RZA — Birth Of A Prince

On his solo debut proper, the Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA finally abandons his alter ego, Bobby Digital. "Don’t even call me Bobby no more/My name is Prince Rakeem," he asserts on "The Birth." Opener "Bob ‘N’ I" picks up where "Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off)" left off, while the darkly orchestral "Chi Kung" recalls his work on the Ghost Dog soundtrack. "Drink, Smoke & Fcuk" tries hard to be the next "Simon Says" with its laundry list of imported beers and exotic weed strains. Aside from brief appearances by Ghostface Killah and Dirt McGirt on "Fast Cars" and the Neptunes-flavoured "We Pop" respectively, original Wu-Tang members are conspicuously absent; hell, not even U-God shows up. As a result, the focus stays — as it should — squarely on the multi-talented RZA.

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