U-God's Resume #7, The Genius "Investagative Reports"

This Image Should Fill Your Heart With Joy

--Official Stats--
Artist: The Genius featuring Raekwon, U-God, and Ghostface
Song: Investagative Reports
Album: Liquid Swords
Release Date: November 7, 1995


Who's ever heard of Liquid Swords? Everyone. It's the best album.


The classic album "Liquid Swords" is the first album by the Genius after the official formation of the Wu-Tang Clan. It was the third official solo album from a Clansman (after Method Man, ODB, and Raekwon) but only the second solo album to hold a spot for U-God. "Liquid Swords" included all nine members of the clan, provided Killah Priest with a (great) single, and did not feature Cappadonna. It was an all around classic, definitely some of RZA's and GZA's best work. So what did U-God contribute in his one song. Let's find out. Here we go, come on:


“Investagative Reports”



Well, this song is incredible (that's an understatement). I mean, that beat is just perfect. It is very simple, yet it sounds epic. It's filthy and edited with garden shears, I mean it's beautifully sloppy which gives so much weight to the lyrics and heightens their importance. Then, besides the GZA dropping a nearly perfect verse, we have the requisite appearances of Raekwon and Ghostface who both drop phonemonal verses. All three just own the beat.


Now for U-God, his only job is to hold down the chorus, and he does a good enough job. The chorus falls into the common rap category of "listing shit", but it's done well and serves its purpose. U's deep voice provides a nice contrast to the beat and suits the news reports that the RZA plays over the chorus, intro, and coda. Let's take a closer look:

--Intro & Outro--

Rugged rhymsters, crooked crimesters
Dime droppers, Twenty-five-to-lifers
Backstabbers, low blowers
Illegal... cocaine growers
Starvation, profanity
Anxiety, brothers tryin' me
Gun slingers, dead ringers


--Chorus--

Crack patients, dime smokers
Vial carriers, mocha tokers
Burnt buildings, brothers buildin
Save the children, investigative reports!

Well, that's just a list. I like his pause in the "illegal...cocane growers" line, but otherwise it's a lot of nothing, a list of what is being investigated. It does it's job but doesn't break any new ground or do anything other than have U-God basically sidelined (yet again).


This track, and "Liquid Swords" specifically, are the type of hip hop that grabs young heads and pulls them into hip hop for years, keeping them looking for the next high that can bring them back to that level. Go buy "Liquid Swords" even if you already own it.


Chik-a-chik Blow!

Track Score: 10/10

U-God’s Score: 4/10

Impact on Rep (+,-,=): Improves (If you saw this song perfomed live and U-God showed up to spit the chorus you'd love it)


Next Week: U-God ends up on "Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood: The Soundtrack". That's just stupid.




Save the Children



About this series: “U-God’s Resume" is a series of posts which looks at each line of U-God’s entire career to determine if his status as ‘wack’ is justified (as labeled by internet morons). I think it is not. U-God is dope. We'll prove it. Leave it to the Tort Team.