The Twelve Days of Wu-Mas 2022 - Day #10

The producer 4th Disciple, born El-Divine Amir Bey, is one of the earliest known Wu-Tang Clan affiliates. He's the only member of the Wu-Elements production crew to have provided any assistance on the group's debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), and he quickly took the musical reigns for Killarmy, one of the first Clan spinoffs whose six members focused more on a military aesthetic rather than the martial arts the core group idolizes. But while he's certainly racked up production credits throughout the years, both with the Wu and through his own artists, he was still the one Element voted most likely to remain in the shadows, staying in his lane and keeping to himself.

That all changed in 2020 when he released The Algorythm, his attempt at a Pete Rock Soul Survivor-type producer project, one where he provided all of the beats while guests pulled from random sources laid down rhymes. It's a little weird that he hadn't done something similar in the past, at least with various members of the Wu family, but what makes The Algorythm more unique in this regard is how he deliberately looks past his familial connections in order to create more of a challenge for himself. The Algorythm, an album title which pains me to look at every time I have to write it out because of its blatant misspelling, features verses from artists such as Rah Digga, Vinnie Paz, Sadat X, Peedi Crakk, and the late Sean Price, most of whom are on friendly terms with the Clan, but none of whom you'd expect to see appear on a proper Clan project. Because he isn't crazy, 4th Disciple also included Solomon Childs, La the Darkman, and Shabazz the Disciple (no relation) in the mix, because he knows what the Wu stans want to hear.

Click here to read my thoughts on The Algorythm, a former Patreon exclusive that is now available for everyone to enjoy!

-Max