Since Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) was released in 1993, fans have been picking their favorites from the nine emcee group from Staten Island. Personally, i enjoy every member of the Wu-Tang Clan, but my personal favorites are Gza, Ghostface, Masta Killa, and Inspectah Deck. Inspectah Deck is one of the lesser known members of the Wu-Tang Clan due to his lack of commercial exposure. It seems to me that the "Rebel INS" wants to make his presence known, and does on his brand new 2003 album The Movement. Inspectah Deck has always been a dope lyricist, but this time, he brings something new to the table. This album is without Rza's trademark dark Wu-Production, and its exchanged for newer producers. But the question still remains... Is The Movement good?... Yes and No... Read on...



Track List & Rating

1. Intro (NOT RATED)
2. City High (****)
3. That Sh*t (**)
4. Get Right (***)
5. The Movement (*)
6. Who Got It (****)
7. It’s Like That (***)
8. Shorty Right There f/ Street Life (**)
9. U Wanna Be (****)
10. Framed f/ Kool G. Rap and Killa Sin (***)
11. Bumpin and Grindin (*)
12. Vendetta (***)
13. The Stereotype (***)
14. That N*gga (***)
15. Big City (***)
16. Cradle to the Grave f/ Mojehan (****)




The Movement kicks off with "City High", which is exactly the right direction to where this album should be heading. Firstly, the subject matter and lyricism is the stand-out factor of this opening song. Basically, Inspectah Deck returns to his roots in the streets, and gives us an introspective view of the dangers, as well as his rise in hip-hop music. His lyricism and delivery is on-point, as his flow matches the beat perfectly. Speaking of the beat, dont expect any gritty Wu-Tang-ish noises on here. Instead we get a nice piano loop with some background vocals, only a tiny bit reminiscent of the production on Wu-Tang Forever, but lacking its darkness. Rza is already missing, but the track is still relatively good.

The Rebel INS treads into commercial territory on "That Sh*t".

Inspectah Deck removes himself from the gritty street stories to rap about materialistic things like clothes, women, and money. The production is overproduced and whack, making it sound like more of a clubbish, danceable track, which is not the usual for Deck. Never in my years as an avid Wu-Tang Clan fan would i think that i would hear Inspectah Deck lower his standards so low as to rap about this kind of subject. On the plus side, even when he tries to sell-out, is still an excellent lyricist, but unfortunately his subject matter is not that of which that i care about. Inspectah Deck's flow is on-point, but a bit simplistic and uninspired at times, proving that he merely placed this track on the album to sell. By the way, the chorus sucks too.

Skipping ahead from the average "Get Right" and the poor, sell-out track "The Movement", we get to "Who Got It", which a much more introspective track and a great glimpse into the mind of Inspectah Deck.

Firstly, the production is, once again, reminiscent of the production on Wu-Tang Forever, featuring its ominous background vocals and melancholy violin and drum medley. In my opinion, the beat is a great fit to Inspectah Deck's lyricism. Deck's flow is on-point, his vocabulary and wit is exemplified, and his subject matter is rellevent. We get a mix of mental introspection, and proudful old-school Wu-styled braggadiocio. Deck's clever punchlines, though there are few on this track, are very plentiful and tight to listen to: "I supply the fire, let your headsets be the bomb, One song, give you pipe dreams like Cheech & Chong, Got dough, cop and go, all else breeze along, Be strong, the high last four weeks long, Get your eat on, she'll hold you til the fever is gone, Got you cold sweatin', and up creepin' til dawn, Wide eyed, off the side, no sleepin' on morn', O.D.'ing, just the side effects, so, please be warned"

With a title like "Shorty Right There", its easy to see why i would think this was commercial. However, it aint as bad as it sounds.

Inspectah Deck and Street-Life come together on this track to dedicate a song to the females. The name of the game here is comical and humorous mysogony, by a Wu-Tang core member and a Wu-Tang affiliate. Though the track has its lyrical highlights, it falls due to boring subject matter (its not as clever as it could be), a terrible chorus, and a remarkably boring instrumental. The track, in my opinion, serves as filler, yet i was told it was one of the highlights. Basically, you might like this, but you can easily smell the commercialism leaking in through the headphones. Its obvious with lines like this: "Yo, excuse me Miss Thang with your nose ring, The way your body swing, you make a n*gga wanna sing, I can tell by the bling-bling, you like the finer things, And you highly motivated by what money brings".

"U Wanna Be" is luckily, one of the album's highlights.

Inspectah Deck turns up his juices, aiming his aggression towards fake rappers who sell-out and speak fiction in their rap. His vocabulary improves as he hits us with a multi-syllable flow, tight delivery, and tons of narratives and such. Deck completely rips it down in one of my favorite tracks on the album. The only downfall of the track is the fact that it is a tiny bit hypocritical due to the direction that Deck is taking on this album, and the fact that his lyricism is uninspired and simplistic during parts of the song like when he raps "Put the money on wood, make it all good, Then make arrangements, I'm bringin' my hood", which sounds like a f*ckin 50 Cent song. However, that doesn't take away from a good lyrical display and an excellent song. Check this out: "See, they rent cars and jewels to fool you, In the video, actin' like, that's how they really flow, But only a low percentage know, Only five every hundred make dough, they say so, Oh, you got a rollie plus a six point o, But no, you're not authentic, you're just for show".

Right now The Movement begins to go downhill.

Inspectah Deck sells out on "Bumpin and Grindin".

Behind a terribly synthesized jiggy beat, Inspectah Deck raps a club anthem, which is very unlike the rapper, or at least i thought. His lyrics are uninspired and simplistic, showcasing very little intelligence. The chorus is mediocre and the beat is terrible, as well as the lyrics, therefore i see no reason to listen to this song whatsoever.

"Vendetta" and "Stereotype" are both slightly average and overrated tracks which both suffer from poor production and similar subject matter. Inspectah Deck basically gives the underground props, claiming that hip-hop is about to change. They are very skippable in my opinion. "That N*gga" is a commercialized track which is only saved by the production and the clever punchlines that Inspectah Deck throws at us. Otherwise, EASILY skippable.

Inspectah Deck tries to bring the album on an uphill climb with "Cradle to the Grave", and succeeds.

The Rebel INS returns to his introspective eye, giving us saddening tales about struggling through life. Deck dedicates the song to everybody who has ever had a trouble in their lifetime and suffered lost loves, relating to his own loss of his friend. Inspectah Deck's variety is shown on here as he gives his opinion on death and its effects on loved ones and those around the dying individual. His lyricism is deep on this track, which is something he has lacked thusfar. His rhymes are thought-provoking and well-written, sort of like his older days. The beat is soft and fitting, as well as the chorus, which isn't anything groundbreaking, but its alright. Here is a good example of his lyrics: Is Heaven any different from Hell? Is it worth the battle?, In search of Heaven I can get trapped too, Sometimes I wanna join you, take my place upstairs, But I'm not ready to leave my family in despair, I know if you was here you'd be rockin' the latest Nike Airs, All the fires gear burnin' one, totin' hardwear, Or we hit Lennox, check precise set of Lexus, Check the message on the pager; 'it's two bucks the next chicks'"

The Movement isn't a completely terrible album, but its not good whatsoever. Its sort of like comparing the first two albums from Ras Kass. Inspectah Deck's lyricism has drastically fallen off since his days with the Wu, and has attempted to go more commercial and appeal to the masses. As usual, this sickens me due to the fact that Inspectah Deck could possibly the most talented lyrical mind among the ranks of the Wu-Tang Clan. Besides the fact that Rza produces absolutely no tracks on this album, do NOT expect a "Wu-Tang solo album sounding" LP whatsoever. Because not only is the production very, very distant from the Wu-Tang sound, but so are the lyrics. Inspectah Deck has distanced himself heavily. Basically, i recommend this album, but dont expect to hear any Wu-Tang-esque lyrics or anything superbly creative or unique here...

2.5 Stars





Recommended: Yes