Step Thirty One: U-God: Mr. Xcitement.

Artist:  U-God
Album:  Mr. Xcitement
Release Date:  September 13, 2005
Producers:  DJ Homicide, The Produkt, Mike Baiardi, 4th Disciple, Letha Face

Review:  Let's get it out of the way immediately:  Mr. Xcitement is U-God's worst album, and one of the least impressive in the Wu catalog.  Since U-God himself has expressed his disappointment with the record, much as Method Man did with the final result of Tical 0: The Prequel, I think it's safe to say this one didn't go as planned for Golden Arms.  So what happened?

Comparing it again with Tical 0 (which came out just 16 months earlier and is a similar low point on the Map of Shaolin), we were able to pick through the producers, the guest stars and everything else to figure out that Tical 0 was more a product of Def Jam than it was a cohesive Method Man album.  There are so many different factors that could've made Mr. Xcitement great or awful, I wanted to take a look at them one at a time to try to nail down where the problem is.

One of the many differentiating factors between U-God's sophomore release and most of the other Wu albums is an almost complete lack of involvement from any Wu-Tang member aside from the main artist.  Only 4th Disciple makes an appearance to produce "A Long Time Ago" (one of the album's most salvageable tracks).  However, it's unfair to criticize the album for a lack of Wu involvement, since Inspectah Deck's The Movement released two years prior absolutely annihilated and had little more contribution from the Wu fam than this (just Streetlife and Killa Sin guested on The Movement, although its producers Phantom of the Beats and Arabian Knight have occasionally popped up here and there with Wu-Tang).

Was the problem somewhere with the massive amounts of work on this album from Letha Face or DJ Homicide?  Letha Face had successful (although maybe not mind-blowing) guest spots on U-God's previous album, Golden Arms Redemption, on the tracks "Glide," "Rumble," "Shell Shock" and "Knockin' at your Door."  Likewise, DJ Homicide produced "Soul Dazzle" and "Night the City Cried" on Golden Arms Redemption and as I mentioned on Step 15 of the Map of Shaolin, they managed pretty well back then.

Others might blame the label, Free Agency Recordings, who seem to only have ever released Mr. Xcitement and a Prodigal Sunn album, for not doing their part, but if anything, their lack of involvement can hardly be blamed for Xcitement's failings.  Curiously, it was released around the time of U-God's mysterious departure from Wu-Tang, and maybe his decision to leave - or his ultimate return - had something to do with this album?

It's a mystery.  For whatever reason, almost none of the stars align for Mr. Xcitement.  Here's what I'm talking about.

"Blow Ya Mind Intro" and "It's a Wrap" entertain for their part, with U-God's and Letha Face's lyrics bouncing off Homicide's lively beats, but "Hit 'em Up, Roll Out" and "Get Down" fall flat with vague braggadocio and forgettable hooks ("Get down, get down, bruh / I'm in ya town, bruh / That's how we do it I'm a stone-cold rider / I bust a round off / I'm a survivor / This is how we do it for you snake-ass connivers").  I also never dug the "slow music, fast vocal" sound that came out of Atlanta around this time (Ludacris, some of Outkast's weaker tracks, etc), and "Hit 'em Up, Roll Out" delivers it in spades (as does the later "Bump"), so it rubs me the wrong way.

"I'm Talkin' to You" has a fun hook, utilizing the retro rock sound that's livened up U-God's subsequent albums as well (eg "Stars" on The Keynote Speaker), but his verses don't sound like his heart's in it.  Rhymes like "You and your brother is a dirty combo / You bird-ass niggaz, catch 30, pronto" drag it down.  A guest verse from Ghostface would've brought some punch to it.

"Kick Azz," "You Don't Wanna Dance" and "Go Get Pretty Like Me" are a triple-threat of unimpressive tracks.  And I hate to badmouth U-God; he's an underrated lyricist with a great voice.  But at the same time it's hard to defend hooks like "There's no one in the city like me / No one gets pretty like me, homie / Big wheels spinnin' on D's / Go get pretty like me, Goldie."

Just when you're reaching for the Stop or Eject button, the mighty U-Godzilla grabs you again with "A Long Time Ago."  It's heartbreaking to hear U-God's three quick verses about the only stories he has about his (real?) father - second-hand grievances relayed by his mother.  The second verse concludes with "'He struggled all his life, got blood on his knife / Light-skinned, he had your eyes' / But my mother couldn't handle him / The liquor, the gambling, plus he had four wives."  The third verse sadly declares "With his brother Big Harvey, he did a bank robbery / A car flipped and all the money spilled out / Before it was done, police caught him with some / Riddle of bullets, he died in a shootout."  If you've been reading the Map this whole time, you know I'm a sucker for Wu-Tang's real-life street stories, but I still say there's good reason for it.  "A Long Time Ago" is a real standout on this album, and it would be even among better competition.

The final two noteworthy songs are the reluctantly optimistic "Stop (Carry On)," which is steeped in a beautiful uncertain hope; and "Heart of Stone," which sounds lovingly retro ('80s keys and drum machines galore) and more alive than 90% of the album.  "Heart of Stone" even throws in some good pop culture references here and there, eg "Don't fuck with no niggaz, I figured they wired / I set 'em on fire like they name was Pryor."

Legacy:  I've heard U-God referred to as Mr. Xcitement sarcastically, and it's too bad that's likely the only lasting impression of this album for most.  Long out of print, I had to special order my copy.  With only a couple standout tracks and an imminent parting of ways from Wu-Tang, it's a damn miracle U-God came back with the much better Dopium in 2009 and the immensely satisfying The Keynote Speaker in 2013.  This is really the third or fourth punch to the gut the Wu had taken in recent years (following Tical 0, Birth of a Prince and the hit-and-miss Iron Flag).  I was afraid when I started the Map that this section of the Wu's career would start to come across as some serious hate-filled hipster angst, but then looking forward at some of the bombs that Wu-Tang Clan had yet to drop, I'm optimistic about the considerable return they forged hereafter.  Stay tuned, Wu fans; a whole new era of the Clan is emerging in the coming weeks!

Recommended Tracks:  A Long Time Ago, Heart of Stone.

Wu-Tang Clan: A Better Tomorrow (Quick Review).

Artist:  Wu-Tang Clan
Album:  A Better Tomorrow
Producer: RZA (except "Ruckus in B Minor" prod. by RZA and Rick Rubin, "40th St. Black / We Will Fight" and "Keep Watch" prod. by Mathematics, "Miracle" and "Necklace" prod. by 4th Disciple).

Review:  Since we won't be reaching A Better Tomorrow on the Map of Shaolin until sometime next fall, I wanted to give a good quick look at it now, closer to its release, and touch more on its legacy once we get to it in 2015 and have had a chance for the reviews to roll in and for it to cement its place in Wu-Tang's legacy.  For now, here's a track-by-track glimpse.

The best background to give is that in 2012, people started hyping up the 20th anniversary of Wu-Tang's debut album Enter the Wu-Tang and the Clan slowly, systematically came back together to bring out one more album.  Unfortunately, there was some beef between Raekwon and RZA, with as many as two or three songs released from the album before Rae got involved.  It likely came after several emcees initially blamed RZA for the poor public reception of the group's previous album, 8 Diagrams, which largely moved from samples and loops to live instruments.  Even after releasing "Keep Watch," Raekwon Tweeted "Keep Dreaming," dissing the song and the project.  They managed to squash their problems in time for the Chef to bring several verses to the album, and this is the result.

The first Wu album in seven years, A Better Tomorrow starts off with "Ruckus in B Minor," opening with a callback to Enter the Wu-Tang and hype lines from ODB before launching into a great first verse by Inspectah Deck.  U-God follows, uptempo and on point:  "Killa bees 20 years yeah we hold the pendant / On the cover of the magazine with my co-defendants."  Cappadonna, Ghostface keep the track live before a slowed down lovely verse by GZA and an interlude by RZA.  Method Man offers the hook (but don't worry - he'll be back for much more later) and the track ends with a solid - though admittedly "added in post-production" - verse split between Raekwon and Masta Killa.  In other words?  Every Wu general (including the quasi-official Cappadonna) makes an appearance to set the fuse.

"Felt" follows, a ponderous acoustic guitar-led remembrance of classic hip-hop.  It's good to hear Masta Killa give a shout-out to "Protect Ya Neck," asking the listener to remember how s/he felt on his/her first listen.  I like it because I saw an interview with him years ago in which he revealed that he dropped out of school after hearing "Protect Ya Neck" the first time, opting instead to work hard to get into Wu-Tang (only appearing on "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'" on Enter the Wu-Tang).  Method Man airs his first verse here.

"40th Street Black / We Will Fight" is next.  I definitely respect and appreciate the idea of the track, but the music (a high-speed brass-led march with a choir of vocals) sounds more like GI Joe than Wu-Tang.  Fortunately, Masta Killa, Method Man and GZA turn in a hat trick of fast and furious verses to keep the track alive.  Cappadonna holds his own, but still offers what I've always questioned about him: his rhymes are so loose and all over that some of it gets lost in translation.  U-God and RZA pick up the slack after him and end it strong.  I have a strange feeling that it will be the "Gravel Pit" of the album.

The fourth track is "Mistaken Identity," and by now it should be apparent that the musical direction of the album is an evolution of the live instruments on 8 Diagrams, frequently working better here than there.  I don't think the electric guitar during Method Man's verse comes across as badass as intended, but the keys, drums and bass are more than competent.  Streetlife guests, and although nobody outright sucks on the track, it's not my favorite, ending with a long 90-second musical outro (as does "Preacher's Daughter" later).  Kung-fu samples are also back, at the end of several tracks from beginning to end.

"Hold the Heater" brings it back into focus with a phat sound and verses by all involved, sampling Johnny Mathis's version of "Come to Me."  This is the fifth straight track to feature both Method Man and Masta Killa, though that streak is broken next by "Crushed Egos," which is essentially the featured solo Raekwon track (with a hook and third verse by RZA).  The music on "Crushed Egos" would sound just as comfortable on records by Portishead, Nancy Sinatra or The Revelations.  Though it's the second track to feature Raekwon that sounds like it was recorded separately from the rest of the album, I still have to say "Better late Chef than no Chef."  It's a solid track, no denying it.

"Keep Watch" was released months before the album, and some have badmouthed Nathaniel's hook, but Method Man lights the track off so lovely it's hard to see much else.  "Too much marijuana's got me p-noid / I'm killing instrumentals with that 'All So Simple Can It B'-Boy," twisting up the title of their track "Can It Be All So Simple."  Meth is as tight a lyricist as he's been the last 20+ years.  Inspectah Deck brings some classic Wu slang too: "Trying to Break Bad, you catch bad breaks / Like I own a bake shop how I stack cakes."  Cappadonna's rhymes are tight too, leading into another wise verse by GZA, whose rhymes speak so much about astronomy, light and energy that I hope he hasn't absorbed his project Dark Matter into this album.  Only time will tell.

"Miracle" will be the song that divides fans on this album.  The opening music and sung hook sound straight from a book of showtunes, with solemn swelling strings played by RZA and melodramatic vocals.  Luckily, hip-hop drums set in and Deck brings it back down to earth.  By the time we hear the hook again, this time in context, it makes much more sense.  I'm actually fine with it (and the smooth verses by Masta Killa, Raekwon and Ghostface) with the exception of the end, at which point the vocals turn a bit nu-metal, belting the hook out with an extra bar of music between each line.  It comes across as questionable as Evanescence or latter-day Killswitch Engage, but fortunately it doesn't ruin the whole track.

"Preacher's Daughter" genderbends "Son of a Preacher Man," with the music made livelier by fuller drums and bigger horns.  "The only girl that could ever please me / Was the daughter of a preacher man."  Method Man, Masta Killa, Cappadonna and Ghostface offer verses about their imagined preacher's daughter girlfriends, but although it's a great track, it ends with nearly two full minutes of music, which is just a bit too long.

"Pioneer the Frontier" may be the most Wu-sounding track on the record.  Dark and grimy like The W, with instrument and ODB samples from Enter the Wu-Tang, RZA growls the first verse over kick-kick-snare drums and bad guy horns.  U-God comes back for the first time in several songs to kill it: "Watch how the pitbull lock his jaws then lock ya doors / Feds watch the boards, hip-hop spills out my pores."  Deck brings the third verse and Masta Killa closes it in his classic evasive style.  It's just a solid damn track any way you listen.

For only the second time on the album (?!) Raekwon has a verse that doesn't sound recorded separately on "Necklace," which is another great dark-sounding Wu-Tang song.  And he brings his solid busy rhymes with him - "I keep my neck frozen, .45 loaded, please don't approach this / Rope is so ferocious, diamonds that shine in oceans."  The echoing drums and flanged guitar chords and gun foley sounds complement Ghostface's and GZA's verses well.

RZA wisely dropped the hook from the beginning of "Ron O'Neal," launching straight into Method Man's verse instead.  When the song debuted on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, it got off to a slow start like "Miracle" does here with its sung hook, here performed by Nathaniel (of "Keep Watch").  Spy movie guitar and funk back the track, energetically charging subsequent verses by Deck, Ghost and RZA, and hype lines by Masta Killa.  RZA's verses on "Ron O'Neal" and "Crushed Egos" sound tighter and more intelligent than anything recently on the Map (especially his outings as Bobby Digital), so it's a huge relief to know that he had a lot more to do on the mic.

The title track opens with the album's clear hero, Method Man, over jazzy soul piano, building to a crescendo and Masta Killa's verse, also sampling Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes' "Wake Up Everybody."  It's a bright, optimistic track whose music and hook could've closed Jackie Brown or had a home in Bobby Womack's discography.  Raekwon pops in his rhymes about police brutality, citing Malcolm X along the way.  It may be the type of rap your parents could get behind, but that doesn't make it a bad track.

"Never Let Go" takes a similar approach, sampling the "I Have a Dream" speech by Martin Luther King over jazz drums and trumpet.  Masta Killa, probably more prolific here than any other Wu album, sets it off and leads GZA, Method Man, Inspectah Deck, U-God and RZA through the track.  Bass guitar, piano, more horns and keys all come in early on.  Admittedly, it fumbles a bit, the instrumentals sounding more like a jam - and the hook only appearing after the fourth and sixth verses.

Finally, "Wu-Tang Reunion" (formerly "Family Reunion") closes, envisioning the humble days of yesteryear, kids playing in the backyard and barbecue on the grill, heavily sampling the O'Jays song of the same name.  Masta Killa, Method Man and Ghostface take turns with whimsical rhymes of their hometowns.  It's a good "end credits" style song, but it leaves me with a question.  I'm 99% certain I remember feeling let down after reading one of the Wu generals say that he knew when RZA released "Family Reunion" over a year ago, it wasn't meant to be a "real/new" Wu-Tang song, but more of a stop-gap between albums.  I wish I had the article on hand where I read that, but I don't.  I kinda hesitate even to mention it, but I wouldn't unless I were so nearly positive.  If that's the case, though, why is it the closer on A Better Tomorrow?

So how does it all end?  On the one hand, we've heard for years that once RZA released ABT, he'd probably hang up the mic and only produce from now on; it also took such an effort to get this out that it's been almost a given that it's Wu-Tang's last album - with emcees using phrases like "one last time" to describe the writing process.  There was the beef between RZA and Raekwon, the Sisyphean ordeal of actually putting the album out, the the much-promised but ever-so-slight "unreleased Ol' Dirty vocals" on the album and the divisive tracks like "Miracle."  Then again, some of the verses are as tight as Wu-Tang have ever sounded, Method Man and Masta Killa take charge throughout the record, RZA's focus on live instruments is now a fully-realized and mostly-excellent dream, and the Clan still sound like they're all in together now.  Despite a couple hiccups, A Better Tomorrow is a really good album.  I have no doubt we'll see plenty of solo records from the Wu in years to come, but if ABT is their swan song, it's at least a B+ graded testament that Wu-Tang is indeed forever.  And that can be good enough.

Unscheduled Pit Stop (Regarding Mr. Xcitement, A Better Tomorrow and 36 Seasons).

What's up Wu family?  It's jonny here with a quick update for Map of Shaolin; we've had a couple hiccups in the last week or two I wanted to straighten out.

Step 31 on the Map - U-God's 2005 release Mr. Xcitement - was originally planned for last week's entry.  It's another fascinating point in the Wu catalog, in which U-God actually quit Wu-Tang for awhile, but last week (as you may have read) was a point in the blog and very close to the 10th anniversary of the death of Ol' Dirty Bastard, one of the original nine Wu generals.  I imagined I'd make a quick note of it (as I did last week) and reschedule Mr. Xcitement for this week.

Well, I'm taking just one more week and I'll tell you why.  On a personal level, a loved one passed and I haven't had the opportunity to work on Mr. Xcitement for this week - thanks for understanding.

On the other hand, this is a huge month for Wu-Tang.  Today they released A Better Tomorrow, their first full-length studio album in seven years (since 2007's 8 Diagrams).  It's been in the works for two years and nearly didn't include Raekwon the Chef, but it ended up with all nine generals (including some posthumous hype lines and samples from ODB) plus Cappadonna and Streetlife.  15 tracks ranging in tone from the grimy The W to the live instruments on 8 Diagrams and the funk and soul samples that have helped shape RZA's production career over 20 years.  Love it or hate it, it dropped this week and makes the first added entry to the (chronological) end of the planned Map of Shaolin.  I expect to review it in the next week or so, and do a proper entry for it next year when I make my way to it.

A new Wu-Tang miscellaneous compilation called Wu Trax also came out today, but I haven't had the chance to listen to it.  It has an Ol' Dirty Bastard track ("Pop Shots") from his mixtape Osirus, a Gravediggaz song and several rarities.  Little is known about it as of yet, but it's available for purchase from online retailers like Amazon and Best Buy.

Finally, the new Ghostface Killah record 36 Seasons is due out next week, on December 9.  A concept album and spiritual sequel to last year's 12 Reasons to Die, this record's story finds Ghostface returning to New York after nine years to find his woman has moved on and his neighborhood has taken a serious turn for the worse.  It's available for streaming on NPR by clicking here as part of their "First Listen" program as the whole album or individual tracks.  It's a really solid release, with Consequence of Sound even saying it easily surpasses A Better Tomorrow.  Time will tell when reviews start rolling in closer to release day next Tuesday.  36 Seasons will also be added on to its proper place at the end of the Map, just after A Better Tomorrow - I'll also try to review it as a bonus entry in the next two weeks or so.

Thanks for your patience and understanding; I'll keep the next few Map entries on schedule and add in quick reviews for A Better Tomorrow and 36 Seasons between them on weekends.  See you then; hang in there!

46 Revolutions.

This week I wanted to take a rest on the Map of Shaolin to talk about Ol' Dirty Bastard for a couple reasons.  First, were ODB still alive, he'd have turned 46 less than two weeks ago.  Second, he passed away 10 years ago the week before last.  Third, we're at the spot on the Map between studio albums (Masta Killa's No Said Date and U-God's Mr. Xcitement) in which ODB passed.  It's a weird coincidence to hit all these milestones at the same time, but it speaks to the essence of the man himself: he was always one of outside chances and beating the odds.  It's a damn shame he died, and it's a miracle the world had the chance to hear his superb third album, A Son Unique.  He overdosed while finishing up work on it in the studio, and in due time I'll review it for the Map, but for now I'd hoped to just share my thoughts.

Listen to his other albums and tell me he wasn't borne of the same weird machine that produced Dr. Gonzo's lawyer in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.  As Hunter S. Thompson wrote, "One of God's own prototypes - never even considered for mass production.  Too rare to live, too weird to die."  Like a kid's crazy uncle, he was equal parts man, legend, spectacle and folk hero.  From cashing his welfare check on MTV to his lyrics - including "Nigga Please's" "I'm immune to all viruses / I like the cocaine, it clears out my sinuses" to breaking out into a chorus of "Somewhere over the Rainbow" on "Goin' Down," it's impossible to separate the truth from the fiction.  And that's where he really shone.  Blurred in the fog of reality and fantasy, built up to some kind of provable urban legend - that was the real ODB to me and countless others.

Here's proof.  Between RZA's Wu-Tang Manual, multiple album liner notes, interviews, rumors and even a first-hand account of my own, I carry a good collection of ODB stories with me in the chambers of my heart.  These are my favorites.  It almost doesn't matter which ones are true, because the more you know about him, the more believable they all are.  

I heard on tour he used to take couples back to whichever hotel where Wu-Tang was staying that night and he'd use RZA to keep the boyfriend distracted/occupied so Dirty could sneak the girlfriend in the other room and have sex with her.  A couple years ago, thanks to the Freedom of Information Act, a fan successfully secured the FBI file on ODB, which included a pending RICO case against Wu-Tang.  One story in the file involved a shootout with police in which Dirty was charged with illegal possession of body armor.  One of my friends told me he saw an interview with Dirty prank-calling one of his babymamas and telling her she wasn't getting any of his money, before hanging up and telling the camera crew "Yeah, I gots like 10 kids but I only really like about four of 'em."  He may have stolen a $10 folding table from a live show in Hawaii where concert footage from the famous "It's Yourz" video was filmed.  He was the first one to do what made Kanye famous - he heckled a Grammy winner onstage.  He even complained that he'd bought a new suit, expecting to win, but then lost.  Dirty infamously took a limo to cash his welfare check live on MTV, raising questions about welfare reform and celebrity culture purely by accident.  But the best story I ever heard was that he was walking down the street with some Wu-Tang fam and a few guys rolled up next to them in a van.  One of them stuck a shotgun out of the window and tried to rob ODB - who, without hesitating, grabbed the gun out of the guy's hands and turned it around on him, forcing the van to drive off.  If that happened to anybody else on earth, their head would likely have been blown off in the struggle, but Dirty was something else altogether.

In the words of RZA?  "There's only one Ol' Dirty.  The world couldn't handle another."

Russell Jones.  1968-2004

Step Thirty: Masta Killa: No Said Date.

Artist:  Masta Killa
Album:  No Said Date
Release Date:  June 1, 2004
Producer:  Allah Mathematics, True Master, RZA.

Review:  With a bit of turbulence in the early 2000s for the Wu, it's my sincere pleasure to discuss Masta Killa's debut LP, No Said Date.  RZA let me down a bit with Birth of a Prince, and Method Man's Tical 0 left a lot to be desired, but the entire Wu-Tang Clan come back into razor-sharp focus on this June 2004 record.  There are so many high points it's hard to select few enough to fit into a review, but I'll do my best.

The album starts with a dialogue sample from the kung-fu classic Five Deadly Venoms, about a martial arts student who tracks down his master's former pupils who have gone off on their own, potentially doing evil with their skills.  There's no more fitting theme for the Wu, who - according to some critics by this point - had dropped the crown.  And despite releasing a full decade after Method Man kicked off the solo Wu catalog with Tical in 1994, No Said Date is as classic a Wu album as any pre-Forever debut.  Its closest cousin is probably Liquid Swords with the grimy funk and kung-fu film samples and sheer hungry talent poured into the mic from front to back.  The spark is simply set by the Five Deadly Venoms sample.

Then, this latest-blooming and most mysterious Wu general lights off with "Grab the Mic," which is one of those rare hip-hop tracks so smooth you can barely tell when it dips into and out of its hook.  It's as much a quick-fire mantra or poem as it is a rap track.  Even when it does, MK doesn't want to let the listener off that easy: instead, he leaves words out and expects us to stretch our imagination to fill in the blanks: "Drop that shit that make you get... / Down on ya face with a gun to your... / Ladies in the club, they frontin' like..."

The music behind is sexy, bass guitar-filled and a great opener.  It paves way for the urgent title track (produced by RZA), which is the latest possible point you can be excused for stopping and trying to understand the insane flow of Masta Killa's lyrics.  The most fascinating thing about Masta Killa is how he endlessly sounds as though the beat is about to get the better of him, but he always escapes it.  His style is like Jeet Kune Do (more on Bruce Lee later).  In this track, though, there are so many rhymes thrown around like a Jackson Pollack painting as to almost seem random, but they all come together in an oddly satisfying way.  Here are a few lines from this woodwind-led track for you to wrap your head around.  Keep up with the rhymes; they're all over the place.

"Legend of Brooklyn, master craftsman
'Lord, when you droppin'?' - No said date
Thought premeditated, well-calculated
The air's been tested, the people can't wait
So ahh we agreed to send one, to swim from lost and found
See, truth be the life preserver we can't drown
Drunk with the victory, the Wu cavalry
Bomb the seminar, the last hoorah for chivalry
Classical Yo-Yo Ma, laced in the bulletproof fabric
Crafted and mastered in space
What better place of birth than the Earth when a star is born?"

So he rhymes the album title "No Said Date" with "people can't wait," but in between there's a one-two combo of "premeditated, well-calculated."  Then he rhymes "lost and found" with "we can't drown" followed immediately by the similar sounds of victory, cavalry and chivalry before name-dropping classical cellist Yo-Yo Ma and making a threepeat rhyme of fabric, crafted and mastered.  Those may sound familiar because they ring back to the beginning of the selection with "master craftsman" about eight lines earlier.  It closes with the line ending "in space" coupling with the middle of the next line "better place" and the quick turnaround of "birth" and "the earth."  It's enough to make your head spin but it flows effortlessly from Masta Killa's notebook.  The meaning of the verse itself details the highest aspirations of the Wu: to take any listeners of their music and deliver them from any restless places in their lives ("to swim from lost and found") with the Wu's stories ("truth be the life preserver we can't drown") to a better place.

We get a chance to breathe with the more laid-back but still great "Last Drink" and "Love Spell" before the album's second skit, "The Future."  It's cool to hear a couple actual children from the Wu family shine, giving the impression that Wu is no single-generation flash-in-the-pan, but it neither amps up nor detracts from the rest of the album.  It isn't until the seventh track, "D.T.D." (Do the Dance) that Masta Killa lets any Wu guest spots share the spotlight, and he kicks them off with the legendary duo of Raekwon and Ghostface Killah.  MK starts the track with tongue twisting thoughts ("Cherry cream glean, leather seats lean / Goose in the canteen, dutch leaf green")  before Raekwon answers in kind with tight lines like "Radioactive roll that accurate, what? / Roll that backward, flow went back / I stand as a man, the gameplan repped your name / The greatest fam we play in the sand."

The song that really got me into the album is "Whatever," featuring Streetlife (whose many appearances on Method Man's albums long ago earned him a place in the Wu family) and Prodigal Sunn (of Sunz of Man).  Its upbeat brass and addictive verses (brought to us by Mathematics, who also produced "D.T.D." and "Last Drink") deliver from the first line (Streetlife's "I got the drop on you don't flinch / Pop niggas like John Lynch") to the last (MK's "Ghetto life had to rough up in the housing / They only make 'em like us every 25,000").  There are rooster calls and braggadocious hooks ("We all in this together, forever and ever, down for whatever, whenever") and it's just a blast every second of the way.

Method Man appears for a solid verse and to help hype MK and a verse by Killah Priest on "Secret Rivals," which offers a hell of a drumbeat.  It's said that Masta Killa narrowly beat Killah Priest out for the ninth spot in Wu-Tang back in 1992, so it's good to hear them complementing each other so well here.  The last skit on the album (another quick kung-fu sample to keep the motif from "Born Chamber" and the intro to "Last Drink" as well as the upcoming "Masta Killa") precedes the only lukewarm song on the album, "Digi Warfare," which features U-God and RZA on backing vocals.  It would've been great to hear U-God do a proper verse on "School" or "Silverbacks," but the album still hasn't disappointed so far.

And if you're afraid those are the only tricks No Said Date has up its sleeve?  "Old Man" features Ol' Dirty Bastard, in his final performance before his death, repeatedly trying to order a Big Mac in-character as Fred Sanford (missing ingredients, calling someone a "big dummy") - and the song is based on the theme from Sanford and Son, with Dirt doing an instrument line a cappella ("Dun dun dun DUN daaaaaa...").  It's RZA's second production effort on the album (the third being the darker "School") and it's a fun laugh with killer verses - RZA raps "My daily toil is to protect the Earth so the seeds won't spoil / Your Frankenstein-type mind like Peter Boyle."

Speaking of RZA's lyrics, he's more on point than he has been in years on "School."  Check it:

"Phat shoelaces and tri-colored sneakers
I stood like a man then I questioned my teacher
'Why don't we speak about the wisdom of the sages?
And how did Europe black out in the dark ages?
And when they got the light did they whitewash the pages?
And the Inquisition - Why was Christians thrown in cages?'"

The A-game brought by other Wu-Tang members ends successfully on the airtight "Silverbacks" featuring Inspectah Deck and GZA spitting masterful rhymes over flanged guitars, wavy keys and thick drums.  "Silverbacks" has music by True Master, who also produced "Secret Rivals" and "Queen" on this album.  It's interesting to note that the three most common producers (Allah Mathematics, True Master and RZA) on No Said Date are also responsible for the vast majority of Wu-Tang's highest-selling album, Wu-Tang Forever.  It shows in the consistency of the album, being both listenable and unmistakable.

The album closes with the Chinese-influenced "Masta Killa," which finds the artist making classic analogies between lyricism and martial arts, sprinkled with Bruce Lee quotes about being as adaptable as water is to its container.  The music features traditional-sounding Chinese vocals and a zheng (a tabled Asian stringed instrument) in a pretty perfectly-balanced realization of hip-hop and Wu-Tang's Eastern roots.

In short?  What an album.  What a fucking album.

Legacy:  In the midst of some of the wildest ups and downs the Clan has seen, Masta Killa released his debut 10 years after the first solo Wu release (Tical) and five years after the previous solo Wu debuts (Uncontrolled Substance and Golden Arms Redemption).  There are classic chronological milestones there (not to mention the final living performance by Ol' Dirty Bastard), but more than anything, No Said Date is a call to the Wu to return to their roots, as is evidenced by the samples, sounds, guest spots and overall feel of the album.  It's criminally underrated besides the fact, and sheds a bit of light on one of the least-known Wu generals.  It's a great sign that in the middle of some rocky times (Cappadonna and U-God were both about to have major fall-outs with the group), the Wu can still bring classic albums with maximum ease.  No Said Date and Inspectah Deck's Uncontrolled Substance are two of the albums that made me want to pursue Map of Shaolin in the first place, so I can't stress enough how badly you need both in your library.  No Said Date is an oasis in the midst of some of the least impressive albums in the band's catalog (Tical 0 we already discussed, but Mr. Xcitement and Ghostdini are tough pills to swallow as well), so enjoy and take it as evidence that Wu-Tang is forever.

Recommended Tracks:  Listen to this entire album as soon as possible.  But here are some I really love:  Whatever, Grab the Mic, Old Man, Silverbacks.

Step Twenty Nine: Method Man: Tical 0: The Prequel.

Artist:  Method Man
Album:  Tical 0: The Prequel
Release Date:  May 18, 2004
Producers:  Various

Review:  On the opposite end of the spectrum of Inspectah Deck's The Movement, my biggest hesitation in starting Map of Shaolin was that one day I'd have to review Method Man's Tical 0: The Prequel.  The reason I worried about this point is because Method Man may have the best flow in Wu-Tang but Tical 0 is just a bad album.  And it pains me to say it.  I hate dissing on anything Wu-related, since they're some of the world's best emcees - and Meth is one of my personal favorites - but I can't in good conscience ass-kiss or dick ride an undeniably weak release.

So what happened?  In an interview with MTV two years after the fact (and just before the release of his fourth LP, 4:21 - The Day After), Method Man said "On the third LP, it was suggested to bring in Harve Pierre and P. Diddy.  Who am I to argue?  Puff knows how to sell some records.  But that wasn't the direction to go in, and I know that now.  [...]  I just wanted to get my album out.  Def Jam was going through their transition, and I felt that if I didn't get my album out, I wasn't gonna be at the label."

He continues, "I wasn't true to myself for the simple fact that, look who I was working with.  I'm not trying to take nothing away from Puff - he's the biggest artist on Bad Boy.  But Puff with Meth don't mesh.  We don't party the same way."

That's damned obvious by the time we reach the one track Puffy is fully credited for producing - "Say What (Ft. Missy Elliott)."  Nothing against Missy Elliott, but it comes across as an overproduced mess.  Backing vocals of a crowd shouting "Ohhhh!" at the end of every bar and a blown whistle precede anything else; the dollar-grabbing hook does nothing for a Wu-Tang fan:  "When they play this in the club (say what?) / Go 'head tell that nigga 'bump that' (say what?) / Throw ya hands up like 'Nigga what?'" etc.

Unfortunately, "Say What" is just one example of how Tical 0 was more a creation of a label than one artist - and it's a creation almost exclusively intended to sell records.  In the Wu-Tang Manual, RZA says that Method Man never wanted to be known as the heartthrob of the Clan, but tracks like "We Some Dogs," "Rodeo" and "Baby Come On" are the exact opposite - proudly claiming that Meth will never be more than just some guy who loves getting laid.

Some of the guest spots reveal Def Jam's influence as well.  On the one hand, it's not surprising to hear Wu generals Ghostface, Raekwon and RZA on Tical 0 (RZA even produces one track).  It makes sense to hear Snoop Dogg make an appearance, given his work with Wu-Tang on The W; Busta Rhymes also guested on The W and Tical 0.  Long-time Method Man and Wu-Tang associate Streetlife shows up, as does Redman (who had already guest-starred on The W and Tical 2000, released the collaboration Blackout! with Method Man and co-starred with Meth in the 2001 film How High).  But appearances by Ludacris, Kardinal Offishall, Black Ice and Saukrates can't help but feel more like a Def Jam showcase than talent scouted by Method Man to fit on the sound of his album.  And that's not to take away from them - Kardinal Offishall even seems to fill in on the ragga front for Suga Bang Bang or Junior Reid - it's just that when the liner notes have an ad for six albums releasing that year and only two of their artists don't appear on this record, it's hard not to take notice.

Of course it's a little unfair to write off the whole album as shitty.  Despite the production generally sounding commercialized, mainstream and a bit syrupy-sweet, there are a couple decent tracks.  "The Prequel," which features Streetlife and is the first proper song on the album, is good enough that it ends up making a promise the rest of the album can't keep.  Same with the Busta Rhymes-boasting "What's Happenin'."  Meth's rapid-fire lyrics include "Ain't it obvious how I'm hittin' it?  Meth for president / Be in Hell with gasoline drawers just for the Hell of it / And I ain't delicate, flows hot as the kettle get / Now if you ain't fuckin' with that, you must be celibate."  A good track that belongs on a better album.  "The Motto" is curious and creepy and would sound more at home on Tical 2000: Judgment Day than here.  It even features some good classic Wu-style rhymes like "Where the bastards at and where they habitats? / I send they asses back to foldin' sweaters at The Gap."

It's hard to misfire with RZA producing "The Turn" as Method Man and Raekwon trade verses, but anyone hoping for another "Meth Vs. Chef" came to the wrong place.  Rae tongue twists lovely near the end of his verse ("Rae we gotta generate lord, I feel the ditech, the mildew / Buy jets and vehicles, steal a little / We wrap up the whole rap government") but most noticeably disses Wu's first label, Loud Records.

Sadly, "The Turn" is track 7 out of 17 on Tical 0 and for my money it's the last good song on the album - and some might argue that that's being too generous, as RZA's beat is far from his best.  After that, there's 10 more tracks of Luda, club beats and missed opportunities.

Legacy:  Meth took a punch to the gut over this record.  Despite three or four good tracks, Tical 0 is mostly a series of misfires, nonsensical guest spots and attempts to please the lowest common denominator.  It's a painful listen for anyone, maybe the most for the Ticallion Stallion himself.  Maybe it's just me, but I can't help but feel like he got in the studio to make the record and just kept getting leaned on harder and harder by Def Jam (possibly its president Kevin Liles, who was Tical 0's executive producer) and Puffy to minimize the Wu/Meth sound and make it into a Def Jam Summer 2004 catalog.  Who knows.  But I stand by Tical 2000 as immensely underrated, and 4:21 The Day After and Wu Massacre have a lot of very solid tracks too.  Couple that with the verses we've heard from the upcoming Wu album A Better Tomorrow and it's true what Mr. Meth says: Never count him out, just count him in.

Recommended Tracks:  The Prequel, What's Happenin', The Turn.

Step Twenty Eight: Ghostface Killah: The Pretty Toney Album.

Artist:  Ghostface Killah
Album:  The Pretty Toney Album
Release Date:  April 20, 2004
Producers:  Various

Review:  Ironman and Supreme Clientele both absolutely killed and Bulletproof Wallets was - at the very least - a good album.  The Pretty Toney Album is Ghostface's fourth solo record in under eight years.  He's long since become the most prolific Wu general with a solo career, currently clocking in at 10 albums with an 11th on the way in 2015.  But turning out nearly a dozen albums in under 20 years doesn't mean anything if they're not good, so the question remains: is Pretty Toney a quality record?

Short answer: Yes.  Yes it is.

To date, my least favorite Ghost records have been Big Doe Rehab and Ghostdini: The Wizard of Emerald City - and that's not to say they're ostensibly awful albums; they just don't grab me the way some others do.  On the other hand, it wouldn't do Pretty Toney justice to simply say it's a pass or a fail; let's take a look at some of the individual tracks.

Opener "Biscuits" reminds me of one of my favorite things about Ghostface Killah.  Regardless of who's producing, he still finds the old-school soul-inspired music over which to rhyme.  Here it's True Master with syrupy horns and piano dipped in the 1970s providing the backdrop for comfortable verses by Ghost and Trife.  This immeasurably entertaining music permeates much of the rest of the record: "Beat the Clock," "Save Me Dear" and more sound like that perfect mixture of classic black cinema andthe tried-and-true Wu-Tang sound.

"Metal Lungies" is an interesting track because it's killer on its own but, as a huge fan of Masta Killa, I really love the alternate version that appears on his mix Masta Killa Presents: The Next Chamber, with Ghost's verse and one by MK (lifting a couple lines off his verse from his solo record track "Whatever") replacing the appearances by the admittedly competent Sheek Louch and Styles P.

Truth be told, I could do without "Tush."  That's not a judgment on Missy Elliott; it just lacks the fire that the first half of the album brings.  The lyrics are little to write home about either ("You wanna get up in my tush, tush, tush?  You could slide in the bush bush bush" and "If you ain't slurpin' you're better off jerkin'").  It and "Last Night" are just a six-minute lull before things kick back in with "Holla," a Ghostface-produced track that brilliantly samples The Delfonics to keep the feel of the album alive.

By the time the album nears its end with "Be This Way" and "Tooken Back," it should be apparent that Pretty Toney is just a pleasure to listen to.  It may lack a little of the lyrical finesse of Supreme Clientele that makes you stop what you're doing and listen on repeat in awe, but Ghost never turns in a rusty verse throughout this solid 49 minutes of rap.  It ends with a bang on "Run" and settles down with the end credits-esque "Love," which may as well be somebody saying "See?  I told you so.  Wu-Tang is forever, motherfuckers."  It's just that enjoyable.

Legacy:  I got really heavy into Ghostface a year or two after this, with the seemingly back-to-back releases of Fishscale and More Fish (which are coming soon on the Map), so it's interesting to see him hammer out his distinct style on Supreme Clientele and Pretty Toney before breaking into those.  Supreme Clientele is probably Ghost's best in his portfolio, though I'd rank 12 Reasons to Die a close second.  Even still, despite those highlights, Pretty Toney is a quality listen - especially musically.  It also comes just before Method Man's Tical 0: The Prequel, which is - I'm sorry Meth - a terrible album, so it's good to see GFK holding down the fort before Meth's least impressive album.

Recommended Tracks:  Metal Lungies, Biscuits, Run.