It’s unclear why one of hip-hop’s most acclaimed beatmakers decided to limit himself to the role of MC for this project, which, with just six songs and an Intro, straddles the line between album and EP. The boom-bap is provided by DJ Scratch, who does an admirable job substantiating his “superproducer” moniker.

Every beat is composed of gritty drums juxtaposed with a layer of melody; Shaolin-style strings, horns and pianos. Rza’s raps help make Kung Fu Theater a fairly enjoyable show. The most crowd-pleasing act is Fate Of The World, though the song probably should’ve been saved for the next Wu-Tang joint.

my rating : 3 of 5

2022