U-God's Resume #10, "Semi-Automatic: Full Rap Metal Jacket"

 

 --Official Stats--
Artist: Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Streetlife
Song: "Semi-Automatic: Full Rap Metal Jacket"
Album: High School High: The Soundtrack
Release Date: September 10, 1996

Yet another soundtrack! Soundtracks were a big deal back in the 90's I guess, plus the Wu was really representing hard on them (which cost me a lot of money). But I think that I can say that I was happy with my purchase of the "High School High" soundtrack even though it was filled with (bad) R&B and lousy hip hop. It did have Wu-Wear on it (which I still spin - what can I say Meth's chorus is disgusting), the beat on I Just Can't is interesting in a good way, Sadat X and The Roots also had good cuts. But I must say that the De La Soul song was definitely the highlight on this movie soundtrack. That is, De La Soul and Semi-Automatic: Full Rap Metal Jacket. Both are great tracks.

"Semi-Automatic: Full Rap Metal Jacket"

I could review this song without even spinning it I've heard so many times. I really like it. The beat is just insane. I mean who decided to put whales in there? Plus the keyboards sound broken or something. It's a raw sound that really works well. Our boy U-God handles the chorus and takes the first verse. Inspectah Deck takes the second verse (very well) and someone named "Street" has the last verse (I very strongly suspect that it's Streetlife because he mentions P.L.O. a bunch of times and more importantly I recognize his voice).

Here's Baby U's chorus:

You can't hack the tactics
Of a semi-automatic full rap fanatic
You can't hack the tactics
Of a semi-automatic full rap fanatic

It works! It's not great but U-God sells it and his voice helps. I've often wondered if on a collobration like this if U-God came up with the chorus by himself or if all the contributors worked together and hammered it out. Who knows?

Okay, he also has the lead verse and you'll have to allow me to compare it to his contribution on Cappadonna's If It's Alright With You because its basically the same set up: sentence fragments haphazardly pieced together. But this time it works. What? I like this verse. Is it because I've heard it so many times, or is it actually better somehow? I don't know. 

I make mean lean when I pump my spunk
and hands of chump, of machine gun funk
I bliss, like the fist, of the mantis
Those who oppose get dropped and hit the canvas
With rigormor', I hit you in the core and
pop your legs well in the figure four
You can't stop the force when the blood is coursin
extortion, I'm comin like the headless horseman
Enforcin, tortureous slang from a fortune
Swordsman, throw your rap corpse in coffins
Don't pop glocks at me then cop a plea
A hundred thousand leagues beneath the sea
Deep depths makes rappers salted
Weak rappers asses I cracks my foot, off in
Lay down them lines with them hard hits
And I'm harmin, bombin, with heavy bombardments
Pushin, poetry, like weed by the pounds
Underground railroad RZA track lay it down
I'm hard as pavement, you gaze from amazement
Knock you in the head you wonder where the days went
It's golden bangles, microphone getting strangled
Five-star general, scars you want to angle
Bizarre thriller, war scar for a killer
Sheisty mic device got my hand-piece throbbin
Slice mics precise on down to ice carvings

What I do know is that Deck absolutely owns this song, his verse is just mean (and the main reason I've heard the track so many times). I mean, he set's it off with "I set the mic in flames, bomb like fighter planes...". Wow. Streetlife has some good lines too: "I strike back like the Jedi, from NY", and manages to beat U-God as well. U-God is last again!

Track Score: 9/10

U-God’s Score: 6/10

Impact on Rep (+,-,=): Improves

Next Week: U-God appears on Winter Warz from Ghostface Killah's "Ironman" but we've already heard that, so we skip to his other song on that album: Black Jesus.

  

Hard as pavement, you gaze from amazement



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.