Step Fifty Four: Ghostface Killah: Apollo Kids.

Artist:  Ghostface Killah
Album:  Apollo Kids
Producers:  Frank Dukes, Sean C & LV, et al.
Release Date:  December 21, 2010

Review:  In case you were wondering?  Yes, one sixth of the Map of Shaolin so far is just albums by Ghostface Killah.  Apollo Kids is his ninth, and he shows no signs of stopping.  In fact, not only did he release two more albums since Apollo Kids on the original planned Map (his Sheek Louch collaboration Wu Block and the comic-themed 12 Reasons to Die), Ghost is currently prepping the release of his third album since last December.  Seriously, go look him up - he did 36 Seasons in December, Sour Soul with Badbadnotgood in February, and now he's finalizing 12 Reasons to Die II for a July release as his 13th solo album (14th if you count Wu Block) in 19 years.  This is one prolific motherfucker, and he's definitely had his highs (Supreme Clientele, Fishscale) and his lows (Ghostdini).  Fortunately, Apollo Kids is mostly killer, little filler.  Also, since the album varies so much from track to track I'm going to jump around a lot to tidy up this retrospective.

It's clear from the get-go that this an entirely different beast from Ghost's previous album, the R&B-themed Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City.  As I mentioned in my review of Ghostdini, I'm not a big R&B fan, so take it with a grain of salt, but I'm thrilled to see Ghost get back in front of some serious hip-hop beats for his rhyming.  In my opinion, the biggest crime Ghostdini committed was that, by its very nature of being a more commercial R&B adventure, it sounded over-produced and syrupy to my ears.  It stands in stark contrast (no pun intended) to Apollo Kids, which regularly uses 1980s music and according rap styles to give off a retro vibe.

For example, "Starkology" samples Tears For Fears' "Shout," along with some turntablism and four-on-the-floor drums.  Although a better sample use is in "Black Tequila," where producer Frank Dukes borrows a clip from 1981's "Jogan Ban Gayi" performed by Indian singer Asha Bhosle.  Then again, the accompanying flanged electric guitar makes the whole track sound like an outing by Ennio Morricone from the '60s, if Morricone used New York hip-hop to hype his Spaghetti Westerns.  That goes double on "In Tha Park," where the cheap-sounding distorted guitar could've sneaked out from Quentin Tarantino's record collection.  However, bouncing back to the 1980s, "In Tha Park" also keeps the '80s theme going with the hook "Hip-hop: we sit out in the park / Hip-hop: we sit out in the park / Hip-hop: we sit out in the park / ...We used to do it out in the dark!"  Very old-school.

Of course, we do hear some of the more recent Wu-Tang sound we've come to expect, with classic soul samples and tambourines setting up a '70s vibe on "Purified Thoughts" (featuring spots by Killah Priest and GZA) and "2getha Baby."  A similar sound with pitch-raised vocal samples is utilized on "Street Bullies," whereas "Ghetto" came from the same spirit as "The Big Payback" and has great sung vocals about making your way in life while living in the ghetto.  Those lyrics, a sample of Marlena Shaw, also remind one of "Little Ghetto Boys" from Wu-Tang Forever.  "Ghetto" also gets points for contributions from Raekwon, Cappadonna and U-God.  They're not the most noteworthy verses any of them have ever written, but it's good to hear familiar voices and none of them subtract from the overall product.

The album closes with "Troublemakers" featuring Raekwon (who fares better here than on "Ghetto"), Method Man and Redman.  Raekwon fires off sick lines like "One knee up, G up all the re-up / Hope we can pull it back, my throat the only weapon, blow the beat up."  Method Man wraps the album up with a verse that sticks with one rhyme for the first half:  "Fiends get killed in my hallway, we parlay / My feet been killing me all day / Your boy down for lot like them killas in RahWay / It's all work and no play, 'cuz this block ain't nothin' like Broadway."  Solid finale to a very listenable album.

Ghost's lyrics also seem like a throwback, whether to his early days in the Wu or the 1980s sound exemplified in the music and the album art.  While we're on the subject of "Troublemakers," look at the opening to Ghost's verse:  "Stuff Brillo pads in the ratholes / Reduce that faggot-ass nigga who wanna jump like a frog to a tadpole."  It's the type of far-reaching but satisfactory imagery that made him notable on Enter the Wu-Tang or Cuban Linx...  Or take a look at "How You Like Me Baby," which Ghost raps with an enthusiastic pop reminiscent of '80s rap.  "Represent Stapleton, raised in the West! / 780 Anderson, now I'm the best!"

But for all its satisfactory look into yesteryear and maintaining of the '00s Wu-Tang sound, I'll admit a couple songs slip under my radar.  "Drama" and "Handcuffin' Them Hoes" are definitely listenable but they don't stick in my head the way other tracks do.  The hook on "Superstar" wears out its welcome even before Busta Rhymes comes on, and he starts less than two minutes in.  Even "Street Bullies," which really sounds fine, is far from my favorite song on the record.  Despite a few meandering numbers, though, Apollo Kids is definitely engaging and entertaining throughout.  I honestly love about half the album, then there are two or three songs that I'd put in "really good" territory, then just a couple that don't light my fire (although they're far from being unlistenable or even a bit crappy).  So it's not Ghost's single best record, but it's a great listen overall.

Legacy:  Apollo Kids earned positive reviews from most critics (including the increasingly fickle Pitchfork), and they're well-deserved.  Personally, it's really cool to hear some of the fuller, more live-sounding retro cuts on here (like "Purified Thoughts") that segue well between 1) Ghost using the modern Wu sound and 2) the type of thing he'd delve into further on subsequent releases like 12 Reasons to Die and Sour Soul.  Then, on a related note, in the grand scheme of things we can look back starting with Ghostdini and see Ghostface working on albums with a really cohesive theme (even if Ghostdini wasn't my thing).  It's worked well for him ever since, especially here with a '60s-to-'80s-inspired record all the way up through his 2015 releases.  Apollo Kids is the rebirth of GFK, who's found his niche with concept records and unified sounds more in the last five years than at any other time in his career.

Recommended Tracks:  Black Tequila, Troublemakers.

Step Fifty Three: Masta Killa: Wu-Tang: The Next Chamber

Artist:  Masta Killa
Album:  Wu-Tang: The Next Chamber
Producers:  Various
Release Date:  November 16, 2010

Review:  I actually enjoy rarities collections; they save me hundreds of dollars buying CD's I wouldn't normally buy just for one track.  And that's what this is - 14 tracks not found previously on Masta Killa's No Said Date or Made in Brooklyn but featuring MK on vocals.  This digital-only release, Wu-Tang: The Next Chamber, runs through a complex web of MK's collaborative career and other unreleased material, so we'll go through it track by track.

But first I have to give a shout-out to the blog Hip-Hop Isn't Dead - Max runs a thorough and knowledgeable blog and I didn't know where some of the songs on Wu-Tang: The Next Chamber came from until I Googled it and came across HHID's review of it.

The Next Chamber opens with "Rhyme Time Freestyle," with Masta Killa riffing over a sample from "Inna Gadda Da Vida" by Iron Butterfly.  The biggest sin committed here is the thing that keeps me from buying mixtapes in general - the watermark laid over the track that really distracts from what's going on in the studio.  Here it's someone saying "EXCLUSIVE..." every 20 or 30 seconds.  Ugh.  Thankfully this is the only track with a watermark.

It segues into "Unstoppable Threats" from GZA's 2005 release Grandmasters.  We already looked at Grandmasters several months ago, so I'll just say this DJ Muggs-produced track is good to hear again.  GZA, Masta Killa and Prodigal Sunn spit solid rhymes over a phat beat.

Next up is the short-but-sweet "Scram," which takes its beat from The Mohawks 1968 track "The Champ" (but is also recognizable in Coldcut's 1997 song "More Beats and Pieces") and its lyrics from Masta Killa's verse on "Secret Rivals" from his 2004 debut No Said Date.  It's actually odd that "Scram" would take MK's verse from "Secret Rivals" but not Method Man's, because Meth ends up the only member of Wu-Tang not present on The Next Chamber.  Even still, it's good to hear Masta Killa's sick verse remixed over The Mohawks, waxing ominous like his verse in "Triumph" with lines like "So patient, they sat there in the aisles and waited for the testimony / Hungry for a statement from the one and only / Thirsty for the ceremony" and more grounded lines like "I'm strong as a nuclear bomb, dangerous armed / Have you not prepared yourself? You been warned / Gun shot to the informer, killa bee swarm."

Then comes a cut-in-half version of "Just A Thought," another Masta Killa and GZA collaboration, this time from Prefuse 73's 2005 album Surrounded by Silence.  I really like Prefuse's light beat, playing with simple key tones and electronic percussion that sounds like vinyl pops or an outtake from Bjork's Vespertine.  On the other hand, the lyrics don't stand out as much to me, with MK and GZA both hitting it and quitting it inside a minute 20.

After that is "Money Comes First" with RZA, which dates back to 2008 under the name "Cash Rule Seeds & Power U."  It's a decent track, but Masta Killa recycles a couple lines from "Secret Rivals" again for this track before getting into the rest of the verse, which is new.  The first break in the music comes at the end of this song, since "Money Comes First" wants to segue into RA the Rugged Man's "Chains" but the tempos are too drastically different.  Still, it's handled well, with a quick cut and echo into the new track and slower speed.

And let's face it, "Chains" is amazing.  It has a good ragga-meets-jazz beat sampled from Massive Attack's Horace Andy and RA's verse is incredible.  If you only know RA from the Wu-compilation Think Differently Music, you'll probably remember his sick rhymes on "Give It Up."  He follows suit here with enough interwoven rhymes that you'll wonder how it all makes sense - but it does.  He describes himself and his lyrics as "Hospitable, hittable 'cooler than Digable' criminal / Miracle lyrical, take every syllable literal / It'll riddle - profitable, visible, irritable / Little brittle pitiful fists will do little but tickle, you typical."

Then we spend a few minutes back on a GZA record - this time a clipped version of "Fam Members Only."  Even though this is taken from Legend of the Liquid Sword, I figured since it's on a different album (not one intended to be curse-free like Legend) they should've taken this opportunity to un-censor the swear words in it, but sadly it's still edited.  Missed opportunity to get the dirty version if you ask me, but still a cool track with a head-nodding beat.  Booming bass drums, one-tone keys and the team of RZA, GZA and Masta Killa - good shit.  Although to be honest I'm wondering, since they took MK's guest spots on GZA's albums Legend of the Liquid Sword and Grandmasters for this album, why not include "Pencil" from Pro Tools?

"Brain" continues the excellent use of samples on the record, borrowing from the theme for the Animaniacs short "Pinky and the Brain."  Unfortunately, like "Scram," it borrows Masta Killa's lyrics from a track on No Said Date - this time it's his verse on "DTD."  Cool remix, but this makes the third song out of eight to bite from No Said Date.

After that we've got more of a rarity than we've seen so far - "Armored Truck" from the shelved Timbo King album Fort Knox.  Timbo and Masta work well together, and you have to respect Masta Killa's lyrics with references like "Straight to ya gate I deliver / Flow like the Kwantung River."  Classic Wu style.

However, I think "Always NY" is a bit livelier.  This track is lifted from Mathematics' album Love, Hell or Right - Mathematics is, of course, a long-time Wu producer and a good one at that.  I personally like the beat, even if it's a bit repetitive, and Masta Killa's street life verse is really fun.  "Snatch mic, bash face and fight / Red light scope at night / Movin' through the Snow dressed in White / It's the ninja from the rooftop site."

Masta Killa also provides "Black Mamba" here for anyone who didn't want to buy the Kill Bill Vol. 2 soundtrack.  I can do without it, to be honest; it's meandering and doesn't live up to much of anything.  Probably the weakest link on the album, but for completionist's sake I'm glad to have it - but just barely.

Things pick back up with "Noodles Pt. 2," which was also released as a b-side for the vinyl single "Things Just Ain't the Same" from 2012's Selling My Soul.  I'm gonna take a minute here to talk about Loyalty is Royalty, which Masta Killa had been talking up since releasing his sophomore album Made in Brooklyn in 2006.  What little MK has said about The Next Chamber is that in addition to the collaborations and rare tracks of his, it teases fans with a few songs intended for his upcoming album, Loyalty is Royalty.  Several of the tracks he'd intended for Loyalty were eventually released on Selling My Soul, which ended up being Masta's third album, released in 2012.  Who knows if we'll ever see Loyalty is Royalty or not, but this downtempo track offers a possible glimpse into what might have been.  Synthesized strings, minimal drums, ragga guitar and storytelling - all work together pretty well.

Getting to the end of the mix is "The PJ's" from Pete Rock's 2008 album NY's Finest.  The bass guitar, wah-wah soul guitar and piano are classic '70s, Raekwon flows smoothly and Masta Killa bobs and weaves like Bruce Lee around his verse.  Good shit all around.

Maybe the rarest track on the album is this demo of "Metal Lungies" from Ghostface's Pretty Toney Album that closes the mixtape.  In the final version, Sheek Louch and Styles P guest, but MK provides a formidable appearance on this horn- and synth-heavy track.  His first few lines are the same as his opening lines from "Whatever" off No Said Date, but he veers into original territory after a few rhymes.

Legacy:  I'll admit I'm a pretty big Masta Killa fan, so I really enjoy The Next Chamber more than most people probably would.  There's some overlap with songs I already own on different albums, and a couple tracks ("Scram" and "Brain") are copy-pasted vocal performances from No Said Date over new-ish beats, but damn if this isn't a fun and listenable mixtape.  I will say I wish some other MK appearances were on here, since despite being 14 tracks it clocks in at just 37 minutes.  Maybe some songs didn't fit the style, or licensing agreements couldn't be reached for other Masta Killa tracks, but I would've loved to have more non-album songs like "The Day After" or "Eyes a Bleed," or even the Mathematics tracks "Break That" and "USA."  Oh well.

As a segue between Made in Brooklyn and Selling My Soul, The Next Chamber is a good appetizer.  The only real gripe I have is that since it's available as an mp3-only release, there's a noticeable gap between songs when they're playing in your iPod, Winamp or CD player.  This wouldn't matter if it weren't a mix intended to flow continuously.  My advice to Masta Killa would've been to set up a standalone website and sell the mix directly as lossless .wav or .flac files so they'd flow together non-stop like they're clearly intended.  As it is, I ended up batch converting all 14 tracks from my Amazon-bought mp3's to .wav's and trimming the beginnings and ends of every single track just so I could listen as a seamless mix.  Even still, I recommend copping this album.  There's a lot to love as long as you're not expecting a full studio project like his previous albums.

Recommended Tracks:  Chains, Brain, Armored Truck, Always NY, Metal Lungies (OG Version).

Step Fifty Two: Meth, Ghost and Rae: Wu Massacre.

Artist:  Method Man, Ghostface Killah and Raekwon
Album:  Wu Massacre
Release Date:  March 30, 2010
Producers:  Mathematics (#2, 7 and 10), Scram Jones (11 and 12), RZA (5), BT (1), Ty Fyffe (4), Digem Tracks (6) and Emile (8).

Review:  Since 1993, Wu-Tang have experimented with switching up the release format of albums.  From their brilliant and unorthodox solo record contracts to compilation albums with live music a la Wu-Tang: Chamber Music, and not to forget the single copy of their 88-year-prolonged Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, we've seen the New York hip-hop group turn the business on its ear more times than one could count.  Now, one-third of the Wu is back to keep us on our toes once again:  Method Man, Ghostface Killah and Raekwon the Chef released Wu Massacre on March 30, 2010.  So what is it?

The best way to describe it is that Wu Massacre is like a supply run by Daryl, Maggie and Glenn on The Walking Dead.  It's a full standalone outing that isn't a complete group album, nor even a partner-heavy solo project eg. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx....  A substantial part of Wu-Tang is present on the album, with all three Wu-generals commanding consistent presences throughout the brutally short runtime.  Several familiar faces guest too, including fellow Wu-general Inspectah Deck, Meth disciple Streetlife, Solomon Childs (who you may remember from Think Differently), Ghost's son Sun God, Theodore Unit's Trife da God and Sheek Louch.  Method Man also shot down rumors that the three were starting their own group apart from Wu-Tang, rather that they just wanted to get together and collaborate on an album together.

The only real bad news about this album, like Chamber Music, is that there isn't more of it - and it's a deeper problem than it may seem.  Going by the rip of my CD copy on Winamp it's just 29 minutes, 58 seconds.  That's under a half hour just by a hair.  Thankfully, it's all killer no filler.  The album pops a shot off with "Criminology 2.5," based on its namesake from Cuban Linx...  A longer version was released featuring all three emcees, but for some reason the version on Wu Massacre cuts out Raekwon's verse and Ghost's first verse.  This is a weird choice because the album isn't exactly running out of disc space, and the first "Criminology" is from Rae's own debut album.

Next up is "Mef vs. Chef 2," which as the name implies is a sequel to "Meth vs. Chef" from Method Man's debut Tical back in 1994.  They trade short stanzas (eight bars at a time) back and forth, with Chef getting four rounds in to Meth's three.  It doesn't give them a lot of time to set scenes in each verse but it's a good hectic battle accompanied by Mathematics' blend of tom rolls and funk horns.  "Our Dreams" is another new-Wu sound that's been popping up since Think Differently, this time produced by RZA.  Pitchshifted vocals and old soul combine with dreamy xylophone and clean electric guitar.  "Keep Allah in your heart / Hugs and kisses, Tony Stark."  It's a good summertime jam in the middle of the chaos.  Inspectah Deck shows up for "Gunshowers," which also features Sun God, Ghost and Meth.  It's a tight and upbeat track with a throwback hook by Meth with bits like "I want it RIGHT now / Gimme my fuckin' shit, chick-a-BLOW!"

The second half of the album flies by almost as quickly as the first.  Rae's trademark laid back style as of late comes back for "Dangerous" on another sick Mathematics beat that's muddy and jazzy.  Emile produces a great blaxploitation/retro-inspired beat for the Ghost solo track "Pimpin' Chipp," with wah-wah pedal guitars and brazen brass.  It could've come from Supreme Clientele as well as "Miranda" could have; both songs show that Wu can still bring their classic sound in any time they want (lyrically and musically).  Ghost brings some more classic rhymes here too: "She got a mean mouth, her lips is like soup coolers / Hotter than niggaz ridin' around with six Rugers."

Things wrap up with Ghostface and Method Man performing "It's That Wu Shit," and the hook interpolates (or at least bears a striking resemblance to) "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" by Steam.  However it substitutes "Na na na na / Na na na na / Hey Hey-ey Goodbye" with the lyrics "It's that Wu shit / It's that movement / It's the Wu shit / In the house."  Fun stuff and a good closer, though it's too bad they didn't close with a track featuring all three Wu generals.

Legacy:  Wu Massacre was well-received critically, with most journalists agreeing all three main emcees were still on point after over 15 years in Wu-Tang.  While not the highest-selling album of all time, it's a great small delivery - especially during a time when, solo albums notwithstanding, Wu-Tang as a group seemed up in the air.  Here's proof that the group can still work together consistently through a release, about halfway between 8 Diagrams and A Better Tomorrow.

Step Fifty One: Inspectah Deck: Manifesto

Artist:  Inspectah Deck
Album:  Manifesto
Producers:  Inspectah Deck, J. Glaze, etc.
Release Date:  March 23, 2010

Review:  After starting off impeccably with Uncontrolled Substance and The Movement, Inspectah Deck dropped the slightly-less-awesome (but damn enjoyable) The Resident Patient.  Four years later, he returns in 2010 with his fourth release, Manifesto.  I think Deck is one of the strongest Wu emcees, alongside GZA, so I never fear when he puts out a new album.

Manifesto starts off with "Tombstone Intro" and "The Champion," both a bit slower than his previous efforts but still 100% real New York hip-hop.  They're followed by "Born Survivor," which regularly uses sampled clips of a speech by President Barack Obama and features a guest spot by Cormega.  However, the first real standout track to me is "This Is It."  Produced by DTox, Deck opens strong:  "I train like Leonidas's son, the fire and sun / The blood, sweat and tears grinding for ones / Nearly died for it, cried for it, hustle and flow / Right from the seed competing for my love of the dough."  The funk influence on the music is clear and it helps hype the track, too.

Ms. Whitney sings the hook on the Deck-produced "Luv Letter," and her vocals and the complex bass guitar line are real standouts on the track.  Up next is "P.S.A." with Lee Bannon behind the controls.  The music is phat and dark ("The track's Godzilla" in Deck's own words) and some of Deck's rhymes are the stuff of dreams.  "I'm wild like Clifton Powell, grammar tight / Like Vanna White hands flippin' the vowel / Give it up son, lift your towel, feels like the pits / Just missed off the bat, I'mma hit you foul."  "We Get Down" also fares well - the pianos and hand claps work great behind Deck's rhymes, which sound as awake and lively overall as we hear in the first half of the record.

Raekwon appears on "The Big Game" and spits some classic style early on in his verse.  "Revolvers with the lazy eye, late for my plate frame / You crazy fly, screw the tip off, jump in the baby I / More papers, law makers, all of us jaw breakers is on / Vaticans in action for all ages."  "9th Chamber" is dark and divisive, with Deck splitting each line of his verse with...himself.  After a couple listens I liked it a lot more than I did at first, so it's definitely a grower.  Some fans may not be feeling it but I enjoyed the tone and the relentless lyrical onslaught even if they're not his flyest rhymes.

"Serious Rappin'" had me nervous with its melodramatic electric guitar, but the emcees make it much better - especially Deck, with lines like "I'm cold-blooded, like Rick in his time, you can see me prime-time / At the top spot sittin' with shine / I leave 'em froze like they sniffing a line, while they bitchin' and cryin' / You find me always in position to climb."  Much like "T.R.U.E.," "Do What U Gotta" has some really engaging music, but its lyrics are much more live than "T.R.U.E." was.  The same can be said for "Gotta Bang," which - like so many tracks on this album - are solid and listenable but don't have immediate standouts like Deck's previous efforts do.

By this point in the album, Deck has established a theme of street stories that strive less for coolness and more for realism, which is a running subject of The Movement.  I can't say that I'm in love with Manifesto as much, but I appreciate that INS really seems to care about community, poverty, sociopolitical conflict and family.  After a few more "good-but-not-great" tracks like "Brothaz Respect," the end of the album bounces back with "5-Star G."  The music is live (flutes, picked electric guitar, sturdy drums etc) and the rhymes are fun and intrinsic:  "Daddy king-size, with a mean stride / You ain't seen live, fuckin' with these guys / She fly on the G-side, sex is a weapon / There's a .357 in her Levi's."

Legacy:  At the end of the day, Manifesto is just the least amazing of Deck's (at the time) four albums.  It's great for putting on while working, playing a video game or driving, but it lacks the energy of his previous three and the magic of The Movement or Uncontrolled Substance.  Fortunately, this seems to be his one exception - the first Czarface album was great and the second seems to follow in its footsteps (more on that next month), leaving Manifesto as the one sometimes-engaging, sometimes-sleepy record in INS's portfolio.  And let me tell you, after seeing him live last year, he's still got as much energy and flow as he did the day he recorded his most famous verse - "Triumph."

Recommended Tracks:  This Is It, PSA, We Get Down, Serious Rappin'.