Album: Beneath the Surface
Release Date: June 29, 1999
Producers: Arabian Knight (tracks 7, 9, 13, 16, 18), GZA (1, 4, 5, 10, 12), Mathematics (2, 8, 14, 15, 17), Inspectah Deck (3), John the Baptist (6), RZA (11).
Review: Let's get this out of the way first. Beneath the Surface isn't quite the album Liquid Swords is. I get the impression that a lot of Wu fans gave up on the Clan because they heard Bobby Digital in Stereo and Beneath the Surface and decided "It isn't the same as it used to be, so I'm leaving." However, as we'll see often over the next 55 weeks or so, that's clearly a mistake. Plenty of (at least) solid Wu albums came out the last 15 years, and a few more legendary ones as well. Beneath the Surface falls into the former category.
First, the production is primarily handled by Arabian Knight and Mathematics, with GZA producing the intro and all the skits on the album (plus single-track guest production by Inspectah Deck, John the Baptist and RZA). Mathematics' beat for the first proper song, "Amplified Sample," is classic indie hip-hop ahead of its time, with delayed horn samples and drums that cut in and out, and Inspectah Deck's laid-back soul- and dub-infused title track is typical of what the Wu has produced post-Forever, with sped-up vocals on a loop. Arabian Knight's first track, "Breaker Breaker," may the be catchiest on the album, with its sampled strings and upbeat tempo.
"Hip-Hop Fury," at the album's halfway point, is the first track that doesn't quite wow me. Arabian Knight's music is solid, but the lyrics, while competent, fail to amaze. Nobody could accuse GZA of being a weak lyricist, but the song is crowded with guest spots that meander. I had the same problem with "Feel Like an Enemy" and "Outro" near the end of the album. Luckily, between "Hip-Hop Fury" and "Feel Like an Enemy," there are more great tracks. The RZA-produced "1112" features Masta Killa, Killah Priest and Njeri and it's followed by the sincere ghetto lamentation "Victim," which features a serious and urgent guitar line. Similar to "Labels" from Liquid Swords, GZA uses "Publicity" to work dozens of brand names into his lyrics. However, here he exchanges record labels for magazine names with lines like "My group's Nova, remain unsober / And serve High Times with king cobras."
As always, GZA's lyrics are airtight. "Breaker Breaker" features couplets like "The falconer who flies enough birds for the chase / Strictly excel in what is excellence with grace" and "Track records, ranks us with the exceptional / Extreme complex physics, highly technical." At this point, GZA's lyrical mastery essentially goes without saying. Also, Masta Killa offers a tight guest verse on "High Price, Small Reward" - a song that is criminally short - that channels his inner RZA:
"The battlefield haunting, the daunting Wu-Tang dance
Deadly emits six pence
Spiral, rifle barrel pointed, elastic noose
Plastic head wrapped stifle,
Survival tribal, title secret rival."
Method Man turns in a solid performance on "Stringplay (Like This, Like That)," but it's also amid the guest spots that Beneath the Surface has its biggest flaw. "Crash Your Crew" promises a spot from Ol' Dirty Bastard but only features him performing the single-line hook: "I'm gonna crash your crew / I'm gonna crash your crew" etc. Likewise, by the time "Feel Like an Enemy" comes on and we sit through uninspiring verses by the otherwise great Killah Priest, Hell Raizah and Prodigal Sunn, it feels like a song better left off the album. But maybe the biggest letdown is "Outro," which excites listeners by bringing in the impossibly phat instrumental beat from the intro, then unleashes two verses...but they're from LA the Darkman and Timbo King, sans GZA. Much like "Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth," which only featured Killah Priest on vocals, GZA stays silent on the last track here, but it's not as effective as Liquid Swords.
All in all, Beneath the Surface is a solid album. Most of the songs are at least "very good," with only two or three hiccups and a couple unnecessary skits blemishing it, but somehow it almost manages to wear out its welcome by the end, whereas Liquid Swords never did, despite being ten minutes longer. Some of the magic is lost with the competent-but-not-stellar guest spots, although the solid music does its best to help keep listeners tuned in.
Legacy: I imagine it's unbearably difficult to follow up one of the most critically-acclaimed albums of the decade, and Beneath the Surface goes a different route - perhaps intentionally - than its predecessor. It may have turned off some fans for being less than cohesive (with six producers on board), and it's a bit bloated with guest spots, unlike the previous Wu solo releases which mostly featured Wu generals and just a couple tracks with affiliates. This record proved once again that nobody can touch GZA when it comes to lyrics, but his beats have remained in question since this album.
Recommended Tracks: Amplified Sample, Breaker Breaker, 1112.
Next Week: Ol' Dirty Bastard: Nigga Please.
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