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The Birth of a Prince

by RZA

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After two albums as Bobby Digital, RZA finally releases an album as… RZA. Although those hoping to hear his signature Wu-Tang soul style may come away disappointed, the man's mastery over dissonance continues. Tracks like "The Whistle" and "The Grunge" scrape fingernails on the chalkboard, but make it sound funky. Guest producers like Tru Masta and Choco help shoulder the load with some beats that sound like vintage RZA (such as Tru Masta's "Fast Cars") and others that take him in new directions. Lyrically, RZA gets even grittier than he did in his Bobby D days, spitting rusty-nail rhymes about his thug past, blasting shotguns, and swinging his Shaolin sword. As he twists your mind on the mellowing "A Day to God Is 1000 Years" and masters his lyrical martial arts on "Chi Kung," RZA reminds us that he's not just the Wu's scientist of sound, but he's also one of the crew's forgotten MC talents. --Oliver Wang