Album: Made in Brooklyn
Release Date: August 8, 2006
Producers: Bronze Nazareth, DOOM, Pete Rock etc.
Review: Like its nearest Wu predecessor, Inspectah Deck's The Resident Patient, Masta Killa's sophomore release Made in Brooklyn is just a fraction less stellar than its artist's previous release. Inspectah Deck's 2003 album The Movement was damn near perfect, as was Masta Killa's 2004 debut No Said Date, and each artist followed with a nearly-as-great 2006 release.
Made in Brooklyn starts with "Then & Now," a track featuring some of the Wu-generals' kids on the mic, like "The Future" from No Said Date. Here, however, the kids are pretty competent MC's considering their age. Masta Killa's first proper track is the DOOM-produced "E.N.Y. House," following DOOM's production spots on Ghostface's Fishscale. It's as fun as it is indie, which is to say a lot of both.
I'll admit, I'm not as tied to the minimal "Brooklyn King" as I am many other tracks on the album. It has a lively drum beat, but the drums are the only instrumentation in this 2m40s song besides a bassline that's only present for 1.5 out of 16 beats. Luckily, the retro horns that snagged so many ears on No Said Date make their debut on the following track, "It's What It Is," which features Raekwon and Ghostface Killah. Now, Rae and Ghost are terrific emcees wherever they go, but their involvement isn't the only thing that makes this track so live. The instrumentation is live and engaging and MK is on point when things first get going. Had this been an MK solo track, it still would've been great, but Raekwon and Ghostface definitely add to the mix as well.
Once "Nehanda & Cream" gets its (admittedly entertaining) skit out of the way, Masta Killa and producer Bronze Nazareth lay out a song that's as listenable musically as it is smooth lyrically. Wood xylophones and charming piqued percussion back Masta Killa's silky smooth lines like "They be like, 'Send us out to Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan / The Bronx, Harlem and Island of Staten' / Just a dedication to radio station / DJ's across the nation."
If you listen to Made in Brooklyn and any of it seems lackluster to you by this point, your fears should be assuaged by the time you hit the excellent "Iron God Chamber." This track features guest spots by U-God, RZA and Method Man before Masta Killa locks it down for the final verse, and it's killer. Considering that the legendary "C.R.E.A.M." only has verses by three Wu-generals, "Iron God Chamber" should resemble a wonderful group effort. U-God gets things going. It's hard to tell exactly when he left and re-joined Wu-Tang since he appears on so many albums between his albums Mr. Xcitement and Dopium. RZA is also on fire, even if his first few lines don't inspire - I'm sure no Wu fan is getting "I used to be afraid of the devil as a boy / But now as a grown man I realized he's just a toy" tattooed on themselves. He picks it up immediately afterward with rhymes like "Elements and chemicals, fire space and minerals / Kept devils on the run, like Monk-Monk the General." Method Man is next, dropping signature smooth lines all over the track, and Masta Killa sews the package up.
"Older Gods (Part 2)" marks the first of three tracks that have a very unique structure on the album. It's easy to see them as being divisive among Wu-Tang fans, and I won't pretend they're for everyone, but their frequent placement in the album hints that they weren't a one-off risk to take. On "Older Gods (Part 2)," "Let's Get Into Something" and "Lovely Lady," the actual hip-hop verses take a back seat to a different form of musical expression. In "Older Gods" (named after the track from Wu-Tang Forever although it bears little resemblance to it), there are several Popa Wu-sounding guys talking about Five Percenters and Islam. "Let's Get Into Something" primarily features R&B or soul vocals performed by Startel. Finally, "Lovely Lady" focuses on reggae music and fitting vocals sung by Ski and Governor Tools.
Getting back to the more hip-hop-oriented tracks on the album, "Let's Get Into Something" is followed by "Street Corner" featuring Inspectah Deck and GZA. The music, provided by Bronze Nazareth, is the same as "Street Corners" from Think Differently Music: Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture, on which neither Inspectah Deck nor Masta Killa appeared. However, it's great to hear their takes on this Bronze Nazareth beat. Masta Killa ponders, "We shine without the hung jury, produce light that'll travel through mics" before GZA raps about "Large holes in the front door of a housing tenement / Allows room to retaliate so conflict is imminent."
Speaking of recycled materials, Masta Killa's verse on "East M.C.'s" is taken directly from his appearance on Inspectah Deck's "Sound of the Slums," released just six weeks before. I'm admittedly a fan of both albums, and I have absolutely no idea which track the verse was originally written for (since they're released so close together it could go either way), so take it with a grain of salt when I say that it's a solid enough verse that I don't mind hearing it twice.
"Ringing Bells" is also a rock-solid, retro-inspired Wu track. Music by Bronze Nazareth and lyrics by Masta Killa, it's just a phat track that finds a quick and welcome home in MK's catalog.
Legacy: Made in Brooklyn likely won't stand out to as many Wu fans as a latter-day solo blockbuster like Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt. 2, which is a damn shame because it's a really solid album. Masta Killa remains one of the most underrated Wu MC's there is, and this album is a testament to his high-caliber (if not always immediately accessible) style of music and lyrics. It's surrounded by more high-profile members' releases (Ghostface's Fishscale and Method Man's 4:21 among them), but I ask you not to let those overshadow this album, a competent sophomore release without a shitty track on it. Give Made in Brooklyn more of a chance than you may ever have; it's worth it.
Recommended Tracks: E.N.Y. House, Iron God Chamber, Street Corner, Ringing Bells.
No comments:
Post a Comment