It's taken a while for the Wu-Tang Clan to re-build the steam they had in the early 1990s, but this intriguing project, which pairs members of the Clan with underground hip-hop luminaries such as Aesop Rock, MF Doom, Sean P., Del tha Funky Homosapien, and others, should help the cause. Conceived by Wu cohort Dreddy Kruger, and with production from the RZA and new Wu producer Bronze Nazareth, among others, this is partially a family affair, and the classic Wu feel is all over these tracks--complete with spare yet high-minded beats and eerie loops.
But it's the rotating roster of MCs that really makes this disc, with surprising pairings like Aesop Rock and Del tha Funky Homosapien on "Preservation," and the GZA and Rass Kass on "Versus" (one of the album's highlights). "Biochemical Equation" boasts a killer beat from the RZA, who also takes the mic to trade rhymes with MF Doom. A tribute to deceased Wu-Tang member Old Dirty Bastard evokes the ghost of the original Clan, but the overall flavor here is contemporary and fresh, with undercurrents of the classic sound that brought the original ruckus so many years ago.
Listen to track 2, "Lyrical Swords" feat. GZA & Ras Kass
1. Introduction (Prod. by Bronze Nazareth)
2. Lyrical Swords - GZA & Ras Kass (Prod. by Bronze Nazareth)
3. Slow Blues - Vast Aire, Timbo King, Prodigal Sunn & Byata (Prod. by Bronze Nazareth)
4. Still Grimey - Sean Price, U-God, C-Rayz Walz & Prodigal Sunn (Prod. by Preservation)
5. Skit
6. Think Differently - Casual, Rock Marciano, Vordul Mega & Tragedy Khadafi (Prod. by Bronze Nazareth)
7. Infomercial #1
8. Biochemical Equation - RZA & MF Doom (Prod. by RZA)
9. O.D.B. Tribute (Prod. by Bronze Nazareth) (Cuts & Scratches by DJ Noize)
10. Fragments - Del The Funky Homosapien (Prod. by Bronze Nazareth)
11. Intermission (Prod. by Fred One)
12. Street Corners - Bronze Nazareth, Solomon Childs & Byata (Prod. by Bronze Nazareth)
13. Listen - Little Khalid & Planet Asia (Prod. by Bronze Nazareth)
14. Informercial #2
15. Verses - La The Darkman, Scaramanga Shallah, Ras Kass & GZA (Prod. by DJ Noize)
16. Preservation - Aesop Rock & Del Tha Funky Homosapien (Prod. by Preservation)
17. Cars On The Interstate - C.C.F. Division (Prod. by Allah Mathematics)
18. Give It Up - J-Live & R.A. The Rugged Man (Prod. by Preservation)
19. Black Dawn - Bronze Nazareth (Prod. Bronze Nazareth)
*a-FILI-ated*
Thought I'd post up this classic album as a reminder of how damn ill this is, plus Bronze Nazareth is coming back end of July with a new supergroup effort called "Almighty" with Killah Priest, C-Rayz Walz & others. Anyway, for those that slept on this classic, here's your chance to cop one the best hip hop compilations, ever! Look at the tracklist, it don't get no better than this!! Enjoy!
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