At one point, the RZA was the most consistent producer in the game, with his name being mentioned alongside beatsmiths like DJ Premier and Dr. Dre. But after the Wu mansion flood years back which washed away a ton of beats (not to mention a future). RZA has transformed into the ridiculous Bobby Digital and produced some sub-par (compared to RZA standards) shit as of late. So maybe a break and a makeover was needed. Who knows as Wu fans hold there iron flags high and proud while the rest of the listening public’s waving theirs at half-mast. Well, it seems the RZA decided to travel the world and work with artists past the perimeters of America. He took a different route producing an album for consumption overseas seemingly as an attempt to sharpen his swords before he returns home. So out comes The World According To RZA.

RZA has snatched up some emcees from different backgrounds and stretches his production past the language barrier, with joints that mix French and English together. At times it was hard to tell what the hell they were talking about, but the first thing noticable was that RZA has come back with some unimpressive production. Nevertheless, the female known as Feven comes off pretty darn nice on “Mesmerize” as the femme fatale flips the stylistics over a so-so beat. The rest of emcees are as unimpressive as the tracks though, save a few lines from the RZA himself. There’s even a cat, Nap, (no pun intended) who sounds like the French version of Notorious B.I.G. who gets his shyne on the eerily titled “Warning”. But most heads aren’t really checking for the MC’s anyway, they are checking for what made the Wu-Tang Clan what it once was – them damn beats! Sorry Killa Beez, that thunder seems to be long gone. But if you’ve been living under a rock over the past 10 years you may actually be impressed by some decent joints like “Black Star Line-Up” featuring AfroB and Skekou or the pretty ill “Saian” accompanied by the ill stylings of Ghostface Killah or even “Please, Tends L’oreille”, aside the horrendous singing. But what really kills it is that one of the illest beats happens to be an R&B song, “Souls on Fire” feat. Xavier Naidoo and Debora Cox! What has the world come to when the dopest song on a RZA produced comp is an R&B joint? Maybe Bobby Digital has turned over a new leaf and has truly found his niche. Never that. But with garbage like “Boing, Boing” it makes you wonder.

If this wasn’t a RZA album it may have scored better but because of the appreciation and respect that we have accumulated during the Wu-Tang Clan’s heyday, but unfortunately it’s another tremendous disappointment. While we still hold onto that little string of hope that says the Wu will get back together and RZA will provide the illest album since 36 Chambers, we are forced to digest and understand that it will never be the same again. Well, let’s just say unless hell freezes over twice, Wu-Fans may be hanging their flags at half-mast for quite some time.