Post by reccollectah on Apr 2, 2010 1:44:12 GMT -5
So the Wu Massacre finally dropped. There’s been a lot of talk amongst Wu fans about this project ranging from excited euphoria about these 3 finally working together to low expectations after rumours off the album being rushed by Def Jam. Def Jam certainly played their cards out right to stir up excitement giving us very dope artwork, different variations in the front cover with each of the 3 mc’s solo on the cover, Limited Edition Numbered Lithographs when pre-ordering at FYE, leaking about ¾ off the tracks in the months before the album dropped, managing to clear a Michael Jackson sample for “Our dreams”, … Another heavily discussed aspect was the rather short tracklist: only 12 tracks , 2 skits though so basically 10 songs . Add this all together and you get a big hype amongst Wu fans, huge anticipations and the big question: “Will this be worth our money or will we get disappointed ”
Personally I had quite some faith in this after hearing the first leak “Meth vs Chef Pt II” , so I didn’t even bother checking out the other leaked tracks as I prefer discovering an album entirely when it drops instead of just hopping to the tracks I haven’t heard yet from leaks. Old skool style I guess … but that’s just me, feel free to disagree while listening to the half dozen leaks from 9th Prince’s “Revenge of the 9th Prince”.
Back to the album, only 10 tracks so let’s have a look at them one by one, shall we ?
1. “Criminology 2.5”:
Third installment of the legendary “Criminology” track. Second version was meant for OBFCL II but didn’t make the release. You can find it on the TDMG release “ONLY BUILT 4 CUBAN LINX 2: LEAKED SONGS” in our audio section ( click here ) .
So now we get yet another version . In the intro you hear a helicopter flying over, machine gun fire and Ghostface yelling at Rae to “let him go in again one more time … for old times’ sake”. This soundscape reminded me off “ The closing” on “Wu forever” ( put em behind eachother in your media player , fits together perfectly) . As the first one was my favorite on Rae’s OBFCL I don’t mind having a trilogy now: this s**t still knocks.
2. Then we get “Meth vs chef 2” , another reprise of an old Wu Tang classic. Mathematics presents us with a thunderous beat and a gigantic drum roll while Meth and Chef throw darts back and forth. Great stuff.
3. “Ya moms” (skit):
Another part II you could say , referring this time to the skit from the Wu tang’s debut album. I can live without this but it’s nice to see continuous references to the Wu legacy.
4. “Smooth sailing” (remix):
A smooth track indeed filled with some great horns and features: Solomon’s rugged voice on the hook is a good addition to the Massacre sound while Streetlife fills his bars with wu General wordplay. If this is a remix then I’d love to hear the first version too.
5. “Our dreams”:
Another heavily discussed leak, produced by RZA using the forementioned MJ sample: another very smooth sailing treat, this is one of the highlights of the album. Ghost, Meth and Rae nail this one perfectly . Props to Def Jam for clearing this and to RZA for showing the doubters he’s still a genius behind the boards.
6. “Gunshowers”:
Produced by Digem Tracks Production, never heard of them but this is a very welcomed introduction to their work. Meth shows us he still comes up with the best hooks when he’s on point, making this my personal favorite so far. Instant classic.
7. “Dangerous”:
Played By Ghostface’s the Rhythm Roots AllStars . Last years Wu been using live bands more and more : these guys, Stone Mecca, El Michael’s Affair and off course The revelations on Chamber Music. And for a good reason, most of these experiments gave us another chamber to enjoy : one with a very rich, warm and live Wu sound. The “Dangerous” track can easily be added in this chamber with it’s addictive horns section and very prominent drum roll.
8. “Pimpin’ Chip”:
Ghost’s love of soul music must have had its influence throughout this project as we hear another heavenly horns, guitar filled track inspiring Ghost to fill this one on his own with one of his trademark street tales. Impressive.
9. “How to pay rent” (skit):
Totally useless, skip.
10. “Miranda”:
Third track by Mathematics who proves he’s getting his form back after a few rather disappointing albums. No street tales here: Rae, Ghost and Meth sound very inspired behind the mic while reminiscing about Miranda . Must be one foxy lady, d**n.
11. “Youngtown Heist” :
This one left me a bit puzzled . What the use of putting a Ghostface song with features from Trife, Sheek and Bully on a Rae, Ghost and Meth album ? It’s not bad at all but would have fitted better on a Ghostface solo album .
12. “It’s that Wu s**t”:
This one surprised me quite a bit. With such a title I was expecting some vintage grimey Wu sound type of song. Instead we get an old skool/minimal beat . Ghost lyrics refer a few times to some of Rakim’ s classic lines emphasizing the old skool feel of this last track. Might take some spins to get used to for some but imo this works, giving us a very good closure .
Conclusion:
Though this is rather a short album and I had hoped to hear all 3 generals on every track , this is a very good effort deserving heavy sales and rotation. Buy this so Def Jam can be convinced to give this another go. We had BO II and OBFCL II … we need a Wu Massacre II.