Most of today\u2019s hip-hop artists grew up listening to Wu-Tang Clan, but how many grew up rapping with them? Hell Razah, for one.<\/p>\n
The Brooklyn-bred MC spent his teenage years under the Clan\u2019s tutelage as a member of Wu offshoot Sunz of Man, sharpening his lyrical sword alongside older MCs like GZA, Ghostface, and Killah Priest during the Clan\u2019s glorious 90s heyday. After three Sunz of Man albums and countless guest appearances and collaborations, Razah released his acclaimed debut The Renaissance in 2007, and Nature Sounds now presents his long-awaited follow-up, Heaven Razah.Since releasing his first solo mixtape in 2001, Hell Razah has become one of the most prolific artists in hip-hop\u2019s underground. He\u2019s released collaborative albums with Wu-Tang producer 4th Disciple and Babygrande Records production team Blue Sky Black Death, and has been an active member of a remarkable number of groups, most notably the underground supergroup Black Market Militia (along with Killah Priest, Tragedy Khadafi, and Timbo King), the Brooklyn-repping duo T.H.U.G. Angelz (along with Shabazz The Disciple), and various incarnations of Sunz of Man.While Razah enjoys collaborating with his peers, he held off on guest spots for Heaven Razah, with only R.A. The Rugged Man, Timbo, and Shabazz making appearances.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to show that I can hold my own,\u201d he explains. \u201cTo me, features look like mixtapes. If you go back and look at classic albums like Illmatic, there weren\u2019t a lot of features.\u201d Crafting a classic album by oneself is no easy task, but Razah was up to the challenge. \u201cI participated with everything on this album. I did a lot of the co-production,wrote all the hooks, wrote the whole album, executive produced it, A&Red it, so I\u2019ve been really hands-on. It made me work harder.\u201dThe end result is Razah\u2019s most mature work to date. \u201cI\u2019m a husband now, I\u2019m a father now,\u201d he explains. \u201cYou can tell I\u2019ve been doing a lot of studying, reading a lot of books.I\u2019ve got a lot going on in my brain.\u201d He delves into deep spiritual knowledge on \u201cBook Of Heaven Razah,\u201d tells a two-part story on the Ayatollah-produced \u201cKids In The Street,\u201dand spits razor-sharp lines over a smooth jazz loop on \u201cReturn Of The Renaissance.\u201d Blending spirituality and street poetry, Heaven Razah explores the balance between Heaven on Hell, pain and joy, Earth and the afterlife. \u201cIt reflects a lot of pain that I went through. That\u2019s why it took so long to record, because I was going through a lot. There\u2019s a lot of soul in this album.\u201d With the album finally finished, Razah is ready to deliver a classic. \u201cHell Razah means I raise the people from Hell. With this album, I\u2019m going to bring them to Heaven.<\/p>\n