Czarface – Czarface

The debut album of this productive group consisting of 7L, Esoteric and Inspektah Deck actually made it onto my turntable again after the initial disappointment and surprisingly convinced me definitely more this time around. "Cement 3's" with the also highly productive and sort of unavoidably riser Roc Marciano digs its way forward tightly, a characteristic O.D.B. sample on board, a few other nice guests are also waiting, "Savagely Attack" kicks nicely too and is nicely driven by Deck. The man has flow and is perhaps one of the underrated MCs and lyricists from the original Wu´s. This is proven once more when Ghostface steps on the mic and immediately takes over the room. As expected, the one DJ Premier production is crips and thick, but still fits well into the overall skilfully constructed framework, which more than once flirts with the Wu sound, aura and esprit. That Special Ed-sample on "Dead Zone" really made me smile this time around. What I don't understand is the (label?) policy of flooding the market with different pressings in various colour combinations, sometimes limited, sometimes not, in order to warm up collectors' hearts. An unpleasant habit, that has been spreading more and more over the last 10, 15 or so years. I don't even want to talk about all the reissues. Without a platform like discogs that provides insight, everything would be almost or perhaps even completely confusing and unmanageable. In any case, this third pressing no longer comes with a poster, which I personally don't miss at all, as I don't like the comic attitude anyway and see it as just another collector's service. I understand that everybody needs & wants dough, but hasn't that policy mentioned gotten at tat out of hand long ago?