Inspectah Deck is the one guy from the Wu that deserved the mid-90's RZA treatment but didn't get it. While GZA, Raekwon, Method Man, Ghostface, and ODB all dropped classic albums with RZA at the helm, Deck maintained his role as "one of the group" despite lyrical skills that rivaled any of the aforementioned. His solo debut, Uncontrolled Substance, didn't drop until 1999 and features only two RZA beats and, while I wouldn't put it next to Liquid Swords, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and so on, it's still a solid album. Despite the lack of in-his-prime RZA brilliance, the production is quality thanks to Wu-affiliated beat makers True Master, 4th Disciple, and Mathematics plus one track each from Pete Rock and Large Professor. Well-known as an incredible verse writer, Deck doesn't have the kind of range and subject matter that can effectively carry an entire album, which likely explains why his solo career was so low on the group's list of priorities. Nonetheless, on sheer lyrical skill and production alone, this album still ranks highly on the list of Wu-Tang solo efforts.
No comments:
Post a Comment