While there's heavy anticipation for the "Wu-Massacre" trio album with Method Man, Raekwon the Chef and Ghostface Killah, its likely Inspectah Deck's "Manifesto" will go unnoticed.
It's frustrating that Deck consistently rips it on Clan albums but when it comes to his solo attempts the results are hella mediocre.
Released Tuesday on Deck's own Urban Iconz label, "Manifesto" is another ho-hum album from INS. There isn't a single must-hear moment on the 20-track record.
The beats are garbage, produced by Alchemist, Moss and Deck himself, among others (but not RZA). You could interchange the lyrics to almost any song on the album and it wouldn't make a difference. "Get Down," "This Is It," "Really Real," "P.S.A.," "T.R.U.E." -- the hooks and song titles are completely arbitrary.
The lyrics themselves remain the only redeeming quality of the album, as Deck relies on complex construction and stylistic dexterity.
On "The Champion" Deck rhymes words next to each other as opposed to rhyming at the end of the line: "I scream/Machine gun/Funk/Trunk slayer/Major pain/Game hunter." But once the novelty wears off it's another snoozer on an utterly anesthetic album. (Watch "The Champion" in the video panel.)
Without RZA's guidance, Deck seems lost on his new studio set. It lacks concept, general dopeness, and that bigger-than-life-personality that makes Ghost, Meth and Rae exciting to listen to.
Deck proves once again that he is best suited for an album of posse cuts, in other words, a Wu-Tang Clan album.
Don't take my word for it, you can hear "Serious Rappin (featuring Termanology and Planet Asia)" in the mp3 section on The Som Show front page.
You can also stream "Manifesto" in its entirety on Deck's Myspace page -- a confident move, but one that could prove fatal. It's doubtful anyone would want to pay money for this album after hearing it. -IJ
