Forget Roc-A-Fella. Forget Murder, Inc. Forget Bad Boy. The Cream Team is the Dream Team of hip hop. That's why it should come as no surprise when the second generation of the Wu-Tang Fam, Sunz of Man, drops a hot LP. If you've been sleeping on these guys before, it's time to wake up.
The year 2002 has been extremely and uncharacteristically weak for new Wu-Tang releases. Ol' Dirty Bastard dropped the so-so album "The Trials and Tribulations of Russell Jones." Word is that various members, like Ghostface Killah and Method Man, are now in the studio working on LPs. Knowing how projects can fall apart like "peeww" (think Ghostface a la "Never Be the Same Again"), it wouldn't be a surprise to find out if it was all hype. Something that supposedly isn't hype is that GZA will release a new album called "Legends of a Liquid Sword" next month.
Despite losing Killah Priest, who went off on his own, the Sunz of Man crew, which consists of Prodigal Sunn, Hell Razah and the 60-Second Assassin, has not fallen off.
Proof of their lyrical ability shines on "All We Got (US)" as they trace back their history. "Date of birth '92 / The first group out of the Wu / 10 years paid our dues / Of writin' these jewels."
Another track where they lay down dope lyrics is on "Black or White": "Different world, same characters / In the facts of life, it's your jeopardy to sell out / When the price is right / I'm your turn for the wheel of fortune / Who want a spin?"
"Banksta'z" is a hot track with a banging hook featuring RZA and 12 O'Clock. Bobby Digital comes through nicely, spitting lines like "My street officials / Is bustin' through this municipal / Building. And snatch back the interest off my principle / My bank account is strictly all digital / High royalty residuals / My staff be made invisible." This is why he's the most talented member of the Wu Fam: He can rhyme and produce -- like Dr. Dre, only better.
The lead single, "Saviorz Day," features the one and only Ghostface Killah spitting flames. "Just imagine if we were all were one page / Think alike / A, B alike, C alike / The prophet of knowledge is needed like / With Satan off my back I'm at peace at night / No more cops, no more Rodney Kings / No more peekin' out the curtain with the rifle by any means." Ghostface has always given much respect to Malcolm X, and he does it again with reference to the famous picture of Malcolm X looking out of his window with a rifle.
"Honey Tree" is a warning for all young girls not to get caught up in the game of sex. Sunz chronicle the trials and tribulations of a 15-year-old as she drops out of school, has a baby and deals with all the drama it brings.
While there's no Earth, Wind or Fire featured on this album, there are plenty of appearances, including Compton rapper MC Eiht and lesser-known cats like Ancient Coins, Madam D, Makeba Mooncycle and 2 on the Road.
Various producers do most of the beats for this album, a good thing if you like hearing varied beats. No doubt it is less repetitive than an entire album produced by Timbaland, and that keeps the LP fresh. Some of the tracks, especially "S.O.M.," sound like a RZA joint, but it's done by Linx, who also produced six other tracks. The most disappointing part of the album is the absence of RZA-produced tracks. While the other producers do a decent job, it's not like you'd be checking to get the instrumental album.
Identities are an important part of emceeing, and most rappers rely on a created persona to add personality and flavor to an album. E-40 uses his own vocabulary, The Coup are socially conscious and P. Diddy steals lines from other artists. The Sunz of Man doesn't fit any categories like that, and it's even harder to differentiate between the different group members' personalities. When you listen to a Wu album, you know who's who. Raekwon's the Chef, RZA's got the gruff voice and Ghostface sounds like he just took a hit of helium. But establishing distinctions to identify Prodigal Sunn and 60-Second Assassin is crucial if S.O.M. is to have any long-term success.
The worst part of the album is the skits. "The Cause," featuring Method Man, is nothing but a 31-second clip of him babbling. This follows for other skits which "feature" RZA and Ghostface.
"Saviorz Day" is a nice LP. Prodigal Sunn, Hell Razah and the 60-Second Assassin are above-average lyricists that are blessed to be affiliated with the Wu. When you're down with the Wu, it gives you a much better chance of being heard, because die-hard Wu fans will give you a listen just because you're rolling with the Cream Team. Granted, they're not the Wu-Tang Clan, but they're next in line. Currently, "Saviorz Day" is the hottest release from the Wu-Fam this year, but that doesn't mean this is a classic by any means. So how should we think of Sunz of Man? In "All We Got (US)," they tell us: "We ain't regular MCs, we prophet MCs." Time will tell.
Read More
The best albums of 2014
By Noah Zeidman | December 4, 2014Across genres, it has been a pretty great year in music.
Top 10 movies of 2014
December 4, 2014This has been an excellent year for film, offering everything from gripping blockbusters to innovative personal films.
Iggy Azalea is “Reclassified”
December 4, 2014It has become common practice among music artists to repackage their albums in an effort to simultaneously boost single sales and dish out new content by slightly renaming the album or slapping “Deluxe” onto the title.
