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M Grayum put together a mixtape which features various INS verses over RZA beats. It's a great exhibition of what may have been if the flood never happened. It's available on Dat Piff for anyone that may be interested. I'd love to hear what y'all think of it. I enjoyed quite a lot. www.datpiff.com/Inspectah-Deck-RZA-Ins-4-President-mixtape.947511.html
I'd like to hear your spin on The Shaolin ( G.P. the Grain, King just Shaolin blackfist , Shyheim , Ruthless bastards Now born click ) vs. The WU-Tang clan in why they haven't reach that status ?? Is it cause of fans or hip hop politicians ?? 🖤✌🏿👐🏿
Fuck this, The Rebel INS is one of my favorite Wu members. Golden Arms is nice too and I love Cappadonna. Real hip-hop heads know lyricism when they hear it.
Ugod has his moments but I feel he is the weakest and even had beefs in the Clan because they called him out kind of for being the bottom. Ugods solo album is the weakest out the clan though he has spit some dope shit on wu albums his solo album didn't have RZA production and it affected the lyrical content.
Deck's one of those IYKYK dudes. I dare anyone to listen to his verses on Chessboxing and Triumph and say he ain't just as talented as any one of the "big" names from Wu Tang. It's just hella unfortunate what happened to his solo album, or the conversation may be different.
Its no doubt about it Deck is one of the best artist coming out the WU. I rate him & GZA were.the best lyricist Wu Had. But you got to understand rap works in 2 forms. 1 is the "Underground " market where the most creative minds & the most entertaining artist dwells. Then its the "Mainstream" market. Where you being popularize by popular media. Now that we know the two markets. Deck never was acceptable to selling his soul, selling his fans out or putting money & success over loyalty & morals. We see today most these new rappers come out getting paid big checks but putting out garbage. Where artist like Deck may makr a good living (Not Rch) even though 36 Chambers album went gold. His product is authentic & witty. For that, made him shelved until now. Rap right now need a Deck. Need a Guru. Need a Masta Ace. Need a Edo G or a El Da Sensai. The game is all Azz backwards right now. Yeah, you always will have your new cats like Your Drakes, your Jeezy's, your 21 Savage's. Your Nikki Minaj's along with your Cardi B's. But record executives know that without the "Underground " market. The "Mainstream" market would die. People wouldn't want to just hear the same market all the time. The good news is The Wus under rated members are now getting the shine they should of had from the jump. U -God right RZA didn't need a Sunz Of Man or Killarmy. Too much Wu would over flood the Clan's marketing success strategy. All you neef is the 9 members & Shyheim. This way everybody getting large & the focus should always be on the 9 members.
Agreed. Method Man was put in the forefront because he was the most marketable to the mainstream masses and very charismatic while Deck is very laid back and not as marketable.
@@DLotheDoctor I certainly agree Meth is more marketable for mainstream success. Plus he considered a sex symbol to the ladies but to be honest even though he can rhyme but his latest stuff can't hold a candle to Deck new stuff. Keeping it underground is longevity.
One thing I wish you were pelucid about, is not the Wu's popularity DECLINING, but that the industry in the form of Hot 97 was working against them at the pinnacle of their success. When they pulled themselves from their tour with rage to perform at summer jam, only to have them subsequently black balled, THAT's what led to their decline.
thankyou for this video, yes rebel ins is the best in the group, i know many will say ghostface, but the truth is, even ghostface killah said deck is the best in the wu
You failed to mention, deck was featured on tupac album, mind made up(all eyes on me album) You hear his voice mixed in at the end of the track. But tupac said to cut his verse out. It's been said he had the dopest verse on that track. Makes you wonder why...?
While he hasn't lived up to his potential, I think all his projects are solid to great, except maybe The Movement, and that's more for the production, even though I think he dumbed down his lyrics significantly on that album.
I dont agree with Ugod saying sons of mans and killer army are whack when he is considered the weakest rapper in the group. those little side groups kept wu tang relevant.
To me Masta Killah is the best lyricist of the wu. But INS, Masta and UGod just had whack solo albums conpared to meth, ghost etc. Sorry to say that but uts true
Uncontrolled Substance was a wack album. I agree with U-God about the side groups and all don't forget Gravediggaz in that too. Of course Deck is top tier if Deck would've had more Wu collabs like Meth and GZA his album would've been different. I could see a Meth vs Chef showdown going down between Deck and Meth or GZA which would be dope. Damn near 20 years later opportunity missed.
Look what happened to him with that collaboration they did with 2pac called got my mind made up when they let 2pac get his own way for what ever reason when they kept inspektah deks lyrics off the final cut, but they've now got both versions of it now available and the full extended cut with inspektah deks lyrics right at the end are just totally goin off and he Fuckin kills it and it's just fire and only reason I think 2pac spat his dummy out is coz he felt threatened by it and knew that it stole the show and it was at the end of the tune and coz of that it was what you were left with and most memorable, so maybe people knew his potential and were scared of the competition so suppressed it too eliminate any rivalry they knew they had no way to win.💯💯💯
To me Deck has always been in my top 3 of the Clan. His lines and delivery can arguably be one of the best out there. Listen to him on Czarface albums where he has a ton of freedom and he absolutely shines
No artist has suffered more bad luck than Deck, of course the flood changed the trajectory of his career if he dropped in that window between 36 and Wu forever we’d be talking about Deck on a goat scale like we do Ghost imho, also add in Pac scrapped his verse on got my mind made up that was a bad look Deck killed that, then add in the Wu getting blackballed by hot 97 and he dropped after that on top of the Wu fizzling out and the game just going in a different direction including the Wu all going on their own direction
I think 50 cent said it best: you have to take advantage of the momentum when you have it. That unfortunate water incident was definitely the catalyst in INS not having a break out moment. If that album dropped the same time as the other wu affiliates, guaranteed it would have went gold and one of his songs would have got some spins on the radio. If you really look at all the albums that dropped from 93-96 from Wu members did well and some had features from members that had more of a following(ice cream, shadow boxing, comes to mind). It's really about timing. Really is unfortunate that INS did not put something out when the Wu was at their pinnacle.
Deck had killer verses on every Wu solo project too! His career arc was definitely a matter of timing but ultimately he still made out. He’s worth millions, stays busy every year between Czarface projects, features, and Wu gigs, and enjoys global legend status. Being a slightly less-well known member of the WTC isn’t exactly hard labor. If there’s a hip hop H.O.F., Deck’s in it.
Deck isn't just the most underrated on Wu, hes one of the most underrated in hip hop. Look at his verse on House of Flyung Daggers. He consistently uses multi syllabic rhymes with internals and similes and metaphors. Him, AG, OC, Elzhi Masta Ace, Thought,, Los, AZ, that's the class of all time underrated he belongs in
Great analysis. Uncontrolled Substance was the first album I bought of the WuTang Members. I really enjoyed his clear way of expressing his thoughts and also arranging them well. A true lyricist indeed.
It is INS. But as you said, lack of commercial appeal plagues very talented artists, including him. The buying public desires hooks or clever lyrics. Some gimmick in order to cross onto the charts. Deck has clever lyrics but may be too clever for his own good. The interesting thing though is that INS "diversified his bonds," so to speak, and is the wealthiest member of Wu-Tang Clan.
Great video. He's been my favorite Wu member since I heard him say: "I peep at the shape of the streets And stay awake to the ways of world cause shit is deep."
I think Deck is in a great space right now with his Czarface Projects. He has more reign and opportunities to express his art. As such, he's penned some of the greatest verses of his career IMO, even better than his previous classics. His verse on Sgt. Slaughter is just a masterclass on lyricism.
Inspect Deck IS the best lyricist of the group. Every posse cut, his was the favorite verse. His Czarface project with Esoteric and 7L is really good. If his solo albums had done better and had more support, he would be in a lot more “top five” conversations.
I agree. Deck is made of fire. “Rhymes run wild like a child in a walker”. Best of the nine. His career hasn’t been as expansive as his fellows, but artistically the highs have been unmatched by any of them.
lol I still enjoy the "Fear, Love & War" project by Killarmy. Especially the "Feel It" joint on that album. The emotion in the beat and lyrics always gets to me.
Thats a valid point Ugod made about RZA paying more attention to side projects than dudes in the group cuz i remember them pushing sunz of man, killarmy, gravediggaz, among others and cats like deck and U aint even have an album out yet.
Plus Shyheim. But in Retrospektive I believe that made the Wu the Pop Culture legends they are now aswell. All these different branches helped to maintain the overall look.
Yup been tellin ya deck the goat of this rap shit. Meth said in 36 chambers also. He said aright ima start from the top. First we got inspectah deck. He the inspectah...
Simple and plain, he lacked star appeal and didn't take matters into his own hands to create a buzz for himself. To me, despite what deck believes, it was a strategy on behalf of RZA and Wu's executive team to release Wu member's projects based on popularity. Out the gate, method man and Dirty, had the biggest personalities, and to me, that made them the more popular Wu members. Then came Raekwon and Ghost, who we later found out also had big personalities. RZA had a unique personality and created himself into a character. The remaining rappers in the Wu didn't possess the personality or charm to overcome being shadowed by the appeal of the aforementioned Wu members. Some times you have to take matters into your own hands and start doing things like being more open and expressing yourself to the public to gain mass attention. If I were in their shoes, I personally, in my day to day life outside of the industry, would travel to all the biggest parks in every city and town of every state and setup a mini concert knowing that it would be shutdown by police for not having a permit and continue to do it just to get arrested to gain media attention and start doing interviews with the media about the police violating my 1st amendment right of freedom of speech, all for the purpose to boost up my popularity. You don't have to do something to that degree, but do something to spark attention.
That's a very interesting take on the matter. I don't quite agree on going to the point of getting arrested to garner attention, but I think I understand what you mean about creating your own buzz. RZA did have a lot on his plate so it's understandable that maybe he wasn't able to help everyone equally.
I like UGod. But to call Sunz and Killarmy wack is crazy. Priests Heavy Mental was definitive of that era. Killa Sin is lyricism is off the charts. Plus, Killarmy was all 4th Disciple and Wise. Golden Arms is my dude but he just sounds bitter here. These “side” projects were dope
@@willdieselpower True that! Plus Royal Fam, Gravediggaz, Wu Syndicate all had dope debut albums too. Their follow-ups were all not on the same level as their first. But calling them wack is, indeed, non sence. It does sounds like he's playahatin'.
Deck is the greatest lead off man in history , till this day i still loose my shit when I watch the Triumph video !! Respect to Inspecta Deck/ Rebel INS
Thanks for making a video about this subject. Deck is by far the most underrated, and I think you lined out the reasons why. It's nice to see him receive a good deal of acclaim from the die-hards today.
Thanks for watching. Deck is criminally underrated and it's so unfortunate. He and GZA are my personal favorites but GZA gets a lot more acclaim. Who's your favorite MC from the clan?
@@hiphopcircle Always changes depending on the verses. It's not a popular opinion but I really like RZA's delivery. He approaches it from a very intense, piercing perspective that really stands out to me on his songs. As you pointed out, lyrics are important but charisma is an x-factor in success that can't be ignored.
RZA is actually a dope rapper ... he says some weird shit that when u think for a sec actually does make sense ... i guess it matches his weird off beat flow ... bong bong
I remember when Uncontroled Substance droped. I loved it right away. I was saying to my friends "this is the best Wu album of all time". I also loved Supreme Clientele...it's from a better know member but it's an uderrated album...
Even if RZA produced the final Wu-Member albums, he was losing his touch and the sampling was getting too expensive for him to deal with. Also, I also find it kind of messed up that RZA had time to produce these side projects AND his own album, I mean he would already be getting royalties from his production and features. I wish he would of put work into his fellow clan members and promote their albums, especially being one who suffered from not getting a lot of promotion as Prince Rakeem along side GZA (at the time known as The Genius)
One thing about Wu Tang Clan is all of them are lyrically great but also the way they sounded their voices complement each others in songs.the voice that complements the others the best is Rebel INS with GZA in a close 2nd.they changed the way I think and listen to music .A Very special Group
@@hiphopcircle I'd agree, but they ARE crazy and shouldn't of been put before the main members. RZA was really on some funny shit. Honestly, I haven't ever listened to a full RZA album, ever.
After "Uncontrolled Substance" Deck didn't have the right producers nor marketing behind his project. His next project he should have 4th Disciple, Cilva Rings and 9th Wonder to name few. Hell maybe even throw Pete Rock and Diamond D up in there.
Happened to see this video on my homepage. As a die-hard Wu-Tang, had to check it. I was listening to "Rec Room", today. Haven't heard that song in years. Remember buying that album in 1999, when I was 20. Some his best work. Some of my favorite verses are from "C.R.E.A.M" "Protect Ya Neck" "Cold World" "Triumph", "For Heaven's Sake", "One More To Go" and "Above The Clouds." Deck is criminally, underated.
Good content on the Rebel INS but Poppy Wardrobe aka Cappadonna had a good debut album he just took some time off for his follow up album and he lost momentum in the process feel me.
My thoughts; Top Tier make every album with features for each Member And coordinate being on all of next tiers solo joints. All of y’all will have renewed benefits. And Cut that type of sh!t out! Forever Get to work. Use some budget for travel while writing and having writ Set the example, let us sit back and keep enjoying yall
Deck's bars on Hellz Wind Staff might be the best verse in ANY Wu track, imho.. "What you know about this? Specialist. Armed, dangerous. Hit you close range with this madness. Unique design shine like a deep dish. The beat kick technique split all your weak shit. Yes, the rhythm, the Rebel. Alone in my level. Heat it up past the point of boiling metal..." I been sayin how slept on he is for actual decades. It's dope to see someone put together such a well-crafted video and shining some light on the God. Excellent work, my guy.
Deck is one of my favorite lyrics of all time and on any song that is just about dropping gems, he’s always setting the bar. On the other hand, he’s the kind of mc that can craft incredible bars but didn’t show the ability to put together concepts for complete songs or albums the way that his first wave brothers did. He would have benefited from more hands on guidance in that area, but I don’t put it all on RZA. I think RZA started to work with less established artists because he wanted to exert more creative control (for better or worse) while also shying away from telling other core members what to do.
The second half albums came out when Hip Hop was getting pulled off the radio, most artist after 95, 96, mostly East Coast artist where not getting the Push they should’ve got. True Hip Hop was being replaced by this, Ghetto to Prison for Profit Pipeline music they got now.
Deck isn't the top lyricist in the clan for me but he is one of the nicest... *His voice was the weak point IMO* Check his vocal tone compared to GZA for example 🤷🏾♂️
David Edward's checking in From N.C. I agree Inspecta Deck is definitely one of the illest mc's there is! To be so underrated is definitely a crime to the culture.
His verse on “For Heaven’s Sake” still sends chills down my spine: “I glide like hovercrafts / on the Everglades.” His skill and body of work are objective facts, and his classic verses will always be there, etched in stone. No one with any notion of what “talent” means in this context underestimates Deck. Let the sleepers sleep.
