Well here we have (just a little out of order) the first wutang solo effort. Now before I can ever advise a purchase of this tape I have a story to tell. So apparently the guys at Def Jam run a tight ship, and tical had a very certain release date. Unfortunatly a few weeks before this date Chamber Studios (RZA's basement) flooded, destroying a lot of beats, including the ones for tical. Given that, RZA was given the task of reconstructing the entire album in a matter of weeks. You can really hear in the audio that it was rushed, really hurting the overall sound quality. Now that's out of the way, lets meet Meth.
Anyone who heard the wu tang debut, was extremely intrigued by one individuals rugged, murkey, and dark rhyme style. It is this style exactly that launched him to superstardom. So it is obvious why he was chosen to make the first solo album, and at its peak this thing was selling like hot cakes. The question on everyones mind was simple; can his unique style alone lead to solo success, let's see.
1. Tical
This calming beat it one that leads to very easy listening. Meth does a great job of introducing his style if you were previously unaware. This intro does a great job of hooking you in, and whether you like it or not you are now hooked on Meth's style, and you are dying for more. (what a coincidence his name is meth, meth is an addictive drug, was that a bad joke?)
2. Biscuits
Well this song sure is different. You may find it annoying, but I love it. Meth is having a good time while letting you realize that he is better than you at rapping.
3. Bring the Pain (Feat. Booster)
This song is an incredible song, but is the first where the audio problems come into play. This audio output was just simply sloppy, it was a good instrumental, but bad quality. And the adlibs were off when they were there at all. This was not Meth's fault and lyrically this is awesome, but it is suffering from quality.
4. All I Need
This might be one of the few acceptable rap love songs. Just because Meth is gangster as hell while loving this person. To be clear, this is not the future Grammy award winning single, however it is still great and one of the most beloved songs in the entire wu tang catalogue.
5. What the Blood Clot
Once again Meth is really fucking good at this whole rapping thing. The vocals on this song are noticably louder than the beat making this sound like it was recorded on garage band. None of the flaws thus far have been with Meth's rapping, but it's hard not to notice the bad quality.
6. Meth vs. Chef (Feat. Raekwon)
Story time! So the wutang clan used to have battles over RZA's beats to see who got the priviledge of rocking the banger that RZA has created. This was a recorded battle between Meth and Rae that is awesome, but goddamn the vocals sound like they were recorded with a damn cell phone. You can actually hear Raekwon start up his verse a few seconds before he should have, but he corrects himself and RZA kept it on the final product. Awesome
7. Sub Crazy
This song isn't bad I guess. It is just more of the same, but with the exception of being awesome. It is like Meth.is going through the motions on this track.
8. Release Yo 'Delf (Feat. Blue Raspberry)
I don't want anyone to tell me I made a mistake, you read that title correct. I don't know if Def Jam fucked up, or Meth thinks Delf is a word, but it happened. Aside from the glaring audio problem this is the best track on the album. The intensity amd energy Meth brings to the track is incredible. His lyrics on point, and a nice hook from who I assume is wu affiliate blue raspberry. If Meth has theme music, this is it.
9. P.L.O. Style (Feat. Carlton Fisk)
I really dont feel like explaining PLO because it holds no relevance to the song so feel free to look it up. Other than that this is just an average song. With a guy named Carlton Fisk, and neither seemed all too into this track. Fisk was actually locked up shorty after this was released, which is a bit sad a guess
10. I Get My Thang in Action
You should have an opinion on this point. You either love or hate this guys style. This is just another run of the mill dope as hell Method Man track. RZAs instrumental stands above all on here though. The multiple layers of Instruments provide great replay value, and of course sound great when all mixed together.
11. Mr. Sandman (Feat. Blue Raspberry, Inspectah Deck, The RZA, Streetlife, & Carlton Fisk)
Here is something that any wutang fan will love. The classic wu posse cut at it again. We hear Meth and Inspectah Deck rip the track to shreds. RZA performs decently, we meet Meth's little bud Streetlife who performs wonderfully, and Carlton is back. This is an amazing track.
12. Stimulation
Here we have Meth just doing what he does best. Enjoy wu stans.
13. Method Man (Remix)
The single that got this guy on the map was Method Man. This track however is borderline shit. The beat is bad, accompanied by awful song quality. I guess this is a fun way to end the album, but it sucks a bit.
Rating: 3.5/5
I cannot consider myself a legitimate blogger if I rate this any higher. Meth is awesome but the quality of the sound really hinders this albums potential. This album was never going to be liquid swords, but it could have been much better. Unfortunatly Meth never seemed to bring this effort again, so he has yet to make a project that is good as he could do. Listen if you want, but I am not urging a purchase.