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REVIEW:
Overall Rating:
 
Lyrics:
Beats:
Written By:
The Reccollectah
Let’s take a dictionary before
we start reviewing the Watchmen album. There we can find the
following :
|
A
mission = an assigned or self-imposed duty or task;
calling; vocation.
Self-confidence = realistic confidence in one's own
judgment, ability, power, etc.
Ambition = the object, state, or result desired or
sought after |
Now that we
got that out of the way and everything is crystal clear ,
it’s time to start with the following statement :
The Watchmen are on a Mission to restore the faith in the
Wu brand, with an exceptional self-confidence and the
ambition to single-handedly save the Hip-Hop art form from
the commercial coma it’s in at present day…
Which is great news of course but do they have what it takes
?
The answer is : YES.
Hailing from Florida, this collective decided to debut to
the world with a double album … which is always a tricky one
, no matter what musical genre. As they had more than enough
quality tracks to choose from and couldn’t agree on what to
leave out, the Watchmen decided to say : “ Fuck it, let’s
just do this and go double !”
After listening to this album over and over again ( double
albums take time to sink in fully as I’m sure you will
agree) I can only cheer this brave strategy as they
definitely have got enough dopeness under their belt to
convince anyone out there of their combined talents.
Lyrically all rappers in this
collective hold their ground seemingly effortlessly, not one
comes out as being a weaker link: 7th 7ign, BlackMask,
Cipher, Eclypse , Pro and Prox … after hearing this album
everyone will have a favorite , none will be left out.
Personally I had a déjà-vu experience : just as in the early
nineties when first hearing the Wu, on every track I’m
intrigued to try and recognize each voice, flow and style
and put the correct name on it. For once I’m glad you can’t
find their lyrics anywhere on the net yet, leaving me the
full pleasure of discovering more and more with each
listening session. Just one example of how much these guys
believe in their talent: “If I needed one” . You might think
when seeing the title, this could be about anything really.
But it is a great statement as they are simply talking about
the chorus/hook. The moment the chorus should kick in , the
beat drops, you get an extremely effective organ and flute
while Blacmask goes “ This is where the hook would’ve been
if I needed one. Watchmen, motherfuckers and we’re number
one” . All the while you hear someone in the back
desperately screaming : “Where is the hook ? WHERE IS THE
HOOK ?!?” Classic from the first time you hear it, believe
me.
Production wise they leave a
very solid impression: biggest contributor of the group here
is Pro, a talent we’ll be enjoying for years to come , with
the ability to revitalize mc’s with his inspiring beats.
Just listen to Cappadonna reinventing himself on Assassins.
( If you read this, Cappa: get in the studio with the man
and kick up an entire album asap: You won’t regret it !)
But not only Pro gets behind the boards, also Blackmask and
7th Sign take up duties . I must say that Blackmask comes
out best of the latter 2 as I feel 7th convinces me more
behind the mic.
Wu symbolism is to be found
throughout this album to any Wu fan’s pleasure: e.g. the
group name not coincidentally starting with a W, 18 tracks
on each disc giving us 36 chambers to explore, kung fu
samples throughout the discs, the Wu-Mama intro on disc 2,
Wu and Killa Bee references all over, official approval by
Cappadonna on “Assassins, … plus I wouldn’t be surprised if
they have aimed at making a 2010 version of the legendary
“Liquid swords” track from GZA and RZA when they did “Throw
your hands up”. Just listen to the synth intro and the short
keys building the musical background just as in 1995 track.
Brave ànd dope, what more can one ask for ?
Highlights … Where do I start ??? After extensive listening
I can say from all 36 tracks there are about 4 I didn’t
really feel and would skip if necessary. The rest of the
bunch ranges from good to impressive: covering everyone’s
desires with furious bangas, sweet love songs, deep
Knowledge tracks, party anthems, summertime jams, …
If I had to name some personal favorites I’d go for
“Assassins”, “Touch of death”, “Apocalypse”, “2010”, “Man in
the Mirror”, … and the list goes on to be honest.
Final conclusion:
I hope the team behind the Watchmen finally stops postponing
the release date, this is something everyone needs to hear
as quickly as possible , period ! Cop this instantly upon
release, it’s too good to let this pass you by. It’s not yet
the classic album I’m convinced they have in them somewhere
in the future but it sure gets close enough for now.
Feel free to (dis)agree.
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