Top 5: Medical Kush, Raised In Hell, Return of the Renaissance, Kids In The Street, Dear Lord
Grade: 3.75/5 ...banger
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Top 5: Medical Kush, Raised In Hell, Return of the Renaissance, Kids In The Street, Dear Lord
Grade: 3.75/5 ...banger
this is quickly becoming a classic album, I've been checking up on him since the Blue Sky Black Death release, at this time I'd give this effort 4.5/5. vintage wu piece, best song, kids in the street produced by ayatollah.
haaa....$14 $15... you got luxury problems...
in germany you pay for shit like this
16 € = 21,7824 US-Dollar
Hope RaZah puts out an instrumental album to this album.
This album finally came after a long delay with delivery due to some fuck up from the company I ordered from. Anyway I have it now and i've so far given a couple of full spins and my initial reaction is that this is probably his best album to date.
This album is really cohesive, I think each song goes well with the next, Hell Razah really put a lot of thought into what he wanted the soundscape to be on this album.
I will do a more thorough review later when i've have a bit more time to take it all in but right now im ranking this up as SUPERIOR.
Glad to see Wu fans embracing this work of art. The first time I listened to the album I immediately had it in a class with Killah Priest's Heavy Mental without the features of course. I have been promotiing this album as one of the best for 2010 even thou the overall promotion of it is horrible. We gave away some free copies of it on www.wutangmanagement.com a month ago....Might need to give out a few more...Bless also check www.wutangradio 24-7-365 for WTC and affiliates music...and much more!!
I just got my copy today along with "Apollo Kids" They had ONE copy in the store. ONE COPY. Distribution is fucking horrible. On first listen this IS his best work Heaven Razah>Freedom of Speech>Renaissance Child>Razah's Ladder>Ultra Sounds...
Fear of God is my shit, he just rips that shit, no hook or any of that shit, raw spitting...this is a good day indeed.
what store was it that only had one left?
FYE and i had to travel all the way to the burbs to get it....45 min ride
post your review Hollow asap if you can, thanks man.
lol aight you gotta give me a week or 2, i gotta let this one soak in first..imma have one up thoughQuote:
Originally Posted by dafran
Feeling this album after 4-5 listens, only problem is that I wish some of the beats were more uptempo like "kids in the streets" & "Return of The Renaissance", I feel like im at the catholic church and they are playing that one tune where the lady is humming the whole time and the pope is waving smoke...the album is slow paced & Razah preaching through 3/4's of the album doesn't help, i feel like I'm at church waiting for the last prayer so i can get outta there, 3-4 more uptempo joints would've been better. Review coming in another 2 weeks, gotta let this soak in more.
The Arrival is my favourite intro to a song on any album, EVER, I love that shit.
i've never heard anything like it....Quote:
Originally Posted by Socrates92
it's not a song, it's an experience..
when i first got the album, a couple days later i had to drive up to LA at like 5 AM to meet somebody.....driving back down I blazed up and put this album on HIGH, with the sun rising and the mountains on one side, ocean on the other side, The Arrival was truly a religious experience...that joint, when listened to properly, sounds like the theme from Rocky being played by a huge orchestra ....
1. The Arrival (Intro)
Ok. Here we go. Get Ready for take off. Hell Razah is on some different shit with this album right here. Listen to this intro. You feel like you being levitated in the air listening to this shit. Listen to these lyrics, he is not playing any games on here. Very deep on this Intro. "They Took the image of Pac and gave you Kanye"......hmmmmm??? This man is going in. The beat is nice though. I'm feeling it, this track perfectly describes what this album is going to be about, if you're not ready take a step back. 4/5
2. Negro Angelitos
I'm not gonna lie, this beat is wack. Not feeling it. Besides that Razah's dartz on this are crazy, that picture he paints on here is VIVID. If you've been listening to Hell Razah since the beginning this shit should just hit you right on the head if it hasn't already. That first verse did it for me. Flawless rhyming. The second verse is even better, listen to his flow on that shit, listen to them lyrics, he starts heating up & heating up then he just cuts the verse short on us.
"Young Solomon my rap words form proverbs
Remain militant, most women wanna observe
We drink fine herbs, smell like frankincense and myrrh
Till my mind blood I'll mack like I'm Max Julien
Drop jewels make crews have to tuck jewelry in
Off one like Brand Nubian
Wisdom is better then rubies
You floss that'll attract groupies
While you fade away I stay alive where the truth be
Keeping Negro my eyes low there's bottles of dro'
Cuz after this ship I'm leaving here in UFO's"
3.5/5
3. Book of Heaven Razah
A nice smooth joint from Razah. One of my favorite traits from him, you're gonna get a smooth joint like this from him on his albums. Beat is nice on this one. The lyrics on this one are pretty deep, it took me awhile to catch em. He definitely is dropping jewels to his listeners, listen up! 4/5
4. Medical Kush
This is a nice chill joint, beat is cool. Lyrics make you forget all about the beat. He definitely is going in on this shit. Like it's too much to even type for this review to be honest. But his lyrics are just on a whole new level of rhyming. I'm waiting to hear this new Priest album now cause he's giving him a run for his money. Some of my standout lines are
"Brothers I love they done turned to haters
They all Judas so I gave them hangers
You Hindus they don't want the angers
I'm in PA in the shooting ranges
Coffee shop wit the newest Hagers
It's Star Wars without Ronald Reagan
And I'm a legend rap Larry Davis
Shooting at anything that's pagan"
This shit is raw & spiritual all in one. Hell Razah definitely stepped it up for this album. This is a pretty solid track, top 5 on the album. 4/5
5. Raised In Hell
Finally an uptempo track!! This shit goes in, I love how it first comes on then the beat drops, Razah just starts spittin on this shit, this sounds like some Razah's ladder shit to be honest. Hell Razah is slapping niggaz on the mic. Someone let this line though
"Tell these Clorox rapper this the new NY
Just because ??????????? I'll let 'em slide"
someone fill me in, I can't quite figure out what he's saying on that one right there. He's definitely taking shots at you know who, we don't need to discuss that. Anyways this is a solid track. 4/5
6. Fear of God
This is my favorite track on the album, this beat is just on some other shit, I can't really describe it, Hell Razah's lyrics just bring this shit to life, I feel like posting this whole verse down cause he is just going in on this shit "Jackie Robinson whips.....brooklyn dodgers" ha , my nigga Razah on some other shit.
***ok now peep this observation I made. Now him & Killah Priest are cool NOW. But idk if this was recorded before or after they resolved their beef but peep this.
"Every since I went solo I heard them taking shots on the low low
even though it broken my heart, why Manolo"
now we all know Manolo was Scarface's right hand man. (Priest in this case)
Now listen to his flow/voice from
"Ever since I was solo I heard 'em taking shots on the low-low
Even though it broke my heart, why? Manolo
I'm loco, can easily snap without a photo
The wrong one to come up on to get promo
Be with Silverback thugs, we give you bear hugs"
Now Priest been sounding like that on his recent shit lately, voice deep, slow flow...come on. To me that's a shot at Priest
****BUT THIS is all speculation. DON'T QUOTE ME. This is just something I noticed.
Anyways I'm giving this track a 4.5/5
7. Cinematic
Aight. I'mma keep it 100. This is a good story by Razah, I'm definitely feeling the concept on this one, but this is kind of boring to me. I think it's the beat. But I usually skip this one. But I definitely like how he uses the classic black flick characters and throws em on some street shit. 3.5/5
8. Return of the Renaissance (Feat. RA The Rugged Man)
Another uptempo joint. I'm feeling this shit. Both these dudes body the Mic. Hell Razah sets the tempo for this shit, I'mma be honest I'm not a fan of rugged man but he killed Razah on this shit
"As a Kid I wasn't interested in transformers,
wanted to be like Rambo and shoot rocket launchers"
ha, nice line right there. Solid track 4/5
9. Kids In The Street
Another banger, I'm feeling the street tale on this shit, Razah giving you these images man, we definitely need to step our game on these streets. I'm feeling the message on this one right here. This beat is fire on here too by the way. 4/5
10. A Brooklyn Tale (Feat. Shabazz the Disciple)
Shabazz took it on this one, back to that calm shit. Another street tale about people lost out here. I'm definitely feeling it, they touched the heart with this one right here. Story is clear is day on this one. When these two niggaz get on a track you know it's something good. 4/5
11. Selah
I'm feeling this one right here, this beat is real calming for real. Razah is bringing brothers together on this one. This is nice and short.
" I left hell in the elevator, next stop is the heaven razah" you can tell on this track. You get a different feel from Hell Razah on here, you can definitely tell it's a whole new persona on this album. I'm feeling it and I'm hoping we can get more. 4/5
12. Dear Lord
I'm not even gonna lie. I'm feeling the lyrics but this is kind of boring. I'm skipping this track 9.5/10 times it comes on. 3/5
13. My Testimony
This is the last track I actually play on this album, after this I'm hitting skip. It's hit or miss. I'm feeling the beat on here. Razah is solid on this shit, spitting that fire. As a Wu fan I must point this out
" bury them songs in that underground Wu ?????????"
Someone help me out with that one right there. After that line he says
"it's no beef just rest in peace"
hmmmmm??? Razah ok ok. This is a pretty solid track though. 4/5
14. Heaven on Earth (Featuring Timbo King)
Another boring track. I'm skipping this most of the time. Could've easily replaced this with something else. 3.5/5
15.Armageddon/Araboth
He could've ended the album off with something better to be honest. But this song does it job for the theme of this album. You gotta sit back and vision it. 3.5/5
Beats - 3.5/5
Lyrics - 5/5
Overall - 4/5
I wish there were some more uptempo joints on this album, this album runs kind of slow at some points to be honest. This album flows really well. I know I said before that this is his best work but I still need more time. The album does flow well, but I can take a track like "Smoking Gunnz" and it's better than half the songs on here. The lyrics on here definitely take you to another level. The beats could've been better to me, but they do the album some justice. I'm hoping we can get at least one more Heaven Razah album so I can see where this is going because I'm definitely Interested. ****Overall 4/5****
Thanks for your review Hollow, as always i share your thoughts this album is sick but i agree with the slow parts and don't like either the jabs thrown at the W but that's Razah's opinion, good work.
Man 100% with you there, I listen to it whenever I'm alone, just with that on and my thoughts.Quote:
Originally Posted by the silencer
'If I was born in the past I would of inspired Plato'
As someone who has Socrates in their username I really appreciate that line!
This song has already caught up with the most played on my Itunes, will be bumping it for a while.
embarrassed and disappointed in myself for not previously finding the time to review this album... cuz I've listened to it constantly since it dropped
I'm gonna try and challenge myself to bang this out real quick without exploding out some novel or scholarly essay...keep it short for once
1. The Arrival
more than a song, this track is an EXPERIENCE...play it at the right volume and you might levitate off the ground. I feel like Razah is trying to DRAG the listener up into higher consciousness. He also immediately introduces the metaphor for that kind of lift-off: UFOs, cosmic angels.
"My seven chakras rotate around like helicopters"
ABSOLUTE MOTHAFUCKING BANGER
5/5
2. Negro Angelitos
another monstrous banger, one of the album's best tracks. Rumbling bass, hauntingly smooth-tastic guitar string strummings, hard drums and literally UPLIFTING lyrics. Plus aliens chattering in the background with high-pitched voices.
5/5
3. Book of Heaven Razah
a beat culled from the farm of Hip Hop Purity. Goosebump-inducing. Memorable words in every bar and a great chorus.
"angelic sects more complex than ancient Sumerian texts
HOLD MY BREATH TIL IT'S ONLY VEGETARIANS LEFT"
you might catch on a year later
5/5
4. Medical Kush
when the snippets for this album came out on Amazon i immediately check this joint out.....and was actually totally disappointed by that little 30 second snip. New rule: don't trust snippets. It's a unique beat, unlike Bronze/Kevlaar's usual work, and it's become one of my favorites on the whole album. Head-knockin, foot-tappin' drum-CRACKIN dope melody with a dope theme. Razah's words from an asylum he was thrown in cuz of these supposedly crazy thoughts he's having ("had to throw away my blackberry/being followed by the military").
yet another great chorus, best one on the whole album too:
light up a bush o' that Medical Kush
push record on that pro tools board
THIS IS HISTORY BOOKS
5/5
5. Raised in Hell
there's plenty of great (some extremely great) tracks on this album but also a nice batch of stinkers or average joints, this is one of the latter. Beat is unspectacular and the lyrics are nice but nothing that stands out.
2.5/5
(I love this album but it's got flaws, mostly minor ones. It wasn't organized too well, doesn't flow great as an ALBUM because there's skipper material and no skits to help transition after the better stuff. It's also very top heavy, so many great tracks at the start and then it fades a little bit.)
6. Fear of God
prod by Jordan River Banks (of Godz Wrath)
when Godz Wrath was first droppin I wanted to hear everything they did...now they've seemingly become caricatures of themselves, every beat seems the same and they're immediately recognizable for the same sounds n elements..maybe it's just me, but I've gotten bored of them
Still, the drums bounce (as always) and Razah has many dope darts on this one
3/5
7. Cinematic
prod by 4th Disciple
so so so goddamn creative.. i could study this one for days and if you've seen even one or two of these blaxploitation flicks you'll be buggin at the references and how he ties it all into one encompassing story...
one of the better new 4th beats I've heard too...keepin it simple with an ILL loop
5/5
8. Return of the Renaissance ft R.A. the Rugged Man
oh jesus, I'll stay away from paragraphs of gushin cuz we all get the point..
Razah's flow is gatling flamethrower shit and Rugged Man does nothing but blow up mics
4/5
(i can't believe I'm sayin this but there's needed to be a SKIT or some kinda interlude here after that joint...we need to get a break to chill and reflect on all that was just thrown at us right there instead of going right into another ---totally sub-par---joint)
9. Kids in the Street
nice effects and the lyrics certainly ain't terrible (they are never are with Razah) but this is a skipper for me
2/5
10. A Brooklyn Tale ft Shabazz the Disciple
again, not a horrible song but I mostly skip this one...Shabazz and Razah provide their stories well but it just seems forced, like they stepped in with a formula, not enough heart in it
2.5/5
11. Selah
after a couple weak ones, the albm picks up again here...heavenly smooth beat, jewels spotted in a perfectly smooth flow and it's short. Nice track
4/5
12. Dear Lord
i try not to get carried away and give every good song a perfect 5 outta 5 but on some of these songs it's hard to find a flaw. I love everything about this track.
5/5
13. My Testimony
and after that great one, there's this weak unpleasant R&B voice confronting us.. the beat itself is pretty strong and the lyrics are nice tho he's using his art to air out disgruntled polemic at the Wu which "is what it is" but I hate to hear it
2.5/5
14. Heaven on Earth ft Timbo King
on the day I really dove deep into this album and had it playing over and over again on a very long drive, i remember this song coming on at point and hitting the perfect chord...Great track to drive to, the tempo is wonderful and this marvelous duo provides magnificent mic messages..
4/5
15. Armageddon
great close out right here...diametrically opposed lunar/solar, yin/yang, dark/light, heaven/hell, good/evil verses over a quick beat...Razah seems to gain steam over it with tons of dope bars
Bonus track
Heaven Sent
i see Razah mentioning Heaven Razah Part 2 coming soon...this bonus track to conclude things makes me hungry for it... that heavenly smooth shit, "it sound innocent damn but so militant"
plenty of memorable tracks, some of the best tracks of the year 2010 but it needed a better considered track order and more effective quality management---some of these stinkers don't belong next to the undeniable classics.
Overall 8.5 outta 10
Beats 3.5/5
Lyrics 5/5
lol our rating is the same but we like the opposite tracks lol
Edit: Nvm.
This album is ridiculous, got alot of spin when it first came out, now It's coming back around and it sounds even better. Every time i listen I catch something i didn't hear before. Originally rated Superior but it's pretty damn close to classic. Razah is one of the best in Wu lyrically and these beats are right there on his level.