Step Eighteen: Ghostface Killah: Supreme Clientele

Artist:  Ghostface Killah
Title:  Supreme Clientele
Release Date:  January 25, 2000
Producers:  RZA, Mathematics, Inspectah Deck, et al.

Review:  While most Wu fanatics were probably still absorbing the eight Wu-family albums released in 1999 - including two on the same day - Ghostface dropped one more at the beginning of the following year.  Supreme Clientele was his sophomore release, and it's so near perfect that some have said it saved Wu-Tang after the lukewarm receptions to some of 1999's releases, like Immobilarity and Bobby Digital in Stereo.  Along with Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah managed to make lightning strike twice for his first two albums - more so than any other members of the Wu.

Supreme Clientele kicks off with "Nutmeg," a classic Wu-sounding track produced by Black Moes-Art with a guest verse by RZA.  The old-school treble-stinging strings, bass-free bass and Ghost's slang-happy tight lyrics ("Lightnin' rod fever heaters, knock-kneed her Sheeba for hiva / Diva got rocked for the receiver bleeder") make the album kick off like an instant classic.  But the real lyrical star on the album's first half is "One."  On "One," most of Ghostface's second verse sticks to the same rhyme, which is amazing.  This is the first time in four months of Map of Shaolin that I've felt compelled to link to the full lyrical transcript of a song.  Read along right here for the full second verse (and the much-needed slang translations), but here are a few lines to pique your interest:

"Crash through break the glass, Tony with the goalie mask
That's the pass, heavy ice Roley laying on the dash
Love the grass, cauliflower hurtin' when I dumped the trash
Sour mash served in every glass up at the Wally bash."

Interestingly enough, "Saturday Nite" offers an extension of the typical Wu sound - further exaggerating the artificial strings and making subtle changes to the usual piano and drum-machine instrumentation - that I've found represents the 21st-century Wu pretty well.  The pitch-raised "Got to Have It" on Method Man's 4:21 The Day After and many of the songs on 2005's Think Differently: Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture are subsequent examples, as are Wu-Tang's "Hollow Bones" and Masta Killa's "E.N.Y. House."  It's a subtle but definite shift from the deep and grimy beats RZA provided for Tical to a different but compelling sound from dozens of other producers.

RZA does produce "The Grain," "Buck 50" and "Child's Play" on this record, but the consistency of the album's production overall is one of Supreme's many, many high points.  Whether on Mathematics's infectious "Mighty Healthy" or "Ghost Deini" by The Blaquesmiths (who produced Inspectah Deck's "Show n Prove"), it's just an incredibly listenable album, musically.  However, it's right here that I also have to level my two incredibly minor complaints about Supreme Clientele.  For starters, despite the many producers I've already mentioned (leaving half out), the album credits contradict the shit out of themselves.  On the back of the case, text reads "All songs arranged by The RZA & Ghostface Killah," and credit for most of the tracks is given to individual producers: Juju of the Beatnuts on "One," Inspectah Deck on "Stay True," etc.  However, in the ending liner notes, one line states "Album produced and arranged by The RZA & Ghostface Killah."  So who really made which music?  A nearly-reliable Wikipedia page for Supreme Clientele splits the blame for this confusion between 1) the flood at RZA's studio that claimed the beats for Deck's Uncontrolled Substance and 2) an ambiguous statement about RZA "needle-and-threading" the album together.  Clarity would go a long way here, as some tracks (including the awesome turntable-based "Stroke of Death") have no in-book credits whatsoever.  "Buck 50" even credits Masta Killa as a guest and I'm 99% sure it's a typo.  It's a minor beef, but I wish it were just a bit more clearly laid-out.

The other beef I have - which is so common a complaint of mine with hip-hop that it barely warrants repeating - is the amount of skits.  Between "Woodrow the Base Head," "Who Would You Fuck" and the two versions of "Iron's Theme" (which only needs one appearance), there's close to eight minutes that could be shaved off to make Supreme Clientele airtight.

Anyway.  The guest spots here are all top notch as well, feeling more like a classic Wu album than anything since 1996's Ironman.  After Ghost's absence from Raekwon's Immobilarity, The Chef guests on "Apollo Kids" and "Wu Banga 101."  It's a huge relief to hear the two gelling so well after their less memorable track "The MGM" three years prior on Wu-Tang Forever - their last collaboration before here.  Out of context, "Apollo Kids" could do just as well on Ironman or Cuban Linx, further testimony to its classic sound.  "Wu Banga 101" lives up to its name as well, with a mysterious Mathematics beat and terrific verses by half the Wu: Ghost, GZA, Masta Killa, Raekwon and Cappadonna.  Method Man, Cappadonna and Redman share the mic with Ghost on "Buck 50," RZA has verses on "Nutmeg," "Stroke of Death" (uncredited) and "The Grain," and 60-Second Assassin appears on "Stay True."  RZA even borrows some lyrics from ODB's "Don't U Know" and fits them into "The Grain" very well.  U-God appears on "Cherchez La Ghost" (uncredited) and Inspectah Deck lends Ghostface the music from his track "Elevation," so Ol 'Dirty Bastard is the only Wu general who doesn't appear on the album in some form.

Finally, Superb (aka Lord Superb) is featured on "Ghost Deini" and "We Made It."  There's nothing wrong with his verses, but ultimately he'll be remembered for his subsequent claims that he ghost-wrote Supreme Clientele in its entirety and had a falling out with Wu-Tang, leading to his release of an album called Superb Clientele.  This is pretty ironic, because Superb and Polite were both members of Raekwon's American Cream Team (as mentioned last week) and they released a song called "Small Change (Who the Fuck is 50 Cent)," which is as much a diss as Raekwon's spoken track "Clyde Smith" here on Supreme Clientele.  

Legacy:  Ghostface Killah's sophomore release is one of the strongest Wu-Tang solo releases since his debut Ironman in 1996 until at least Inspectah Deck's The Movement in 2003 or Masta Killa's 2004 debut No Said Date.  Some skeptics even say it's the best Wu release until Raekwon's Only Built for Cuban Linx... Pt. 2 nearly a decade later.  Out of the 10 Ghostface albums to date, it's inevitably in the top three for most fans.

Recommended Tracks:  One, Mighty Healthy, Wu Banga 101.

Step Seventeen: Raekwon: Immobilarity.

Artist:  Raekwon
Album:  Immobilarity
Release Date:  Nov. 16, 1999
Producer:  Various

Review:  Immobilarity, the sophomore effort by Raekwon the Chef, has enormous shoes to try to fill.  Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... is one of the best hip-hop albums of all time, let alone one of the all-time best debut releases.  Vaulting Cuban Linx's high bar is essentially an impossible task - although 2009's Cuban Linx Pt. 2 comes close - so for Immobilarity let's just get that out of the way.  Does it live up to Cuban Linx?  No.  For the most part, it's the lowest-rated Raekwon album to date, but at the very least it's a great reference point for the Chef's career following the end of RZA's 1992-1997 five-year plan for the Wu and that this album anticipates some ideas that worked better on future releases.

The personnel says it all.  A quick look at the credits reveals that the only Wu guest stars are Method Man on "Fuck Them" and Masta Killa on "The Table."  This is a massive departure from Rae's previous release, which featured every Wu member besides Ol' Dirty Bastard at least once and Ghostface Killah on nearly all its tracks.  Likewise, Raekwon appeared on several tracks from Ghostface's 1996 debut Ironman, and the two have a track to themselves on Wu-Tang Forever so it's a huge surprise that Immobilarity has zero involvement from Ghost.  However, in hindsight, it makes some sense.  Set up for success from the popularity of Wu-Tang's 1993-1997 CD's, we've already seen what happens when each member of the Wu uses his brethren less:  Method Man's Tical 2000 featured Streetlife more than any Wu member; the only Wu member on ODB's Nigga Please is RZA on production for three tracks.  Even U-God's Golden Arms Redemption only features other Wu generals on two of its 15 tracks.

Instead, Raekwon sought to perform most tracks by himself and to bring some talent of his own - American Cream Team - into the spotlight.  American Cream Team included Chip Banks, Rhyme Recka, Polite, Triflyn, Twiz and Lord Superb.  Most notably, Triflyn produced several tracks on Immobilarity, Polite was in Raekwon's second formed group Ice Water Inc., Twiz later joined Ghostface's Theodore Unit (featured heavily on Ghost's More Fish years later) and Lord Superb - who had shared the track "The Man" with Masta Killa on the Ghost Dog soundtrack - later had a falling out with the Wu, declaring publicly that he gave Ghostface Killah his style and wrote a considerable amount of Supreme Clientele.  Here, ACT appears on two tracks: "Power" and "Raw."

On to the album itself.  Raekwon's lyrics are always on point, so it goes without saying that this is an album full of lyrics that, at their worst, could only be rated a B+.  It also leads with some promising songs - "Yae Yo" is a solid opener and "Casablanca" reminds me of some of the more urgent Raekwon solo tracks on Cuban Linx 2.  The piano on "Real Life" sounds sincere and dramatic, bordering on eerie in the sense of the scores for the Silent Hill games.  "Live from NY," "Jury" and "The Table" are the other three standouts to me, for their combination of engaging music with the Chef spitting high-quality rhymes.  It's no surprise that "Casablanca," "Jury," "Live from NY" and "The Table" are all brought in by the same producers - The Infinite Arkatechz.

Sadly, by the time I get to the 3/4 mark on the album ("Sneakers"), it feels like it's worn out its welcome.  It took me several listens to figure out what doesn't work for me here, and the biggest problem is the production.  Again, I'm not in the "RZA or Bust" camp - I love the music on Tical 2000 and Golden Arms Redemption, neither of which have more than one or two RZA tracks.  With Immobilarity, the majority of the album seems to stem from one drum machine-and-synth combo with little variance in the beats or the mixing.  There are enough "kick kick snare, kick kick snare" beats here to choke a pop-rock band.  Even that sincere piano on "Real Life" is emulated effectively on "Live from NY" and "Jury," in a two-note progression on "My Favorite Dred," and to less memorable favor on both "Sneakers" and "Fuck Them."  By the time the album takes an oddly-placed turn for the old-school on "Raw," "Pop Shit" and "Heart to Heart," I never feel like I've got much to go on.

There are also some near-misses.  Method Man's verse on "Fuck Them" is great, but his hook - despite the message I love about encouraging kids to stop idolizing gangsters - is awkwardly paced.  Raekwon's beautiful and sincere "All I Got is You Pt. II" is a genuine look at the Chef's childhood in the projects, remembering his mother keeping their family together despite some of its members being separated by prison bars...but the music is really hard to get past.  The tubular bells / chimes are incessant and I tend to skip it more often than not.  It's also no surprise here, then, that "All I Got is You Pt. II," "Raw," "Pop Shit" and "Heart to Heart" are all by the same producer - Naheen "Pop" Bowens.

Had Raekwon stuck with The Infinite Arkitechz to produce the entire album, I think we'd have a very, very different Immobilarity on our hands.  Their tracks are the livest, and a rapper of Rae's caliber deserves backdrops that fresh.  It's a damn shame, especially considering his later threepeat of great albums later on: Cuban Linx 2, Wu Massacre and Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang.  Immobilarity could be up there with them, but it's bogged down by some sub-par music and a lack of the guest spots that always add flavor to Rae's other releases.

Legacy:  Immobilarity closes out 1999, the year of the Wu, on a bit of a sour note, despite some very solid tracks.  Looking back, it was a year of the group finding their footing in the post-RZA era.  Some releases, especially Uncontrolled Substance, hit the nail on the head and did precisely what they needed to do.  Others, Immobilarity included, gambled big and set out to do something on their own but fell a bit flat here and there.  It's ironic that it would be followed so closely by the next album, Ghostface Killah's Supreme Clientele, which is one of the best-regarded albums in the solo Wu catalog.  Besides, anyone can forgive the Chef for stumbling one time - especially in comparison to at least four other phenomenal albums he's released before and since.  Take the hot tracks, skip the missteps and look forward to the rest of Rae's career.

Recommended Tracks:  "Live from NY," "The Table," "Jury."

Step Sixteen: Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style Video Game and Soundtrack.

Artist:  Paradox Development (Game) / Wu-Tang Clan
Title:  Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style (Video Game and Soundtrack)
Release Date:  October 31, 1999
Producers:  Activision / ???

Review:  Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style is a video game for the first PlayStation console featuring all nine original Wu-Tang members.  Each emcee is playable as a comic book / martial arts version of himself, using bare fists or bladed weapons in a unique fighting style to battle all types of enemies as he tries to rescue the Wu's mentor, Master Xin.  Ol' Dirty Bastard uses drunken boxing (of course), Method Man wields an enormous mallet and RZA uses twin swords like Leonardo from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  There are original Wu-family songs and even several fatalities per fighter.

On paper, this could be the single best idea for a video game ever conceived.

In reality, it has enough shortcomings as to frustrate the modern gamer.  For starters, Shaolin Style is essentially a re-skinned version of Paradox's previous effort, Thrill Kill.  That it wasn't built from the ground up as a Wu-Tang title is concerning, and the control system and in-game interface do little to alleviate those fears.  At times the game is downright frustrating despite its eclectic fighting styles and moves lists.

On the other hand, it does have some good things going for it even before we consider the involvement of the Wu.  First, each fighter feels distinctly different.  Raekwon fights like a boxer, GZA uses a hooked blade at the end of a long chain, etc.  When the controls work, the combat looks and feels cool.  There are simple and advanced moves, combos and more, and for the first time in a fighting game I can visually recognize the differences in the fighting styles.  I remember in 2002 being impressed by how clearly I could identify Jacky Bryant fighting in Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do style in Virtua Fighter 4, and there are certainly precursors to that clarity in the animation of Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style (despite having different developers).  The game also utilizes a "lives" feature - your character enters combat and he and his opponents all have different amounts of lives remaining in the fight.  When his health bar reaches zero, he loses one life.  It's a unique feature - almost as unique as the engine allowing four combatants simultaneously - and certainly adds to the standout nature of the game.

But all these pale in comparison to the fact that this is a video game built around the classic "martial arts meets New York hip-hop" conceit of the Wu-Tang Clan and that each of its playable characters correspond to an exaggerated version of a legendary rapper from the equally legendary group.  The Wu are like folk heroes of pop culture, so I'm never surprised when I see someone turn into a little kid in front of the TV because they're controlling their favorite Wu member and beating down some fool with kung-fu.  It starts when you select your fighter and see an illustrated version of their character menacingly posing with a bio next to them, name-dropping their albums and nicknames.  It's like a friendly reminder: In case you forgot, you're selecting the man who released Liquid Swords.

Speaking of GZA, most of the members wear appropriate attire.  GZA wears a grey hoodie with a yellow G on it, stylized to match his albums - a switched-up and rotated version of the Wu-Tang W.  U-God - aka Golden Arms - wears solid gold gauntlets covering his forearms and a fisherman-style hat to match his usual getup.  Ghostface's alternate costume predicts his later comic appearance on the cover of Wu Massacre a decade later.

When it comes to the combat in specific regard to each character, things make a lot more sense.  If Ol' Dirty used any fighting style but drunken boxing, it wouldn't make sense.  Inspectah Deck's fists have to move a mile a minute; just listen to any of his verses.  This is amplified tenfold in each rapper's fatalities.  ODB gets his opponent lying face-down before sitting on his back and pulling his head off, which he then stares at and yells "Don't mess with Big Baby Jesus!"  RZA puts a curse on his swords, shouting "Bobby Digital in stereo, worldwide!"  Subsequently his opponent tries to grab them and is killed by the swords themselves.  Masta Killa, the most mysterious member of the group, sneaks up behind his opponent in the dark and pulls him into the shadows; the camera changes to show the unlucky foe face-down with MK's sword through his head.

And then there's the music.

In terms of proper songs, there are four on the disc.  "Rumble" from U-God's Golden Arms Redemption returns here as a sort of theme song, and a quick look at that album's credits shows us that it features Letha Face, Inspectah Deck (who also produces) and Method Man.  It's preceded by La the Darkman and RZA on "Wu World Order," which would sound at home on the Ghost Dog soundtrack and thus leads me to guess it's a RZA-produced song but it may not be (the credits are vague: see below).  Then come Masta Killa's solo track "Shaolin Temple" and Tekitha's "Back to 36 (Take it Back)."

I held off on praising "Rumble" last week on my Golden Arms Redemption discussion, so I'll say now it's completely solid.  Inspectah Deck brings a throbbing bass, eerie piano loop and great guest spots from all the rappers appearing on U-God's album.  If there's a complaint to be had, it's that the track is censored.  If there's a code in the book to unlock the "full violence" mode and see fighters ripped apart at the joints 50 ways, who's really offended by curse words?  "Wu-World Order" is another worthy theme song, with La the Darkman returning after his appearances on Inspectah Deck's Uncontrolled Substance and a track on the Ghost Dog soundtrack.  RZA runs the second verse, proving again that he can pull out the classic Wu sound whenever he wants.  Masta Killa gets just his second solo track with "Shaolin Temple" - unless you don't count his collaboration with Superb, "The Man," on the Ghost Dog soundtrack earlier that year, in which case this is the first 100% Masta Killa solo song...and it's one for the books.  The idly-picked acoustic guitar loop is infectious beyond description and MK's smoky lyrics are on point.  "Intruder alert, sound the cymbal / This be the war of the Shaolin Temple" is a great opener, as are the images of "splittin' your head with the chrome" (microphone) and stating "Sick venomous syndrome, studied many styles / But this tactic I've adapted and made it my own."  I continue to find Masta Killa just fascinating, his style so bizarre and respectable that it's hard not to stop and listen.  Tekitha's track is also good, even if it feels a minute too long.  She sings over an engaging beat that's right at home on a fighting game.

The bad news is that the credits in the game booklet are so vague, I've yet to read a thoroughly convincing report of the responsible producer of the exclusive tracks, Wu-related or not.  After those four songs come ten instrumental tracks (including "Rumble" and "Wu World Order"), most of which are such out-of-left-field electronica they don't fit anywhere in the Wu sound and are likely the product of one of the other score composers listed in the game.  Yes, there are several.  First, under the catch-all category of "In-Game Music," every member of Wu-Tang is listed.  Second, "Original Music / Cutscenes" is credited to Howard Drossin, which deceptively implies any music heard during one of the game's pre-rendered cinematics must be his work.  Why, then, do the four Wu tracks frequently play in those cutscenes as well?  Finally, "Additional In-Game Music" is attributed to Keith Arem at PCB Studios.  Who knows who did what, but my money is on Drossin and Arem doing tracks like "Earthman" (which has an admittedly infectious upright bass and skratching), "Deadly Beatdown" and "Flashing Fists."  Since there's no clear accreditation to these tracks, it's hard to analyze them as much more than adequate background music during the game but nothing you'd need to buy a copy of the game for nor anything I expect to hear on a mixtape anytime soon.

Legacy:  Usually the word on Shaolin Style is that the music is lukewarm and the game sucks.  It's too bad, because Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style is one of the greatest opportunities for a music-inspired video game we've ever had, but that opportunity remains a missed one.  Realistically, the game only has shaky legs to stand on - the unique tools fading into obscurity besides lousy controls.  Unfortunately the music suffers the same fate:  for a game about Wu-Tang that would surely need some kind of music in it somewhere, it's hard to ignore that we only get three properly new/exclusive tracks alongside the great - but already released - "Rumble."  Of those three new tracks, only two have rhymes on them:  "Wu World Order" and "Shaolin Temple."  However, the entire project's brightest spots - "Shaolin Temple" on the music side, the varying fight styles and Wu-based IP in the software - aren't enough to elevate it too high above joke status for most.  In all honesty, though, if we look at the fighting/music mechanics in Def Jam: Fight for NY (also featuring Ghostface and Method Man) and the graphics of next-gen consoles, maybe the world is ready for Shaolin Style 2?

Recommended Tracks:  Shaolin Temple.

Step Fifteen: U-God: Golden Arms Redemption.

Artist:  U-God
Title:  Golden Arms Redemption
Release Date:  October 5, 1999
Producer:  Various

Review:  An offhanded listen to Golden Arms Redemption could trick you into thinking it only ever amounts to being decent at best - a filler between Uncontrolled Substance and the next uber-popular Wu release, Ghostface Killah's Supreme Clientele.  However, spending an hour with Golden Arms Redemption on headphones while reading along with its lyrics (I prefer Rap Genius generally despite their mistakes on GAR) proves irrevocably otherwise.  This is the man who opened "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'" with "Raw I'mma give it to ya with no trivia / We're like cocaine straight from Bolivia / My hip-hop will rock and shock the nation / Like the Emancipation Proclamation," yet U-God (aka Golden Arms) somehow remains a less popular Wu-general than most of his brethren.  Let's get into it: beats first, rhymes second.

15 tracks and eight producers?  Jesus.  This results in a few inconsistencies - on Inspectah Deck's tracks "Glide" and "Rumble," Deck reels in U-God's bullfrog bass voice and rounds it out with punchier basslines; on the other hand, True Master goes for broke on "Dat's Gangsta" in the clearly-electronic beats and Golden Arms's voice.  Overall, however, whether it's John the Baptist's "Lay Down" or Hak da Navigator on "Pleasure or Pain," most of the producers decided that the way to go with U-God's voice is a full-to-bursting sound, resulting in a really enjoyable casual listen in the car or while working at home.

The album starts with U-God doing an a cappella version of "I Will Survive" backed by crowd noise.  It's supposed to hype us up, but the first proper song, "Turbulence," does just as well on its own.  "Turbulence" is a True Master-produced track of urgent strings and horns, and if it sounds familiar it's because he also brought us "Heaterz" on Wu-Tang Forever, another string-heavy Wu track featuring U-God.  It kicks the album off with a bang, making way for the mid-tempo "Glide" before True Master returns for the album's first single, "Dat's Gangsta," with a phat bass and tight, upbeat lyrics.  It's easy to see why it would lead off as a single from the album.

"Soul Dazzle" emulates old-school funk and soul with staccato horns and phrases like "Can ya dig it? On the real side," but is - in this case - less successful than RZA's takes on the same style throwbacks.  The producer, Homocide, returns to close the album with the brilliant "Night the City Cried," though, so you can't really diss him entirely.  It serves best as foreshadowing for the wonderfully retro "Stars" on 2013's The Keynote Speaker.  Marvin Gaye is effectively sampled on "Bizarre," Redemption's second single, before Deck returns for the album's centerpiece, "Rumble."  Here, the rolling bass and brilliant piano loop support U-God, Letha Face, Inspectah Deck and Method Man expertly - and yes, it works great as the theme to Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style, but more on that next week.

"Pleasure and Pain" stands out as a sobering drama after the earlier fun-loving tracks.  Hak da Navigator gambles big on the music with an electric guitar, bass guitar and organ in the mix, but it pays off.  U-God and Sunz of Man's Hell Razah spit serious rhymes over this hypnotic beat, which is the first in a one-two combo of peculiar standouts, followed by RZA's "Stay in Your Lane."  Ultimately "Pleasure and Pain" worked more for me, as "Stay in Your Lane" is a loose string of thoughts over some Tricky-esque snare rolls and singular piano-sounding keyboard notes.

John the Baptist offers "Lay Down" and "Knockin' at Your Door," and "Lay Down" sees thick bass going note-for-note with a short hip-hop loop.  It's a bit simplistic, but ultimately the better of his two beats.  Omonte Ward's only track is "Hungry," where U-God desperately and effectively sings about dying in the cold - but the real star is the music, which borders on 1980s industrial.  The echoing xylophone and tinny snare sample are as much Skinny Puppy as they are rap, which is just wild.

Going back to "Turbulence," this time for the lyrics, it's clear that it's not U-God's tightest set of verses but it matches the music perfectly - it's like a sudden riot, chaos everywhere, fire in the streets.  "Dat's Gangsta" has the first truly standout rhyme as it opens:  "Brand new magnetic, Killah Hill scorches / Monster talk bosses / Spank 'em, step into my office" just flies off the tongue.  "Bizarre" has the best reference, meanwhile:  "Beat up the beat, overload rap treat fix / Cape in the wind like the John Woo flicks."

U-God's frequent collaborator Leatha Face guests on "Glide," "Rumble," "Shell Shock" and "Knockin' at Your Door" and he holds his own quite well.  Likewise, Wu-generals Inspectah Deck and Method Man switch the tone of the record up on "Rumble" and Raekwon appears for the first time since "Spazzola" on Tical 2000 the year before, showing up here on "Shell Shock."

Not only does "Pleasure and Pain" stand out for its unique music, but U-God's flow is best described at its outset.  Check the emboldened words here for the rhymes:

"Through the storms, I gotta stay strong
Take deep breaths, hold on long
Bring the harm with no regrets on my chest
Let my knowledge be born on levels while
Devil cops just mark my every step
When the riots form, my woman keeps me warm."

It's crazy how far-reaching some of the rhymes are, with the "storm/harm/born/form/warm" scheme appearing throughout the whole stanza while "strong" and "long" lock down the first two lines, then "breaths" opens up the gates to let "regrets" and "chest" in on the next line, holding off for two full lines before "step" closes it up.  I feel like Cappadonna often uses too few rhymes in his verses, and some may make the same mistake about U-God listening to "Turbulence" here, but the above selection proves otherwise.

One of the final great things about this album is the subtle connection it has with Inspectah Deck's Uncontrolled Substance.  Both are debut albums from Wu generals, both released October 5, 1999.  U-God offers three contributions to Uncontrolled Substance (all of which are verses) and Deck offers three contributions to Golden Arms Redemption (production on two songs plus one verse).  Then on "Turbo Charge," U-God calls out "elevation" multiple times, likely a nod to the track "Elevation" on Uncontrolled Substance.  A quick listen to "Elevation" shows a reference to a Black Panther leader - Hewey Newton - and one of U-God's aliases is Baby Huey.  Of course Baby Huey was a kids' cartoon character, but on Enter the Wu-Tang there's a radio clip of U-God being described as "a psychopathic thinker."  Hewey Newton was  the main ideologue of the Black Panthers, so there is a clear connection there.  Likewise, on "Show and Prove," U-God says "I hit the concrete / Show and prove..." which may be a reference to Uncontrolled Substance's penultimate "Show & Prove," both of which lament committing ill deeds to survive and make use of the metaphor of fire in their eyes.

Legacy:  Golden Arms Redemption was released on Priority Records on the verge of the company's bankruptcy.  It was certified gold, selling 500,000 copies, but is now harder to find than you'd imagine - most copies go for upwards of $30 on Amazon Marketplace.  Of the four U-God solo albums released to date (August 2014, as of this writing), Golden Arms Redemption offers a great sample of what's to come: A solo career of ups and downs and some real Wu bangers standing out to the point of almost nullifying a few weak tracks.  Before his sophomore album, Mr. Xcitement, was released in 2005, U-God actually left Wu-Tang for a period in 2004.  Due to sample clearance and the overall outcome of Mr. Xcitement, U-God has even denounced it as a solo record.  Dopium and The Keynote Speaker are both solid albums though, so Golden Arms Redemption is also the beginning of a 10-year gap between acknowledged records from the emcee.  Looking forward, it would be five more years before the final debut of a founding Wu member with Masta Killa's 2004 release No Said Date.

Recommended Tracks:  Lay Down, Dat's Gangsta, Pleasure and Pain, Hungry.