirty, pure, a little cleaned up by Godz Wrath. Fast, rough, dirty, flowing rap, JoJo Pellegrino and Remedy want to create a song in Ghost & Rae style and this is a nice attempt, representing Staten Island. The album instead presents P Sunn & Rev Burks for the final tune: tense, dark, sharp rhythm of RZA, slow and inexorable delivery of Prodigal Sunn that lets the beat breathe on the hook and then attack it again with the same mood, clean and smoothness flow, even if this song doesn't stand out from the rest.
Wu-Tang Killa Beez returns after "The Swarm" (1998) and "The Sting" (2002), completing an unofficial trilogy of compilations. The disk features contributions from ODB, RZA, GZA, Method Man and Ghostface of Wu-Tang Clan, Prodigal Sunn, Hell Razah and Killer Priest of Sunz of Man, Kinetic and Killa Sin of Killarmy, 12 O'Clock & Buddha Monk of Brooklyn Zu, Trife & Solomon Childs of Theodore Unit, Rugged Monk of Black Knights, Donnie Cash of Icewater, Leathaface of Hillside Scramblers, Rev Burks of Achozen, Tash Mahogany, Heart, Yellow Jackets, Armel, YDB Boy Jones aka Young Dirty Bastard, King Just, Eyeslow, Streetlife, Remedy, and JoJo Pellegrino.
Released by Wu Music Group, the disk fails to deliver on its hidden promise to satisfy the hunger of Wu-Tang fans, often more due to a forgettable, chaotic and shoddy production than to the performers. 5/10.
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