Without question the most diverse collective in Rap’s approaching four decades, the Wu-Tang Clan’s legacy thrives due to undying fan loyalty appreciative of each member’s variety. Straying from the allure of fame attained by some of the group, Masta Killa’s complex lyrical structure and monotone deadpan delivery are more highly regarded within underground circles given the quiet success of previous releases No Said Date and Made In Brooklyn. Further fleshing out his laid back aesthetic of interweaving street dialect and Five Percenter lessons, Selling My Soul is Masta Killa’s return to bat after an extended hiatus.
Having committed years to the science of microphone majesty, Masta Killa is fortunate to have an audience determined to support his best efforts despite the limitations of his talent. Always loyal to his team (the project’s intro quoting infamous Wu-Tang lines), Selling My Soul retains the spirit of a family affair though he creatively branches out beyond his close circle. A pleasant example of this expansion is “Cali Sun” featuring Kurupt, offset by the less inspired “Things Just Aint The Same” eulogizing Hip Hop’s older days. In the same fashion, “Divine Glory” does little to rectify Masta Killa’s long running glaring weakness of crafting romantic records, and the scattered “All Natural” is barely redeemed by its parallel between the East New York scholar’s rhyming aesthetic and holistic living.
With Selling My Soul, Masta Killa seems to have winged his way through songs that are lazy and conceptually not well put together. This enables highlights to become faulty, such as 9th Wonder’s soulful production on “Food” that ends up watered down by a continually repeated hook, and “Dirty Soul” where the Wu representative shouts out Black music icons for nearly three minutes before a short verse dedicated to deceased brethren Ol’ Dirty Bastard. Regrettably, even the strictest adherence to the album’s earnest theme falls flat as the spoken poetry of “Wise Words,” (an homage to Tupac’s “Keep Ya Head Up”) approaches rambling. Sure to be deemed uninteresting to some, perhaps Masta Killa can be forgiven on the merit of good intent keeping in mind this brief set is a supposed precursor to another forthcoming full length.
I like this album a lot, but I can’t give this album 5 stars, because of 2 reasons 1st: no Wu features on the m ic & no RZA beat. 2nd: with 36 minutes too short!
ILLMATIC 39 MIN.
yeah it falls short compared to illmatic. You said it.
he sounds boring. Listen him for 10 times is falling asleep. Although he aint bad.
I give it 4/5. Masta Killa tries a different approach here with success. I can’t believe that the reviewer knocks “All Natural” in this review. To me that is the best song on this album and one of the best songs of the year.
10 percenter bullshit, fuk outta here with that shit
Im chillin the fuck out with this album!!
Big letdown.
Dope album full of gems as usual. This will hold me over until Loyalty is Royalty drops!
cool album. real mellow but nice.
I thought the album was brilliant, check out the review below
http://yhmyouheardme.blogspot.com/2012/12/review-masta-killa-selling-my-soul.html
Album is full of slow and lazy songs, but good.
Def some introspective shit. But MK is known for thought provoking lyrics. this is for the headphones more than the party.
GOOD ALBUM
FOOD SONG IS GREAT
DOPE BEAT AND LIR’CS
Fuk this 10 Percenter bullshit
Go do your homework son… The Five Percenters movement was hugely influential to golden age east coast hip hop. The emphasis on dropping knowledge and questioning society was born from the fact that the Lessons had a huge impact on the black community in NY, some of the best features of classic hip hop are grounded in what the Five Percenters brought to the black community. Why you think so many hip hop artists have converted to Islam? The hip hop we love would have been very different without it…
five percenters are not Muslim, look up what an Orthodox Muslim is.
5 percenters aren’t muslim, they’re a sect…
that’s why Malcolm X and Muhammed Ali left it and became REAL muslims
Extended extended hiatus!!! this member of the Wu is one of luckiest dudes ever, i mean wu-tang first album dropped in 93 then slowly everyone released solo albums and this dude was last to release anything so pretty much for a decade or more he stood around in the background of videos or had really short verses on shit. i want that job!!! lol
haha yeah i know right, just e tight with right poeple i guess
After the first Wu album he featured heavily on every other album they put out, and did a lot of features on other member’s solo albums.
He didn’t sit around doing nothing. He’s said in interviews that he just didn’t feel the need to drop a solo album until later.
first 2 solos were really good. but this one… at least it’s not disturbing
LISTEN NIGGA’s, USE YOUR EARS, USE YOUR MINDS,,,then rate this joint.
DOPE HIP HOP
Wise words = rambling!! Get out here. Reviewer you suck. This is album is typical Killa heat. Guess he you would rather hear an album talking about absolutely nothing.
The intro to this review should let you know hiphopdx doesn’t know what they’re talking about. This is a special album, too bad this website just doesn’t get it, as for some time now.
I’m feeling this album hard. It’s not as good as his first two albums or the Roc marciano reloaded, alchemist and bronson or the Sean price which also came out around the same time this yea4. But I say that because I thought masts killa was lazy in picking beats. Like around half of the album is re-used beats. The reviewer doesn’t mention this at all. Even one song he says “what up ghost” because he was rhyming over the same beat ghostface just used on wublock a few weeks before.
I love Wu-Tang to death but this is some bullshit. Masta Killa sounds like he’s tired of life and the joints are boring and nothing new, they sound recycled and some beats literally are. it’s kinda sad these legends can’t make a dope album anymore at 40. I looked at my favorite albums from the last few years and the only only 90’s emcees that had albums I really liked were Common, Black Thought/The Roots, Q-Tip, Raekwon and Kanye West is guess. Otherwise, my favorites were all made by young hungry spitters on the come up, like Kendrick Lamar, Big K.R.I.T., Joey Badass/Pro Era, A$AP Rocky, Curren$y, Fashawn, Thurz and Flatbush ZOMBiES.
I’m a big Killa fan, but this album is pretty weak. The production is lazy and the soul he’s supposed to be selling is scattered. I was really looking forward to this DC, and find it nothing short of average.
look out for GZA darkmatter
INSPECTAH DECK rebellion
RAEKWON FILA
U-GOD keynote speaker
ghostface 12 reasons to die
method man crystal meth
This album is fire and I’ve been rocking it for 2 weeks straight. Real hip hop heads appreciate music like this and Wu-Tang is Forever! The new Wu album is being made as I type and I love the WU!
Compare to his previous albums,this one seems uninspired.Why preach mathematics then have a weak and pointless track like Cali sun and What u do. There’s a few gems like Food,R u listening but there is too many skits to make it a good album to listen to. The skip button is useful.
Just checked this album out and I’d call it the album of the year so far. Masta Killa’s best album and the best Wu release since OB4CLII. Dope as a mf’er.
This album is dope, I think Killah Priest The Psychic World of Walter Reed is WAAAAAYYYY SLEPT ON! I have been a Wu fan since day one and I think lyrically hands down Killah Priest