Review Summary: Reminiscent of MF Doom and old Wu-Tang in all the right ways
CZARFACE is: Inspectah Deck, 7L and Esoteric
Hip-Hop has always been about standing out as an individual and saying “look everyone this is me and this is why I’m great.” In the early 90s, the Wu-Tang clan debuted with their legendary record, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). They took everyone by surprise with the sheer amount of personalities featured on the record. All of them had their own unique sound and style, almost like warriors representing different schools of martial arts. CZARFACE’s sophomore LP brings back that old Wu-Tang feel, but instead with a focus on comic book heroes and villains.
Superheroes are cool. They have special powers they use to beat the bad guys and weaknesses they must overcome to do so. However, it seems that the villains are always even cooler. They’re the baddest dudes around and they’re out to prove it. This record is littered with villains; most songs have collabs, and these features aren’t weak - GZA, Method Man, MF Doom, R.A. the Rugged Man, etc. It feels like every song is a competition to see who can drop the best verse, almost like a comic book battle.
These heroes and villains duke it out over 90s style boom bap beats, bringing back that rugged sound Wu-Tang is known for. And the bars are there. No one is slouching on this record. They’ve got one chance to take on czar, and they take it seriously.
This record has that MF Doom/Madvillain feel: multiple brief cuts, frequent sampling, witty rhymes, and energetic delivery. It’s a vibrant album that’s just flat out fun and easy to enjoy. Everyone on here was just excited to get out and show off over some great beats. It’s certainly not very deep or thought provoking, but music doesn’t have to be transcendent to be enjoyable.
And in case you didn’t get what I was hinting towards, Hip-Hop artists may have more in common with super villains than you think.
8.5/10
