Inspectah Deck - Uncontrolled Substance

[Beautiful Beard]

It's not a classic, but its cool. 7/10

The best song is LOVIN YOU. Asskickin True Mast' beat, LA and DECK got great lyrics about woman. I love that track.

I agree i think this song is tremedous. LA the darkman shows how much skills hes got. I cant believe he didnt get a second album.

As for the rest of the album, i was severly dissappointed. I think INS is one of the best rhymers period but the album was really poor.


I did enjoy "Grand Prix" and "9th Chamber " though and deck came on point with the lyrics, but some of the beats were just dire.

Maybe my expectations on this album were too high.

[Bedlam]

^Just listen to it more, one of these days REC Room will just be a classic to you. I didn't really care about it, till one day when it came on, i started goin "killah hills, killa killa hills" and i was like damn this song is fucking banging.

[Lesbian Nun]

^exactly...too much hate for this album...i loved almost every track...

[Create]

8.5 Outta 10 Thats It

[crass]

hyperdermix is the best track.

[Lesbian Nun]

ya^

[hotnikks]

Ins really surprised me with this release with sharp lyrics and dope beats from beginning to end. I give this 8/10 this album gets alotta play from me and its hard to get tired of it.

[leaguer1]

8/10

I had thought that Deck would have one of the best albums (being one of the best clansman). I remember 1999 like it was yesterday. Rap was on life support and this album was supposed to be what I rocked that year. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out that way as this album is not a classic to me.

Deck's voice is a musical instrument so it wouldn't take much production for me to greet this album with golden arms. But a lot of the beats are simply lackluster (some of which Deck did himself). Deck has some real skills as a producer but they aren't especially evident on his own album. Too bad. The album is too stretched out and is broken up by mediocre songs that interupt the listen. With a lanky 17 tracks, it is just stretched out too far. Frankly i'm bored at the end.

This is not to say that the album is not bad. Actually it's pretty good. With expectations through the roof I call it a disappointment. But its a good thing to have disappointments as good as Uncontrolled Substance. There was never any doubt that Deck had what it took to command a solo album. He is not a swordsman that depends on guest appearances. U-God is on two tracks but the beats are so bland that I skip them. And this is coming from a huge Deck fan who desperately tried to like this album.

I would have prefered Deck put on The Settlement and Nightshift on the album but oh well.

In the end I blame this album for not being as good as it should have been on the RZA. This was when RZA did the first 6 clansmen's albums but left the other three to fend for themselves. Deck was the first of those three. In Deck's case I didn't mind as much because he is a producer in his own right. RZA did bless Deck with two fantastic tracks on this album but in the end the album needed tighter beats. The album had the right guys on production if RZA was not going to be the main man. 4th Disciple, True Master and Mathematics all chip in. Pete Rock even gave Deck a helping hand. Just not their best work. Maybe I would really love it if it were Streetlife's album, or a Cap or Sunz of Man album. But for Deck the expectations are raised to the highest level. Fair or not, it is what it is.

Now for the upside: This album spawned several classics like "Movas and Shakers", "Word on the Street" , "Friction" and of coarse the classic "REC Room". REC Room was the first song I heard on the radio for this album and I was so siked. The title track "Uncontrolled Substance" is a strong song too but I can't help but wish Masta Killa or GZA gave a verse in there. That's the only time that I thought Deck could have used some help. Anyway, the biggest upside on this album is DECK himself. What a gift he is to the ears. Truely. He makes anything he is on better just by opening his mouth.

It was the first album that the clan did that I didn't think was GREAT. 8/10 was a big step down at the time. All these years later, 8/10 looks pretty good about now.

shoutout to Deck

[Meta4]

My #1 album of all time. Still get chills listenin' to this. Earlier this year I got news that one of my close friends committed suicide the night before. I went on a drive LATE that night a bumped this all night loud as fuck. really helped.

[H.L.norse]

Deck rips this album grew on me after about 2 listens. 7/10

[PJ FlemFlam]

yeah this was dope too,plus the movement,for the 2nd album it had ta grow on me

[Luz]

This album grew on me as well. I was pretty dissappointed at it at first but after a while I really came to love the lyrics. INS's flow is incredible. Too bad the beats are whack. This probably could have been a classic.

[GENERAL WISE]

Lyrics: 92%
Beats: 91%

Overall 91.5%

Highlights: Troubleman, Grand Prix ( U-God's best verse imo), 9Th chamber
Lows: not many, just some fillers

9/10 great album

[Grongle]

Sick album , the movement iz gd azwell

[benzo]

Recently picked this one up. Easily one of the best Wu releases since Forever. 9th Chamber is dope as fuck. So anybody know what's up with the snippetts after Movas & Shakers and REC Room? Is that from another track? I love that shit....