Two years after Epic Records hastily booted
Cappadonna back into the hip-hop underground despite the promise of his fine debut album, the rapper returned bitterly with
The Struggle, his first indie release, which promised to detail his post-
Wu-Tang struggle to exist. The hunger is definitely here, as
Cappadonna has never sounded this driven (skip to the last track, "Struggle With This"), yet stripped bare of his
Wu affiliates and major-label budget, he sounds sadly plain. It's not so much the rapping that comes across as run of the mill --
Cappadonna is a fiery MC with a firm grasp of drama and an emotive delivery -- but it's rather the production and songwriting that underwhelm. Fourth Disciple delivers a dark, moody
Wu-esque production ("Blood Brothers") that longtime fans will savor, but it's unfortunately his only contribution. Elsewhere,
Calogero helms the majority of the tracks, while Soulfingaz, Remedy,
Quasi, and Big Mizza each produce a couple. These producers are surely capable talents, who seem to be balancing
RZA's trademark
Wu sound with their own individual styles; however, despite occasional moments of heat ("Role of a Lifetime," "Get Away from the Door," "Season of da' Vick"), the beats sound a little flat, partly because of the low budget. It doesn't help, though, that the songwriting is lackluster throughout. The tracks have serviceable hooks, but they aren't catchy at all. Moreover, the songs are simply arranged into three-minute verse-hook-verse structures that present no surprises whatsoever. Despite
The Struggle's shortcomings, it does have its merits, above all an earnest tone.
Cappadonna isn't posturing -- he's genuinely struggling here, as even a quick listen will prove, and he's firmly underground, as the low-budget sound makes all too clear. Despite his efforts here, however, the
Wu expatriate can't match the verve of his previous albums for Epic, and relative to those albums,
The Struggle sounds plain despite
Cappadonna's heartfelt intentions. ~ Jason Birchmeier