How to make a classic: Uncontrolled Substance - 4.5..5 mic?!?! tracklist

I been sitting on this one for a while.

BACKGROUND

As I transition my cd collection into my phone and such, I’ve been making super playlists of all my favorite albums. Basically ive been collecting every MC’s complete eras of music. This brought me to finishing my wu move when I came upon the little loved Uncontrolled Substance (US). When I bought this album, October 5, 1999, I was underwhelmed. Released into a crowded 4th quater of 1999, it was one of 5 Wu-General releases to drop from the summer to winter 1999 and it may have been the weakest of them all (Ha , no that was U-God). Plagued by little to no wu collabos, already a standard by 1995, and a tracklist filled with slower paced , mid tempo 3 verse epics with very little energy; it was destined not to be. Deck would remain a head in Wu-Tang, but his solo dreams would fizzle; sad for an MC that reached heights that GOATs never reach.

For years I put it to the side. It was like the 8th best 2nd round album, and might not even break top 20 wu albums of all time. As the years went by and I learned more about its general fuckup of release and began seeing the album differently. Originally the album was promoted to be released in Summer 1998 with what was promised to be a slew of features showcasing the entire clan and more interestingly, was to be exec produced by raekwon and ghostface. RZA stated he never got to mix the album; did he also not sequence?

In Summer/Fall 98 a promo Advance leaked featuring what would be most of the album. Few wu features, subtle changes from the final release such as the tracks Nightshift, The Settlement and SemiAutomatic being present and a new sequence. That album was not it; and even with the extra tracks INS would add (Forget Me Not, Hyperdermix, The Cause, etc) it was too little too late when it dropped.

As I did more research on the album I saw an interesting bit of information from 1998. In a promotion for Funk Flex’s Vol. 3, it was reported that along with “Wu/Cream Team Lineup” which would feature as the first single for the mixtape, a “INS song featuring the Wu-Tang Clan from his album will be featured” as promotion for INS. That song ended up being “Lay Ya Hammer” and I always thought it was odd that this wasnt on US as it has the same soul sound, and actually has some energy compared to the ones on US. This piece of information flipped my head because combined with The Swarm releasing 2 VINTAGE Deck “songs” in the 1996 sounding “SOS” and the unofficial “Assassination Day” sequel “Execute Them”. These songs, combined with the cut songs, and the LOUD records owned tracks like Tru Master, Tres Leches and Make Cents, it made me think what a Re-Release could look like. What a proper Inspectah Deck classic would be.

VERSE HEAVY / LACK OF BANGERS / NO CLAN

So I looked at the album objectively and tried to figure out what the new sequence would be. The album has 40 Deck verses to 11 collabs (4 of which are 8 bars long). Compare that to previous wu albums like Cuban Linx (41 verses , 18 solo to 23 collabs), Ironman (44.19-25), and Supreme Clientele (40. 22-18); its oddly out of balance. Im not forced to delete solos so I wont right now but maybe later.


US begins with a throwaway “Intro” and moves right into “Movas and Shakas”. “Movas” is a mid tempo soul fip, 3 verse typical intro track. It doesnt have the energy of many of the classic INS tracks but it fits with what INS wanted the sound of the album to be which is a block party vibe. Personally, Deck doesnt work over beats like that as much as he does the HARD wu sound. This is evidenced when “9th Chamber” starts and takes the energy up a level right away. The album starts fine, but from “9th Chamber” is where the problem starts. After “9th Chamber” we are brought into “Uncontrolled Substance”, another slower paced soul flip with 3 verses. This doesnt help when the next song is the even slower paced “Femme Fatale”. From there you’d think the energy would rise fast with the racing themed “Grand Prix” with the lineup from the ultra banger “Semi Automatic”; but it doesnt. “Grand Prix” is a weaker “Semi Automatic” with a beat that barely keeps you interested no matter what the MCs do. Deck won Verse of the Month in The Source for one of these verses, but this song does nothing for me. “Forget Me Not” follows it up, taking the energy down again despite being a good song that has a good groove.

Why is this album starting off so slow? INS is known for his rapid fire flow and delivery as well as lyrics, but everything is so laid back. The album never gains momentum almost half way through the album and only one REAL BANGER in “9th Chamber”. “Longevity” is the first traditional Wu banger to show up after at track 8. From there the album settles into the good meat of the album in my opinion despite the bangers really not being there. “Word On The Street” and “REC Room” bring energy, but the lead singles which were picked because of that energy, dont show up until halfway and at the end of the album. A head scratcher for sure. “Elevation”,”Lovin You” and “Trouble Man” are laid back but heavy grooves; all good songs. “Friction” is a great RZA track featuring a Wu sound but I wouldnt call it upbeat or anything featuring Masta Killa afterall whos slow flow is at its best on this song. The same goes for “Hyperdermix”. All of these songs are good, and would be featured at the end of an album to take it down anyway; but when theres really NOTHING to take it up but 3-4 tracks, thats a problem. Wu-Tang was built on tracks like “Bring da Ruckus” and “CREAM”. You need both sound to really get the most out of an album. With the energy down and INS going on 3 bar tours solos through most of the records, I think people get lost. I admit I Love the second half of the album pretty much the way it is. “The Cause” does nothing for me, “Show & Prove” more in line with the ending song on a Wu album; reminiscent of “BIBLE” and “Northstar”. The beginning need work though.

The album strings 2 “live” freestyles at the end of “Movas and Shakas” and “Rec Room”. Keeping this idea in mind, I tried to envision something Loud would release. They own all of these songs. So if energy and collabs are what this album needs, give it right away.



Inspectah Deck - Uncontrolled Substance (Wu Classic Version)

01-Tru Master Verse (Intro) (Pete Rock)
02-Lay Ya Hammer ft Wu-Tang Clan (RZA)
03-Movas and Shakas (RZA)
04-9th Chamber ft B9, Killa Sin, Streetlife & La The Darkman (4th Disciple)
05-Semi Automatic ft Ugod/Streetlife (RZA)
06-Uncontrolled Substance ft Shadii of Force MDs (Mathamatics)
07-Execute Them ft Wu-Tang Clan/Streetlife (RZA)
08-Longevity ft U-God (True Master)
09-Nightshift (True Master)
10-Forget Me Not (VIC)
11-Stay Bent ft IGT (Alchemist)
12-Rap Burglars ft Raekwon (Mathamatics)
13-Elevation (Inspectah Deck)
14-Lovin You ft La The Darkman (True Master)
15-Trouble Man (Pete Rock)
16-REC Room (True Master)
17-SOS ft Streetlife (Inspectah Deck)
18-Femme Fatale (Inspectah Deck)
19-Friction ft Masta Killa (RZA)
20-Hyperdermix (Inspectah Deck)
21-Tres Leches ft Prodigy/Big Pun (RZA)
22-Show & Prove (Blaquesmiths)
23-Common Denominator Freestyle ft Carlton Fisk & Streetlife(?)


EXPLANATION

The “Tru Master” verse is the perfect jump off and the double banger intro of that with “Lay Ya Hammer” right away sets it off. Both beats are in the same wheelhouse as “Movas” but with much more energy. “9th” now sounds like the killah beez coming in to earn their spot after the giant wu general posse cut. Now instead of standing alone, its hype is built up even more with the explosive “Semi Automatic”. 6 tracks in, instead of 3rd, the second 3 verse solo “Uncontrolled Substance” is now welcomed for its downbeat and longer verses surrounded by bangers with multi man features at the beginning. It is followed up with 2 classic wu bangers “Execute Them” and “Longevity” which seem to fit together like a glove one after another. The 3rd solo song, INS’s best, “Nightshift” continues the darker wu tone but also spreads it out with the soul sample in the beginning, blending the two vibes. That perfectly transitions into “Forget Me Not” which makes track 9/10 the first time solo’s double up after a string of collabs. “Forget’s” slow tempo with heavy rhythm leads into the EARLY Alchemist produced “Stay Bent” which has a similar tempo, but is opposite in vibe being a sinister banger counteract the smooth commercial cut. “Word On The Street” is replaced with the just flat out superior “Rap Burglars” which features the same second Deck verse, classic raekwon feature/hook and one of the HARDEST Mathamatics beats of all time. This wasnt released until the mid 2000s and really helps keep the records momentum. I “like” “Word”, I love “Rap Burglars”.

From there the album flows as normal. “Elevation” to “REC Room” undisturbed. These slower songs I hope will be more appreciated after only 3 slower joints in the beginning and the slew of bangers that surround them. “Trouble Man” is the best record on the album and that doubles up with the lead song and probably most loved solo “REC Room” making it spot to showcase Deck as a solo artist. “Nightshift/Forget Me Not” and “Trouble Man/REC Room” are the 4 best solo songs on the album, if youre going to to accentuate Deck as a soloist, do it with his best songs.

From there I kinda had a problem because honestly theres too much material for the album. Cuts had to be made but because I can cheat I will. “SOS” follows “REC” as they both have a similar old school sound and the horns on “SOS” blend with the “Trouble Man” as well. "SOS" sounds off and begins an impending doom that covers the album like a cloud as the sound switches back to the Wu sound by the end from the row of smooth joints. “Femme Fatale” I do like as a song, I just hate it in the beginning of the record. it straddles both sounds with its soul break and weird licks. It works well in the slower end of the album, and fit with vibe of “Friction” and “Hyperdermix” while having the soul love song vibe akin to “Lovin You” and “Trouble Man”. This makes it a great transition to “Friction” which comes off as more of a banger after the slower “Femme” than the hyper “REC”. That “impending doom” is built up from “SOS” to the mysterious “Femme” and “Friction”, ultimately to “hyperdermix” with its eerie atmosphere. This flows perfectly into the ultimate dark banger on the album “Tres Leches”.

“Show & Prove” ends the album in the same vein of traditional wu albums. Thats about 80 minutes right there. However, since the album ends with a streetlife collab and features freestyles after key songs; why not just add one? “Common Denominator” is like a throwback wu track we would see over the years get released on albums like “16th Chamber” on 8 Diagrams. It features Meth in an ancillary zone where he only does the intro/hook but not featured like on “Liquid Swords”. It also features the original PLO Crew as seen on Tical before Carlton Fisk went to jail. Meth not being on this album bothered me as INS was on his, but with the wu collab at beginning, this serves its purpose after those freestyle teases. It gives the vibe of the “original” US that never came to be.

Instead of 4 back to back solo spots, less than a handful hard bangers and even fewer collabos, we get an album filled to the brim of bangers and slower joints going back and forth more naturally, building on momentum and switching sounds the entire record.

SUMMARY

I actually made this mix years ago and it seems every few years I come back to it and cant get enough. Maybe its because I never got into the album so it almost sounds new to me now, or maybe because the mix is just superior. I think this shit works. This is my most played playlist on my iphone over 10 years as I listen to it over and over almost more than any wu album. This leads me to believe this is the 4.5/5 Mic US. It already exists. You dont need to remake the album or give it different beats. It always existed you just gotta put the art together. Loud owns all these songs, and I would love to see an alternate release like what SONY did with I Am recently this year with its alternate tracklist.

If I was to make this more real, to match with supreme, cuban, etc, id eliminate femme, common, stay bent, sos and prolly cut a verse off here and there from some of the solos. But i dint gotta and I like these songs fine.

I figure everyone has these songs but if anyone would like the download for it mixed together instead of mix max tracks, PM me.


Anyway. Theres goes my Friday. Hope someone checks it out this way. BANGER.

got asked for links quick so just here:
https://mega.nz/file/wyhmSAYY#lh_Tu1...KdVzbbrjck3Xco