Most people would look at the name Dreddy Kruger and wonder how he got the authority to put out a Wu-Tang album. Is he just another b-teamer hanging on? And who is he to call an album Wu-Tang Meets The Indy Culture when there is very little Wu representation? Make no mistake about it, Dreddy has got it like that. While he may have been in front with the clan (letting their feet stomp, presumably), Dreddy has been behind the scenes before the Wu was the Wu.
Immediately folks are gonna complain that the album only features the RZA and GZA (save a U-God chorus), from the actually Clan. The only thing that really makes this worthy of sporting the ‘W’ is that Dreddy has that kind of clout and he enlisted several b-team producers and emcees. The album most definitely sports a late 90’s Wu sound, which is welcome. Then you’ve got some of today’s dopest indy emcees spitting over them, which is also very welcome.
Ras Kass and GZA sharpening their Lyrical Swords over a hard-hitting beat? That’s dream come true type shit. Gutter-hard Sean P and C-Rayz Walz teaming with Prodigal Sunn to show they’re Still Grimey? Hells yes. Or take Heiro’s Casual, Cannibal Ox’s Vordul, The Un’s Rocky Marciano and QB legend Tragedy Khadafi and toss them over a beat that sounds like it could have been on the GZA’s ’95 classic. You can’t really fuck with the results. Plus you’ve got wordiest of wordsmiths Aesop Rock and Del teaming up for the illy Self-Preservation and the polar opposites J-Live and RA The Rugged Man stealing the show with Give It Up.
Unfortunately it’s not all lovely. Some of the tracks are just average (Street Corners), straight up terrible (Del’sFragments), or a let down (Biochemical Equation). The latter, which features a two-headed monster in RZA and MF DOOM, is good and all but not nearly what I expected from a duo of that caliber. Still, you can’t front on Dreddy’s concept or his execution of it. Dope effort here.
