No Said Date
It seems oddly appropriate that, some 10 years after theWu-Tang Clanfirst put the world on notice, Masta Killa would finally get to put out his solo album--he's the last of the original Clan members to deliver one. Even more remarkable is that, at a time when the Wu mostly seem like material for a future "I Love the '90s" installment (Ghostfaceexcepted), Masta Killa puts together an impressive album in the best tradition of the Clan: dusty, dissonant soul loops, lyrics that are all about style rather than shine, and that classic sinister quality embodied by the Wu's best albums. Had this album come out in 1998, people might have hailed it as another Wu classic, especially with the brilliantly biting "School" and the unexpected sentiment of "Love Spell." Add in cameos from all the family--Ghost,Inspectah Deck, theGZA, etc.--andNo Said Datesuddenly takes you back to the heady days of, oh, 1996. Way old school.--Oliver Wang