Soul Assassins: Intermission

DJ Muggs has always been one of the most underrated producers in the game (Check out our feature on him: http://kevinnottingham.com/2008/07/24/producer-spotlight-dj-muggs/). Names like RZA, Dre, Premier, Pete Rock, Organized Noize, Marley Marl, etc. are always mentioned when heads talk about the best producers in hip hop history. The man behind the boards of Cypress Hill, Muggs has been crafting gems for everyone from KRS-One & Goodie Mob to House of Pain & Afu-Ra. Muggs produced sporadically in the early part of this decade but emerged back into the eye of hip hop fans with his critically acclaimed album w/ GZA, Grandmasters. Since then, Muggs has been on a roll crafting albums with Planet Asia and Sick Jacken, adding to his impressive discography. Nine years later, Muggs returns with another one of his foundational projects, the Soul Assassins. Intermission comes as the third project under the Soul Assassins brand and contains features from Fashawn, RZA, La Coka Nostra, Bun B, M1, and Prodigy, showing tremendous promise of a collective loaded with lyrical talent and undeniable production from the likes of DJ Khalil, Alchemist, and of course, Muggs. Would this anticipated release deliver in all aspects?

As with all the Soul Assassins projects, the guest list is stacked with some of hip hop’s best. The album starts out with the teaming of Bun B & M-1. UGK-meets-Dead Prez equals the very dope “Gangsta Shit.” Over pounding production, both emcees match the vibe of the beat with their tough rhymes and gritty demeanor. While Bun shines on the track, as he tends to do on most guest spots these days, M-1 more than hold his own with the legend. Evidence & Sick Jacken’s “Classical” is quite possibly the best cut of the album. It delivers impressively via a melodic, harmonious beat, while the two west coast emcees deliver uprising and complementing verses.

“Gunshots” is a solid track with the very underrated Chace Infinite & super producer, Alchemist. Although ALC has improved a lot on the mic, the track will have you feeling like another emcee should’ve been alongside Chace. Supergroup La Coka Nostra comes through with “Do It.” Ill Bill & Slaine both handle the verses with Everlast contributing on the hook.

“Rep Yo Shit” marks the first slip up in the album. The beat brings a lot of potential but unfortunately Sick Jacken cannot carry Necro on this track. Necro’s coarse voice and subpar rhymes show why he should stay behind the boards. “Good Evening Los Angeles” gets the album back on track with a banger from DJ Khalil, and Chace Infinite delivers yet another standout performance on the microphone.

Reef the Lost Cauze & Outerspace collaborate on “Meet Your Maker.” Muggs creates a sinister beat that would sound right at home on any AOTP project. Planetary & Crypt the Warchild deliver decent verses, but Reef’s leadoff verse steals the show. The title track provides the largest posse cut featuring RZA, Rev. William Burk, B-Real & Planet Asia. All 4 play their role perfectly but surprisingly Rev. William Burk shines most despite the other big names on the track.

Fashawn also attempts to steal the microphone spotlight and does so successfully, getting his own solo track, “Let Go (My Life)” with massively creative and unique production from both Muggs and Khalil. “Like That Ya’ll” is a decent cut but the production from Muggs seems forced. Planet Asia does indeed spit vicious bars though, once again leveling the playing field. Still, it comes as a disappointment because of the stellar work the two did on their album, Pain Language, from last year.

In the end, this album just isn’t very cohesive. The last act of the LP begins to show the true faults in the LP and what started off as a great concept and collective, evidently became something repetitive and tedious. The amazing thing about the first 2 Soul Assassins albums was Muggs’s ability to bring all of the different emcees together and still create one distinctive collection of music. It seems as if there might be a slight bit of pressure on the production team with Intermission, and because of that there are evidently faults throughout. On this album, the production varies so much that it comes off like a compilation, as opposed to a coherent album. Muggs was able to bring the likes of GZA, Dilated Peoples, KRS-One, Goodie Mob, Everlast & Wyclef Jean together on the original Soul Assassins albums and it didn’t sound out of place at all. This isn’t a bad album by any means but it just doesn’t match the blueprint set by the first two.

71/100

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