U-God's Resume #59, "Killa Beez"

--Official Stats--
Artists: RZA, U-God, Inspectah Deck, Suga Bang Bang, and Blue Raspberry
Song: "Killa Beez"
Producer: RZA
Album: Wu-Tang Productions Present Killa Beez: The Sting
Release Date: March 12, 2002

OH, The Sting is a follow up to The Swarm. I just figured that out! I didn't buy this shit because I thought The Swarm  was a piece of shit, and I did't want to hear a bunch of second string lackey's rapping over crap beats. Guess what? I still don't (unless tehy bring the ruckus, which they probably won't).

That brings me to the good news: I don't think I've heard this song before! AND it doesn't have any second string lackeys, it has first string chamipions: Deck, U, and RZA. Plus production from the RZA, this should be dope as hell. I'm honestly excited. Are you? Fine. Your feelings are valid whatever they are! Let's check it out...

Oh nuts! This has an official video? Whaaaa? Let's review that shit! I hope it won't be like the last bunch of Wu video's that I've seen (cheap, in da club, violence on women, RZA flip offs, dumb, etc...). Let's find out!


"Killa Beez"



INSTANTLY I'm dissapointed by the video. I mean by the time my brian realizes that I am watching an official Wu video, I've already lost hope. Why? Computer animated bees that look like shit. AGAIN. Stop it already.

But then...OH SHIT! This is a good ass song. I don't know what the hell that singing is at the start, but it collaposes into some dope shit. This is a good Wu beat.

U kicks it off hard as nails. I'll post his lyrics at the end, but he does a good job. The "more pull than Magneto" line wins it. RZA and Deck are going to have to go big to top that shit.

And then we get the first good listen to the chorus. . . and it stinks. It's not terrible, but it's also kind of basic. No imagination at all. Come on boys, the chorus is very important. This is just singing "Killa Beez" which is okay, then someone else saying "warriors". Fine. You should have went with plan "B", the RZA.

As for the video. It's very cheap (AGAIN). The editing is a bit better than that last one, but it's still the same basic idea: Clansmen rapping around ladies on a crappy looking set / couch. Sure this one has honey, but that's not enough.

RZA is next, and his verse is solid. From the "hear the hornet" all the way through, RZA brings a pretty typical Bobby Digital verse. That's good. But it's okay if you happen to miss it. As for the video, let's see, sports car, ladies, cheap. Done. Wack. At least he didn't flip me off this time. Nice maturity!

This guy is in the video more than Deck. Hey! Nobody wants to see this guy.

Deck is easily one of my favorites in the group. Except on his own shit (which almost always sucks). This sounds like a Deck verse on a Deck album, which means that it's the Deck we know and love, doing a good rap, but it just isn't great. I mean it's got some good lines, but it falls pretty flat, which is odd, especially on a beat this live.

Deck's video location is "in front of a black wall" - so, that's the weakest set yet. Plus, they show the ladies and the singers more than him. Weird. PLUS, in my last Wu video review I moaned about how the set was decorated with a sharpie. Well, the Wu logo's look pure sharpie again. SO CHEAP.
 

IN CONCLUSION: Good song! Cheap video. Everyone brought a good verse (no great verses) and the beat was good. Nice job everyone! And special shout to RZA for managing to not flip anyone off! Super work!

 

Track Score: 6/10

U-God’s Score: 7/10

Impact on Rep (+,-,=): None


Next Week: Thank goodness U-God only got stuck on one track on this album because there is no way anything else was even close to this good. So we get to move on "Shaolin Brew" from "DJ Drank's Greatest Malt Liquor Hits". Good GRIEF and WTF?

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-God's Lyrics (nonproofread(

Yo yo
I was born with this magnet, warned by the dragnet
About my dirty habits, I got to have it, the super-glow
Deuce Bigelow - Male Gigolo
Gold hands crush Coke cans and Michelobs
Style is Nino, black Benzito, Valentino
Nine needles - voice; evil steelo
Hit, like the bull, more pull than Magneto
Crush kilos with my bare hand, reload the Eagle
Nine dirty strikes, leaped up off all you people
Burn therapy, chemo, seap hoes
See you through the peephole - in the crime lab
Countin Ginos, cut-tin dime slabs
Then he bagged up Chino, rushed through the crowd with a hee-ho
Slapshots, jackpots, and pe-nnals
Throw graffiti on the wall, throwin up Reemo
Gambino three dice, headcrack Cee-Lo
In ya earhole, let the snare roll go low
Lower than low, lower than zero
Who's your rhymin heroes? *heavy breathing*

Trackmasters: Method Man "Stimulation" feat. Blue Raspberry

Okay, so YO! We’re phoning it in today with an “in-depth” look at an underappreciated cut off of Method Man’s debut album Tical. That’s right, we’re looking at “Stimulation” produced by the RZA and featuring Blue Raspberry, two people who were featured heavily on the album (especially the RZA since he produced the whole thing). I know that it might be a stretch for me to say that this song is underappreciated becasuse it’s never listed as either one of Method Man’s best or worst songs, it’s somewhere in the middle. That’s where I would rank it (actually more toward the top). So it’s probably accurately appreciated….so that was a waste of a whole paragraph. #salute.

Let’s get busy on ‘em…

So I’ll start with the production then we’ll get at the lyrics. This production is fucking raw. That snare sounds like it was pulled right out of the trash. The violin sounds like it was pulled from a horror movie, and then you’ve got heavy bass going on throughout the track. Add in a harp and the RZA made an incredibly complex rugged beat with just a few elements. But he didn’t stop there, he layered in digital sounds, some off-putting jazz sounds, an organ, and Blue Raspberry singing. It’s genius. But who cares about the technical stuff: the important thing is that this song is rugged as hell, this is the kind of beat Method Man needs. I don’t think that a song this rugged could be made today thanks to computers and technology. Everything has to sound perfect to the point it becomes sterile and boring, this shit is rough cut and hard as hell: it is perfect.

As for the lyrics, Method Man kills it. Actually, let me back up for a second. The vocal production on Meth’s voice is also amazing, not only is it layered brilliantly, there is absolutely no echo, but sometimes there is. Sometimes Meth’s voice blends with the beat perfectly and sometimes his rhymes dominate. Sometimes it sounds like Meth is right next to the mic and sometimes it sounds like he’s on the other side of the room. It’s very active vocal production and it’s the best anyone could do ever. Shouts to the RZA and Meth.

So how does Meth do? Well, let’s start with most people’s stumbling block, the chorus:

Let's come together for the stimulation
Meth-Tical hit 'em with the stimulation
Can everybody feel the stimulation
Meth-Tical hit 'em with the stimulation

I agree that it reads bad, but when Blue Raspberry is singing it RZA has her sounding like an angel trapped in a tunnel. It’s more background noise than an in-your-face chorus. The elements that stand out more are the outro (by Meth):

Wu-Tang clan, forever
No we don't die we just multiply forever, and ever, and ever...

I know that’s a bit juvenile and simplistic but it works. Same with the intro:

One, Two; One, Two; One, Two

I get’s busy on ‘em, I get’s busy on ‘em…

As for the meat of the verses, Meth makes simple lines seem complex while he innovates with his flow. He does this again and again on this one track. The first example comes early in the first verse:

Flowin' like the ocean (bluuuue)
I be comin' for your (crewwww)
Flyin' guillotine (styyyyle)
With the name Meth-Tical
Is it goin’?
Is it goin’?
Is it gone?
If I ain't on ya records then the shit ain't really on...

The words in parenthesis are separated from the line with an odd echo and the effect is dope. The flow is incredible. Meth pulls an equally clever trick in his second verse. After a rhyme in his normal flow Meth flips it up and starts spitting like a machine gun:

Brothers want the drama but don't know how to act
Until the chrome pointed at his dome head crack…

The lines come monotone, perfectly timed to fill each bar, and relentless.  He pulls a change up again and we’re hit with this:

Ill block nigga get rocked like by the dozen
Whaddup cousin?
Now give a pound to that lounge nigga
Peace, my MZA, killa hills 10304…

It’s like a stutter stepped machine gun. Method Man masterfully flips his technique over and over again in this track. He is definately one of the most talented MCs ever to touch a mic. This is a perfect Method Man track, every element tightens its grip around your neck to choke you out. There’s no escape from something this powerful.

Stimulation Score 10/10

Throw ya hands in the air if you want ‘em there.