Rarely does an album come along, that's so good and easy to listen to, rather than switch to another after it's done, the best option is simply to replay it. That is the Wu-Massacre in a nutshell. A collection of rarefied bangers, some so old they contain Bush references, and some as new as the cold Ghostface got while performing them, but all way above par quick stabs and jabs, trimmed beautifully to just ten songs, two skits, and thirty minutes and six seconds of run time. It's the bare minimum to be considered a full length album, and they pulled it off by being thorough, "Half long, twice strong", to quote Mef. The complaints will be obvious and justifiable to the greedy fans who just came off a Raekwon opus that was over twice as long. Those same fans will be disappointed that Raekwon is actually cut from Criminology 2.5 and manages to land on only four tracks, while Mef gets on eight and Ghost gets nine including a solo cut. This is to be expected with Def Jam pulling the strings, with Rae not under contract, they want to pay him for as little as possible, in this hip hop era of bargain basement tactics. All rushes and corner cutting aside, however, these three emcees and their guests shined on each and every one of these tracks. The production is five star on each and every one of these tracks, even if the decision making might not be. It's not perfect, let's be clear, but it's pretty damn close.

The album opens with the Criminology sequel, Raekwon noticably absent, and although good, bares too much resemblence to the original. Next up, another sequel, bares little resemblence to the original. Mef vs. Chef 2 is less about battle than the original track on Tical, and more about braggadocious ranting and whining about the game. It still works, and the back and forth between Mef and Rae and transitioning drumrolls make it a really catchy listen. After a blast from the past, ya mama skit, an older track "Smooth Sailing Remix", is inexplicably titled because there is no original. RZA's only cut, the first video "Our Dreams" clears the way for arguably the three best songs on the album. The ear rattling "Gunshowers", the soulful "Dangerous", and the Ghost solo tribute "Pimpin' Chipp" are a tour de force and almost demand a rewind. After a hilarious Tracy Morgan skit, the album ends strong with the spicy "Miranda", and the sample driven "Youngstown Heist", then concludes with the experimental "It's That Wu Shit", which will quite obviously be seen as the worst track on the album due to it's edgy beat and overused interpolated hook.

Fans will be scratching their heads at the length, but they really should be thrilled that there is absolutely none of the shit filler that has usually accompanied Wu albums lately. Length does not define classic. The ability to listen to the entire album without skipping anything DOES. This is the comonality between every classic album of the past and the Wu-Massacre. Every beat is hot, every lyric top notch. So what's the problem?

Criminology 2.5
Mef vs Chef 2
Smooth Sailing Remix
Our Dreams
Gunshowers
Dangerous
Pimpin' Chipp
Miranda
Youngstown Heist
It's That Wu Shit

48/10 =

4.8 out of 5