Masta Killa, No Said Date (2004)
Go back more than 10 years. The Wu-Tang Clan just released their incredible classic - "Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers." Masta Killa might've caught your attention a little bit with a verse, but Method Man was becoming a star - he even had a song named after him.
Back to the present: Method Man has becomed a star - put out his latest album recently, was in a couple of movies, had his own TV show and documentary, etc. Masta Killa is putting out his FIRST album with very little mainstream media coverage.
So guess which album is better, Method's or the Masta's?
After the standard kung-fu dialogue on the "Born Chamber" intro - we get to the fucking ill yet relaxed beat on the first song, "Grab the Microphone," where we are introduced to the Masta's slow and gritty flow. The third track is the even iller title track, with a real hype chorus and string samples.
The hip-hop love song has been corrupted by bullshit like Fabolous, but "Love Spell" is a pretty good song, and after that we get to the unnecessary raps of his children to a Wu-Tang-creepy beat on "The Future", although its still his children.
Then the guests come in, with the piano-oriented "D.T.D. (Do That Dance)" featuring Ghostface Killah and Raekwon the Chef, and predictably this song is awesome. Btw, this is the first album to have all Wu-Tang members since like.....way too fucking long.
Next, we get the crazy, crazy, crazy good Shallah Mathematics beat featuring Wu WC's Streetlife and Prodigal Sunn. The beat makes this song rise above alot others, but dont get me wrong, the vocals are good.
Slowing down to the thick, hard break and guitar-sample-oriented "Secret Rivals" song featuring Killah Priest (one of the most underrated people ever, but thats another story) and the own Method Man dropping a nice verse.
After a skit, we get to the old-school electro-sounding RZA beat of "Digi Warfare" featuring RZA and U-God. Next, we get the funky beat of "Old Man" again featuring RZA and more importantly featuring Dirt McGirt (RIP) on the chorus just being ODB. We'll miss him, n/h.
We get another love rap song, "Queen," kind of a little too much for me to have 2, even if this song is pretty good. This beat is actually very un-love like with a very thick bassline and such.
"School" featuring RZA is pretty cool lyric-wise and the beat switches up a bit, but actually Im not a good fan of the beat. Heading into another Wu lo-fi, gritty beat of the song "Silverbacks" featuing the last 2 members of the Wu, Inspectah Deck and GZA. Some would say those 2 are the best, but really you could pretty much take your pick with any Wu rapper as "the best" except, like, U-God.
The self-titled song "Masta Killa" has another set of RZA production trademarks - sped-up samples and Asian influences. The closer is "The Day After," another eery beat with bangin drums and thick strings, another winner.
At the end, it is kind of hard to think that the over-looked Masta Killa's new album completely DESTROYS Method's own new album, but thats how life is.
One of the likelyest gripes people have about this album is that the Masta is no passionate, abstract poet like Ghostface, no intellectual sophistacated rhymer like GZA, no insane, high ODB. Really, he lacks the personality and some would say talent to be looked as by some as a top-flight Wu member.
However, for those people, the RZA beats and the ample guest appearances make the Masta's life easier in that if you like the Wu, you'll definetily like at least SOME of the songs on here. A must-buy for any self-respecting Clan fan.
Rating: 9 Mr. T chains
Buy or Copy: Buy, especially if youre a Wu fan.
Back to the present: Method Man has becomed a star - put out his latest album recently, was in a couple of movies, had his own TV show and documentary, etc. Masta Killa is putting out his FIRST album with very little mainstream media coverage.
So guess which album is better, Method's or the Masta's?
After the standard kung-fu dialogue on the "Born Chamber" intro - we get to the fucking ill yet relaxed beat on the first song, "Grab the Microphone," where we are introduced to the Masta's slow and gritty flow. The third track is the even iller title track, with a real hype chorus and string samples.
The hip-hop love song has been corrupted by bullshit like Fabolous, but "Love Spell" is a pretty good song, and after that we get to the unnecessary raps of his children to a Wu-Tang-creepy beat on "The Future", although its still his children.
Then the guests come in, with the piano-oriented "D.T.D. (Do That Dance)" featuring Ghostface Killah and Raekwon the Chef, and predictably this song is awesome. Btw, this is the first album to have all Wu-Tang members since like.....way too fucking long.
Next, we get the crazy, crazy, crazy good Shallah Mathematics beat featuring Wu WC's Streetlife and Prodigal Sunn. The beat makes this song rise above alot others, but dont get me wrong, the vocals are good.
Slowing down to the thick, hard break and guitar-sample-oriented "Secret Rivals" song featuring Killah Priest (one of the most underrated people ever, but thats another story) and the own Method Man dropping a nice verse.
After a skit, we get to the old-school electro-sounding RZA beat of "Digi Warfare" featuring RZA and U-God. Next, we get the funky beat of "Old Man" again featuring RZA and more importantly featuring Dirt McGirt (RIP) on the chorus just being ODB. We'll miss him, n/h.
We get another love rap song, "Queen," kind of a little too much for me to have 2, even if this song is pretty good. This beat is actually very un-love like with a very thick bassline and such.
"School" featuring RZA is pretty cool lyric-wise and the beat switches up a bit, but actually Im not a good fan of the beat. Heading into another Wu lo-fi, gritty beat of the song "Silverbacks" featuing the last 2 members of the Wu, Inspectah Deck and GZA. Some would say those 2 are the best, but really you could pretty much take your pick with any Wu rapper as "the best" except, like, U-God.
The self-titled song "Masta Killa" has another set of RZA production trademarks - sped-up samples and Asian influences. The closer is "The Day After," another eery beat with bangin drums and thick strings, another winner.
At the end, it is kind of hard to think that the over-looked Masta Killa's new album completely DESTROYS Method's own new album, but thats how life is.
One of the likelyest gripes people have about this album is that the Masta is no passionate, abstract poet like Ghostface, no intellectual sophistacated rhymer like GZA, no insane, high ODB. Really, he lacks the personality and some would say talent to be looked as by some as a top-flight Wu member.
However, for those people, the RZA beats and the ample guest appearances make the Masta's life easier in that if you like the Wu, you'll definetily like at least SOME of the songs on here. A must-buy for any self-respecting Clan fan.
Rating: 9 Mr. T chains
Buy or Copy: Buy, especially if youre a Wu fan.
posted by Zodiac Digital at 4:41 PM
2 Comments:
That nigga Prodigal Sun is a beast!
"really you could pretty much take your pick with any Wu rapper as "the best" except, like, U-God."
Bwahaha how true. I have a chip on my shoulder about U-God, he made me cower to the Caucas Mountains. Never really got over that...
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