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REVIEW:
Overall Rating:
 
Lyrics:
Beats:
Written By: J. Samuel Abbott
[Crimson
Staff Writer /www.thecrimson.com]
Anyone who
heard the stellar “Biochemical Equation,” the collaboration
single between the Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA (who did the
soundtracks of both Kill Bill films) and indie-hop
supervillain MF Doom last month had good reason to be
excited for this project.
I was dusting off my liquid sword, getting ready to
guillotine heads once more. RZA wails, “Strong as the base
of a mountain, there’s no countin’, how many MC’s have
sprung from our fountain!” in his best verse since his
paranoid rant on “4th Chamber” ten years ago. MF Doom shows
up, demolishes the mic, and promptly leaves. What could beat
a whole album of such hip-hop transcendence?
But after hearing the follow-up full-length “Dreddy Kruger
Presents Think Differently Music: Wu-Tang Meets the Indie
Culture,” listeners may be forced to admit that despite
momentarily flashes of brilliance, the Wu will never return.
The compilation comes off as a soulless, unfocused mixtape,
scraping the bottom of the underground rap barrel.
Why does this release deserve the Wu-Tang logo? It isn’t the
flat, lifeless tracks. Could it be the absurd (not Ghostface-nonsensical,
just incoherent) lyrics, or the half-hearted Nation of Islam
references?
Other genuine Wu members GZA and U-God show up, but their
contributions are forgettable. In fact, the only real
Wu-Tang reference point is 1997’s “Forever,” the bloated,
lifeless double album that marked the start of their slow
demise.
The compilation’s beats, mostly produced by Wu satellite
producer Bronze Nazareth, suck. They all chug along
painfully at the same plodding tempo, with the same drums,
the same string samples, the same disembodied voice.
They are neither funky, nor ominous, nor reminiscent of
anything but the worst of Bobby Digital-era RZA, despite
what the over-excited liner notes (“Bronze’s beats are all
like Rza’s sound!!”) may claim. The beat to “Cars on the
Interstate” is a complete rip-off of “Bring The Pain,”
Method Man’s devastating classic from 1994, and serves only
to rekindle nostalgia for Shaolin glory days.
Thrown on top of these comatose beats are performances by
about a thousand other underground rappers, including decent
verses from R.A. The Rugged Man, J-Live, and C-Rayz Walz.
But for every passable lyrical dart, there are ten
embarrassing performances. Remember Vast Aire, from indie
superduo Cannibal Ox? He delivers perhaps the most
uninspiring, arrhythmic set of bars in recent hip-hop on
“Slow Blues.”
What are the album’s strengths? Well, there’s the RZA joint.
Also, there are two irrelevant (albeit awesome) tracks by
Del Tha Funky Homosapien, who did his best work before the
Wu even existed.
On “Fragments,” he sings off-key, raps conversationally, and
generally acts bizarre, to great effect. “Preservation,” a
duet with Aesop Rock, lyrically shines brighter than any
other track.
The saddest part lies is in the brief “ODB Tribute” in the
middle of the album. A shining example of the difference a
good producer can make (DJ Noize in this case), the track
mixes samples of the best of Dirt Dog with Ghostface, Nas,
schoolchildren shouting “ODB!”, Richard Pryor, and “Four
Weddings And A Funeral.” It has to be heard to be believed.
Dreddy Kruger, the Wu satellite member behind the whole
venture, fails to really understand that classic Wu-Tang is
the true source of the “indie culture” referred to in the
album title. Every Wu-Tang record from 1993’s “36 Chambers”
to 1996’s “Ironman” has profoundly affected the sound and
image of underground rap.
This album, however, is about as well-conceived a
collaboration as “The Flintstones Meet The Jetsons;” because
the two components are so similar, such a hyped-up dualism
comes off as both basely exploitative and shamefully
derivative.
Those of us who were hoping for a Killa Bee resurrection
will be sorely disappointed. After all the missteps, stabs
at commercial success, and the absence of a unified
production, present-day Wu-Tang sounds dilated, sluggish,
and, worst of all, irrelevant. Regrettably, this album comes
not to praise Wu-Tang, but to bury them.
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REVIEW:
Overall Rating:
 
Lyrics:
Beats:
Written By: Simone Wilson
[www.ucsdguardian.org]
From the
churning sea of Wu-Tang affiliates emerges the multitalented
Dreddy Kruger, who envisioned a project that would unite the
cream of the underground hip-hop crop with their Wu-Tang
Clan forefathers, all backed by RZA beats echoing his
legendary mid-’90s sound. The product explodes with talent
and energy, but falters slightly in the process of
experimentation.
RZA’s nostalgic production — helped by Bronze Nazareth,
Allah Mathematics, DJ Noize, and Preservation — is thumping
and soul-drenched (though rinsed of its grittiness). GZA and
Ras Kass share a mic for the unbeatable “Lyrical Swords,”
followed by outstanding performances from Vast Aire, MF
Doom, Casual and Tragedy Khadafi, among others.
But with such an array of contributors, a few misses are
inevitable. Most notably, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien hits
rock bottom with his pathetic excuse for a solo on
“Fragments,” and white she-rapper Byata grasps desperately
for some street cred, failing miserably. Such flops suggest
that Kruger dug a little too deep, accentuating the absence
of Clan authorities like Ghostface and Masta Killa. However,
any weak links in the lyrical chain are compensated for by
solid, uplifting production and an abundance of raw, quality
material — when Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture, there’s
barely a dull moment to be had.
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