Wu-Syndicate - "Wu Syndicate" (1999)

**claaa7** · 01-23-2015, 07:00 AM

01. "Thug War"
02. "Pointin' Fingers"
03. "Global Politics" (Ft. 12 O'Clock)
04. "VA Cats"
05. "Metropolis"
06. "Golden Sands"
07. "Crime Syndicate"
08. "Where Was Heaven"
09. "Ice Age"
10. "Ghetto Syringe" (Ft. 12 O'Clock)
11. "Young Brothas"
12. "Weary Eyes"
13. "Muzzle Toe"
14. "Ask Son"
15. "Wings of Life"
16. "Lutunza Hit"
17. "Bust A Slug" (Ft. Ill Knob & Trigga)
18. "The Hit"

1, 3, 7, 9, 10, 12, 18 featuring Napoleon
Produced by DJ Devastator, except:
1, 13 produced by Allah Mathematics
10, 12 produced by E. Tha Dred
16, 17, 18 produced by Smokin' Joe
Executive Producer - The RZA

**claaa7** · 01-23-2015, 07:12 AM

i'm sure there was a thread for this before but the link in the album reviews index gave wrong page and a google search for Wu Syndicate on this forum doesn't turn up a review thread. so i went ahead and made a new one, if mods find the original one please merge them.

anyway this album is one of the more low-key Wu releases from the '97-2000 era. the time where Wu really and truly flooded the market with solo releases from ALL generals except Masta Killa, a new Clan album, the "Ghost Dog" soundtrack, as well as excellent albums by The Killa Beez like Killarmy, Killah Priest, Shyheim, Sunz Of Man, Cappadonna, Royal Fam, LA The Darkman, etc. looking back at that time now it was truly a great time to be a Wu-Tang head, the amount of quality product put out was fucking intense...

i don't think i heard Wu Syndicate until years later though, i know i considered buying it several times but ended up with something else and in those days it wasn't certain you'd hear it unless you or a mate copped it. i'm a big fan of Mobb Deep, always been, and the music by Joe Mafia, Myalansky and Napoleon reminds me a lot of the energy and street charisma that mid-'90s Mobb brought to the table. and i mean that in a good way, it's not that they bite off their style or anything but it got a similiar energy. these guys are talented, ill spitters and have a great chemistry together. there's mostly street/thug rhymes on this but there's always some finesse put into the rhymes, plus there's some great storytelling on joints like "Muzzle Toe".. and then there is of course a song like "Where Was Heaven", recorded already back in 1995 or 1996 but still sound as fresh as ever - that's a timeless classic joint for y'all!

the production is really on point throughout too.. i really like how they didn't succumb to the Wu sound by riding nothing but Wu-Tang sounding beats, instead finding their own vibe with DJ Devastator on the production. Raekwon probably heard these sessions and was so impressed that he got DJ Devastator for "Real Life" / "Immobilarity".. i also heard RZA only listened to four or five finished songs by these guys (then Crime Syndicate) before signing them to Wu-Tang Productions, and listening to this album it is totally understandable why.

this is an absolutely excellent late '90s, hard hitting hip-hop album that bangs from first track to last. like i said i think it's great that they brought their own sound, but i think the change of their name to WU SYNDICATE does more harm than good to their brand. people tend to remember them as a Wu-Tang group that didn't make much noise instead of a fantastic underground group in their own right. i think they should have called the album "Wu Syndicate" and left it at that.. that way they could've still reaped the goods of having Wu on their cover and using the W while not selling their own name. it's not that big of a deal though as the music speaks for itself, and the music is great.

4/5

**Rev Jones** · 01-23-2015, 03:21 PM

Originally Posted by claaa7

i'm a big fan of Mobb Deep, always been, and the music by Joe Mafia, Myalansky and Napoleon reminds me a lot of the energy and street charisma that mid-'90s Mobb brought to the table. and i mean that in a good way, it's not that they bite off their style or anything but it got a similiar energy.

sums up exactly how I feel about this

great album

**royalty** · 01-23-2015, 03:30 PM

I'd call about half of these songs true Killa Bee classics

**CashRules** · 02-18-2015, 03:01 PM

Originally Posted by 5th state

sums up exactly how I feel about this

great album

Originally Posted by royalty

I'd call about half of these songs true Killa Bee classics

These are both 5th State, in the Wu Chamber, he confirmed this himself. I don't know why he would do this but it shouldn't be allowed, it just fucks with the system.