For me, Theodore Bailey, who used to rhyme under the pseudonym Trife da God before switching it up to the current Trife Diesel, came completely out of nowhere. In 2001, he popped up as one of Ghostface Killah's lackeys on three tracks off of Bulletproof Wallets, and even accompanied his mentor on the lead single from Mark Ronson's Here Comes The Fuzz project, "Ooh Wee" (also featuring Nate Dogg). In 2004, Ghost compiled some of his album rejects along with some tracks from his Theodore Unit crew (named after Trife? Now that would be interesting if it were true) and released the mixtape-slash-album 718, which still stands as one of the finest Wu-Tang Clan offshoot albums of recent memory. So in the span of three years, Trife da God had established himself as a promising artist that could use the Wu-Tang logo as a launching pad if he so chose, and nobody would complain one bit. Not bad for a guy who didn't have much of a career breakthrough before Bulletproof Wallets.
Or did he? Other websites purport that, in a previous life, our Trife Diesel was better known as Trife, one half of the Snakes in the Junior M.A.F.I.A. I can find nothing online nor in any liner notes that can help prove this to me otherwise, so I have no idea how true this is, although I kind of doubt it. As the M.A.F.I.A.'s debut album Conspiracy dropped in 1995, that would place Theodore as being approximately fifteen years old when that project was released. It isn't unheard of, but I can't imagine that The Notorious B.I.G. would include a child in a crew made up of his friends and his mistress; since they couldn't take him into the club, what would they have done with him? But if any of you two can provide some sort of proof, hit me in the comments below.
Trife's first solo effort, 718: Stapleton To Somalia, was ultimately jettisoned and configured into a Ghostface Killah & Trife da God project, Put It On The Line, in 2005. (Promotional copies of 718: Stapleton to Somalia exist, however, and are readily available if you search the Interweb for about twenty seconds.) Ostensibly, this move was made to guarantee record sales from Wu-Tang stans such as myself, although I'm not sure of the legalities that would have allowed Ghost to release a disc under his own name on an entirely different label than the one he was contractually obligated to at the time. For his part, Trife accepted the changes, as they didn't seem to have been made out of any lack of faith. Besides, Trife and Ghostface are two great tastes that taste great together: throw Raekwon into the mix and you would have the ingredients necessary to make up for that Wu-Massacre debacle. (Method Man could make sporadic guest appearances, if necessary.)
Trife abided his time by putting in additional cameos on Ghostface projects, but when the time came around to release another debut solo album, he jumped at the chance. Better Late Than Never, a direct reference to the eight years he had to wait before unleashing a project of his own, dropped in 2009 to very little fanfare and even more limited publicity, but that was to be expected, as it isn't as though Trife is signed with a major label or anything. Trife was never the guy to throw Wu-Tang references into any given verse for no reason (another reason he's much different from almost any other Wu-Tang Clan b-teamer), so Better Late Than Never could actually be classified as a non-Wu album, had it not been for the obvious history between Trife and Ghost, who appears twice on here. The rest of the guest appearances are spread out to Trife's old friends from his original crew TMF (who were quickly absorbed into the Theodore Unit) and some underground rappers that you've probably heard of. You probably won't have a clue who the producers are, though: given his limited budget, Theodore elected to go with quality instead of name-brand recognition: suffice it to say, you won't hear any Wu-Elements on here, although I'm sure he would use them if he had the cash.
Better Late Than Never was released over one year ago, before Raekwon and Ghostface Killah turned the Wu tides with their respective albums, so it was lost in the shuffle quite easily. So now's a good time to fish it out of the water and give it a go.
1. BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
A soulful, jazzy Blunt concoction makes up the first beat Trife spits to, getting the title track out of the way with two verses (the third is more of a breakdown than anything else) are exactly the tight, concise, and detailed rhymes of a guy who can (and has, repeatedly) hold his own opposite of Ghostface Killah. This motherfucker is so self-assured that it's astounding to realize that this is his debut solo album (although, once again, it wasn't supposed to be). This was a really good way to start things off.
2. WANNA BE A RAPPER
Diesel's focus is scattershot throughout this one-verse wonder, but his diatribe against current hip hop trends-slash-advice for up-and-coming artists-slash-autobiographical tale has one thing going for it: it sounds fucking good. Lee Bannon's beat is a perfect match for Trife's words, so much so that you're left wishing that this song went on for another three minutes. Nice!
3. WE GET IT IN
The DJ Snips beat actually sounds pretty interesting, and Trife takes full advantage, kicking three verses that tread the same water as every single other Trife verse ever fucking written, but he has an entertaining way with his rhymes: not unlike the Clipse, Trife da God would have grown tired quite a while ago without that particular trait. (Now that I think about it, Trife kind of sounds like the missing third Thornton brother.) The chorus is almost comically awful, derailing the train from its kiddie-park track, so the overall final product isn't that great, but everybody's allowed some missteps. Make me proud, Trife.
4. HEADS OR TAILS
The execution on this could have been a little bit tighter in my opinion: instead of focusing on the absurdity of making all of your important life decisions with the flip of a coin, Trife turns his eye toward more crime shit. He sounded okay, but when combined with the DJ Snips production, this was fairly dull.
5. PREY VS. PREDATOR (FEAT KRYME LIFE & TOMMY WHISPERS)
Trife invites a couple of his old friends (who also happen to be a part of Theodore Unit; funny how that happens, right?) to conduct a lyrical workshop over an interesting-if-not-that-significant Bean One beat. And conduct they do: Trife even dials down his contribution a but just so he can comfortably stand alongside his brethren. Tommy Whispers swoops in for a third verse that sounds as though it was performed by a Killah Priest clone after sucking in the helium from a child's birthday balloon with a Sudafed chaser. This was kind of great.
6. PROJECT LEADERS (FEAT FREEWAY & TERMANOLOGY)
Trife tackles the Inspectah Deck “Serious Rappin'” recipe (although, to be fair, Trife's song did come first), looking outside of his immediate vicinity for some underground credibility. The results are mixed: Blunt's beat sounds like it would have been better suited to another one of those “slice of life” stories that some rappers are good at, but Trife manages to excel anyway, save for his wordy hook, which is a bit much. Freeway, who is probably too big of a name to be included in a grouping such as this, does alright, but Term sounds fucking awful. (Must have been having an off day.) Trife does prove that he can thrive outside of his comfort zone, though, and that was the point, right?
7. RESPECTFULLY (FEAT GHOSTFACE KILLAH)
Ghostface Killah's first of two guest appearances on Better Late Than Never goes off without a hitch, but he is easily bested by Trife's two verses (on which he's nice enough to slyly mention the title of the other Ghost-featured song on here). Neenyo's production, which approaches Birdman's “Always Strapped” (I mean that in a good way: I actually like that beat, if not the words laid over it) is pretty far removed from Wu-Tang for most stans to feel comfortable with, but this song works extremely well. Besides, it's not as though Trife had a ton of RZA beats to choose from; to this day, those two have yet to work together. Come on, Rakeem, you worked with Meth's weed carrier; the least you can do is show Trife some consideration, since he's actually fucking talented.
8. LISTEN CAREFULLY (FEAT KRYME LIFE & TOMMY WHISPERS)
This Mental Instruments beat is pretty fucking dope: I especially dug the off-kilter wind chimes that occur every fourth bar. Trife invites his friends back to his place for a quick trio of verses, without the presence of a chorus hindering things. Shit like this makes me hope that Ghost has the time to compile another Theodore Unit album, since his Def Jam obligations should (finally) be cleared up. This shit was nice.
9. BLIND MAN
An out-of-left-field brief tribute to blind men everywhere. Trife tackles this topic with grace and clarity, especially during his second verse, when he praises blind musicians who never lost their nerve to be creative even though they were never able to actually see their many fans. This was an unexpected lark, but not every rap song needs to be dark.
10. LIVE N---A NIGHT OUT (FEAT GHOSTFACE KILLAH & SHAWN WIGS)
Pretty goofy, but also pretty entertaining: the entire track (which clocks in at just over two minutes) consists of Trife trying to convince an overly generous Ghost to go out (Pretty Toney tells everyone that he'll pick up the tab because he hit the lottery – were his finances that bad with Def Jam that he had to resort to trying to hit the Powerball?), while Shawn Wigs turns in a pretty crappy verse. But the fun and excitement of this song is contagious: hell, now I want to get ready to hit the clubs, and I still have to actually finish this review. Nice work, Trife.
11. STRONGER MAN (FEAT KRYME LIFE)
I really liked the production work on here. Trife and Kryme Life bounce off each other well, reinforcing the idea that the Theodore Unit is truly underrated. Hell, I even liked Kryme's callback to Cappadonna's last bar from “Winter Warz” during his verse. The only way this could have worked better is if Ghost also made a cameo. But you can't have it all, I guess.
12. POWERFUL MINDS (FEAT ROYCE DA 5'9”)
This is actually dope as fuck. After a brief musical interlude, DJ Flatline and Kender's dramatic late-night-newscast theme of a beat kicks in for Nickel Nine to demolish. Trife's performance also solidifies an opinion that I've had for quite a while: the artist formerly known as Trife da God truly is the finest Wu-Tang weed carrier of them all (although I should probably stop calling him that, as he's obviously graduated beyond that point). Dude can write a hot verse, he has a decent ear for beats, and he sounds at ease alongside such hip hop heavyweights as Royce da 5'9”. Whatever it takes to get by in our chosen genre, this guy has it. Now if only people would actually purchase Better Late Than Never...
13. WORLD TODAY
There's an uncredited appearance by Barack Obama on here: I'm starting to believe that Inspectah Deck listened to Better Late Than Never and decided this was what he wanted The Manifesto to sound like. However, I'd rather listen to Trife these days instead of the Rebel INS: it's sad, but it's absolutely true. Trife decides to take on societal ills with a realistic but hopeful tone: although he doesn't provide any solutions of his own, he at least proves that he's been paying attention to the news. Also, he apparently really really really likes Obama. I'm just saying.
14. DIRECT FROM THE GHETTO (FEAT TOMMY WHISPERS)
I don't understand why name-brand artists can't choose hot beats to spit over, but Trife can apparently throw his bouquet into a crowd and come back with sixteen instrumentals that sound good. Blunt's instrumental is really fucking hot, and his version of a Ghostface Killah song (even including what sounds like an uncredited cameo from Tony Starks on the hook) circa Fishscale is a winning one. I was hoping for a slightly better performance from Tommy Whispers, but he did well during his other guest spots, so I'm willing to let this song slide.
15. WHAT DID I DO WRONG (FEAT STASH)
This was an interesting idea: a man and a woman broadcast their opposing views on their relationship, which has hit a rough patch. Kudos to Trife for including a female point-of-view that actually makes sense without being catty (especially with Stash's line “You're acting like I'ma always be there”)...and the same bit of praise gets taken away as Diesel loses his shit and resorts to violent threats and sexist remarks. Rationality is overrated, I guess. You root for the star attraction until he turns on you at the end...didn't see that M. Night Shyamalan twist coming. Oh well.
16. MOTHER LIKE YOU (FEAT MIKE PAYNE)
Trife's ode to mothers around the world ends Better Late Than Never on a positive note, as he apparently treats his baby's mother with much more respect than the chick portrayed on the previous track. Lewis Parker's production made this an outright peaceful way to leave things.
THE LAST WORD: Trife Diesel's Better Late Than Never is the most entertaining Wu-Tang Clan-related project since Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Part II (and yes, I realize this actually dropped before Rae's magnum opus). Trife uses his solo debut to prove that he probably could have earned a record deal even without the aid of Ghostface Killah, thanks to his consistently engaging rhymes and an ear for beats that works better than most artists who are currently leasing their space in the spotlight (with an option to buy). Trife separates himself from the pack through mere skill alone, rhyming alongside both his Theodore Unit brethren and underground cats with the ease of a seasoned veteran. I would actually love to hear another Trife Diesel album as soon as fucking possible: he should really get on that shit. Until then, we have Better Late Than Never to hold us over. I recommend that you pick this one up as soon as you can, especially if you're a former Wu stan that doesn't find any of the Clan's current output, no matter how indirect, relevant in 2010.
-Max
RELATED POSTS:
Theodore Unit – 718
Ghostface Killah & Trife da God – Put It On The Line
The creation of this album is an interesting story. Maybe not so much for folks that don't follow or give a rat's ass about the Wu-Tang Clan, but it is for me. After the (relative) success of Theodore Unit's collective debut 718, Ghostface Killah thought that it would be a good idea to show the world what his primary color Trife Da God was made of, solo album-wise.
Trife responded by recording his solo debut, 718: Stapleton to Somalia, reportedly for the grim reapers over at the Koch graveyard. Interviews were conducted (some of which can be found on the Interweb), and all seemed to be going well. Late in the process, however, somebody had the bright idea of putting Ghostface's name on the album cover (and including a smattering of Ghost songs that didn't even feature Trife), showing off what little faith they had in their own artist. Promotional copies were released for review purposes, and I was even able to somehow get a hold of one, although there's an annoying voice that repeats on a constant loop that the copy of 718: Stapleton to Somalia I was listening to was "for promotional use only", completely cutting in to any enjoyment I might have received by, say, listening to the songs. (You can find the promo-only album online if you look hard enough.)
At some point, this Trife Da God solo album because a Ghostface & Trife joint collaboration, and the project was taken from Koch over to Ghost's own label, Starks Enterprises. The release date was pushed back one month so that the disc could be reconfigured. Songs were either retitled or dropped altogether, the sequencing was shifted a bit, some bonus tracks that were Ghostface Killah leftovers were added (to move units, ostensibly), a live DVD that featured Ghostface Killah live in concert alongside some of his Wu brethren were added on, and the new title Put It On The Line was slapped on. The Trife solo album had become a glorified Theodore Unit sophomore disc, although to be fair, the rest of Theodore pop up only sporadically (including ex-member Solomon Childs, although, curiously, Cappadonna does not make an appearance). You can tell that Put It On The Line was a rush job as there are no song credits at all in the liner notes: it's essentially a complete mystery as to who actually produced the goddamn songs.
Put It On The Line allegedly sold more than one hundred thousand copies, an amazing feat for an album that received almost zero marketing (Starks Enterprises apparently had no advertising budget). Only one single was pressed and released, and to my knowledge, no videos were ever shot. There was once talk of Theodore Unit action figures to be featured in Burger King kids meals, but those plans never came to fruition. Ghost was forced to move on immediately to promoting his next official (read: major label) solo disc, so this Trife solo debut-turned-group effort was abandoned with a quickness not seen since those early Road Runner cartoons.
But I liked 718, you may say. If this is just another Theodore Unit album (albeit with more of a focus on Trife than anybody else), won't I like this disc as well?
Probably not.
1. COCAINE TRAFFICKING (GHOSTFACE KILLAH & TRIFE DA GOD)
From the very first track, it becomes abundantly clear that this won't be another 718. The beat is overproduced, and lyrically both Ghost and Trife sound like store-brand rappers discussing drugs in a most generic, white-box-with-black-letters way. This isn't a good sign.
2. PUT IT ON THE LINE (TRIFE DA GOD)
Although this sounds absolutely nothing like a Wu-Tang song, it's still pretty good. (And before someone mentions it, yes, I am aware that it probably shouldn't sound like a Wu-Tang song, given the fact that Trife isn't an actual member of the Clan.) Trife surpasses expectations on this solo outing, proving that, if anybody was going to overthrow Ghostface and stab him in his back, it would be Trife.
3. STRUGGLE (GHOSTFACE KILLAH)
Okay, seriously, this song is awful. I choose to believe that Ghost's head was incredibly congested and that he couldn't actually hear the beat the day he elected to spit to it.
4. HUSTLE HARD (TRIFE DA GOD)
Whatever the fuck this was, it wasn't memorable enough for me to write about. That much I can say.
5. EVENT (TRIFE DA GOD)
Trife comes off alright on this track, but I was more curious about the fact that a homophobic reference was actually censored. In a rap song! I know, I'm just as scared as you are.
6. GANGSTA SHIT (TRIFE DA GOD & TOMMY WHISPERS)
I was nonplussed with this song. Put It On The Line is starting to leave a bad taste in my mouth.
7. FIRE (GHOSTFACE KILLAH & TRIFE DA GOD)
My fears may be short lived, as this song is, literally, fire. Seriously. Flames shoot out of my iPod every time this track appears on shuffle (although I've been told that may be a sign that I should simply replace my iPod). It's just fucking great. Trife also outraps Ghost for the first (and only?) time on wax. This shit deserves to become a permanent fixture in the Wu-Tang canon. Why, the only thing that might make this a better song is a remix featruing actual members of the Wu-Tang Clan: I can picture Raekwon fitting in nicely over this instrumental.
8. PROJECT SOAP OPERAS (TRIFE DA GOD, KRYME LIFE, & TOMMY WHISPERS)
This shit is pretty good as well. The beat essentially makes this song, as the lyrics would sound corny as fuck without an instrumental that wasn't up to the task. Thankfully, the entire package works out perfectly.
9. WAR (TRIFE DA GOD)
The vocal sample used throughout the chorus is much more memorable than the song itself.
10. OUT DA WAY (GHOSTFACE KILLAH & WIGZ)
At least whoever the hell produced the song was smart enough to reference the source material of the sample, so that it doesn't seem like Ghost and Wigz are simply jacking the beat from The D.O.C.'s "It's Funky Enough". This isn't that bad of a track, but it's not that great, either.
11. DRUGZ (TRIFE DA GOD)
Meh.
12. MILK 'EM (GHOSTFACE KILLAH & TRIFE DA GOD)
Apparently, this was the only single to be released from Put It On The Line, and the vinyl single itself is notable for including five different versions of this song, provided by five different producers. This song (at least, the album version) is actually pretty good, and although the beat has a bit too much going on, at least it's short.
13. LATE NIGHT ARRIVAL (GHOSTFACE KILLAH, TRIFE DA GOD, WIGZ, & SOLOMON CHILDS)
Solomon Childs, who at this point was no longer a part of the Theodore Unit, doesn't receive any credit on the album for appearing on this song, which is interesting, considering how instrumental Ghostface himself was in aiding his career. Anyway, everybody involved sounds awkward over the beat, but, once again, I have to applaud Theodore Unit's efficiency, producing yet another posse cut that's less than three minutes long. How come they can do this, but everybody else takes their sweet time?
14. MAN UP (GHOSTFACE KILLAH, TRIFE DA GOD, SUN GOD, & SOLOMON CHILDS)
Solomon Childs doesn't receive a credit for this track, either. Sorry, but that's all I got.
15. GAME TIME (TRIFE DA GOD & TOMMY WHISPERS)
This isn't that bad, but after an overall lackluster effort, this track is too little, too late, and the generic rap song title certainly doesn't help matters any.
The following are listed as bonus tracks.
16. THE WATCH (GHOSTFACE KILLAH FEAT RAEKWON)
Although for the life of me I can't recall which Ghostface Killah solo album "The Watch" was supposed to appear on, it's easy to hear why it was cut, thanks to the prominent Barry White sample that's more like a co-star than a supporting player. Ever since it leaked to the Interweb many years ago, I've liked this track, and although Raekwon's cameo is of no consequence, Ghost's boasts are oftentimes hilarious.
17. GHOST & GIANCANA (GHOSTFACE KILLAH & KOOL G RAP)
This boring-as-shit song marke the second time that Kool G Rap has collaborated with a member of the Wu-Tang Clan (the first time being "Cakes" with The Rza, from the Ghost Dog soundtrack). Curiously, this seems to be the same song as "Da Connection", a track that Ghost, G Rap, and Cappadonna contributed to Da Beatminerz's Brace 4 Impak (but was left off of the final pressing), except with fellow Theodore Unit member Cappadonna's verse chopped off. Interesting.
18. THE SUN (GHOSTFACE KILLAH FEAT THE RZA, RAEKWON, & SLICK RICK)
This would be the infamous track that was excised from Bulletproof Wallets, even though it appears in the liner notes, and the sticker on the outside of the shrink-wrap prominently advertised it. I realize that I'm going against most Wu heads by saying this, but I never cared for this song, and I still don't. I will admit that Ghost's verse is amusing, especially his use of imagery, but Rae, Rza (who also produced: this tidbit I garnered from the Bulletproof Wallets liner notes), and, surprisingly, Slick Rick all fail to impress.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Put It On The Line is kind of a mess. Although I've always felt that Trife was one of the better Wu-Tang weed carriers, it may have been too soon to give him his own "solo" album, although that certainly hasn't stopped most other major rappers from giving their friends album deals. When he gets it right, the results are fan-fucking-tastic, but when something is a bit off, it shows. The late addition of the Ghostface Killah bonus tracks are also apropos to nothing, serving as padding, although the true reason they appear on here is to entice older Wu-Tang fans that had been salivating at the thought of "The Sun" and "The Watch" finally appearing on a proper CD. The lack of cohesion isn't an issue here, but this project showed a lot of potential and could have been so much more. Oh well.
BUY OR BURN? Chances are, my two readers who are diehard Wu-Tang freaks like myself already have the Ghostface bonus tracks on their hard drive anyway, so you should just pick up the additional songs listed below and be on your merry way. There's no reason to run out and grab a physical copy of this, no matter how awesome "Fire" is.
BEST TRACKS: "Fire"; "Project Soap Operas"; "Put It On The Line", "The Watch"
-Max
RELATED POSTS:
Read up on other Wu-Tang projects by clicking here.
After the release of The Pretty Toney Album, Dennis Coles was sweeping up the studio (he likes a clean workspace, after all), and was startled to find a package of leftover songs, which he had recorded with every intention of them appearing on his Def Jam debut release, but never made the final cut. As he was in the middle of putting together an album for his band of weed carriers, which called themselves the Theodore Unit, he decided that the songs shouldn't go to waste, and found alternative distribution in the form of Sure Shot Recordings, an extremely independent label which I hadn't even heard of until this writing.
The tracks I speak of were deleted and discarded from the original version of The Pretty Toney Album due to sample clearance issues: anybody that's listened to any Ghostface Killah album up until this point understands that Ghost likes to draw upon a wide variety of influences whenever he records a song, and oftentimes records a song without any thought given to a sample ever being cleared. There are literally millions of unreleased Ghostface Killah songs that have yet to officially see the light of day because of this work ethic (although a lot of them are easy to find on the Interweb). In a way, I find it commendable that Ghostface thought so highly of his work that he decided to put it out there, in any way possible, just so it can find its intended audience. Legally, though, I still haven't figured out how the fuck he pulled this off: if Def Jam wasn't able (or refused) to clear a track, even with their deep pockets, there is no fucking way an indie ran out of the back of someone's Mazda such as Sure Shot Recordings should be able to release the exact same songs without any pressing legal concerns, right?
Regardless, the Theodore Unit saw their debut "album", 718, released in 2004. I put "album" in quotation marks because this disc is really just a compilation of songs: some would even be inclined to call it a mixtape, except for the fact that the songs aren't blended together. At the time, the Unit was made up of Ghost himself and his flunkies: his main sidekick Trife Da God, whom I've praised highly on this very blog in the past; Solomon Childs, late of Ghostface's annoying-but-still-good "Stroke Of Death" from Supreme Clientele; and also Shawn Wigz, Du-Lilz (from Wu-Tang affiliate group Othorized Fam), Twiz, Kryme Life, and motherfucking Cappadonna, late of his second career of driving a gypsy cab through the streets of New York while getting fucked over for Wu-Tang royalties by Prince Rakeem. Since the release of 718, more than a few of the above named rappers have left to pursue other opportunities (read: they were let go), only to be replaced with the likes of Sun God, Ghostface's son (the Wu seems to have a thing for getting their own children on the mic, don't they?).
718 is supposed to be a Theodore Unit sampler, with no real sense of cohesion between tracks, but it ultimately comes off as a showcase for Trife, Solomon Childs, and Pretty Toney himself, who appears on ten out of sixteen tracks. Ghostface's multiple appearances make sense, as approximately half of the disc's songs were removed from The Pretty Toney Album at the last minute, but the other members of the crew barely get a chance to peek, let alone rap: Du-Lilz and Kryme Life only appear on one song each, and Cappadonna only gets two short verses, although at this point, we've already heard quite enough out of Cappa's mouth, thank you.
718 was one of those albums that hit the stores, but was destined to not really sell any copies, ostensibly due to lack of promotion, but ultimately, because a lot of the Ghostface songs had already leaked to the Interweb: essentially, everyone already had all of these songs, and you would only need to pick up 718 if you were interested in a nice shiny plastic package to house the songs you already owned. Let's see if you should go out of your way.
1. GUERILLA HOOD (GHOSTFACE KILLAH)
I'm still not one hundred percent on why this Clivaringz-produced track didn't make the final cut of The Pretty Toney Album, since it sounds so much better than a lot of the crap from the final release. The original version included Solomon Childs on a hook, but this one is much better, as not all rap songs actually require a break between verses.
2. PUNCH IN PUNCH OUT (TRIFE DA GOD)
Over a beat that sounds as if it could double as the opening theme music from a 1970's cop show, Trife impresses the hell out of me with his solo offering. Trife has always been one of the better Wu-Tang weed carriers in my eyes, and he spits over this awesome beat as if he had been waiting for the opportunity his entire life.
3. '88 FREESTYLE (GHOSTFACE KILLAH & TRIFE DA GOD)
Ghost and Trife sound off over the beat to Big Daddy Kane's "Set It Off", and while they both sound alright (if Raekwon ever decides to hang up the microphone for a career in the culinary arts, Trife could easily step in and Ghost wouldn't lose a step, although please note that I'm not saying Trife is as good as Raekwon can be on his best days), the song ultimately feels very empty.
4. THE DRUMMER (GHOSTFACE KILLAH & TRIFE DA GOD FEAT METHOD MAN & STREETLIFE)
The beat sounds like some original Tical shit (if it were interpreted by someone who wasn't The Rza), so it makes complete sense that Meth and Street appear on here. Upon its release, this was the darkest, grimiest, and dustiest Wu-Tang song to appear in a long while, and it was worth the wait: this song fucking rocks.
5. GATZ (SHAWN WIGZ, GHOSTFACE KILLAH, & SOLOMON CHILDS)
A decent introduction for two more members of the Theodore Unit, although followers of the Wu from day one will already know exactly what Solomon Childs sounds like, as he has appeared on other Wu-Tang songs before. This isn't bad, but there isn't anything especially great about it.
6. WHO ARE WE? (GHOSTFACE KILLAH & TRIFE DA GOD FEAT BONE CRUSHER)
Okay, this song's presence is actually easy to explain: Def Jam simply didn't want to pony up the clearance fee for sampling the theme song from Scooby-Doo, so as a result, the track hits the cutting room floor, regardless of how good it actually sounds. And that's the thing: this shit does actually sound good, and having your hook shouted out by Bone Crusher is actually effective.
7. SMITH BROTHERS (GHOSTFACE KILLAH & TRIFE DA GOD)
Uses the same beat as Raekwon's "Smith Bros." from The Lex Diamond Story. Ghost doesn't really sound that great over the beat either, but Trife does alright. Can somebody please explain why the two tracks weren't simply combined and included on either Rae or Ghost's respective albums? Because all of us Wu-Tang stans would have loved to hear those two on the same song again.
8. MAMA CAN YOU HEAR ME (SOLOMON CHILDS)
This Solomon Childs solo cut is decent, but it becomes obvious rather quickly why he would never be able to secure a record deal without some assistance from the Wu. As a writer/director, I also found myself appreciating Solomon's reference to "[Al] Pacino in the original script for Chinese Coffee", which is something you just don't really hear in hip hop. Solomon's reference to Sylvester Stallone's Driven, heard earlier in the track, is business as usual, though.
9. PAYCHECKS (GHOSTFACE KILLAH & TRIFE DA GOD)
Not bad at all, even if the vocal sample woven into the instrumental is a bit off-putting and threatens to overwhelm the rapping that's taking place over it.
10. WICKED WITH LEAD (GHOSTFACE KILLAH & TRIFE DA GOD)
Although I find myself wishing that these songs sounded more like Wu-Tang compositions (only "The Drummer" and maybe "Guerilla Hood" fit that description), it's easy to appreciate these songs for what they are: pure, unadulterated hip hop.
11. DAILY ROUTINE (SHAWN WIGZ)
Shawn Wigz, the token white boy in the crew, has a short solo song, and he sounds pretty good. At the very least, he sounds like he can hold his own with Ghost and Trife, which is all that matters when it comes to The Theodore Unit, I suppose.
12. RIGHT BACK (TRIFE DA GOD & KRYME LIFE)
Trife proves that, should Ghostface ever find himself stuck in Dubai while conversing with Tony Stark, he can serve as the de facto leader of the Unit with no problems. Kryme Life, Trife's former bandmate in a past life, only sounds okay, though, which is sad, since you would think that those two would have more chemistry together given their past work.
13. PASS THE MIC (DU-LILZ, SHAWN WIGZ, TRIFE DA GOD, SOLOMON CHILDS, GHOSTFACE KILLAH, & CAPPADONNA)
How the fuck can a rap crew fit a posse cut into less than three minutes? I still can't figure it out, even though the proof is right here in front of us. Unsurprisingly, Cappadonna sounds the weakest on here, but he actually seems to have left his ridiculous non-rhyming Sadat X/Kool Keith Lite rhyme style in the back of his gypsy cab, taking on a much more conventional flow that fits better. But at least Cappa made the fucking song: Twiz (remember him? I mentioned him above briefly) didn't even make the goddamn album.
14. WORK (SOLOMON CHILDS)
Someone may have been capable of rocking this bizarrely melodic instrumental, but the artist formerly known as Killa Bamz is not the one.
15. IT'S THE UNIT (SHAWN WIGZ, CAPPADONNA, & GHOSTFACE KILLAH)
The hook is awful, but otherwise the song is decent. Cappa manages to redeem himself, though: he almost sounds like the same guy that attracted many fans based off of his two appearances on Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...
16. BE MY GIRL (SOLOMON CHILDS)
This isn't bad for a Solomon Childs solo track. If 718 were actually a legitimate "album" as opposed to being a collection of tracks, I would complain that it doesn't quite fit the flow, but since it's not, I won't.
FINAL THOUGHTS: 718 is a surprisingly good listen. It actually seems like Ghostface only selected rappers to be in his group if they could actually rap (with the exception of Cappadonna: Ghost once saved Cappa's life and, per Chinese tradition, is now responsible for him). This disc was met with little fanfare, mainly because Sure Shot Recordings was trying its best not to attract attention for releasing Ghostface Killah's unreleased tracks, especially attention of the legal kind. 718 is easily better than The Pretty Toney Album in terms of consistency. The Wu-Tang Clan has always kept songs in their vaults that are better than their actual releases: here's some of the proof.
BUY OR BURN? By all means, if you luck into finding this in stores, pick it up. Wu-Tang fans may be a bit miffed at the lack of kung-fu samples, but hip hop heads will find plenty to enjoy.
BEST TRACKS: "The Drummer"; "Guerilla Hood"; "Punch In Punch Out"; "Who Are We?"; "Wicked WIth Lead"; "Pass The Mic"; "Daily Routine"
-Max
RELATED POSTS:
Read up on everything Wu-Tang related by clicking here.
