He may be the quietest and least known of the core
Wu-Tang Clan members, but rapper
Masta Killa makes great strides toward shaking those qualities on
Selling My Soul, his first solo album in six years. Course, if you ask
the Masta, this is his first solo album ever in its way, as both
No Said Date (2004) and
Made in Brooklyn (2006) were both filled with enough
Wu affiliates and
RZA and/or
Bronze Nazareth productions that they were almost proper
Clan albums. Here, his only guests are
Kurupt and a posthumous verse from
Ol' Dirty Bastard, with outside folks like
9th Wonder and Koolade offering beats alongside
Allah Mathematics and
Inspectah Deck. The title works two ways, being an indication that
Masta is going to get pleasingly personal, but also that the productions are steeped in soul and R&B, offering a more upbeat and clean sound than the usual
Wu murk and a
Masta Killa companion to
Ghostface's retro effort
Ghostdini the Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City. Check the worthy bouncer "Food" for
Killa's wonderful, stream-of-consciousness look back at his struggle toward the top, or the
Ghostface tribute "R U Listening," which mixes ninjas, credos, and a lazy, yet very effective, hook.