Album Review: Killarmy "Dirty Weaponry" Part II

Welcome back to part two of my review of my all time favorite hip hop album "Dirty Weaponry" by Killarmy. No, I'm not kidding, I've listened to this album more than almost any other rap album (maybe with a few exceptions). I'll try to finish this review off without writing a novel, but I'll probably fail. BTW assholes, if you missed part 1, it's here.


Let's get it!


6. "Doomsday"





I may have mentioned that the first half of this album was relatively mellow, I was right, but everything is mellow compared to this song. Solar flares. Train collisions. The special effects in the Transformers movies. All mellow. This song is an assault. It's an attack on "MCs with hollow skills, who talk about clothing articles and dollar bills / and fake ass rides that you don't even drive" because, "hip hop is war, and only strong MCs will survive".


That's the chorus, delivered by Holocaust of the Black Knights (better known as that one guy from the Bobby Digital albums) in his first appearance on this album. And it should be known that he fits perfectly in with the team. He spits the first verse and sounds like he belongs on this shit. Make him the tenth member or something!


Before I get into how dope everyone is on this track I want to point out a major disparity: this song is strongly opposed to materialistic rap, and that is a very good thing. But they call out clothing focused rappers like I forgot about Wu Wear, and the entire song by the Clan about Wu Wear. Is this some biting the hand that feeds you shit, or do the Wu get some kind of exception?


Let's forget about that and move on to the actual track. It starts off with an explosion (of course) then as the rugged beat builds there is also the sound of some sort of machine starting up. Honestly, the first twenty seconds of this song are about as rugged as any hip hop as ever been. Ever. Then it turns into some war shit and sets the bar ridiculously high for future rugged hip hop. The beat is relentless all the way through with genius change ups and almost the best production on the album.


Now for the lyrics. Holy shit, these lyrics are incredible. I'm just going to cut lines from each MC (and I'll probably end up quoting the whole song):


Holocaust:
"Half dead platoon leader, but woken by enemy heaters /
Juggernaut, on the block, blast shots at all retreaters"


"Black kid, creep between walls like an arachnid
Smash hits that open you like bullets with glass tips
Killgrave, the black sea serpent who swallow ships
My fists become glocks and my knuckles hollow tips"


Beretta 9:
"We may bomb this, but seem harmless, check the calmness
My palm hits like a closed fist, break ya jaw wit this"


I'll also give Baretta 9 respect for all the references: A-Team, Excite Bike, Cannonball Run


Dom Pachino (with the best verse):
"Layin in the dark war trench / Covered in mud strong corpse stench
Monkey wrench, adjusting my mic, fatigues drenched.
From soldiers' insides, scriptures hidden up in my archives
Dodge and throw knives hand to hand combat takin lives"


The monkey wrench line is fantastic.


FUCK!!!! The energy on that track is through the roof. It doesn't get much better than that, fake ass MCs.


7. "Red Dawn"
Even the title of this song is a dope ass reference. Without even hearing it you know it's going to be good. Then your prediction is confirmed as soon as you hear that the song starts out with explosions and an helicopter, and a promise that Killarmy's raps are "nasty like pron". Which is also part of the chorus...and I'll go ahead and label this chorus ONE OF THE BEST CHORUSES EVER which I'll get to later.


This is almost the best song on the album. #SALUTE





The beat is like an odd mix of a military bugle that sounds like 4th Disciple discovered on a cheap Casio keyboard added to the same cheap keyboard set to "symphony". And while these musical elements add to the ruggedness of this song, the major beat change ups ensure that this track can withstand many repeat listenings. That, and the incredible lyrics.


So, Dom Pachino kicks off the track megahard:


"Scuffed up guns, toss the filthy heat then run
Dirty Weaponry, fill my clip with rusty dum-dums /
it hardly work right, when I bust it hardly jerk right /
Smith and Wesson type, illuminate the block all night.
Serial scrape, found it in a nearby lake,
dried it off, and hour later caught your man for his cake"


What? Do you have a problem with that? No.


At this point the beat changes up and the bugle come in and stretches out over several bars and leads to 9th Prince's verse. Now think about that set up. No chorus yet, it's straight verse to verse, connected by a long played mournful bugle over a ridiculously rugged choppy beat. It's genius.


9th Prince does his off-beat (and so hard) verse thing, and delivers ultra complex rhymes that really shouldn't exist. They're too much for any amateur to take:


"...Rappers is too commercial, I lyrically murder you
We attack with logical, scrape your physical composition
With broken bottles, and blow fire out my nostrils
Rappers is nervous, battle mode verses
Lyrically enormous shock waves split the surface..."


Again, WHAT?


This verse leads us to our first glimpse of the ill chorus:


"Red dawn, war pawns, raps nasty like prn
Pass on, transform, arm - leg - leg - arm
Supreme head, infra-red, we form like Voltron
We form like Voltron"


Top that rappers. You cannot.


Think fast, because right after that we're pulled into one of the best verses of all time, as delivered by Baretta 9:


"Yo! We go to war like Arabians, Pakistinians, Rich men and Indians
Germans, Muslims, Vikings, Patriots
Trojans, Conquistadors, Romans
Projects, Aztecs, Confederates, Yankees, Nazis
Nam vets drown you in the ocean get your shit open
Should've had your sword but it was broken
Strike your whole facility with strength and agility
To the best of my ability with heavy artillerary..."


So when Baretta boasts that he's "aiming sights at your dome and at your coronary", you best believe it.


Shit, that is one of the best songs ever. How did they do it? (Listen up newjacks, here is the formula):


-Dope beat with mad ill change ups, and a long melody
-Clever lyrics
-Smart energetic verse jump-offs (the first few lines of each verse are fire)
-Inventive chorus
-Fucked structure (Verse - Verse - Chorus - Verse - Chorus - Chorus)
-Explosions + Helicopter Sounds
-Good production


DON'T COPY IT, JUST BE INSPIRED BY IT


8. "The Shoot Out"
How do you follow a song like Red Dawn? You body everything at once in one track. This is one of the best hip hop songs ever. EVER. It's the centerpiece of the album and of Killarmy's career. This is the song with the crazy music video featuring terrorist training like something you'd see on news footage from Afghanistan. The video is just nuts (so I'll review it another time). Let's just focus on the song.





This song writes the book on the art of jumping off. The first sounds we hear (besides someone saying something about "apocalyptic") is heavy scratching for like two seconds then BOOM the beat and the first verse kick off at the same time.


"I got a hunger for the mic my appetite strike late at night
food for thought, hold down a fort
up in the port of riches last seen giving stitches..."


The verse is short and feels like a jump-in (gang reference). The song quickly moves to a transition that only Killarmy could pull off. Once Dom Pachino kills his first verse we get the Killarmy salute ("Yo....What?...Yo."), then the beat changes up to something very subtle for Baretta 9's second verse. But the relief from the driving beat only lasts a bar or two as the track is quickly interrupted by the intense main beat. The verse is near perfect as Beretta closes with a reference to Killarmy's first album:


"...I said always think twice, remember always think twice
there's one fucking mistake, men be comin awake kid
so wake the fuck up, yo wake the fuck up, yo"


Boom, right after that Islord explodes in with the third verse...


"Hey YO! Straight up and down don't even bring that type of shit around me,
you liable to get ya whole neck slapped off ya shoulders,
Quick fast, faster than the eye blink, so why think
you could live amongst the, livest MCs
and G-O-D's that I run with,
and collaborate my thoughts with"


After this verse we're just barley a minute into the track and have hardly had a chance to breath, but the onslaught continues with Dom Pachino pulling in the fourth verse, still no chorus to be seen:


"grab the mic, look into the sunshine way above me
hold my forehead, today had my daily bread
shared it with you, make sure my fans are always fed"


Good verse, then we get a quick break lyrically before Killa Sin closes hard:


"Yo I'm pullin' wrestlin' moves on competition /  head locked into submission..."


Dope verses all around. So let's just compare this track to the previous one and see how it used the formula:


-Dope beat with mad ill change ups (Yes)
-Clever lyrics (Yes)
-Smart energetic verse jump-offs (Yes)
-Inventive chorus (No Chorus, which is often smarter than using a chorus)
-Fucked structure (Verse - Verse - Verse - Verse - Verse) (this is a traditional hip hop structure)
-Explosions + Helicopter Sounds (yes, no helicopter sounds)


So, this one is similar, but I would add
-Incredible jump off
-Heavy scratching
-Good production


Killarmy Killin' It.


9. "Bastard Swordsman"
So the reign of awesome continues as Mathematics comes in to produce a more traditional song, giving 4th Disciple a well earned break. Now, when I say "traditional", I mean "a structure similar to standard songs, but still not even close to what you would hear anywhere else".




The song starts with this odd exchange:


Woman: "I can't understand why you treat me this way"
P.R. Terrorist: "I know, I know, I know what time it is."


Actually, the "treat me this way" line is the loop for the opening of the song, once the verse starts the beat becomes very rugged. It's a tight loop with very little variation from bar to bar.


While the first verse isn't anything remarkable lyrically, the transition is supreme. P.R. Terrorist just kind of stops rapping, Holocaust (of the Black Knights) drops in for a second guest spot on the album by throwing in a couple of "Wu Tang" name drops. Then we get the chorus (also from P.R. Terrorist and Holocaust). I challenge you to come up with a chorus this good:


P.R.: "Bastard swordsman, swing ya shit"
Holocaust: "I'm duckin all of em / Swingin back, double edged ax we cuttin all of em"


Brilliantly, the chours blurs right into Holocaust's verse, which is also good:


"...Holocaust, loudmouth who bombs wise /
I'm hideous glance and gouge out ya own eyes
West coast vet, grotesque who flows wet /
Bury you and some in remote region with a broke neck
Wu-tang, seven death blows / Explore the globe
Stand in shallow water and slaughter those who oppose"


9th Prince follows with another flat verse (I think the beat knocks the energy of the track a little bit). Then we have another visit to the chorus (with lots of explosions and gunshots). Shogun the Assassin closes out the track "[leaving] your mind in a state of panic, like a claustrophobic trapped on the titanic", which is good.


Not a bad track at all, next!


10. "Last Poet"
While 4th Disciple continues his lunch break, Russ Prez steps in for a little production. Who is Russ Prez? I don't know! Ask this guy @RussPrez! Let's hear his work:



This song is very good. The beat is mad nice, Russ Prez produced this one perfectly. P.R. Terrorist kicks off the track with an inventive rhyme about the Last Poet:


"The Last Poet construct the rhyme that'll self-destruct,
in your tape deck, in your walkman, or in your truck.
Benzy box, boom box, crime stock upon my block
Choppers hovering, bright lights got me on the spot
Heavy heat, tucked in my boxers, rubbing on my meat
Vigilante rap, take negotiations to the street..."


I can't emphasize enough how well the lyrics fit over this smooth beat. It's like a perfect match, a mad laid back beat laid with calm rugged lyrics. Instead of a chorus we get a Killarmy standard ill sample:


"Like or not, we live in time of danger and uncertainty.
That is the way, he lived. That is what he leaves us."


Which brings us to verse two, by Islord, who I'm starting to think is the most talented one out of the group. He always murders the track, and this verse is no exception.


"Aiyyo, my thoughts flashback to when I was trapped in Mecca
In the middle of a warzone, squeezing off shots
To twist n----s physical like cyclones
But now I'm in the worst part, with the art..."


Now Islord's flow over this beat is untoppable. It's probably the best of the album. After that we get another news sample to break up the track, and then it's on to 9th Prince who closed out the track with his mad rugged flow.


"Yo, Yo, my lyrics strike like uranium bombs,
I speak with authority but calm
Bent taht n---- like the hunch back from Notre Dame
24 track flashbacks, watch the mind travel like Time Trax..."

Then we end with a little clip of George H.W. Bush warning that the "battle has been joined", and another ill track fades out.


11. "Serving Justice"



Here is my review of this song: it's so fucking good. Just check the sample at the beginning and the tone the beat establishes. This is another song that fits perfectly into the Killarmy mold. Another dope beat, another dope chorus, more dope lyrics. This song breaks out of hip hop tradition (as usual) by jacking with the song structure, but at the same time it takes one of hip hop's greatest achievements (the back-and-forth) and uses it perfectly. Our first verse (after the chorus below) is a razor sharp back and forth with Killa Sin and P.R. Terrorist (honestly, 4th Disciple should get credit for his production yet again). Let's check 'em out:


Killa Sin:
"Make ya brain shift like earthquake plates in Vegas
North Face kicks, guarantee that ass a free face lift
Crack ya jaw in three different places leave you speechless"


P.R. Terrorist:
"Speak with a lisp lyrics of force'll skip ya disk
Shuffle your track, bring ya shit back then make ya piss"




Check the lyrical content on the chorus: Killarmy is "serving justice", "with ruckus". Plus they put the "mic on the crutches". Genius. 9th Prince closes out the track, and, fuck, that guy should win a real award for best rapper....all of Killarmy should.


What else can I say? It's a good song. Listen to it! Just look for "Serving Justice" by Killarmy on the jukebox at your local Pizza Hut, play that shit and watch the whole place start flashdancing to this 4th Disciple track (it's off the meat rack).


12. "Where I Rest At"



"The chances of this song being good are almost nothing. I mean it would be the twelfth good song in a row" - people who are wrong. This song is good. Check the violin!


I will give it one knock right off the bat: the chorus is the weakest of the album, but it's still a million times better than most choruses. But the odds were against them, describing where one rests at is pretty tired. PLUS, it's just a "listing shit" chorus, which is extra played out, even though the Killarmy boys do it with gusto:


"Where I rest at n----s scheme and plot,
Sling rocks, darts, cops move on our block and get fought
Bust a shot and get shot, smoke pot, get locked
Do a bid, while some taught to resurface to the street
Some don't last, won't weep
Where I rest at keep a vest and a gat at least three ways back
So, the flash can't track, where I rest at do the one to time
Double dirty crossed sneaky snake fucks, where I rest at"


In hindsight, that's a pretty good chorus. It has so many words and mentions "sneaky snake fucks". That's good.


The verses go to Killa Sin and Shogun Assassin. And, not to sound like a broken record, but, they all sound very good. Actually Shogun Assassin doesn't sound good. WTF happened to his voice, and his lyrics are pretty weak. I guess the magic is gone, even though this is a good track.


But I've got to ONCE AGAIN HAND IT TO 4TH DISCIPLE. The fucking production on this song is unbelieveable. From the violin over the breakdown to the "war scene" outro, this song is fire. I like the violin on this track a million times better than the fiddle on that track that kicked off  Wu Tang "Forever". It's better, okay.


Smell that gunpowder in the air?


13. "Pain"



Well this is different from everything ever. With a very slow lumbering beat and suicidal themes. Yet at the same time it is the same as Killarmy ever was! Gunshots!


Clearly 4th Disciple and the gang were like "Fuck it, let's get weird" for this track. I mean there isn't much like this in hip hop, or anywhere else for that matter. But it turns out to be brilliant. I mean this track accomplishes things, format-wise, that not many other songs can do.


Here is a not interesting story about this track: I used to hate it because I thought it was too slow. But now I like it because it's so good. The centerpiece of the track is this (almost indecipherable) sample:


Voice 1 (Growling): "You'll feel some pain...but I'm home"
Vocie 2 (Scared): "You can hear me!?"
Vocie 3 (Rushed): "GET OUT OF MY HEAD (GUNSHOT)"


That's that. And it's weird. Plus the boys are in the back talking about "get off of our swords". Then the beat and the first verse (by Shogun) just kind of slump onto the scene. The verse is good and very quiet, sleepy, and monotone. By comparison, Islord's second verse is like a tornado. He explodes onto the track with this:


"Yo. Hey yo. Hey yo! Hey yo!
Check this...thousand dollar...line for line paragraph causin' ruckus
Towards y'all...weak motherfuckin analog n----s
Tryin' to come into the mist of my...digital shit
You get flipped on, snapped on your collar bone
out of spite, cause I don't like snake niggaz in my eyesight..."


So good. Especially when it's punctuated with gunshots. Beretta 9 holds down the third verese, and it's hard not to notice the track building momentum even though nothing has really changed. Are there more gunshots? Are the MC's picking up the pace? Is the track getting louder or speeding up? I don't know, but I can feel the energy building.


Suddenly the track is filled with scratching and crazy samples, what was once a sleepy little track has become a powerhouse. Here's the math:


"Killarmy profilin', mostly buck wildin'" + "Soldiers combine the sacred seven men" + The odd "get out of my head" sample + gunshots = GENIUS


The track throws a 9th Prince verse at you, and the set up is similar to the first half of the song. 9th Prince is bringing the ruckus loud enough, but he keeps it mellow enough so that once Killa Sin comes in to close out the track with the last verse, it's like a punch to the gut.


"yo. YO! I'm like a landmine, schemin' on anti,
Keepin' on a standby flight and blow the crowd with their hands high
For now I amplify sounds shut a coliseum down, first round, face down..."


He closes the album out with this:


"Open mic session, bury you, spark a party up, somethin terrible
The pain that my n----s bring forth is unbearable, Yo, I'm tellin' you...get the fuck..."


Then we have some posturing behind that oddball sample. And it's over.


IN CONCLUSION:
Let's talk about everything that this album got right:
1. Lyrics - murderous throughout
2. Beats - Cleverly rugged, complimentary to the MCs, hard as hell, repeatable
3. Production - Genius, expertly handled, raw- but with enough changes to keep it fresh, bg riskes are taken that pay off
4. Choruses - Either nonexistant, clever, or lyrically solid
5. Theme - Consistant (no R&B shit), stuck to the theme


This is cohesive collection of songs that fit together as a whole, everyone brought their sharp swords and swung hard. Now let's give the award for the best job ever to 4th Disciple and the whole Killarmy Team for making this shit. If you ever wonder why we seem to hate all the rap, it's because we cut our teeth on this shit. #RESPECT




Dirty Weaponry Score THE GOLD STANDARD


P.S. My revew was 6,000 words. That's 12 pages of bologna.

Album Review: Killarmy "Dirty Weaponry" Part I

ALL RISE! That means you jackhole. Get up. We are gathered here today to review my favorite hip hop album of all time. This is not debatable. It is a fact. So grab a seat, guard ya grill, slide your headphones on, and let's take a journey into pure hip hop (and a 10,000 word review...I'm not kidding, this is part 1, part 2 is here). Please be seated.


When I purchased this album I expected absolutely nothing from Killarmy. I thought their previous work was dull with some signs of hope, but I never expected to really like it. But not only did I like "Dirty Weaponry", I played it constantly for like a year. I mean like on "repeat all" no eject, son. It's still on my mp3 player and gets pulled into the mix regularly. It's still dope fifteen years after it dropped. Killarmy rose from the ashes of their first album and trimmed the fat. Tightened their scope. Whatever! The RZA isn't listed anywhere on the notes for this album, so was he the fat that weighed the first album down? I don't know. And 4th Disciple, let's talk about that guy. As an official member of the group (or whatever), and he took the lead for Dirty Weaponry and really pulled it off. 4th Disciple, if you're this talented, why are you not doing this more often? Not only that, Islord (who was missing for most of the first album), is in full effect this time through, and he bodies all his verses. . .I think.


This album didn't perform as well as the first one, but it still did okay. It has a genuinely shocking video (which I'll review at another time because I'm sure I could write a million words about it since it is basically a terrorist training video (yikes)), and only a few guest spots.


So let's stop screwing around and get to the trax...paaaarrrrrrttttt 1!

1. "Galactics"



"...War is the worst thing, and unfortunately one of the most essential things in the world, he said. My father was definitely a very eccentric person, and as a boy I was too young to understand why my father constantly spoke about how and why wars began..."


Right away we're back on the military theme that Killarmy loves so much. The album kicks off with a genuinely interesting sample from somewhere and it sets a nice tone for what's to come. Now, I shouldn't have to point this out, but the war/military theme has three points: first, it's just good. Second, it literally talks about war and peace, something universal to everyone. Third, it is a reference for hip hop. Killarmy are soldiers of real hip hop. EVERY WAR REFERENCE = HIP HOP REFERENCE. Keep that in mind as we progress. Who is the war against? WACK MCs.


After a high energy transition from the tranquil intro, the beat kicks off in a spectacular burst of energy, as does the initial chorus:


"YO. Killarmy in ya Galaxy, in ya Continent, in ya State, in ya City /
Take 'em to war, Throw ya grenades, the shit is gritty /
Rollin' tanks, carry shanks, while y'all n----s shoot blanks
live on gunpowder road, back down, dealin' with ranks"


How's that for scale? Killarmy is EVERYWHERE, and they're clearly not playing. So a quick note on form here, instead of rolling through the chorus twice (as one would expect), we get the chorus repeated but the second run through is cut off by Islord giving the Killarmy salute: a rugged "YO!". Islord absolutely kills it, he lets everyone know how this album is going to be from the first line:


"What's the science on them crab ass n----s out here / in this rap shit / turning this shit into some fucking...actor shit / step into my chamber / I'll hang ya...."


That's the theme for this album, OF COURSE we're still going to be heavily militarized, but the focus is on fake rap, and the clowns who take hip hop and use it for money.


If Islord uses his first verse to describe who Killarmy is against, Beretta 9 uses the second verse to establish who Killarmy is: "Never timid, break the speed limit, state laws, and glass jaws...". And I'll just make another quick point. One of the Killarmy trademarks is to completely fuck up the pronunciation of a word. Not just to make it rhyme, but who knows why...they just say the shit completely wrong. I like it. It's like early Wu when RZA would leave little production mistakes in the final cut, a screwed up piece of production or a jacked up line makes me like the team even more.


Dom Pachino is third, his verse follows another run through of the chorus, and since the track slides right from the chorus (which he spits) into his verse, it's not clear (at first) if the chorus is being extended or if a verse is starting. It's brilliant and I think the credit belongs to 4th Disciple for another genius production move. That's two choruses in a row handled expertly. Anyway, the verse is good and when 9th Prince comes in to close out a great track you know it's going to be good from the jump off Killarmy salute: "Yo!".


Since this is a special review, I'll take the time to discuss 9th Prince's verse. First off all, his references are fantastic (The Last Starfigher, Building with Noah, Battlestar Galactica, etc.). Next, his rapid spit is quite chaotic, but at the same time focused. It's like he has so much to say that that he is getting tripped up, so it just comes out rugged. Finally, his closing line is amazing "I Smother MC with pillow, let him die in silence", that shit is just brilliant, because that's what we want from fake MCs: silence. Extreme silence.


How good of a song title is "Galactics"? The best. This is going to be a long review.


2. "Allah Sees Everything" feat Killah Priest

"Throw a mic through a stage floor / And hear the crowd roar"

At first glance, this track may appear as Killarmy bending their style too much to the style of their guest Killah Priest, but I think that the science on here is legit (hip hop wise). But before we get to that I want to point out how great this beat is. The trumpets are perfect, but the loop that runs under the verses is the right balance for the team and their ruggedness and it works for the stoic (ultra-mellow) spit of Killah Priest. The right music is a good thing because this is one of the few tracks on the album that follows a traditional format.


So, Allah seeing everything. That's quite a thought and a large concept for any artistic medium, and I think that Killah Priest and Killarmy are taking the concept and twisting it differently. Killah Priest means that God, the creator, sees everything that happens without exception - the literal interpretation. I mean, he might mean that, it's hard to say because he only spits the three words of the chorus. The Killarmy boys, on the other hand, twist it to the abstract and imply that perhaps those who are true MCs see the moves of fake ass rappers. I don't know.


So we have three verses, Dom Pachino, Islord, and 9th Prince each deliver strong verses with memorable lines. For example, Islord:

"What's today's mathematics, son, you can't quote?

You get ya throat chopped by the sword I possess"

"The flavor that the god branded on ya dome
With the microphone
That's multiple like a lifesaver,
Coming from all angles / that hit ya pressure points
And ya joints like a chiropractor
That leave ya paralyzed"

Study it.

3. "5 Stages of Consciousness"

As soon as the break beat sets in it's clear that this strong is in the competition for best track on the album. Then the fucking incredible horns come it, followed by some dope intro-talk. If the first track explained how large Killarmy was (Galactic), this track explains how deep they get and it is the dopest intro ever:

"5 stages of consciousness right here:
You got your conscious /
You got your sub conscious /
You got your super conscious /
You got your magnetic conscious /
Then we infinite, right? (Keep on movin') 

Ya mentals ain't heavy enough

(the god's show and provin')"

After that we have a six verse song, which, once again, changes the established hip hop format. This time we have no chorus except for an amazing movie sample. It keeps the song moving and eliminates the wackest part of most hip hop songs: the chorus.

I know this may sound unbelievable, but all six verses are good. Killa Sin starts off and ties this song back into the previous one by restating that "Allah sees everything", so nice move there. P.R. Terrorist is second and closes with this gem:

"With five stages of consciousness, that's swift and change like the weather
some crime forecast is rough draft, write off the pad, allow me to add
construct the subject just like math, ran you off in the first half
This quarter wont last, finger leaning on the trigger, guns blast (Blaow),

 super-consciously this track smash"

Amazing. And without a second of hesitation Beretta 9 comes in with "Harpoons for hard times..." and yet another verse is wrecked. So far we've had three MCs drop strong verses without a break, once Beretta 9 finishes, we have our first break in the form of a sample, and it's a fantastic one:

"The government...calls us traitors..or deviants...because we believe that we have the right to be ourselves..."

Boom. Now we're right into ANOTHER bad ass verse from Islord...

"Hey Yo! Three years trapped in the belly of the beast
Got me on some, fuck the laws, fuck the fed coats.
Fuck the judge, cause they don't give two shits about us,
black man, woman and child.

How we living?

Over here trapped in the worst part, when things like this happen on the regular.
Innocent bystanders get trapped off on the streets of my stomping grounds
Where constant war pops off, like wine bottles on the regular
Like clockwork to be specific

Isord drops that in a kind of rough cadence, bringing a rugged element into the track. 9th Prince, who comes in next, is both rugged and off cadence, to the point that it  distracts from the pattern already established and provides a welcome dissonance. The MCs seem to be organized in a way to escalate the chaos with each verse, while elevating the quality of the track.

"'Revenge the general', thats what I quote,

 and tape up grenades to your head

And watch your brains explode"

See? Dope. So Shogun closes the track out very strongly, and we ride out on some ill shit.


4. "Unite to Fight"

This is as close as this album comes to a misstep, and even though I know this is a good song, I'm still tempted to skip it when it starts because the first few seconds don't seem to foreshadow a good track. But once the shit gets going, it's mad ill.

The rocky intro I mentioned at first seems like a watered down Wu beat plus a lame chorus: "Are you down for the cause? Or are you down just because?" Okay. Kind of dumb. Plus, we've got guys saying "Unite to fight" which is also pretty lame. But, surprise, after fifteen seconds the track finds it's feet and delivers at a level on par with the rest of the album.

This song is just Shogun the Assassin and 9th Prince, so all the pressure to deliver is on them (and 4th Disciple, of course), even though it's a short track. 4th Disciple pulls a trick that he pulled once before and has Shogun deliver the chorus and then pull right into a verse, and, as a listener, it is confusing for a second whether we are hearing an expanded chorus or a verse. Especially since Shogun drops the chorus "Unite to fight" into the second line of his verse. Nicely done. Nice form. The kung-fu samples run through the whole track and also serve as a secondary chorus. In addition to a dope stand alone line pulled from Beretta 9's verse on a track coming later "Red Dawn": "...with a banner to your respiratory. . . best prepare to die when you step in to out territory."

9th Prince delivers a great verse, but 4th Disciple ramps up the volume on the "siren" effect and it really adds to the track. By the end you'll actually be enjoying the stupid "unite to fight" line.

5. "Murder Venue"


LET'S KEEP GOING! Don't give up yet.

This track kicks off with some gunshots (it is Killarmy, so, no duh), over the top of a crowd cheering. As with the previous track, the music seems odd and creates a fear that this track will be weak. That is until the chorus drops:

"Hey Yo! Everything is real like blue steel /
being pulled out...in a sold out concert"

That is real. And it's delivered by Islord with such a carefree flow, that it's impossible not to like it. And as soon as Beretta 9 starts spitting, the beat that at first seemed so hopeless suddenly comes into focus as a truly grimy beat worth listening to.

This time everyone spits capably with no standouts except for Killa Sin who ends the song with a ill set of lines:

"To see the gods fold, never that
We hold the black metal for golden rap
Where the soldiers at? Dealing with math
We still up on that, killer combat
Form the righteous uprising
Two flies within the eyes of minds of civilized men
Got fake n----s posing like they Heisman
We push through like linemen

Sack your quarterback on consignment..."

Also

 

"..turn concerts to a murder venues"

How in the fuck did they come up with that shit? If this is a filler track, then it's the best one ever. This ain't no Twinkie filling, this is stuffed crust shit.

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

SO WE'LL STOP HERE. Why? This is kind of the turning point of the album. Compared to most of what we'll look at next time, these songs are mello. Even with all the machiene guns and explosions and constant combative tones and talk, these songs are MILD compared to what's in store for part 2.

In ya galaxy

U-God's Resume #53, Killarmy "Militant"

--Official Stats--
Artist: Killarmy featuring U-God
Song: "Militant"
Producer: 4th Disciple
Album: Fear, Love, & War
Release Date: September 11, 2001


I'm glad Killarmy finally just came out and admitted their militancy. After years of barely hiding it and keeping people guessing, they finally had the courage to be proud of their heritage.


As you may or may not know, I am a huge Killarmy fan (except for their first album). While I may have noticed the Killarmy team because of their connection with the Wu, I kept coming back back because of their talent. I very quickly stopped caring about their Wu connection. These guys are good enough on their own. Plus, besides a song or two produced by the RZA and a single guest spot from Masta Killa, there hasn't been any real involvement from the Clan.


This track appears on the third Killarmy album, and U-God's guest spot is only the second (and last) time an official Wu Founder appears on a Killarmy track. So how is his verse? Does he just handle the chorus? Does he get to say more than one word?


Let's find out together...


"Militant"



HAHAHAHAHAHA! WHAT, DOES U-GOD CHARGE BY THE WORD? HEY U-GOD, why do you do songs where you only say one word? THEY SUCK! Honestly, the chorus would be a million times better without U-God. Just rerecord the song and leave U-God out and everyone would be saying "What a great track by Killarmy!". Here are the lyrics, no need to scroll down:


Lyrics by U-God:
"It's militant" and "We killin' shit"


Fuck! What a good track otherwise! It's a barnburner (whatever that means). Never change Killarmy, well...except stop working with U-God! Or AT LEAST keep him off the chorus and just have him spit a quick verse.

Track Score: 8/10

U-God’s Score: 0/10

Impact on Rep (+,-,=): NONE AT ALL BECAUSE NOBODY HEARD THIS



Next Week: We've come to another full-blown Wu Tang album! Already! This time it's "Iron Flag" and U's first song on the shit: "Soul Power (Black Jungle)".


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.

U prepares to say his two words on the track.

Album Review: Killarmy "Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars"

Best Friends Camping Trip 1995

Hey Neighbor!

Killarmy, right? Those guys. Known for rotten beats, clunky lyrics, and lots of terrorism. And also known for nobody knowing about them. Except me. I even know that they are from Ohio! #Salute? Definitely.

I don't really want to review this album because I don't really like it. SPOILER ALERT: It's too much Killarmy. It's an overdose. I appreciate it, and I like some of the songs, but nothing here has ever made it into my regular rotation. So why am I reviewing it? Because it sets up my all time favorite hip hop album: Killarmy's "Dirty Weaponry". That's right friends. I like "Dirty Weaponry" better than "Illmatic", better than anything from the Wu, better than anything else period, and I have liked it the most for years. It's a fantastic album. If it were a cookie, your grandma would have made it. THIS ALBUM, on the other hand, would be like one of those giant cookies that you see at the mall. One bite is okay, but the shit is too big!

TOO MUCH!

So I'm not a fan of this album or it's long ass title. In fact, way back in 1996 I picked up the single for "Camouflage Ninjas" and "Wake Up" based on the Wu name alone and I was very disappointed. I thought both songs were low quality and had no real connection to the Wu (except that "Wake Up" was produced by the RZA) . I thought this was a "talented famous people hooking up their less talented family" situation, and I was right. (Except for the "less talented" part, but I didn't know that at the time).

I thought "Wake Up" was a much stronger song, even though "Camouflage Ninjas" has the Raekwon sample. Both songs have good beats, but Ninjas sounds like amateur night lyric-wise, "Wake Up" is just too raw lyrically . . . but it has an amazing beat. But the major problem with both songs is this: they're boring. I can't nail down the reasons exactly,every element is there, but the lyrical delivery gets old quickly and the shit gets monotonous. In the end, I didn't listen to the single many times and I forgot about Killarmy entirely, until I noticed the whole album had dropped and proceeded to buy it.

I was not impressed. Actually, it was more hit-or-miss. Some of the beats were slamming and all the samples were amazing, but none of the songs were that great. I think the boredom that plagued the single was present on every song. It was difficult to sit through the album, and if you tried to listen to this shit on headphones, you'd be bored out of your mind.


Like I said, the album did have some good things going for it: I really appreciate the military theme, and all the calling out of wack rap. It hate wack rap, and calling it out is what I look for in good hip hop. I think that's the only reason that I bought the follow-up album. But it only goes so far on this one, and while I think almost every song on here has something going for it, none of them could be considered great. So I'm going to do my least favorite thing and review this album track by track. Mainly because I want to highlight the good in the album. So here we go...I'm sure I could review every track by saying "Boring. Good beat. Great sample." So just assume that unless I say otherwise.

1. Dress to Kill
Boy, this intro sounds strange today, Killarmy starts off by using a sound bite describing terrorists, only they are using it to describe themselves. That's another defining attribute of Killarmy that I guess I forgot to mention: they really set themselves up as a terrorist group. Which was kind of okay since it was before 9-11 and nobody really thought about that stuff.


What about this track specifically? The beat is fantastic. 4th Disciple just killed it, and I'll make it known that he is actually a member of Killarmy, not just a random producer. So that's a plus to have a producer as a member of the group. And a good producer at that. The core of his beat sounds like something out of 1950's pop, but then it's got all these crazy Wu layers of rawness. Then it's got sirens, gunfire, explosions, a raw break beat, people making gun sounds. It's good as hell.


And remember all that shit I said about every song being boring? This song is not, the hook is pretty much a perfect introduction to Killarmy:

Grab ya army suits, your phat black boots, military gear, and go out like troops.

The lyrics are sharp throughout, and I have to give more credit to 4th Disciple for that, he handles these MCs perfectly (and I assume that they are a tough bunch). Killa Sin and Shogun Assassin both drop decent verses, but 9th Prince drops a mess of a verse that derails the whole track, it's too far off beat and the lyrical content is too much. WTF 9P?


2. Clash of the Titans - (featuring Street Life)
There is no way I knew who Street Life was when this came out. He takes the fourth verse, but before we get to him, let's talk about everyone else. First of all 9th Prince once again comes with that disruptive flow that kind of throws the whole track off. I don't remember disliking 9th Prince at all, in fact, today I would consider him one of the better Wu affiliates, but I guess at this point he was just a voice lost in a group where everyone sounds very similar, and his off-beat flow was overlooked because the guy who raps after him (Dom Pachino) really sounds off.


Anyway, Streetlife brings the best verse and I think that he probably deserved an early Wu affiliate album as much as anyone else, but he didn't get one. Beretta 9 Finishes the track strong, which is no surprise since he is one of the better MCs around.


Once again, the chorus sticks to the military theme, and plays a hell of a lot better than most choruses:

Nothing but the army shit, the raw shit / The Military war hits with gun clips

So that's good! But with two bad verses out of five, and a beat that's good but not great, we have a song that's just okay and makes me feel bored.


3. Burning Season
We have another good beat, overlaid with sirens and gunshots. We have another good chorus which, once again, follows the military theme (good job on sticking to your guns, Killarmy). Here it is, as delivered by 9th Prince:

YO! It's burning season. Y'all thugs is guilty of high treason.

Many of 'em bleeding, some getting sent to the grave for no reason

On the streets n----s kill with without a license, in Scarsville
It's all for real 'cuz everything is real
Don't sleep on the average cat he's packing steel

Everybody delivers a good verse this time, and...uh, actually Killa Sin is the only guy on this track. 9th Prince holds down the chorus, but Killa Sin takes all three verses and they're all good. Killa Sin is a good MC, and 9th Prince sounds good on a chorus. This is like a preview of how good Killarmy would be in the future.


4. Blood for Blood
This is the first song that I actually remember from this album. Everything else I've had to look up, sure I recognized the previous songs once they started playing, but I must have spun this song a lot because I remember liking it.


This is what Killarmy (and Wu Tang) do best, they mix smooth shit with stuff that's too raw for the general public. In this case, we have the butter chorus "Blood for blood...a bullet hit my true love's side" side by side with ridiculously rough lyrics.


Let me be clear: this beat is terrible. The worst one we've heard so far on this album, but something amazing has happened: 9th Prince and Beretta 9 both deliver great verses on some classic Killarmy shit. Unfortunately Dom Pachino starts the song off and doesn't have the energy to lead, even with a short verse. ShoGun drops a decent verse, but 9th Prince kills this shit. This time his rugged off-beat flow matches the beat and balances against the chorus, and all the oddball references work. But as soon Beretta 9 spits his first "Yo!" the shit is over, it's exactly like hearing a click-clack, because the verse is hard as hell..maybe a bit too long, but still good.


5. Seems It Never Fails
This is a good song. Islord and 9th Prince are a good combo, especially over a jazzy smooth beat. But this chorus is awful (as opposed to what we've heard so far), the repeating "seems it never fails" is the downfall of this track, it's like slamming on  the breaks ofthe song...and since the track starts with it, it make it an easy track to skip. But if you can get past it, I would call this track good.


6. Universal Soldiers
With a title like that you'd think this track can't miss right? Well, it starts with the most perfect kung-fu sample imaginable for Killarmy. A little too perfect, if you ask me:


"What is your style, and what is your clan?"
"A soldier that uses military style."
"Oh? So there may be a war?"


Is that real? I don't think so.


Anyway, underneath that amazing bit of dialogue we have what sounds like Morse code, and some kind of high-pitched RZAesque vocal sample saying "you're not a soldier". It's very good, and follows the established format of smooth shit in contrast to the rough vocals and loops. Once Killa Sin starts spitting and the beat drops it's kind of hard not to say "oh shit!" because of how nice it all is. Everyone kills the beat, even Dom Pachino who (so far) hasn't done so well. In fact, on tracks like this, the rougher the flow (Dom Pachino and 9th Prince), the better it sounds. Especially when these guys kick off a verse so well.


Unfortunately, SoGun is the liability this time. His verse stinks and his vocal production sounds off, like maybe he recorded his verse at a different time on inferior equipment maybe? I'm just guessing. These guys just can't all get it together for a track...someone is always lagging.


7. Love, Hell or Right
Maybe this will be the track where everyone pulls their own weight. Nope this is a stinking skit. Blah! But the trumpet loop + guns is bad as hell. This is a good ass skit and a great intro to Wake Up. 


8. Wake Up
Ugh! I think we already covered this shit, right? RZA produced, beat is good, lyrics are not that good (boring), and the chorus is good (wake or get woke). Nice, but not a keeper.


9. Fair, Love & War
Uh-Oh, another list of three things. Killarmy loves that. How will this one go?


Good. The beat is so sloppy, its like stepping in a muddy bog and your boot comes off (that's a good thing, duh). Everyone puts in the proper amount of work and fits well over the smooth beat. Shout to 4th Disciple again. This time we have no chorus, just a lot of terrorism quotes. So Killarmy.


"...they are angry conflicts of desperate people who feel they have neither the resources nor the clout to fight their enemies at the negotiating table, so they take their negotiations to the streets."


Bingo.


10. Wu-Renegades
Now, I don't mean to be an ass, but is a Wu Renegade someone who is a renegade against the Wu, or is it a member of the Wu renegading against something else? Who knows? Maybe Killarmy knows? I don't know. 


All joking aside, this is a solid track. It's got all of the Killarmy essential elements, and finally everyone is on the same page and pull together for a great track. Killa Sin's opening lines of the second verse are just insane, as soon as he spits the first "Yo", everyone knows it's going to be good.


"Yo. It's like I remember slapboxin, now we clap shots to catch props,
from lockin rocks on the block to chop the fat crops and chalk.
I see the Jakes and motivate cause half my team be holdin weight
We march across the Golden Gate Bridge
My mind is in the solider state"


That's vintage shit. Now my sources tell me that 4th Disciple steps out from behind the boards and actually spits the 4th verse (and it's the worst one...STICK TO PRODUCING 4th DISCIPLE!). I could go without that. So I'll give this song an official "good first half" rating.


11. Full Moon
Now, if ANYONE ever talks shit about 4th Disciple (like I just did), I will quickly come to his defense, as the sample on this track is ONE OF THE BEST ONES EVER. How in the hell did you find this?


"When I came to you there on that cold...telephone call, horror of the night, and you came out to meet me and then tell me things and sit down on the porch swing........"


DOPE. 9th Prince and Killa Sin regulate on the track delivering rough rhymes in stark contrast to the smooth and mournful chorus sample. Plus the layered Killa Bee sounds AND gunshots really add to the track, but the shit is murdered when 4th Disciple adds war sounds to the chorus to end the track. This song is the best one on the album.


Let it be known: Killarmy should have ended the album here, the rest is where we cross into "too much" territory.


12. Under Siege
Even the hardest Full Metal Jacket samples can't save this track. The beat is just too chaotic. The lyrics are tough to follow, and the chorus is too military. Next.


13. Shelter
The chaos from the previous beat is not resolved with this track. Although this beat is better, it's still extremely rough. Once again, it's so raw that it distracts from the track. It just makes me think about skipping the rest of the track. A clip of this one would have been perfect as a very short interlude between two other tracks, but alone it's another skip.


14. Camouflage Ninjas
So I guess this was the official first single off the album, and they tacked "Wake Up" on it as a B-Side so the RZA's name could be on there. Ahhhhh! I'm so sick of reviewing this album and I've already taken like a million breaks. You could just listen to this song and decide if you like it or not. Go ahead, what's stopping you?


As for me, I think it's boring except for the scratching on the hook. Okay?


15. Swinging Swords
I'll give you this, Killarmy, this is a great name for a song. It has an official video! Can you imagine a time when this was on TV?


Killarmy - Swingin Swords by Cana_19

While I would LOVE to review this video now, I'll save it for another day (actually I would hate to review it now because I'm, so sick of writing about this album....but some part of me really wants to get cracking on Killarmy's whole music video collection because it's nuts.) Anyway..this song? Well, that sample is kind of genius and kind of irritating, and the song as a whole is just irritating and boring.


16. War Face
Listen, I would have said that you can't lose sampling Full Metal Jacket, but a few songs back, the Killarmy team managed to prove me wrong. But while that last song failed at the hands of 4th Disciple, this song succeeds under the production of the RZA.


One other thing, this song has five verses, and three of them are spit by guys with with the number 9 in their name.


9th Prince
Cloud 9
Beretta 9


9! I wanna see your war face, soldier, where's your war face, camouflaged inmates collapse war gates. Not bad. The whole track is okay. But, guess what: it's boring! Last song!


17. 5 Stars - (featuring Masta Killa)
A real live Wu Tang Clan member guest vocaling right here at the end of the album! On the beat from M*A*S*H! The TV Show! (Actually the song is called "Suicide is Painless" and it is hands down one of the best non-hip hop song ever made). 4realz.


But even with a solid sample of one of the best songs of all time and a guest from Masta Killa, this song is nothing more than boring. Plus the M*A*S*H  theme doesn't sound right and the bass is weird. What happened with the bass? 4th Disciple? Hello? And the beat is a mess. The lyrics are okay, and I like the missile sounds and the constant machine guns, but the "music" sucks so hard that it makes the whole song suck.


Plus, I never realized that Masta Killa was on here until I was researching this review today. I can't imagine how he felt walking into the studio, probably early on a Tuesday morning, cup of coffee, whatever. Ready to work and when he walks in all of RZA's cousins are laying around in too much camouflage and with weird hats and they're watching M*A*S*H and yelling a lot about generals giving killing orders and there is way too much noise and he was probably looking for Method Man and Ghostface and he realized that he was the only one who showed up so he probably said "FUUUCK THIS SHIT!" but then RZA was like "Yo, it's a paycheck" (on the phone) and Masta Killa was like "FUUUCK let's get this shit over with". So he spit his verse quick and got the FUCK out of there because they are definitely going to use whatever he spits because he's the only "celebrity" who showed up. So then the verse was too quiet and not that great so Killarmy was like "Just put loud ass missile sounds over the top of it and explosions" and that's what we have and it's really a bad song. That's definitely how it happened.




IN CONCLUSION: THAT WAS SO LONG!!!!!! Why did you read that? I'm never reviewing another whole album again...untl Thursday when I listen to my favorite hip hop album of all time, the follow up to this one: "Dirty Weaponry"! But I'm not counting that one because it's so good, and there aren't really any bad tracks (one that seems like it's going to be bad, but a few seconds into it you're like "FUCK YEAH!" and then you would turn it up but it's already all the way up so you just punch the wall and break a chair).


SILENT WEAPONS FOR QUIET WARS SCORE 4/10 (or bore/10, lol?)