Method Man - Tical 0: The Prequel

When people talk about the fall-off of the Wu-Tang Clan, there are a few timestamps they might bring up as to when exactly this took place. Some may trace it back as early as 1998, when RZA adopted his "digital orchestra" sound that plagued his own RZA as Bobby Digital In Stereo, a production technique that led to many finding the sophomore albums from the likes of GZA, Method Man and Raekwon (or even the debuts of Inspectah Deck and U-God) to be highly dissapointing, whether that was due to RZA's production touches, or due to the artist leaving out Robert entirely due to this new style not meshing with their vocals. 

There's also an argument that it was much later, around the time Wu-Tang dropped their 8 Diagrams effort in 2007. After all, how can a group that has already fallen off produce such great works as Supreme Clientele and The W (an underrated group effort which I'll get to soon)? Around the time 8 Diagrams came out was when there were many internal disputes within the group, and this was generally considered to be a notable low point within their group discography - also, artists such as RZA and GZA released some of their most poorly recieved projects around this time. 2007 was not a great year for the Wu (unless we're talking Ghostface Killah, because every year is great for him). 

And then you have the logical people, who say that, even though some members of the Wu-Tang were able to put out great projects after this point, the years 2003-2004 were when the Clan's true relevance within the hip-hop game kind of dwindled to a speck. They hadn't released as a group in a couple years by this point, the only member still making great music at the time was releasing an album with no Wu features at all (although The Pretty Toney Album did have a couple RZA and True Master production credits), and everyone else was either inactive or pushing mediocre product - think Raekwon's The Lex Diamond Story, RZA's Birth Of a Prince, Inspectah Deck's The Movement, and last but definitely not least, U-Godzilla Presents The Hillside Scramblers - basically some of the most poorly received and forgotten albums in the entire Wu catalogue. It shows that when Masta Killa was able to put out an album that was actually good, people had grown so indifferent towards most Wu material that this thing barely charted at all (#136 according to Wikipedia). Yes, 2007 wasn't good either, but to me this particular era was when the Clan dwindled in sales and quality, dropping into the worst places possible as musicians, and generally giving way to newer styles of hip-hop from the likes of 50 Cent, Jeezy and T.I.. It would get better, but really ever since Iron Flag the Clan haven't seen a huge amount of success with any of their own work - again, not counting Ghostface, because his catalogue is seriously good. 

And amongst this myriad of mediocrity (did I really just type that out?), one album in particular was singled out as the most dissapointing, ugly, and generally terrible LP of the entire Wu chronology up to that point - and that ladies and gentlemen, is Method Man's third album, Tical 0: The Prequel. 

Let's get this over with. 

1. Intro (feat. RZA) (prod. Yogi, co-prod. Rich Mae)

One of the reasons people tend to give for hating the shit out of this album is that the release we got wasn't even what Meth wanted to put out - originally, the album had a bunch of RZA beats, before the label decided Robert was no longer capable of making music that would sell well. So imagine the anger of these people when Meth had Bobby himself speaking on the intro, over some music that he didn't even produce! And you know how many credits he actually has on the album? One!! What the fuck??

2. The Prequel (feat. Streetlife) (prod. Rick Rock)

Despite Rick Rock's slightly clunky work behind the boards, Mef does his best to keep this one head high above water, with a fun and memorable performance on the mic that goes down surprisingly well as the first song on an album where the rapping is generally considered to be quite bad. "I got these wannabe gangstas sleeping with the lights on" is kinda funny if you ask me, and while Streetlife's contribution is merely limited to a short hook, Meth's performance makes sure the audience gets hype from the jump. I've always been a fan of this one, and it looks like I still am. 

3. Say What (feat. Missy Elliott) (prod. Tony Dofat & Sean "P. Diddy" Combs)

Probably the most forgettable song in the entire Method Man catalogue comes in the form of this dissapointing Missy Elliott collabo, and it's not poor just because the guest star's contribution is limited to a generic hook. Method Man should never be rhyming over an instrumental that sounds as flat and inoffensive as this, and even with the occasional funny bar like "I tried to quit puffin' before, but I'm no quitter", it's clear that even Meth himself realises that this track isn't worth a truly good performance. Also, this song has Diddy ad-libs, immediately rendering it unplayable in the year 2025. Oh dear. 

4. What's Happenin' (feat. Busta Rhymes) (prod. DJ Scratchator)

The lead single to this album is, no lie, one of the best songs I've heard from either of these guys. I fucking love this shit. Granted, Busta kind of makes this song his own, with an electrifying performance full of intense flows and constant quotable bars, over an instrumental by the man responsible for a lot of his best solo tracks over the years (think "Gimme Some More") that is equally excellent, sounding both radio friendly and hardcore as hell, a difficult combo to master - but, Method Man does hold his own on here with a decent performance, and he sounds more interested here than on the previous track. This is more a Busta song than anything, though, and it blows literally everything on his previous album at the time It Ain't Safe No More... out of the goddamn water. "Now watch me back your shit up / I hope your people pull up and pick up and pack your shit up - homie it's time to move!!". I don't care how much people hate this album and everything surrounding it - this is one of my favourite songs ever made, and home to one of the best Busta Rhymes guest appearances too. Did I mention that catchy as all hell chorus? What a banger this one is. 

5. The Motto (prod. Nasheim Myrick & Lee Stone)

Over a dark, menacing and dreary instrumental from Hitman Nashiem Myrick and Pharoahe Monch producer Lee Stone (this and Scarface's "On My Block" being the only two non-Pharoahe Monch production credits he's really had over the years as far as I know), Meth drops some slow and calculated verses, punctuated by a rather silly hook that it's best we all forget about. Overall, this song is decent though - the beat is heavily suited to Meth's "you can't fuck with me" attitude on the song, and while some of the bars are generic as fuck ("we can kick it until our feet hurt"), most of the time Meth's lyricism is amicable. This isn't Clifford's best work, but for an album cut it's pretty solid. 

6. We Some Dogs (feat. Redman & Snoop Dogg) (prod. Denaun Porter)

Of course we couldn't have a Meth album without the presence of Reggie Noble, and here he is alongside Snoop Dogg of all people - in fact, there were rumours around this time that the three were going to be forming a supergroup, which like many hip-hop rumours, was based upon absolutely nothing the artists themselves had said. And just like the previous song, this one is... pretty good, if not exceptional. Denaun's instrumental is fun, sure, but his hook is pretty atrocious, and all of the MCs come off as kinda-sorta misogynistic on here - I don't recall Blackout! having any crude sex songs on it, so what made these guys want to try this sort of song now? "Big Dogs", this ain't - it's no wonder these three never hooked up for an album. 

7. The Turn (feat. Raekwon) (prod. RZA)

The last song on the album before things kind of go to shit (spoiler alert) is this RZA produced cut that would probably have been a classic if it had been made by the same people ten years earlier. On this album however, RZA's production feels a little stale and repetitive, and Rae is far from his peak too, even if the instrumental does dwarf most of what we heard on The Lex Diamond Story the previous year. Thankfully, Mef rides the beat well, which is good, because he has twice as much screen time as his guest on this short track, that also implements a sample which I think I recognise, but can't place where it's from. Meth's last bar is pretty funny here - one thing the man can't be faulted on is his ability to not take himself too seriously all the time. Overall not bad, but you're better off checking out the other Wu-Tang feature song on here, which I'll explain later...

8. Tease (feat. Chinky) (prod. No ID)

You'd be forgiven for having some hope for this track, despite the horrible song title and oddly racist stage name of the featured artist Chinky - after all, No I.D. is one of the best producers of all time, right? Sadly, this song is inevitably horrible - Method Man should never be found within a five mile radius of such a commercial sounding instrumental, and just because he wrote some good love songs in his day, it doesn't mean he can spit some shit like "chicks call me gravel pit dick, the bed rocker" and expect to get away with it. God, this is terrible. 

9. Rodeo (feat. Ludacris) (prod. Boogz)

Yes, that is the same Boogz who made a name in the late 2010s and 2020s on albums like Kanye's Jesus Is King and Donda - or at least I think it is. Unfortunately, it seems he had some work to do back in 2004, because this electric guitar groove is simply godawful, forcing Meth and Luda to sound like unfunny parodies of themselves - it takes a special kind of terrible music to make two of the best rappers of all time sound like they have absolutely no clue what they're doing, and yet it happened here. This has to be one of the most disappointing collaborations of all time - thank God it's short is all I say. 

10. Baby Come On (feat. Kardinal Offishall) (prod. Fafu)

And you thought "Tease" was bad.... - I don't even want to comment on this bullshit. 

11. Who Ya Rollin Wit (prod. JellyRoll)

Since the previous three songs land themselves comfortably on my infamous "worst three track runs I've ever heard" list, Meth chooses to switch things up for this joint, and spit some more hardcore shit over what sounds like something Xzibit passed up from his Weapons Of Mass Destruction album, which isn't really much of a compliment - I'd certainly struggle to say much good about a song with a chorus as terrible as the one that appears on here. Still, just by default this one sounds acceptable compared to the last three tracks, and during the verses at least the instrumental is somewhat enjoyable - with Meth's performance being solid as well. I certainly don't love this song, but hey, anything's better than "Baby Come On", so I'll take it. 

12. Never Hold Back (feat. Saukrates & E3) (prod. E3)

Against my better judgement, I've always rather liked this collaboration with Redman's Gilla House signees. E3's production on this joint is fun, with an electronic bounce that is somewhat haunting but also playful, and Method Man sounds far more comfortable here than he has for a while now on this album. Not to mention, E3's vocals during this chorus are actually really nice. I'm genuinely a fan of this track. 

13. The Show (prod. Self)

The ups and downs in quality on this album are some of the most far apart of any album I own - they make Nas' I Am... seem completely consistent. "The Show" is a one verse wonder, the only one on the entire album as far as I can tell, and it's dope as fuck, as Meth slides over this brilliant instrumental with a unique, effortless flow, and a performance ten times as memorable as most of the other verses he drops on this record. Musically this is awesome, and Method Man finally sounds like he remembered that he's one of the greatest of all time here - the result is easily one of my favourite songs on this LP. No wonder this was pushed as a single!

14. Act Right (prod. Rockwilder)

Sadly by 2004, Rockwilder was long past the point of remembering how to make actual music - by now he's been making concoctions of random noises that are supposed to pass as "club bangers" for so long that not one of his beats has any sort of melody, rhythm or groove that you might consider to be good. It's a pity, because the guy wasn't half bad around the time "Da Rockwilder" came out. I almost forgot, Method Man raps on here too. Yeah. 

15. Afterparty (feat. Ghostface) (prod. Q)

Aside from "What's Happenin'", this has to be the clear standout from this project, one of the best Wu collaborations post 2000 in my personal opinion. Meth and Ghost spit a fun back and forth over an awesome instrumental from Qur'an Goodman (credited as just "Q", which I'm sure he was glad about), that incorporates these violins that sound simultaneously fun and tragic, which is quite the feat I must say. The addition of GFK into the proceedings was always going to help this track stand out, and he doesn't disappoint, with his rhymes about being at the party reminding me of some of the stuff he spit on the excellent The Pretty Toney Album, released a couple months before this track. And while on "What's Happenin'" Busta kind of outshone our host, here each player is an equal, both sounding awesome, with quotables galore on this cut. Man, this album has some good moments. 

16. Crooked Letter I (feat. Streetlife) (prod. Denaun Porter)

The second Kon Artis produced track on here is surprisingly better than the first, which is mental considering that that song featured Redman and Snoop Dogg, while this one has a guest feature from Streetlife. While it is unfortunate that Denaun always has to fucking sing on songs he's produced (Christ, this man is no MJ), the back and forth on here from Meth and Street is entertaining, and the song has that somewhat menacing air to it that's present on quite a few of the highlights across this record. This isn't brilliant, but I can dig it. 

17. Ridin' For Outro (feat. Black Ice) (prod. Yogi, co-prod. Rich Mae)

Kind of reminds me of the intro and outro to Nas' Nastradamus album, only with actual music behind it this time. Kind of an intriguing outro, but poorly placed considering it feels like it's setting something up, only for the album to just end abruptly. Would have worked better as a skit before some kind of dark storytelling track. 

Tical 0: The Prequel is like working days as a helicopter pilot, and nights cleaning the toilets of the local KFC - in other words this thing has some of the highest highs and lowest lows of any album I own on CD. It's actually ridiculous how the structure of this project plays out. You have some of Meth's best solo material ever in tracks like "Afterparty" and "The Show", and a legitimate classic of the 2000s on "What's Happenin'", plus some other seriously solid moments, like "The Prequel" and "Crooked Letter I", all of which show Meth's brilliant abilities as a humorous and talented MC, as well as his great ear for beats and talent for meshing well with his guest star. 

But amongst that, especially around the middle point of this tracklist, you have what are not only the worst Method Man songs ever, but also some of the worst released by a Wu member in general. Seriously, "Tease", "Baby Come On" and even "Rodeo" are legitimately embarrassing to listen to, with their insipid instrumentals, miserable choruses, and creepy verses from a rapper who sounds like he's going through the most inappropriate mid-life crisis of all time. Just imagine if the whole album had been of the quality of the high points on here - this could have been an almost Supreme Clientele level of great. Instead we get a few brilliant songs, a few more pretty decent songs, and some absolutely terrible songs too. It's no wonder Meth himself hates this album even more than all of his fans do - he was clearly still capable of creating good product at this time, but it just seems that the label got in the way of him cooking up something truly spectacular. It's a true shame we never got to hear the original album that Meth had recorded - that shit might've been seriously dope.

But in the end, I'd still call this better than most of the non-Ghostface Wu releases of the early 2000s. Even upon relisten the highs are still obvious to me, and while it's very inconsistent, it's far more likely to pull me back in than whatever Raekwon and Inspectah Deck were up to around this time. Seriously, go back and listen to this - there just might be some gems that you initially missed in your extreme rage over the lack of RZA input on here. Just make sure you keep a finger posted ready above the skip button, because that's something you're going to want to be hitting a couple of times with this one. Thanks for reading!

Best Tracks: "The Prequel", "What's Happenin'", "The Turn", "Never Hold Back", "The Show", "Afterparty"

Worst Tracks: "Tease", "Rodeo", "Baby Come On"

Read up on some of my other Method Man critiques by clicking here!

Raekwon - Immobilarity

Because when you can't think of a name for your album title, just make up a word on the spot, and attempt to justify it on a couple of half-assed skits throughout the album. What could go wrong?

Chef Raekwon's sophomore studio album was one of the most anticipated hip-hop records of the entire decade. Heads had been waiting four years for a follow up to the incredible Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., his 1995 solo debut that is today often considered the best of the original run of Wu-Tang solo albums, and by the time November of '99 came around they'd have probably given an arm, leg and their copy of Ooh I Love You Rakeem on vinyl, just to hear another album by Corey Woods. Luckily for them, the last two years of the 20th century seemed to be the time when RZA sort of gave up on his original plan, and started letting members who'd already released projects drop sophomores before those who hadn't even got their debuts out (infamously, Masta Killa couldn't get his record out until 2004, by which point no-one really gave many fucks about the non-Ghostface Wu members anyway). And while Raekwon gave way to Meth, GZA and ODB first, he eventually released his own sophomore album on November 16th 1999, the same day as Dr. Dre's enormously popular 2001 album - not really a good starting point. 

And if you're a hip-hop fan who's ever done any research about the genre ever, you probably already know that this album was pretty much a disaster, a definition of the word "sophomore slump", and a serious balls-up considering the lack of faith fans were starting to have in the Wu-Tang Clan anyway, considering every other release of the year from the collective had already been considered underwhelming (Meth & Red's Blackout! notwithstanding, unless you were someone who wanted more RZA production on there). And I mean, what the fuck did Raekwon expect? On the ridiculously titled Immobilarity, there are no RZA production credits, no Ghostface Killah features, and no Wu posse cuts, three things that all were in high proportion on Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., making that album as brilliant as it was. Instead, almost all of the beats were provided by no-name producers with idiotic names such as "DJ Devastator" (although Pete Rock does show up for one track, which is nice), and Rae spends more time on here promoting his American Cream Team than he does rhyming alongside fellow Wu members. 

So, Immobilarity. Was it quite as bad as it looked? (That album cover would certainly indicate so). Thank God for Supreme Clientele is all I say - without that album who knows how far into irrelevancy the Wu would have fallen. 

1. Intro (Skit) (prod. The Infinite Arkatechz)

Yes, this is a rap album intro full of useless dialogue that really has no relevance to what is to come... but goddamn this is kind of intriguing, not to mention with a beat that really should have been rhymed over. This is one of the better intro skits I've ever heard. 

2. Yae Yo (prod. Carlos "Six July" Broady)

This track right here is a prime example of why some people don't like this album. You've got some of the hungriest, most fantastic performances from Raekwon, showcasing passion and a knack for engaging storytelling (told in one long verse in this instance), only over an instrumental that, while not terrible, feels hollow and empty, lacking replay value entirely. And this is one of the most well-known producers on the album too. Thankfully, Rae really managed to make this one worthwhile, with one of the best performances I've ever heard from him - when this man isn't doped up on sleeping medication (like he seemed to be throughout a lot of his 2000s guest appearances), he can really rock the mic. A good introduction overall, if my issues with the beat still stand. 

3. Casablanca (prod. The Infinite Arkatechz)

Over an instrumental that I actually really fucking like, Raekwon once again forgoes any kind of hook (unless you count the repetition towards the very end of the track), spitting a long-ass verse that stories another one of his engaging crime tales that ends with him and his friend escaping the cops, who've caught up to them it seems. The instrumental on here really makes you feel like you're in Italy doing business with the mafia, and Raekwon's storytelling is on point. This track honestly stands up to a lot of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., and you can go ahead and shoot me in the face for that opinion if you want. 

4. 100 Rounds (prod. Triflyn)

Tracks like this one make me wonder if, had it been Raekwon's debut album, Immobilarity could have been considered as generally quite good. I remember I used to find this track quite boring, and to this day it does overstay it's welcome by about a minute and a half - but goddamn, how could I hate this when Raekwon sounds so damn good on the mic? Yeah the beat is pretty dull, and yeah the chorus didn't need to be repeated, but Jesus this man sounds good on here. If this were a mixtape track I'd call it phenomenal, but as an actual song it does fall short - it's really a shame Rae couldn't get RZA to help format this LP. His rapping warrants much better structure and music. 

5. Real Life (prod. DJ Devastator) 

This one definitely used to be one of my favourites on the album, and it still holds up today, even if the hook once again feels like just four standard bars of the song that just happen to be repeated. Production wise this album seems to be going up and down so far, and this lands on the positive side of that equation, being melancholy, warm, and a big change in tone from the previous three beats. Lyrically, Rae continues his streak of hot bars, making this into yet another underrated gem. I'm starting to wonder what it is that people hate so much about this album...

6. Power (feat. American Cream Team) (prod. Triflyn)

"Y'all brothers wanna call us out? Name names, otherwise it'd be wise to shut the fuck up" - great way to begin your verse there, mr Baby Thad. Of all the Wu members who tried to create their own Wu-Tang Clan, Raekwon is right next to U-God at the bottom of the pile. This track is a prime example - even if the beat didn't completely suck balls, the track would still be terrible. The first true misstep on here. 

7. Skit No 1

If you think the acting on this skit is bad, then just wait till we get to The Lex Diamond Story. 

8. All I Got Is You Pt. II (feat. Big Bub) (prod. Vo & Pop)

Not as terrible as the other part 2 to a classic Wu track to appear on a Raekwon album (if you know, you know), but definitely more confusing, since Raekwon had absolutely nothing to do with the original "All That I Got Is You". And when I say not as terrible, I certainly don't mean any good either - Mary J, Big Bub ain't. 

9. Jury (feat. Kim Stephens) (prod. The Infinite Arkatechz)

After two highly underwhelming tracks that are truly deserving of any negative press they may receive, "Jury" is a big return to form on the album, probably because of who produced it - The Infinite Arkatechz are responsible for the best beats this record has offered so far, easily (with the exception of "Real Life"). This instrumental is intense and emotional, certainly nothing like anything I would expect to hear on this project - it's almost like a budget "Rainy Dayz", although definitely not on the level of that absolute classic. To say that would be blasphemous. Raekwon also sounds like he's had a chilli pepper rammed up his arse on here, showing aggression in flows that seem even more intense and relentless than usual, with bars that may or may not be partly about the FBI investigation into the Wu-Tang Clan that took place in the late '90s. Not to mention, the chorus from Kim Stephens is actually surprisingly good. Nice stuff!

10. Fuck Them (feat. Method Man) (prod. Triflyn)

Ridiculous beat aside, I actually rather like this collaboration, if just for how shockingly light hearted it is from the guys who made some of the most gutter shit of the early '90s. Raekwon sounds pretty good, and Meth is right in his element here, except for on the chorus, where he uses the term "silly boys", immediately invalidating any kind of threatening image he might be trying to pull off. To be honest, there's no real good reason for me liking this (in fact, it's objectively quite bad), but I do, so there. Maybe it's just finally hearing from another Wu member - they've been seriously missed so far.

11. Skit No 2

If you think the acting on this skit is bad, then just wait till we get to The Lex Diamond Story. Wait, didn't I write this sentence earlier?

12. Live From New York (prod. The Infinite Arkatechz)

At this point in the album, the tracks start to carry a similar sound to the first three cuts again, before things got melancholy and/or terrible, and this, the lead single, is a prime example of why that cold, icy sound worked. This beat, while not a gem of the '90s or anything, is really good, with these hollow piano keys that sound straight out of a horror movie accentuated by the typically hard drums, coming together to provide the perfect backdrop for Raekwon to rip things apart - hell, even the hook on here works, the first time on the album one provided by our host sounds like it was written to actually be the part that people remember the most. As a lead single, you could do a lot worse, and "Live From New York" still stands as one of the best post-Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Raekwon tracks - although when stacked against a "Mighty Healthy", it does seems rather tame.

13. My Favorite Dred (prod. Triflyn)

Rae spits another crime tale over what is easily the best Triflyn instrumental on the album thus far, and the results are pretty fun, if nothing to leap in the air with joy over. This joint isn't particularly moving, but as a quick one verse wonder that's out of the window in less than two minutes, it works well. 

14. Friday (prod. Triflyn)

You know, the sequencing on this album really confuses me. The first two tracks on the album are both crime tales, the first much shorter than the second, both with no hooks... and now we have the exact same right here in the tracklist! Meanwhile, there's a bunch of random shit discussed in between with no mention of the supposedly crime related concept of the album! Still, at least this song was great - I'd honestly completely forgotten it even existed before re-listening to the album today, but lyrically it's easily one of the most engaging cuts on the album, and the beat is nice too. Yet another instance of a decent track that simply seems weak when compared with Rae's superior earlier work. 

15. The Table (feat. Masta Killa) (prod. The Infinite Arkatechz)

Definitely one of the most memorable moments on the album, featuring a very different style of instrumental to everywhere else, even if Raekwon's rhymes feel similar to other points on the record. Outside of the beat, which is excellent by the way, the most notable thing about this one has to be the Masta Killa guest spot, which is short but incredibly sweet, with his calm and soft voice being far more suited to this softer sound than Corey could ever hope to be. It's a real shame we never got that '99 MK album - it could have been a real killer (get it??). 

16. Sneakers (prod. Pete Rock)

Probably the most consistently praised track off of this album is Rae's dedication to his collection of footwear, and that's largely due to the fact that he actually managed to get a legendary producer to provide him with some music - Pete Rock's beat on here doesn't sound brilliant at first, but you really get into it through the three minute duration of the song, and the record scratching helps a lot with that; this is easily the most replayable song on the record, with the Nas and Mobb Deep samples in the hook being absolute ear-candy. I'm surely not the only one who'd have loved a Raekwon x Pete Rock tape in the late '90s am I? Considering the direction RZA was going at that time it'd probably have been an even better move for Rae than an Only Built 4 Cuban Linx sequel. Either way, this song right here is a hidden gem that everyone should hear. Banger!!

17. Raw (feat. American Cream Team) (prod. Vo & Pop)

I guess I should be grateful that Rae only included the Cream Team (seriously, who the fuck came up with that name?) on two tracks on this album, but still, that's two too many. Most would probably remember this one because of the lazy "Winter Warz" interpolation masquerading as a chorus, but for what it's worth the instrumental on here gives this track a far better energy than "Power" from earlier - this track also is way better in general, with the back and forth being a welcome addition to the tracklist. It's a shame he couldn't have done it with, I don't know, fucking Ghostface Killah. 

18. Pop Shit (prod. Vo & Pop)

I don't care how you feel about the lyrics to this song - the terrible, terrible Swizz Beatz imitating instrumental derails it from the off. There have been some mediocre moments on this album, for sure, but there's no denying this is the standout worst track. Who the fuck was this shit even aimed at??

19. Heart To Heart (prod. Vo & Pop)

Over an unusually funky beat on what is mostly a pretty dry and dreary (not necessarily in a bad way) album, Raekwon switches up his flow a bit, doing his best to change things up but not really succeeding, only sounding different from his usual self on the hook, which is admittedly reasonably catchy. I'll be honest, though, this song isn't particularly interesting, and while most songs on here have aged okay, this has aged quite poorly, being a clear product of the late '90s. Still, it's a hell of a lot better than the last song, I tell you that. 

20. Forecast (prod. Triflyn)

Lyrically probably the worst song on the entire album, as Rae basically spends most of it listing a bunch of random places across the US (and, towards the end, the world in general), but I always did like this beat, as it really feels like it's the end of the album - I guess this was supposed to be the end credits of Rae's crime movie. Shame the Chef couldn't stay on that topic for more than like two songs then. 

21. Outro

Laughably stupid. 

I might get some odd looks for this, but I actually kind of like Immobilarity, as I'm sure a lot of people who go in with the heavily lowered expectations crafted by the internet will. I've seen many call this record one of the most disappointing sophomore records of all time, and while "disappointing" is an appropriate word considering what came before, I think that if you forget Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... exists, this album sounds pretty nice for at least 2/3 of the time. Now yes, there are moments on here that might have you questioning your stance as a fan of the hip-hop genre, but those aren't nearly as prominent as the moments when Raekwon tears shit up over a legitimately solid beat, something that happens more often than you'd think on an album that shows up in every "bad albums by great rappers" list you can come across (maybe that's a list I should make). For every terrible song like "Pop Shit" or "Power", you have a legitimate banger, such as "Live From New York" or "Casablanca" - and that's not to mention some of the other great tracks, with "Jury" and "The Table" being beautiful moments of sombreness, and "Sneakers" being an absolute classic of the late '90s. And furthermore - are these beats even really that bad? There are a couple that kind of suck, sure, but on relistening to this album there's plenty of great moments to be found. I think the reason that everyone hates this is purely because of what it follows, and that's understandable - hell, if I'd been around in 1999 to listen to this with the expectations people back then would have gone in with, I'd probably feel the same way. But to me, Immobilarity, ridiculous title and all, has not only aged well, but showcases a rapper who is legitimately great, with an up-and-coming production team that, with some kinks ironed out, could have some true potential. Basically, I like this album. Sue me. 

Thanks for reading!

Best Tracks: Casablanca, Real Life, Jury, Live From New York, Friday, The Table, Sneakers 

Worst Track: Pop Shit

More Raekwon, or just Wu-Tang in general if you'd really like!

Image for cover: https://www.normanrecords.com/records/205929-raekwon-immobilarity-25th-anniversary-edition
Image for single: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Live-New-York-12-VINYL/dp/B000031KFZ

Ghostface Killah - Fishscale

Having made two unsuccessful attempts to get people to actually listen to his Theodore Unit crew in the mid 2000s, in '06 Ghostface Killah realised he was running out of funds from his last solo effort The Pretty Toney Album, and knew that if he was to have any hope of continuing his collection of ugly ass shoes then he needed to drop another solo record asap. So, he set about recording, enlisting the likes of MF DOOM, Pete Rock, the late J Dilla and Just Blaze to ensure the highest quality of production work (although disappointingly not the RZA, nor any of the Wu Elements for that matter), and to help build more excitement for the project bought in every single living member of the Wu-Tang Clan to provide guest vocals, as well as the R&B crooner of the time Ne-Yo and a bunch of Theodore members to fill space. He made sure to include lots of short film samples too, although this time from Marvel animated series rather than Kung-Fu flicks - and he also built the album around a loose concept involving drug dealing and its effects on the community. And finally he made sure to pack this album to the absolute brim with songs - 24 tracks is always going to be daunting, no matter how many are 5 second edited clips from old Iron Man cartoons. Basically, everything about this album led fans to believe it was going to be the return of the Wu after some years of underwhelming output and beef. It was a culmination of the themes of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., the teamwork of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), and the irritating skits of Supreme Clientele - and it was very highly anticipated. And in March of 2006 he actually managed to get Def Jam to release this album. The project every Wu fan was waiting for. Fishscale. 

I listened to Fishscale for the first time when I was in a Ghostface Killah phase, tracking down his whole catalogue, and at the time I absolutely loved it, if not quite as much as some of his earlier work. Now, I go back in with more unbiased eyes to see if it holds up as an album. The memories suggest yes, but we'll see anyway. Also, why do people hate this cover so much? I mean, it's not incredible, but it's no worse than most of his other covers. Hell, I'd rather look at this art than the assault on the eyes that is the Ironman colour scheme. Anyway, I digress. On with it!

1. The Return Of Clyde Smith (Skit)

Show of hands - who here wanted Clyde Smith to return? No-one? Well fuck you all then. 

2. Shakey Dog (prod. Lewis Parker)

Now that's more like it. Ghost takes a fantastically intense instrumental from Lewis Parker and relays a story over it that is incredibly impressive in how detailed and intricate it is. The track recalls memories of "Maxine" from Bulletproof Wallets, only this time the tale is not quite as harrowing, and the beat doesn't go into a weird Red Hot Chili Peppers style breakdown at the end. Ghost's storytelling abilities have never been more evident than on this track, as he finds a perfect balance between humour and seriously intense moments, and also manages to spew out the most random details while still keeping the listener engaged. The beat on here could be Ron Browz levels of quality and I would still love this song, and with this Lewis Parker beat the track becomes an immediate standout on the album. How the hell do you top this?

3. Kilo (feat. Raekwon) (prod. MoSS, add-prod. A. Acid)

I'm not sure where the fuck they got that sample from, but it damn sure does sound dope. The first of quite a few songs to feature Ghost's partner in crime Raekwon is a chill banger with a funky instrumental that details the pair's exploits in drug dealing, and while it's nowhere near the quality of the incredible opening track, this song certainly is fun, and offers a break in-between the intensity of the last song, and also the song that's coming up next. While Raekwon sounds kind of sleepy on his verse, which is sadly the norm for his mid-2000s work, Ghost offers up some great verses and very catchy hooks and bridges that leave the listener entertained if not wowed. Overall, I really like this one. 

4. The Champ (prod. Just Blaze)

For anyone who, for some inexplicable reason, heard every Ghost album except Ironman and Supreme Clientele, I'm sure they would name this as his signature song. Because this track is the fucking shit. Ghost drops three hype and energetic verses over a loud and celebratory instrumental, separated by interludes where producer Just Blaze announces our host as if he's taking on people in the boxing ring, and the result is probably the most hype track of Ghost's entire career (although I would argue "Buck 50" could have that spot). "Who wanna battle the don? I'm James Bond in the octagon with two razors / bet y'all didn't know I had a fake arm, I lost it / while in war, before rap I was getting it on". The rhyme schemes teamed with the braggadocios energy in this portion alone is enough to convince me Ghost is a top ten rapper, and there's plenty more where that came from in the song too. And the cherry on this incredible cake has to be the scratching at the end, where ODB's infamous shout out of our host on "Da Mystery Of Chessboxin'" is scratched up as the beat drops back in, and played in full at the end. Pure energy right there. This is one of the best Ghost songs of all time, easily. 

5. Major Operation (Skit) (prod. Ken Lewis)

For some reason this album is filled with 5 second skits like this with a tailor made monologue made to sound like it's taken from a film. I don't mind the skits themselves, but I do wish they weren't separate tracks. It just makes things awkward. 

6. 9 Milli Bros. (feat. Wu Tang Clan) (prod. Metal Fingerz DOOM)

Yep, you read that right. The Wu-Tang, and every single member at that (for the only time outside the legendary "Triumph" on an officially released song), rapping over a DOOM beat. And you thought this album couldn't get any better. And for a Wu officially 10 years past their prime, they all sound pretty bloody fresh on this joint. The "bullshit hook" that starts this thing is fun, and Ghost gets things off to a fiery start as you'd expect, but everyone else does their thing too. Meth has a lightning flow that shows a man still very much pissed about the reception to Tical 0, GZA continues to prove why he's called the Genius, and U-God ends the track with one of my favourite verses from him ever - his flow on this beat is nice. Cappadonna is predictably kind of annoying, but otherwise they all slid. And goddamn is this DOOM beat good - it's the perfect mixture of classic hardcore hip-hop and DOOM's droning abstract sound, and I absolutely love it. For a Wu-Tang posse cut made in the year 2006, I really don't think this could have gone any better. 

7. Beauty Jackson (prod. J Dilla)

Once again, Ghost exhibits a natural ability for storytelling - hell, now that his music has reached the point of "quite bad" (see Set the Tone) he should get into writing fiction novels. On this song, he puts so much detail into this very short and kind of uneventful moment, where Ghost gets rizzy with an attractive woman at a bus stop, before she hastily jumps on the bus after Ghost's concealed gun falls out of his jacket. This song is too short to ever warrant someone disliking it, and the J Dilla instrumental (which also appeared on his album Donuts) is the perfect compliment to the sensual lyrics. This is a wonderful little song. 

8. Heart Street Directions (Skit)

Most of the time I don't like skits, but even I have to admit that this one is pretty fucking hilarious. "My man balls'll be out around there somewhere!"

9. Columbus Exchange (Skit) / Crack Spot (prod. Crack Val)

After a short skit in the vein of "Major Operation" a few tracks ago, Ghost tells various anecdotes about his crack house in the form of two short 'n' sweet verses, over a rather potent instrumental, especially considering how fucking horrible the stage name of the person who created it is. The first verse on this one is especially entertaining, as Ghost reintroduces the "Woodrow the Basehead" character from Supreme Clientele, detailing how he fainted while taking crack in the crack house, just before a knock on the door caused everyone to jump out of their seats. The storytelling here is hilarious and light hearted, and the upbeat and jazzy instrumental is as smooth as anything. Really like this one. 

10. R.A.G.U. (feat. Raekwon) (prod. Pete Rock, add-prod. A. Acid)

Very much in the same vein as the previous song, only now Raekwon is here to add his perspective, not one that's any different to Ghost's, mind you. Perhaps the most notable moment of this song is when the man Ghost and Rae are confronting accidentally shoots himself in the bollocks with his own gun, which I think was meant to be funny, but instead conjures up some horrible images in one's head. The rest of this track is pretty standard Ghost - Pete Rock's beat is smooth and sounds ever so slightly dusty (perfect for the Wu), and the storytelling is potent. This is definitely the weakest track so far, but it's still pretty good in my opinion.

11. Bad Mouth Kid (Skit) 

The way Ghost delivers his lines in this skit is pretty goofy, but otherwise this skit doesn't really lend itself to the man's character well at all. Threatening to assault a child with your belt in the middle of your album isn't good for press, Dennis. 

12. Whip You With a Strap (prod. J Dilla)

I'm not sure what's more worrying - the fact that Ghost has a song titled "Whip You With a Strap", or the fact that the song is actually pretty great. Yeah, the J Dilla beat is heavenly and has a really nice sample (with some admittedly slightly uncomfortable lyrics), and Ghostface has two really nice verses that show the man's personality and ability to get personal that a lot of rappers of his era weren't really able to do - at least not to this extent. Perhaps this song is part of the reason why I've seen some people call Ghost an "emo rapper". The way Ghost delivers his lyrics here really makes you feel the stories he's telling, and despite uncomfortable subject matter (about him being whipped as a child), the song seems to have pleasant undertones, as Ghost believes he deserved to get beaten and it helped him become the man he was today. Against all odds, this shit is actually really good - just perhaps not one to put on the aux in the car. 

13. Back Like That (feat. Ne-Yo) (prod. Xtreme)

Ghost shoots for the radio on this one, and it works surprisingly well, albeit perhaps not quite so much as the more inventive "Cherchez La Ghost", his other radio smash (I use the term "smash" very lightly). This track is a product of it's time, as it's a shameless mashing together of rap verses and an R&B chorus and therefore exactly the type of song that was likely to be popular in 2006, but the song works thanks to the instrumental, which is smooth, the verses which are actually well written, and a chorus that is catchy as all hell. This song is definitely not made for the Wu heads, but if it got Ghost some mainstream attention then it deserves the pass, even if it is the last time Ghost probably ever got played on the radio - and when compared to the far soppier but very similar "Never Be the Same Again", this song looks like a hip-hop classic. 

14. Be Easy (feat. Trife) (prod. Pete Rock)

I think I'm right in saying that this was also a single, albeit what was known as the "street single", as this has no smooth R&B chorus or piano-laden beat - instead Ghost spits fire over an upbeat Pete Rock concoction to make for what is one of the most hype tracks of his entire career. "Tell your crew to be easy!!" Ghost yells, and it's a threat you'd be inclined to listen to, as the man's flow on here is menacing and intense, and the pulsating instrumental will rattle your bones as you listen to it. "I'm like the boogeyman - nigga, I'll get ya!". There are so many classic lines on this one you'll lose count, and Trife Da God's contribution is limited to a short bridge, meaning that the instrumental is almost entirely covered by Ghost's incredible verses. This is possibly the best song on the entire album. 

15. Clipse Of Doom (feat. Trife) (prod. Metal Fingerz DOOM)

An area in which both Supreme Clientele and Ironman nail in my opinion is front to end consistency - the lesser quality songs on those albums (that are still great, mind) are spread throughout the tracklist, and the bangers and truly great songs are also spread evenly. This is where, in my opinion, Fishscale falls down - from here on out the album goes from fantastically consistent to merely pretty great but wobbly, and that's what in my opinion makes this album slightly weaker than every Ghost album up to this point beside Bulletproof Wallets (and his random collaborations too). Take this tune for example, which certainly isn't bad (Ghost's final verse here is actually quite compelling), but is a little too abrasive thanks to DOOM's noisy beat, and also just a little too stagnant lyrically. I don't dislike this song, but it doesn't really match the fun energy of this album at all. Oh well. 

16. Jellyfish (feat. Theodore Unit [Cappadonna, Shawn Wigs & Trife]) (prod. Metal Fingerz DOOM)

And as for this? I'm not sure what possessed Ghost to include this oddly creepy love song onto this album, but I do know that it doesn't really work within context at all. Not only is this instrumental completely unsuited to the lyrics being recited over it, but the lyrics themselves are quite weak too. And what the fuck was that Cappadonna verse? I don't think this song is bad on it's own, but it's inclusion on this album confuses the hell out of me. Still, it's certainly better than the love songs that littered his later album Ghostdini, so that's something I suppose. 

17. Dogs Of War (feat. Raekwon & Theodore Unit [Trife, Cappadonna & Sun God]) (prod. Pete Rock)

Yes, that is how these features are listed on the back cover. Ghost forgoes another DOOM beat in favour of a Pete Rock instrumental that sounds more suited to the aggressive style of these MCs, but unfortunately the beat here sounds much more clunky than that on the far superior "Be Easy" from a few tracks ago - this isn't a bad beat, but there's just something off about it, especially with that "it's a family" sample that throws the whole concoction off every time it jumps in. The lyrical content is boasts and bullshit pretty much, which is a far better choice of content for a posse cut than the weirdly out of place love raps on the previous song - still, this one isn't really up to snuff with a lot of 718, let alone the rest of Fishscale.

18. Barbershop (prod. The Studio Beatz)

I think going it alone for a track was probably the best option for Ghost at this point in the tracklist, as things seemed to be going off the rails a bit for the last few cuts. This song is a humorous and unique one verser that details Ghost's frustrations at being done dirty by his barber, and it's far more like the Ghostface Killah we know than the last two songs - in fact it's likely those were made last minute in order to help promote Ghost's Theodore Unit a little more, after 718 and Put It on the Line sold about as well as the cookies they sold door to door to raise money for the choir when they were younger. This is one of those instances where the lyrics of a song are so good and so captivating that the music doesn't even matter. It's a great track. 

19. Ms. Sweetwater (Skit)

Another skit? I thought we were finished with those!

20. Big Girl (prod. Ghostface, add-prod. A. Acid)

It was certainly a bold move of Ghost to rap over the same sample that inspired Nas' infamous travesty of a song also called "Big Girl", and even bolder to advertise this very fact within the song title, but surprisingly he manages to pull the stunt off, and not just because he, unlike Nas, doesn't come across as a complete creepo during the track's runtime. This song helps serve into the incredibly loose narrative of this album, which is that Ghost transitions from being a drug dealer into leaving the profession after he realises the effects of these drugs on those around him. You could put all of these tracks into this narrative if you really tried, but this one fits in the best, as it's narrative surrounds Ghost meeting some girls who are spiralling into cocaine addiction, and attempting to convince them to stop taking the drugs and pursue actual careers. The track is heartwarming and surprisingly mature from the man who once rapped "you dumb bitch, horny hot fuck from out the mountains!!". Sure, the sample on here does recall disturbing memories for us Nas fans, but if you ignore that then this stands out as one of the best written tracks on the album. 

21. Underwater (prod. Metal Fingerz DOOM)

After a shockingly serious moment, Ghost takes us back into his weird and wonderful mind by taking a nautical DOOM instrumental and rapping about imagining being underwater, for a reason known to only Ghost himself apparently. This song fucking rocks, with easily the best Metal Fingers concoction on the entire album creating the perfect atmosphere for the lyrics Ghost is rapping, which are not only unusual but also more often than not memorable. The flows on here are some of the best on the entire album, especially the bit where he says "I bet this'll bring that out", but really everything is an improvement upon the previous DOOM collabs (not counting the Wu posse cut). This is fucking awesome. 

22. The Ironman Takeover (Skit)

>:-(

23. Momma (feat. Megan Rochell) (prod. Sean C & LV)

An unusually mainstream way to end the album - I'm not asking for another "Wu Banga 101", but surely Ghost should know that his fans really aren't interested in overdramatic music like this with an R&B tinged hook. "Back Like That" was one thing, but at least it was catchy. Ghost's lyrics here dedicated to single mothers in the hood are very sweet, but musically this is too soppy, and frankly didn't age very well either. Still, it's a hell of a lot better than the boring as shit "Love" that the otherwise excellent The Pretty Toney Album ended with. 

The following song is listed as a bonus track, despite appearing on every pressing of the album out there. I'd probably call that good marketing if this wasn't the case with almost every bonus track on mid 2000s hip-hop albums. 

24. Three Bricks (feat. The Notorious B.I.G. & Raekwon) (prod. Cool & Dre, co-prod. Diddy)

I'm sure people were sick of hearing more exploitative unreleased Biggie verses by 2006 after the much maligned Duets: The Final Chapter came out the year prior (I believe this track right here was recorded for that album, but was left off the "final" (hehe) cut), but thankfully this track actually sounds pretty goddamn good if you ask me - maybe because Biggie's verse is nicked straight out of his classic track "Niggas Bleed", rather than his hard drive of half assed "unreleased for a reason" verses that were used on many posthumous cuts. This track here features an infectious but menacing Cool & Dre instrumental, and some dope performances from Ghost and Rae in the later half of the track. Yes, the song is a bit shameful in that it uses Biggie's name to promote itself, but at least it sounds good. That's all I can ask for. 

Even though Fishscale features a Ghostface who's well over ten years into his career, it's still just as exciting as you'd expect a release from a brand new abstract hip-hop artist to be. This thing is just insanely fun, and not unlike previous Ghost projects isn't afraid to have it's serious moments as well (whether or not these always work is another matter). While fellow Wu members were losing more and more relevancy by the second, along with artistic integrity, Ghostface Killah was on top form in the mid 2000s, and Fishscale is the pinnacle of his work from this era - even if I personally enjoy The Pretty Toney album a smidge more, there's no doubt that Fishscale is about as Ghostface as a Ghostface album can be - whether it's the high quantity of detailed and hilarious drug dealing tales, the weirdly abstract production or the abundance of Wu members and affiliates showing up around every corner, this thing exudes Ghostface's fun and unpredictable energy. It's not a perfect album - tracks 15 to 17 get a bit dull at times, the skits make the tracklist seem way too cluttered, and the last song (not counting the bonus track) completely misses the mood of the project - but what it is is ambitious and highly contagious - you won't stop bumping this if you hear it, that's guaranteed. I also love the album's loose concept, of Ghost being a drug dealer who slowly realises the negative impacts that that is having on the community around him - that's how I read into it anyway. And if you're looking for classic Ghost bangers, look no further than "Shakey Dog and "The Champ", two of his best hits ever. This album is great, and even if there are some consistency issues in the second half, the overall listen is one that I and many others love. While Ghost would go on to keep pumping out great material in the 2000s and even 2010s, he never got quite this ambitious, or quite this weird, again. Thanks for reading!

Best tracks: Shakey Dog, The Champ, 9 Milli Bros, Crack Spot, Be Easy, Underwater

Worst tracks: Jellyfish, Momma

I've written a hell of a lot more about Ghostface Killah if anyone's interested!

Method Man & Redman - Blackout!

I would like to start this write-up by explaining that I'm currently experimenting with different methods of reviewing. I'm still doing track by track every time, but my readers may have noticed that some of my reviews recently have been a bit longer and more detailed, and then at the same time I've done others that don't cover every aspect of a song necessarily, and instead just point out stand-out moments. I think it's good to keep things varied anyway, so I'll probably keep switching things up for the moment just based on whatever album I happen to be covering. Anyway, enjoy the review!

In late 1998, Def Jam Records released albums from two of their flagship artists at the time who both featured on each others albums, and who both seemed to have a fairly good working relationship when it came to collaborative tracks - these would be Jay-Z's Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life and DMX's Flesh Of My Flesh Blood Of My Blood. Then, they realised that they had a decent amount of marketing budget left over, so they decided to chuck out the solo efforts from Redman and Method Man too, both of whom actually did a lot better sales-wise than one might imagine given the pair's generally not radio friendly musical choices. Despite them both having fairly terrible album titles, Doc's Da Name 2000 and Tical 2000: Judgement Day managed to both sell platinum, and this may well have been helped by some of Def Jam's promotion for the projects. See, on Meth's lead single "Judgement Day", the b-side was a collaboration with Redman titled "Big Dogs", also from that same album, and inside the record this track was listed under the labelling "Month Of the Man Part II". Hip-hop historians may have remembered that back in 1994, the label promoted Meth's "Bring The Pain" and Reggie's "Rockafella" on a double vinyl single also called "Month Of the Man". And if that callback wasn't enough, they did the same on Red's "I'll Bee Dat!" single, with the b-side "Well All Rite Cha". The primary difference was that this time the songs being promoted were actual collaborations between the pair, and since their albums were coming out at the same time and being promoted together, word started to go round that we might have been in for a collaborative album between the pair, if we were very, very lucky.

And that's exactly what we got. 

Blackout! (exclamation point and all) was released through Def Jam records to the hip-hop audience in September of 1999, around the same time that everyone was just about giving up hope with anything Wu-Tang related - Deck's solo, GZA's sophomore, ODB's sophomore and U-God's album were all met with lukewarm reception, and we hadn't even got to Immobilarity yet. However, the Meth & Red album was sort of held apart from the rest of these releases - after all, Reggie was still one of the best rappers in the world at the time (despite his propensity to try and be overly funny on his solo records, and not always succeeding), and Meth wasn't even due another solo record. This was just to be a fun side project for both Wu Stans and Def Squad listeners to enjoy, without the lofty expectations of solo records. An album where two of the most charismatic MC would go bar for bar over production from some of the greats of the industry. Out of everyone, the general hip-hop audience (without bias to one specific crew) were probably the most hyped for this thing, especially after the Wu-heads heard that E-Double would be handling the majority of the album, and only about a quarter of it would actually be done by Wu producers. Shit!

The project included features from Meth's buddies Streetlife and Ghostface Killah, Red's friend Jamal, and even two MCs on the same caliber of popularity as the hosts at the time - Ja Rule and LL Cool J, both of whom showed up on the same exact song. And, as all you Wu-Tang heads out there must have feared, Erick Sermon handled the majority of this project, with the Wu producers being limited to RZA (2 tracks) and Mathematics (2 tracks). Oh, and we also got beats from Rockwilder, who wasn't quite the club specialist he would come to be at that time, Gov-Mattic (another Reggie affiliate) and DJ Scratch, who's actually pretty damned underrated if you ask me. This line-up was exciting, then, but most importantly, we finally had a proper team up of two of the best rappers in the game, and even though the Wu-Tang Clan fanatics probably weren't chomping at the bit to rip this packaging off due to their crippling depression at the time, everyone else in the hip-hop world were ready for and anticipating something quite extraordinary. 

So were they happy with the result? Well, yes - the reception was quite good - but more importantly, do I like it? Well, that's what I'm here to tell ya. 

1. A Special Joint (Intro) (prod. Redman)

One thing you will notice when inspecting the credits in this booklet (that is if you still get CDs) is that they're all in the wrong order, which is made even more confusing by this intro being listed first anyway. No idea what the point of that was, but I guess Red and Meth are a unique couple, so it makes a tiny bit of sense. This is also one of the best rap album intros in existence - the music is funky as hell, and Red and Meth prove to be as goddamn hilarious as they've always been, perhaps even more so. No idea why Meth refers to himself as the "phenom" on here, but otherwise this is as good as a goofy spoken intro is going to get. 

2. Blackout (prod. Erick Sermon)

Pretty much exactly what one would want from a Meth & Red song. After a fantastic transition that makes for one of the dopest beat drops I have ever heard, the pair of them spend the song talkin' shit, being bloody hilarious, and occasionally coming with a ridiculously contrived bar about murder or other unmentionables that you can probably expect from these two by this stage in their careers. You head through Red's opening verse, and Meth's follow up, thinking that they're never going to be able to top the personalities conveyed, only to then fall into the final verse were they drop 8 bars each in the best moment of the whole song - "I scored 1.1 on my S-A-T, and still push a whip with a right and left AC". I mean, it's just so dope. Red kinda outshines Meth here, since this high-energy instrumental works more in his favour, but let that not be a shot at Clifford - he performs amicably too. Oh, and the Fat Boys-aping chorus is just a wonderful cherry on this tasty-ass cake. This is an absolutely brilliant way to open the record up. 

3. Mi Casa (prod. Erick Sermon)

The instrumental on this one is quite a bit less intense and dark than that on the last song, and this proves to be just the perfect thing, as on this one both MCs feel quite a bit more up-front and aggressive, since they don't have an equally manic instrumental to keep up with. This beat is still pretty great, mind you, and provides a guttery, airy atmosphere which is in keeping with this album art. This song is pretty short, as Meth and Red deliver one verse each, but it provides just enough breathing space for it to still stand out - Red starts with some of my favourite lines ever from him ("What, you crazy?? Since a buck tooth baby, Doc is like: straight "Fuck you! Pay me" like Jay-Z"), and continues the trend of excellence throughout his verse. Meth's flow is also impeccable, and he's a lot closer to his partner than he was on the previous cut. The hook that interpolates a line from Meth's "Method Man (Remix)" is also dope as hell. This is an excellent second track.

4. Y.O.U. (prod. Erick Sermon)

An oddly structured song, that's to say the least. On this one (after the obligatory round of "Yo"'s, that is), Meth starts things with a sexually explicit and rather flirtatious verse, only for Red to then jump in and start talking about how he's going to murder you in all these extravagant ways, with the one line "Doc and Meth album entering the top ten" actually standing out to me for some reason (perhaps because it turned out to be more than true). Then, the opposite happens after the hook - Red gets a bit sexual, only in a more over-the-top way as you'd expect, and then Meth comes with an aggressive verse focused on murdering those that don't fuck with him. My favourite aspect of this song, however, has to be the rhyme schemes, which are just crazily all over the place on this song, and are so well done. I also feel like there's multiple points here where they completely sacrifice a bar's actual meaning just for a rhyme scheme, but somehow it still works. This production is also great, as is the hook - the only weak point is the outro skit that mimics the introduction of N.W.A.'s "Automobile", but even then you can skip that out. This is easily one of the best songs here. "BBC!!!"

5. 4 Seasons (feat. Ja Rule & LL Cool J) (prod. Erick Sermon)

By this point, you're really getting into the vibe of this album, and this track helps with that by bringing an instrumental with pretty much exactly the same vibe as the last two songs, and also an opening verse from Red that is full of the boasts and humorous lines teamed with a priceless delivery that really just defines the man's music. His verse is great, but in surprise of the damned day, he doesn't have the best performance here - no, that honour belongs to Cool James, who absolutely rips this instrumental with one of the best verses I've ever heard from the man - apparently he felt he had something to prove here, as not only does he have the longest verse on this cut, but he also delivers it with a monstrously aggressive tone to enunciate those excellent lyrics properly. From the opening bars of "I'm the sultan of the ghetto, the homicidal aficionado. I empty niggas out like Cristal bottles", this verse just keeps on delivering. By the time Meth comes round, you've already made your decision about Cool J winning this one, but Tical does his thing too as you'd expect. But, man did LL Cool J murder this - that's one of the craziest verses you'll hear from the man. 

Oh, and I know Ja Rule's on here, but I think it's best we forget about that harrowing fact. 

6. Cereal Killer (prod. RZA)

Erick Sermon has left the studio for a coffee break, and so Meth has had to catch a bus from Jersey to Shaolin to collect a couple of RZA's leftover digital orchestra ensembles - he treads quietly, mind, not wanting to wake Diggs from his beauty sleep. On the way back, he listens to some of his random picks, and notices one that's quite incredibly spooky - and the perfect thing to change the tone up a bit on an album that's so far been quite fun and upbeat. And so is born "Cereal Killer", a song oddly introduced by a skit that involves Meth and Red praising the women at their concert - that doesn't come with any dark connotations. The instrumental on here is pretty dark and creepy in comparison with what we've heard so far, but it still contains enough of a funky flavour to work in Meth & Red's favour - this shit sounds nothing like the Bobby Digital In Stereo album, I'll tell you that much. Meth and Red pretty much just do what you'd expect from a song with this title - rap from the perspective of murderous serial killers, and the results are pretty darn great to say the least. This is probably the first song where I really prefer the Meth performance, which makes sense since the dark, horror core stuff is much more in his lane than Reggie's, who's comedic tales and vocal inflections don't paint him as the most disturbing character (accidentally shooting at a birthday party being a perfect example of this). Still, this song is fucking great, and it's nice to see the pair bring their signature funk and humour into a different field of hip-hop. And that Blue Raspberry singing performance is nice.

7. Da Rockwilder (prod. Rockwilder)

Easily the most popular song off of this LP, and probably the most popular in either of the artist's solo careers too (that's discounting some of Meth's work with the Wu), and funnily enough a song that Redman has stated himself that he doesn't like. Still, everyone else does, and that's me included. This song is very short and sweet, with Meth dropping his verse and Red following suit, only for the song to end fairly swiftly with a fun and catchy riff on Cypress Hill's "Hand On the Pump". The instrumental on this thing from Rockwilder (who's popularity rose rather quickly after the release of this song - I wonder why) is definitely a lot more electronic and futuristic than the rough-n-rugged feel of most of the other instrumentals on this LP, and Meth and Red both fit over it perfectly with lightning flows and their excellent boasts-n-bullshit teamed with humour. It's crazy how the style doesn't get old at any point. This track is very short, but don't let that fool you into thinking it's anything less than great. 

8. Tear It Off (prod. Erick Sermon)

Fresh from his coffee break, Erick Sermon's newly caffeinated body readily provides listeners with one of the most hype and energetic beats on this LP - the percussion and bass on here is straight crazy. This cut was initially featured on the stacked soundtrack to the film In Too Deep, and so even though this album hadn't been announced at the time, this does technically stand as the lead single to the project, which I think is a fairly interesting fact (and I'm sure everyone else does, too...). The pair of MCs also murder this beat with some of the craziest flows we've heard on the whole damn project, with my favourite lines coming from Meth - "just ill flows, that kills shows, you can feel, yo, kickin in you do', like a steel toe, for real, though". This song is yet another slice of excellence - who knew a project where almost every song is about the same thing could be so good??

9. Where We At (Skit) (prod. Redman)

Less a skit, and more of an interlude that uses similar music to that on the intro, only it's a whole lot more energetic this time. On this one, Red screams profanity at the listener all the while happily welcoming them to the second side of his "tape" - I found this part especially odd, as one would assume CDs would be the media of choice in 1999. This interlude is a bit obnoxious, but the "The bri- the bricks- Shaolin!!" parts are pretty entertaining, I will say. 

10. 1, 2, 1, 2 (prod. DJ Scratch)

While re-listening to this song today and loving it as much as everything else here, I came up with a pretty good analogy for this project (if I do say so myself). This album is like a bag of peanut m&ms (or whatever sweet you fancy most, really). They all taste pretty much the same, but each and every one is as enjoyable and exciting as the last. And that's like this. This song right here doesn't do much to distinguish itself from a "Tear It Off" or a "Mi Casa" - even DJ Scratch's instrumental doesn't sound like his usual unsettling work, instead opting for some off-kilter synths and a strange bassline - but it's still just as damned excellent, and not once am I bored during this cut. And how could I be, when we've got a pair of fun, charismatic, and excellent MCs rockin' the mic with bars such as "get out your car, sucker: this ain't yours! Robbed you with a gun that's filled with paintballs"?? Also, Funkmaster Flex makes a cameo appearance at the end here, which was mildly interesting. 

11. Maaad Crew (prod. Erick Sermon)

Surprisingly, this is only the second song here to include an intentionally misspelt word in the title (the first being "Da Rockwilder") - I guess with Meth and RZA (listed as an executive producer) around Redman was restrained from too much ridiculousness. This track is, oddly, the least "maaad" up to this point, with the slow-tempo instrumental sounding like something that could have shown up on Muddy Waters, only a lot cleaner. Still, this beat is dope as hell, with an excellent bassline that compliments the drums perfectly - the only downside being that it's not as energetic as a lot of the surrounding beats. On this one, Red & Meth are forced to slow themselves down a small amount, but I don't mind that, as they adapt to their new surroundings with the necessary attitude - rap about the same sort of thing, only do it slower and make it a bit darker. This song includes talk of murder, ghetto life and the obligatory metaphors, and it all comes together to make for another great cut. Hook is nice too. 

12. Run 4 Cover (feat. Ghostface & Street) (prod. RZA)

Meth heads back to his drive of "borrowed" RZA beats whilst Erick Sermon goes off to do a line or two in the studio toilets, and he comes up with this intense banger that's just as good as the last RZA instrumental, only a lot more Wu, which I'm sure listeners were pleased to hear. Sensing the atmosphere, Meth acquires weed-carrier Streetlife and fellow Wu-Tang member Ghostface Killah to spit alongside himself and his buddy. Of course, Def Jam didn't deem either guest's stage name worth printing out in full, hence the credits I listed above - nice foreshadow to The Pretty Toney Album era, I suppose. This track is straight crazy, with the instrumental providing a creepy atmosphere that's absolutely perfect for the Wu members (and b-teamers) present, but also even works for Reggie too, despite him not sounding 100% comfortable over it. Red even starts his verse with a bit of a Wu-Tang shout-out, that being "when it comes to the darts, I throw 'em" - a great line. My favourite verse on here might belong to Ghostface, though, which makes sense as he was in his Supreme Clientele era at this point, and if you don't know what that means then you might want to get to seeking it out. This track is phenomenal, and easily one of my favourites here - if the Wu fans weren't happy with the Def Squad-ishness of this project, they at least had this banger to take away.

13. The ? (prod. Redman)

Sometimes when I go back through these albums for these reviews, I'll discover a gem that I realise I've been overlooking all these years - that's the case here. I always knew I liked this one, but going back into it it's honestly one of the better cuts here. The production, done by Redman himself surprisingly, is absolutely impeccable, with what I think is a Missy Elliott sample helping along the dark drums and bass, which Meth and Red just flow over impeccably. I suppose some may be turned off by the chorus, which utilises a Ja Rule sample (from Hov's song "Can I Get A...") as well as a Beastie Boys one, and voice overs from the hosts - it's way too cluttered to come across as "enjoyable", even though it does give the song an amateur feel to distract listeners from the fact that this came out on one of the biggest labels in the hip-hop industry. Still, despite the dodgy chorus, the production and rapping on this song is excellent - who knew Reginald was so multi-talented? 

14. Dat's Dat Shit (feat. Mally G) (prod. Mathematics)

A collaboration with Reggie's weed carrier Mally G (more commonly known as Jamal) to go alongside the earlier "Run 4 Cover" - strange how he couldn't get a fellow Def Squad member on the track too - where was Keith Murray at? Oh yeah -  in prison. Never mind that then. Anyhow, Red does get an underground affiliate from the Bricks to provide some hook vocals here - that being Young Zee of the Outsidaz, who if you remember also showed up on the last album, on the posse cut "Close Ya Doorz". It's odd, then, that it's a Wu affiliate who shows up for production here - Mathematics is behind the boards for this cut. That should be a good thing, as by this point in time his name tends to excite me more on a release than that of the RZA anyway. Mally G starts things off well here with a dope verse that does oddly utilise the made up word "hazadarious", but it's Reggie who steals the show, with some great and hilarious bars such as "chocolate Thai showers got Doc cookin' minute rice for five hours". Meth does his thing too, at least until the bar "undress a kid properly" shows up, which will probably throw any self-respecting listener off for just a second. The verses on here are all dope, but unfortunately this is the first song here to suffer from a weak hook and slightly aggravating instrumental - that "ooh-woo" sample is way too distracting. This isn't bad, but it is the worst track here. 

15. Cheka (prod. Gov Mattic, co-prod. Redman)

Thankfully, the instrumental on this one improves significantly from the last - odd, considering it's provided by someone no-one's ever actually heard of, except for Reginald fans like me (R.I.P. Gov Mattic, by the way). This beat isn't exactly "straight from the gutta" like a lot of the other work on this album, but it still does it's job at providing something that Red and Meth can use to experiment with their flows on - and man do they do a great job. The rapping on this cut is phenomenal, with the flows being very engaging, and the rhyme schemes being incredibly impressive too, especially with bars like "stickin' ya, rippin' ya for all ya funds" and the like. This isn't exactly the best song here, but it's certainly a dope one nonetheless. No idea what the army chanting at the end is about, though. 

16. Fire Ina Hole (prod. Mathematics)

This record ends in a similar way to how it started - with a high-energy joint that involves some of the best production, hookwork and rapping on the entirety of the record. This song is phenomenal, and if someone were to ask me on the spot, I'd probably go ahead and list this as my favourite cut on the whole album. Mathematics makes up for his annoying production on "Dat's Dat Shit" with a great beat that's intense and very rich, and both Doc and Hot Nix supply us with aggressive, murderous rhymes that are definitely some of the best they have ever kicked. There's so many quotables on here it's insane, and these are arguably overshadowed by the hook - has something so repetitive ever sounded so damned good? This track is a wonderful way to end the album. "Fire Ina Hooooooleeee!"

The following three songs were listed as bonus tracks:

17. Well All Rite Cha

18. Big Dogs

19. How High (Remix)

Unfortunately, these do not actually consist of any new material, except for the transitions between them being different to fit with the vibe of this album. You'll probably remember the first two titles from the introductory paragraphs - those songs were taken from Red and Meth's 1998 albums respectively, and are the collaborations with the other. As for the third song, it's a supposed remix to "How High", the pair's classic first ever collaboration, from 1995's The Show soundtrack. To make things even better, it's not actually the remix but the superior original - no idea how that mistake got made, but it could be to do with the actual remix being more popular, so they decided to swap titles. Anyhow, I'll cover these songs elsewhere (well, the first two I already have), but I do appreciate them giving us these collaborations on the same disc as well, even if "Do What Ya Feel" is superior to "Well All Rite Cha" in my opinion. 

I'll admit that there may be a notable amount of nostalgia bias within my verdict on this collaborative record, but oh well - I still think that this is one of the best collaborations in hip-hop ever, and perhaps the best between two previously established artists (therefore discounting Gang Starr, OutKast, Mobb Deep etc. for all you about to explode out of your tight shirts with rage). This shit is straight up fun, and it's all the better for it - I mean, what did you expect from a collab between Red and Mef? Firstly, we have the production. I've seen some people say that this record is let down by a lot of the more minimalist production, but I don't really see it - sure, these beats aren't astonishing, but I think that's actually to our benefit - not only do they provide a rough, rugged and oftentimes slightly haunting atmosphere, but they also give a hell of a lot of breathing space for the hosts - you won't need to pay attention to the beats as much as on a wonderfully produced album. Obviously, I love production, but it's good enough on here to not detriment the project at all - instead, it enhances it. And that's not to say all of the beats are like this - the title track, "Fire Ina Hole" and "Cereal Killer" all have some of my favourite beats of the late '90s, and that's just to name a couple. And as for the rapping on here - it's truly astonishing. I can say with confidence that every verse here is stellar except one, that being Ja Rule's on "4 Seasons". And who actually thought Ja would be good anyway? The bars from Meth and Red throughout this album are simultaneously clever and hilarious, and their wildly contrasting deliveries (Meth's low-pitched gruffness, and Red's extravagant, bassy, almost shouty vocals) make for consistently entertaining back and forths - it helps that we get ad-libs from them all over each others verses too. Even the features deliver - especially Ghost and LL, the latter of which provides a true stand-out moment on the record. Yes, this album isn't perfect - the lyrical content doesn't really offer much in the way of substance, and the production isn't always the most rich or layered. But as a whole this is one of the most entertaining experiences you'll have in hip-hop, regardless of what aspect of the genre you like, and regardless if you were disappointed by a general lack of Wu-Tang style beats. If you don't already own this, get to digging the stores - this LP is a classic, and a collaboration that will go down in history as one of the most perfect in the genre. Excellent album. 

Best Tracks: Blackout, Mi Casa, Y.O.U., 4 Seasons, Cereal Killer, Da Rockwilder, Maaad Crew, Run 4 Cover, The ?, Cheka, Fire Ina Hole

Worst Tracks: Dat's Dat Shit

Catch up on the Redman Rite-ups (see what I did there?) here, and for the Method Man write-ups, head over there.

GZA/Genius - Beneath the Surface

It's been a while since I last covered the career of mr. Gary Grice, and so I thought I would finally catch up on reviewing the man's third studio album, and second after the formation of Wu-Tang Clan. Now, as we know, the late '90s were a difficult time for fans of the Wu. Gone were the days when we could expect albums filled with only RZA production and tons of features from core members - in this period, you could expect perhaps three RZA tunes at most, and a plethora of usually underwhelming guest verses from Wu affiliates who were inevitably nowhere near as skilled as their counterparts. Contrary to the solo run of 1994-1996, pretty much every Wu project from '98 and '99 was heavily disliked by the hip-hop heads, from the lukewarm reception to Method Man's Tical 2000: Judgement Day and Inspectah Deck's Uncontrolled Substance to the downright hatred toward Raekwon's Immobilarity (an album I don't actually mind, but oh well). And in the midst of this tragic fall from greatness, the Genius GZA put out his second Wu LP out through M.C.A. Records, and considering that I found his Liquid Swords to be the best project of the Wu's classic run, I went into this one with reasonably high expectations.

These expectations were perhaps set a little too high though, as the tracklist didn't look entirely right. Yes, we had features from Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard and two from Masta Killa, but on the other hand we only had one RZA production on the entire thing - the rest was left up to Mathematics and Arabian Knight to handle, not necessarily a bad thing considering the two were quite possibly better than RZA at this time anyway. The feature list was a little daunting, though - solo tracks seemed to be in the minority, and the guest appearances from Killah Priest, Hell Raizah and a ton of other mediocre Wu affiliates were in their plenties on here. And on top of that, the project had four skits throughout not including the intro and outro, skits that appeared to be sequenced about as well as the adverts on Channel 4's films. Pretty much everything about this, including the cover art that wasn't bad, but at the same time has some serious colour scheme issues (it looks like an Ikea advert), screamed that it was about to be the polar opposite to the wonderful Liquid Swords. But was this to be the case, and more importantly, was this a good album at all? Let's find out. 

1. Intro (prod. GZA)

The music that comes in during the second half (used to better effect later) of this intro is pretty great, but otherwise this is terribly self-important. Yes, the guy made Liquid Swords, but shouldn't we be able to move on from that by now?

2. Amplified Sample (prod. Mathematics)

Over an airy and loud Mathematics instrumental, GZA gets to rippin' the mic up with some excellent punchlines and use of various random phrases that are so unique to the Genius (see "apparent brightness of exploding stars", or "too late to activate hyperspacial thrust"). This man was really on some other shit. Of course, the effect is slightly decreased by the fact that he seems unbothered to write a second verse for this track, and just repeats the first a second time. I mean, I know writing rhymes can be a tough task, but on the first track? Really?

3. Beneath the Surface (feat. Killah Priest & Res) (prod. Inspectah Deck)

"On a man-made lake, there's a sheet of thin ice where unskilled skaters couldn't figure-8 twice". That's the line that GZA chooses to begin this song with, and it's bloody excellent. That type of random, metaphorical wordplay is exactly why I love GZA, and it's already evident on this album that he hasn't lost his lyrical ability at all. And, while Inspectah Deck's violin-led beat doesn't match up to the production work on Liquid Swords, it's still pretty beautiful, and sounds especially great once the Res chorus comes into play. Killah Priest doesn't fare quite as well as the Genius, but he still performs pretty amicably on here, making this track into the classic it is. This song is wonderful.

4. Skit #1 (prod. GZA)

Here lies the main problem with this album - the skits. This shit has no correlation with the rest of the project, and simply serves to agitate the listener and make them wish the next song would start already. But hey! If you didn't find this skit annoying enough, just look at what GZA has lined up next for you!

5. Skit #2 (prod. GZA)

Oh, for fuck's sake.

6. Crash Your Crew (feat. Ol' Dirty Bastard) (prod. John The Baptist)

Oh, GZA finally decided to give us a song, you say? Why, how kind of him! This was one of the singles released for this project if I'm not mistaken, and it's pretty damn good, even if GZA does throw a shot at journalists somewhere within his long-ass verse. ODB's manic chorus and the triumphant instrumental are the perfect contrast to GZA's more monotone flow, and the structure of this song is also pretty interesting. Nice stuff.

7. Breaker, Breaker (prod. Arabian Knight)

Now, this right here? This has got to be one of the most underrated club bangers in the history of hip-hop music. Arabian Knight's production work on here is simply fantastic, with his pulsating strings and powerful drum beat providing the perfect backdrop for a lead single. Meanwhile, GZA provides a catchy hook and, despite this being a single, some of his most technically intricate bars of the entire evening. I mean, just look at these lyrics: 

"I move bravely, travellin' on a horse
On the battlefield, surrounded by the lost
Of those who plotted with the brains of animals
My high molecular structure be untangible
The name ring a bell, killable two syllable

The Wu is comin' through, the outcome is critical"

Now, if that ain't dope, then I don't know what to tell you.

8. High Price, Small Reward (feat. Masta Killa) (prod. Mathematics)

Stupid song title aside, I found this fairly short track to be pretty great. The intense production provides a nice contrast to the past few tracks, and the team up of GZA and Masta Killa is also easily one of the most logical in the Clan. Hearing the self-proclaimed "Genius" exclaim "What?! Stupid!!" at the end of his verse was highly amusing too. This is an enjoyable cut.

9. Hip Hop Fury (feat. RZA, Hell Raizah, Royal Fam (Timbo King) & Dreddy Kruger) (prod. Arabian Knight)

It seems that GZA saved the most annoying and cheapest sounding instrumental of the evening for this Wu-affiliate posse cut, and when I say "annoying and cheap", I mean it. How the hell did Mathematics produce this and Ghostface's "Mighty Healthy" within the span of one year? That's like Quavo turning into an Andre 3000 rival. Anyway, I don't hate this, but the lyrical ability of most of these guys appears significantly lacking in comparison to GZA, making me wish this had been left for one of those Wu-Tang Killa Beez compilations they did around this time. 

10. Skit #3 (prod. GZA)

Refer to my comments on track 5, only add even more emphasis to it.

11. 1112 (feat. Masta Killa, Killah Priest & Njeri) (prod. RZA)

Seeing as this is the only RZA produced cut of the evening (yeah, he didn't even cover the track he was featured on), most listeners probably had pretty high expectations for it. This instrumental certainly reminds me of Bobby Digital In Stereo, but having GZA, Masta Killa and the actually quite good Njeri Earth rapping over it definitely helps the medicine go down better than if it was Robert himself. This also runs circle after circle around the previous posse cut. Good stuff.

12. Skit #4 (prod. GZA)

Another skit?? Why, GZA, why??? Still, at least this one has correlation with the following track, so I can't fault it on that. Maybe this would be more tolerable if I didn't have to hear another bloody skit two tracks earlier.

13. Victim (feat. Njeri & Joan Davis) (prod. Arabian Knight)

GZA decides to offer up something more in the vein of "Cold World" here, and thankfully the singer he acquires for the hook actually does a pretty great job on it (if there's one thing holding Liquid Swords back from perfection, it's Life's bloody hook on "Cold World"). This track deals with the mindless gang violence that tends to occur in the hood, and GZA's issues with gun control in America (of which there isn't any). The instrumental on this one is bleak and haunting, and both GZA and Njeri do well at addressing this subject. GZA's ending to his verse felt a bit out of place though - "I aimed and blast one shot, and left my name: the GZA". See what I mean? Still, otherwise this is great.

14. Publicity (prod. Mathematics)

Considered as a follow up to Liquid Swords' "Labels", "Publicity" is a one verse wonder where GZA puts as many magazine publisher names into his raps as is possible. The Mathematics instrumental on this one is absolutely brilliant, and GZA's lyrical swords are on full display right here. This is easily one of the best tracks on the album.

15. Feel Like An Enemy (feat. Hell Raizah, Killah Priest, Trigga & Prodical Sun) (prod. Mathematics)

It seems that Gary has popped out of the studio to host the local van driving competition, and so (miserably) the featured guests are left to handle this one all by themselves. While this instrumental is pretty bangin', none of the MCs (including Trigga, of popular sitcom Only Fools & Horses) manage to grab my attention, which, considering what we've heard from them already on here, isn't all that surprising. Still, this definitely could have been worse. 

16. Stringplay (Like This, Like That) (feat. Method Man) (prod. Arabian Knight)

This track was held to a bar almost impossible to reach when this album first came out - being the Meth feature, this was automatically perceived as a follow up to "Shadowboxin'", and when it inevitably failed to reach those lofty expectations, people were not happy, and considered this one of the worst songs on the whole album. However, I actually really enjoy this one. The instrumental is chilled out, bouncy and fun, meanwhile Meth and GZA both destroy this one lyrically, with Meth's "We play for keeps!" gimmick coming across as actually funny rather than ridiculously annoying. Yeah, this is actually pretty damn good.

17. Mic Trippin (prod. Mathematics)

Over an airy and triumphant Mathematics instrumental that actually really fits the vibe of the album cover, GZA drops some bars and knowledge typical of the man by this point. A pretty poignant and smooth way of closing out your album.

18. Outro (feat. LA the Darkman & Royal Fam (Timbo King)) (prod. Arabian Knight)

Oh, but wait! What self respecting rapper would end their album on a song, when you can instead leave with a self-important outro, souring the experience significantly for any listener? Okay, that was harsh - here, the two featured guests do a solid job of rapping over the pretty dark and pulsating beat that we heard in the second half of the intro. I've still got this problem with most outros, though.

If I had been alive back in 1999, and had eagerly anticipated this as a follow-up to Liquid Swords, then yes, I probably would have been a teensy bit disappointed. Does that mean that this album is bad? Hell muthafuckin' no! Beneath the Surface is a fantastic sophomore (well, not actually, but let's forget Words From the Genius for now) release, with a huge offering of great tracks with no truly bad songs in there. Sure, a couple of the instrumentals sound a bit tacky, there's an over abundance of Wu-affiliates, and the skits were really, really not needed, but that's about as far as it goes concerning criticism. GZA's lyrical game remains as potent as it was in the mid '90s when Wu were dominating the planet, and his beat selection is almost consistently fantastic, with both Arabian Knight and Mathematics (among a couple others) making it their mission to give Gary some fantastic backing for his astonishing metaphors and wordplay. GZA thankfully doesn't fall down the "R&B hook" route on this album (that would be saved for the next one), only bringing one singer in, and for a poignant sung chorus that actually fits the vibe of the song it's on. And, thank God, GZA's attempt at a club banger on this record went down a treat, as "Breaker, Breaker" to this day stands as one of my absolute favourite songs by the man. And, despite the 18 tracks we see on the back cover, this thing is less than 50 minutes - take that how you will, I suppose. Anyway, this thing is absolutely worth a listen, and in my opinion it's the second best Wu sophomore release, after Supreme Clientele obviously. There is a lot of value to be found here, and if you can handle skits, then you'll enjoy this a lot. It's a dope album.

Best Tracks: Beneath the Surface, Crash Your Crew, Breaker Breaker, 1112, Victim, Publicity, Stringplay (Like This, Like That)

Worst Tracks: Hip Hop Fury, the goddamned skits

If you would like a bit more GZA to read about, click here, and if you don't really care what Wu member you read about, you just want Wu, then I'll direct ya here (solo stuff) and here (group stuff).