RZA As Bobby Digital In Stereo

[SG]

He does his thing....can't get over how the album was packaged

[dezmond]

^^ In what way?

[claaa7]

01 - Intro
02 - B.O.B.B.Y. (4/5)
This one took me a long time to get into, the beat is very different from anything else on a Wu-Tang record before. I wouldn't say it's the ideal cut to open up the album with although I guess the idea is to clearly mark that he's taking us into another chamber. RZA is on point lyrically here also; "you know us to be robust/ the greatest crew since cold crush" - yep! From here on it's just get better though.
03 - Unspoken Word (5/5)
Oh my fucking god, this is pure heat right here. The beat bangs hard as fuck with crazy drums and a repetitive looped vocal-sample that actually makes the track, allowing RZA to attack the microphone with a venegance. This one is really lyrical.
04 - Slow Grind African
05 - Airwaves (5/5)
I love the way this album is executed and how dope tracks like this are thrown in the mix much like an interlude. RZA freestyles over a nasty beat supposedly from The Wake Up Show that gains extra power by using the classic "Wu-Tang, Wu-Tang" chant also heard in From Heaven's Sake.
06 - Love Jones [feat. Angel Cake] (4/5)
The craziness of the last tracks comes to a break with this - a slow love-song that will relax your mind for a short while. The piano-laced beat is real mellow and features great verses by RZA where he uses loads of well-thought-out metaphors. This one sounds more like a joint from The Cure than a Bobby Digital one, but it still got it's place on "In Stereo" without fucking up the flow of the LP.
07 - N.Y.C. Everything [feat. Method Man] (5/5)
Wow this gets my head going every fucking time it comes on, it picks up right where "And Justice For All" left off. The beat is digitized but definitely got a Wu-Tang flavor to it and both RZA and Method Man just loses it. It's ridiciolous.
08 - Mantis [feat. Tekitha & Masta Killa] (5/5)
This might sound a bit hard on your ears for starters but once you get into it you will probably love it. It mixes maybe the most digital-sounding beeping beat on the album with Shaolin samples and a piano-line. Tekitha raps the chorus and RZA's verse is great but for me it's Masta Killa that slays this one.
09 - Slow Grind French
10 - Holocaust [feat. Holocaust, Doc Doom & Ghostface Killah] (4/5)
The first posse cut on here combines Wu-Tang Clan with Black Knights and sung vocals by Ms. Roxy over a simplistic sample-less beat. This is the track that gained Holocaust many fans with his amazing opening verse, coming with mad wordplay and an ill flow making it hard for the two Clan members to live up to. Ghostface Killah comes of with an especially weak verse, talking a bunch of bullshit that makes little to no sense; "Unfaithfully married to rap for 12 years/ Tyson bit Hollyfield's ear/ we love the sports".
11 - Terrorist [feat. Killarmy & Black Knights] (4/5)
A thumping, dark bass-driven beat (that re-uses the same bass-line as "WTC Ain't Nuthin' Ta F' Wit") makes an ill track where members of Killarmy and Black Knights trade more-or-less inspiring verses. The only letdown is that it lacks an apperance by Bobby Digital at all.
12 - Bobby Did It [feat. Timbo King, Islord, Ghostface Killah & Jamie *******] (5/5)
Another digital banger complete with an up-tempo beat and horny women screaming after Bobby in spannish. RZA, Timbo King and Ghostface all drop impressive verses.
13 - Handwriting on The Wall [feat. Ras Kass] (5/5)
This is one of them songs that really shows the genius that RZA is, he brings back the music of the intro and interludes - nevermind using drums but incorporates a somewhat broken and disorted bassline. Then he lets Ras Kass destroy the track with heavy lines like; "before I eat a groupie bitch pussy the honorable minister Louis Farakhan is eating ham", funny shit. RZA's verse is short but sweet letting us know that he would fuck both Grace Jones and the Eastwick witches.
14 - Kiss of a Black Widow [feat. Ol' Dirty Bastard] (5/5)
I can't believe that this is an Inspectah Deck beat because it's definitely as dope as most of the tracks that Rakeem laid down on this album. The vocal-sample is from a Portishead record and the mood to the song is actually quite similair to one of their tracks. Ol' Dirty Bastard makes a very welcome apperance and once he is on the mic he won't let it go (you can hear RZA trying to come in in the middle of his verse but ODB just keeps on spitting). One of the best tracks of the LP.
15 - Slow Grind Italian
16 - My Lovin' is Digi [feat. Force MD's & Ms. Roxy] (5/5)
This is a brilliant classic song right here, it might just be the finest piece of this whole album. RZA brings in an orchestra to create a marvelous track, the violins make it somewhat similair to "Reunited" although it's much smoother: he even has Force MD's and Ms. Roxy sing the chorus. The lyrical vibe fits the song well although Bobby doesn't come with no groundbreaking lines or anything; "I scream, you scream, we all want the ice-cream". Definitely a Wu-classic.
17 - Domestic Violence [feat. Jamie *******] (5/5)
A great way to close this Bobby Digital chapter and it's definitely a unique and original song - a domestic fight in Bobby's appartment on wax. The tempo is high and the synths in full effect and the lyrical content can be broken down in three stages. The first part has Jamie ******* dissing the shit out of RZA, next up is a fierce verse with him responding (including some brilliant lines like "you used to have a pussy tight as a pharmacutical bottle" and for the grand finale it's the two of them going at eachother (with U-God screaming over the phone). When I first heard this one I was amazed, it's just a genius piece of work and ends the album on a breathtaking note that will leave you fiending for more.

BONUS TRACKS:
18 - Project Talk (4/5)
19 - Lab Drunk (5/5)
20 - Fuck What You Think (3.5/5)
21 - Daily Routine (3/5)

overall: 9/10 (wu-classic)

[hide1998]

Ghost's verse on Holocaust is actually pretty good. That's Supreme Clientele wordplay, so I don't really get the complaints on that (the part in particular you quoted actually makes more sense than you've made it out to be).

But on the real, NO ONE could really follow the verse that Holocaust laid out on that joint. His verse on Terrorist (which was only included on the Japanese release of the album) was almost as impressive.

[claaa7]

Ghost's verse on Holocaust is actually pretty good. That's Supreme Clientele wordplay, so I don't really get the complaints on that (the part in particular you quoted actually makes more sense than you've made it out to be).

yeah man I love Ghost's wordplay on Supreme Clientele but I don't think it worked on this type of track. wasn't really feeling the way he flowed over this beat either.. but feel free to tell me what the line means. peace

[King Lizard]

I didn't want to rate this album a classic cause I KNOW RZA could have done better, but I will rate it superior because to me, this was the best album that came out that year and there were way more songs that I could listen to; this album was better than Birth Of A Prince. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this album a 9!

[Guarded By Martyrs]

Ghost's verse on Holocaust is actually pretty good. That's Supreme Clientele wordplay, so I don't really get the complaints on that (the part in particular you quoted actually makes more sense than you've made it out to be).

But on the real, NO ONE could really follow the verse that Holocaust laid out on that joint. His verse on Terrorist (which was only included on the Japanese release of the album) was almost as impressive.

Yeah I always thought Ghostface's verse was maybe 3rd or 4th ???
Because like you said...Holocaust is unfollowable !!!!!!!

RZA said himself on the intro to "Silent Samurai" that he named the song Holocaust
Because one of the artists on that song was Holocaust and he really ripped that so much
THat I named the song after him !!!


I think he may have done the same for "Terrorist"...
And PR Terorrist blacks-out on that one too !!!!!!

Doc Doom destroys this track as well...
Holocuast & Doc Doom outshine Bobby Digital & Ghostface !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've been listening to this album a fair bit recently...
I'll drop a review soon...

[MainoffenderKZ]

love that shit
maybe not classssic but superior!
i love the bod digi style...
greatest mind of the earth

[D-Infinite]

Tracks i was feeling:

BOBBY - hot opener
Unspoken Word - insane lyrical performance over a sparse beat
NYC Everything - SICK beat, NOW I SEE EVERYTHING!
Mantis - nice Wu track, Masta Killa!
Holocaust - epic Holocaust verse
Daily Routine - funky beat, sick lyrics by RZA and Beretta

Okay tracks:

Airwaves - re-used beat and verse, too short, nice though
Terrorist - nice beat, but lacks cohesion
Bobby Did It - hot Digi beat, sinister, but lyrics could be better
Handwriting On The Wall - TOO SHORT
Kiss Of The Black Widow - sick beat, but not feeling RZA too much on this
Domestic Violence - for some reason i can't get into it
Lab Drunk - AWESOME beat, but RZA didn't come as hard as he should

Tracks i'm not feeling:

Love Jones - weak R&B attempt
My Lovin Is Digi - i like the beat but the song is stupid
Project Talk - filler
F What You Think - boring

[bad boy T]

Yeah definitly one of RZA's finest

[Sgt Holly Wood]

banger!!!

rza's best lp

[11th Chamber]

Love Jones - weak R&B attempt
My Lovin Is Digi - i like the beat but the song is stupid

hmm...

[THE W]

wow i never reviewed this. well here it go...

BOBBY 10/10
unspoken word 9.5/10
airwaves 7/10
love jones 5/10 (didnt help that i heard this sample used already on soul assassins)
NYC everything 10/10 (my third favorite Rza beat ever, and meth slaughters this track)
mantis 8/10 (masta killa was killing shit around this time and does it again here. even Rza spits fire on this one)
holocaust 8.5/10
terrorist 6/10
bobby did it 7/10
handwriting on the wall 8/10
kiss of the black widow 7.5/10
my loving is digi 8/10
domestic violence 10/10

**bonuses**
project talk 7/10
lab drunk 9/10 (another track where Rza brings the goods lyrically)
fuck what you think 8.5/10
daily routine 2/10 (fucking elevator music)

a few standout tracks, a lot of solid tracks and few weak tracks.

[King Tron 1]

^ Nice review, Wade. Even if you do without the weak tracks the album stills stands out as one of the best Wu-Tang Solo Albums.

[Maccabee Ridah]

Great album, one of best, but I vote for superior cuz knowing RZA, I always expect more and more, and I think this album is not his best, so 9/10!