Inspectah Deck & PA. Dre - Dragon's Breath Album

[The Predator]

Tracklist and Features -


[01:01] 01. Dragon's Intro feat. M.O.W.E.
[04:04] 02. Never Fold feat. Raekwon, Sauce Money, Skyzoo & D.V. Alias Khryst
[03:48] 03. H.E.C.T.O.R.
[03:06] 04. Lighter Fluid feat. Eto, Mickey Factz & RJ Payne
[03:00] 05. Shaolin Rebel 2 feat. SiahLaw
[04:09] 06. The System feat. L. Biz
[03:49] 07. Up at Night feat. Peedi Crakk & M.O.W.E.
[03:49] 08. Day in the Life feat. Baegod
[04:16] 09. One of One feat. G4 Jag, M.A.V. & KXNG Crooked
[03:02] 10. Flight School feat. Chedda Bang
[03:44] 11. Burgundy feat. L. Biz
[03:47] 12. Cold Case feat. Ransom & Gripz
[04:17] 13. Divine Protection feat. Sa-Roc, Che Noir & Redddaz
[04:35] 14. Solitude feat. Flee Lord, Hus Kingpin & BVNGS
[03:47] 15. Anointed feat. 7xvethegenius, 40 B.A.R.R.S. & Bahamadia
[04:12] 16. Possession feat. Hell Fire, Cappadonna & Blue Raspberry
[03:07] 17. Funny Style feat. Cee Brown
[02:55] 18. Czariana Grande
[02:54] 19. Explicit Material

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Inspectah Deck - "Dragon's Breath" review



undergroundhiphopblog

Here we have the 5th solo LP from Staten Island, New York lyricist & producer Inspectah Deck. A member of the almighty Wu-Tang Clan as well as 1/3 of CZARFACEwith 7L & Esoteric, he would eventually drop his solo debut Uncontrolled Substance in the fall of 1999 under Loud Records & Relativity Records. Which I found myself enjoying more than the MNRK Music Group-backed The Movement as well as Manifesto & Chamber #9, although The Resident Patient marking the launch of Deck's own label Urban Icons Records & Cynthia's Son both came pretty close for their own separate reasons. I was nonetheless intrigued by P.A. Dre being brought in to fully produce Dragon's Breath.

"Never Fold" featuring Raekwon, Sauce Money & Skyzoo after the "Dragon's Intro" finds the quartet over a murderous boom bap instrumental talking about their refusal of backing down whereas "H.E.C.T.O.R. (Hustle Everyday Can't Trust Or Rely)" discussing the daily grind & trusting nobody. "Lighter Fluid" featuring Eto, Mickey Factz & RJ Payne links up over a venomous boom bap beat continuing to spit hardcore lyricism just before "Shaolin Rebel 2" hits us with a soulful sequel to the Chamber #9 joint.

Ankhlejohn & Brizz Rawsteen both pop out for "Between the Lines" soulfully talking about seeing the signs God's trying to send you although Ankhlejohn had my favorite guest appearance of the 2 personally leading into "The System" taking a more intricately conscious approach topically. "Up At Night" featuring Peedi Crakk switches it up by showing a more sensual side to both of them which is alright, but "Day in the Life" soulfully talks about being thankful for every day because it's a dream to him.

"1 of 1" featuring G4 Jag, KXNG CROOKED & M.A.V. comes together for an eerie boom bap cut filled with all 4 artists detailing their unique skills while "Flight School" reaches the halfway point talking about grinding for his own shine. "Burgundy" kicks off the 2nd leg of Dragon's Breath incorporating guitars to not let Satan steal his joy while "Cold Case" featuring Gripz & Ransom jazzily yet dustily puts us inside the shoes of detectives.

Che Noir & Sa-Roc teaming up during "Divine Protection" was an exciting moment talking about aiming the firearm & blasting to protect what's theirs while "Solitude" featuring BVNGS, Flee Lord & Hus Kingpin coldly flexes that they be rollin' around the parts muhfuckas can't even hit up. "Anointed" featuring 40 B.A.R.R.S., Bahamadia & 7xvethegenius fiercely demands everyone honors them like the royalty they are while "Possession" featuring Cappadonna & Hell Fire would've been more enjoyable without the latter.

"Funny Style" symphonically talks about muhfuckas acting weird hoping to catch him down & out while "Czariana Grande" by CZARFACE produced by none other than 7L boasts of taking over car speakers whenever INS Ya Highness & 7LES unite. The closing track "Explicit Material" also by CZARFACE officially sends off Dragon's Breath spending the remaining 3 minutes having Esoteric accompanying Deck going full battle rap mode ahead of their upcoming collab album with Tom Hardy at the end of the month.

Exhibiting the razor-lyricism that's made Inspectah Deck a cornerstone of the Clan's entire 36 Chambers mythology, Dragon's Breath acknowledges the connecting theme of his storied career from his Shaolin foundations to the comic-book-noir world of CZARFACE & back again. Excluding a select handful of mediocre features, I can appreciate one of the most technically gifted & underappreciated MCs in all of hip hop doing his thing over P.A. Dre production for this full-circle moment.

Score: 3.5/5

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In this episode of What's The Headline, Inspectah Deck joins Ambrosia For Heads to discuss Dragon's Breath, his first solo album in seven years. The Wu-Tang Clan legend reflects on how his approach to lyricism has evolved over three decades, why opening lines matter so much to him, and how his creative process continues to change.

Deck also revisits some of the defining moments of his career, including why he opened so many classic Wu-Tang records, the making of Gang Starr's "Above The Clouds," and the story behind one of Hip-Hop's most iconic phrases: "I bomb atomically."

The conversation also explores his thoughts on AI, The Matrix, Joey Bada$$ portraying him in Wu-Tang: An American Saga, the flood that reshaped Uncontrolled Substance, why Rap music stopped being fun, and what being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame means to him.

Additional highlights include Inspectah Deck naming his top five MCs outside of Wu-Tang, revealing the inside story behind his verse being removed from Tupac's "Got My Mind Made Up," discussing the upcoming CZARFACE album, and sharing the wisdom he hopes the next generation of MCs carries forward.

0:00 Intro
1:40 Why Inspectah Deck Waited 7 Years To Release Dragon's Breath
4:10 How Inspectah Deck's Lyrical Style Has Evolved In 30 Years
7:00 Why Great Opening Lines Matter So Much
10:43 Why Inspectah Deck Opens So Many Wu-Tang Classics
11:40 Who Inspectah Deck Really Writes His Rhymes For
14:15 Inspectah Deck Breaks Down His Creative Process
19:10 What Inspectah Deck Thinks The World Will Look Like In 2049
21:00 Why Inspectah Deck Sees Himself In Neo From The Matrix
25:00 The Creative Freedom Of Prince, James Brown & Hip-Hop's Pioneers
26:50 How Inspectah Deck Uses AI To Make Beats
29:30 Why Inspectah Deck Doesn't Mind Being Out-Rapped By A Guest MC
30:50 The Advice Inspectah Deck Gives Younger MCs
32:00 How Solo Albums Differ From Wu-Tang & CZARFACE Projects
36:20 Inspectah Deck Tells The Story Behind Gang Starr's Above The Clouds
39:44 Why 'Bomb Atomically' Became One Of Hip-Hop's Most Iconic Lines
41:30 Inspectah Deck Names His Top 5 MCs Outside Wu-Tang
44:00 Why Rap Music Stopped Being Fun
47:00 Inspectah Deck On Joey Bada$$ Playing Him In Wu-Tang: An American Saga
49:50 How RZA's Basement Flood Changed Uncontrolled Substance
57:00 The Breakthrough That Changed Inspectah Deck's Life
58:36 How Inspectah Deck Stays Physically Healthy
1:01:30 Why Inspectah Deck Paired With Women MCs On 2 Dragon's Breath Songs
1:06:00 The Inside Story Of His Lost Verse On Tupac's 'Got My Mind Made Up'
1:10:30 Inspectah Deck Talks The New CZARFACE Album
1:12:30 The Mixtape Inspectah Deck Will Release Under The Right Circumstances
1:14:15 What The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Means To Inspectah Deck

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[doggfather]

def gonna check it!