All I have to say is... It's about time...

The ninth member of the Wu-Tang Clan and the only one to never release a solo album, Masta Killa, has finally dropped one, and I for one am giddier than a horny school girl. Masta Killa has always been the quiet member of the Wu, keeping to himself a lot and dropping his verses when need be. He didn't have many premier spots on Wu joints, and perhaps is best noted for his jaw-dropping final verse on "The Mystery of Chessboxin'" from Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). He's always stolen the microphone whenever he was on it, and hardcore Wu-Tang fans have begged for a solo release since all the way back in 1993. Finally, in 2004 (duh), Masta Killa drops No Said Date, and it couldn't have come at a better time. In an era where those amongst the ranks of the Wu have drastically fallen off, and we've been treated to average-to-garbage albums from Ghostface, Raekwon, Rza, and Method Man, Masta Killa finally has arrived to bring us all back to what made the Wu so lovable before: well-written and hungry lyrics, gritty production, and subject matter. This album delivers on all three, as Masta delivers the lyrics, and surprisingly, Rza mans the boards and provides excellent beats, probably his best in years. A return to the gritty Rza is only one of the many dope production moments found here, as well as production from True Master and Mathematics to even it out. So journey with me back to 1993 all over again.


Track List & Rating

1. Born Chamber (NOT RATED)
2. Grab the Microphone (***)
3. No Said Date (*****)
4. Last Drink (***)
5. Love Spell (***)
6. The Future (NOT RATED)
7. D.T.D. (Do The Dance) f/ Raekwon & Ghostface Killah (***)
8. Whatever f/ Streetlife & Prodigal Sunn (****)
9. Secret Rivals f/ Killah Priest & Method Man (***)
10. Skit (NOT RATED)
11. Digi Warfare f/ Rza & U-God (***)
12. Old Man f/ Ol' Dirty Bastard & Rza (***)
13. Queen (*****)
14. High School f/ Rza (*****)
15. Silverbacks f/ Inspectah Deck & Gza (*****)
16. Masta Killa (*****)



By Himself

We kick things off the right way. "Grab the Microphone" kicks the album off with what I was speaking about before. Instead of relying on a flashy, gimmiky beat for him to spit over, the production is minimalistic and grimy as if it was 1993 all over again. Only true Wu-Tang Clan fans can truly experience the feeling of joy that is given from hearing this beat, and lyrically, Masta Killa is indeed here. However, sad to say despite of what the hype may have you believe, Masta Killa isn't as lyrically potent as one would expect. Some parts of his verses mention "clubs" and "glocks", which isn't neccessarily bad, but the rhymes that accompany it come off as cliched and simple. However, looking past these miniscule shortcomings you'll soon hear Masta Killa's traditional calm, expressive braggadiocio rapping style with his trademark calm, storytelling flow. Trust me, it's good enough for fans of his.

However, it's with the title track ("No Said Date") that Masta Killa truly proves his worth as a dope lyricist and a worthy member of the Wu-Tang Clan. Beatwise, we've given a much more upbeat joint featuring fast flute repetitions, along with some melodic violins which fit beautifully. The beat by itself is enough to raise the rating, but Masta Killa ups his calmness and actually gets excited and aggressive on the song, just ripping the track up. Fans of Masta Killa's extremely complex, vocabulary-driven style will find a lot to love about this joint as he proceeds to spit his braggadiocio rhymes laced over this memorable beat. This song is the true introduction to the album, as he finds time to summarize the various topics he'll speak of on the forthcoming LP.

"Love Spell" finds Masta Killa leaving his "comfort zone" and entering pseudo-R&B, radio-friendly pop-joint territory. Granted, I like the beat, the background R&B singing, and the lyrics (even though they sound a bit cliche and uninspired during some key moments), the idea of the song sort of bothers me. The song gets quite annoying after one or two listens, and even though Masta Killa's descriptive pleas for his woman are quite refreshing to hear from a normally serious emcee, it doesn't fit as well as it can. However, the song is far from being a sell-out song and only serves to be a jam "for the ladies". "Queen" follows the same subject matter, but is a million times better. Not only the piano melody a beauty to behold in it's own right, but the lyrics are complex, well-written, and actually potent to the subject matter. Not much to say about the song except that I like it a lot.

No Said Date finally comes to an end with the unbelievably raw "Masta Killa", which is braggadiocio at its finest. Lyrically, Masta Ace dominates the song with some of the best verses I have ever heard him spit, using complex vocabulary, descriptive narratives, and jaw-dropping lyrical performance. Beatwise, all I have to say is WOW. The unbelievable use of oriental violins and xylophones put together to create a very mystifying, kungfu-like beat fitting with the underlining factor that the Wu-Tang Clan are the dangerous samurai warriors of hip-hop. The Bruce Lee samples should be noted as being perfectly fitting. This song is the perfect mix of beat, lyrics, and subject matter and the PERFECT closure to the album.


...With the Clan

You might be wondering: "Big D, where is the Clan???"

Well the Clan is here, and pretty much all the guest spots here are by core members of the Wu-Tang Clan or Wu-Tang Affiliates, which is as refreshing as it gets. Goodness. It's been SOOOOOOOOO long since we've heard Ghostface and Raekwon do a song together, and our wishes have at last been granted with "D.T.D. (Do the Dance)". Don't be fooled by the cliche title, the song is far from being commercial. Granted the song has its slow and boring moments, the Wu-members pick it up and show the same chemistry that we haven't felt in years. Lyrically, the song screams dopeness, but the beat is sorely lacking energy and pizazz. It's hard to explain, but it just didn't click, plain and simple.

"Secret Rivals" has the potential to be one of the illest cuts on this entire album, but, plain and simple, the beat is WHACK. It's annoying stringing of piano and how it turns on and off gets unbelievably annoying and gives me a headache listening to it, and I'm being honest. Any song that gives you a headache doesn't deserve anything higher than a 4 rating. The beat is awful, but Priest comes potent, as well as Masta Killa and surprisingly, Method Man is quite ill on it. His aggressive flow and actual use of vocabulary is definitely a testament to his potential and its too bad that his new album, not to mention all of his recent work, has been garbage. Lyrically, the song excells, but it's a tragedy that I'll probably be skipping this song next time I put this in rotation.

Besides manning the boards, Rza drops in on several cuts as guest appearances. The first of which would be the slightly dissapointing "Digi Warfare". Beatwise, I'm really enjoying the eclectic grittyness of the beat and the various samples used throughout the production. Lyrically though, Masta Killa comes off as unbelievably uninspired, as if he purposely set the song to be filler. A lot of the lyrics are just plain whack. "Old Man" follows a similar formula of an ill beat, but seemingly uncreative lyrics. Granted on this joint, Masta Killa is much more direct and complex with a few of his punchlines, he's still lacking that neccessarily intelligence that he's displayed on so many classic Wu-joints in the past. The funky beat is definitely something to listen to, and Rza is admittingly dope on it, and ODB's chorus reminds us of how he used to be when he was high, and I love it. "High School" is definitely the BEST of the Rza joints. Beatwise, we get one of Rza's best composed beats since Iron Flag. The gritty drum loops, minimalistic bass, and bizarre background samples fit perfectly together to compose a beautiful beat, but it's Masta Killa's descriptive, street poetic lyrics that make this excellence in music. This complex narration style of rapping is exactly what I expected from this entire album, and sadly I didn't get it for it's entire duration.

The best song on this entire album is, without a doubt, "Silverbacks". My favorite Wu-Tang member Gza joints the star Masta Killa as well as a surprisingly dope Inspectah Deck, who off the heels of this mediocre album last year, is back to form supposedly. Everybody drops some of the best verses I've heard from the Wu in a long time. This is the closest that you are going to get to vintage Wu-Tang from the 1993-1995 era. Gza drops his prophetic rhyme style, fitting perfectly with Masta Killa and Deck, taking us back to the days of Wu crew joints like "Duel of the Iron Mic" and "Protect Ya Neck". Don't hesitate to download this joint as soon as possible.


Your going to be hearing a lot of nonsense about No Said Date being the best album of the year (like Ghostface, HAHA, yeah right), and being a near-classic. Ummm... No. Don't believe the hype, this album is not what it could've been or what it had the potential to be, but for what it's worth, I like it a lot. It feels so good to see the Wu-Tang back in form for this joint and returning to their hardcore roots that they set years ago. The long wait was definitely worth it. Granted the album isn't perfect at first, it really picks up near the end and certainly becomes essential listening for the traditional hip-hop enthusiast and a must-have for Wu-Tang fans. I sincerely doubt that the Wu will ever completely be back in form, but this album reminds us that there is indeed hope and that even if they don't reunite, we've still got people like Masta Killa feeding our appetites.

4 Stars







SIMILAR ALBUMS:

Inspectah Deck - Uncontrolled Substance

Ghostface Killah - Pretty Toney

Wu-Tang Clan - The W

Killarmy - Fear, Love, and War






Recommended: Yes