Movie Scenes is the latest installment in the Beat Konducta series inevitably should be compared to J. Dilla’s Donuts; 30 plus songs, no track lasts longer than a few minutes, and voice samples (M.O.P., Busta Rhymes, ODB, and Diana Ross) are used as instruments as opposed to guest appearances. But, rather than compare these records to one another, it’s best to consider them sequels, or better yet remakes. Madlib even steals one of Dilla’s lead actors from “Welcome to the Show”, listen close now…

   The film scrolls through the credits with “The Payback (Gotta)”. A complaining man fires “Bitch I’m calling the main character!” while hands clap in the background with a bellowing female voice crooning in and out. Pianos tickle in the distance until the track slowly rolls to an ending, like a wanderer finally finding a place to lay his head.

    A Yesterday’s New Quintet jam session breaks out during “Face the Sun (Africa)” with wah-wah guitars and strong base leading the way. Different musicians take their turn at the helm and have you sitting back to admire the view. When the gathering concludes, immediately we are taken to 3000 A.D. on “Open (Space)” where Madlib space invades us with an “Axel F” like theme song heavy with synthesizers bouncing androids from star to star. Even Norman Bates stops by for a psycho wispering in “Third Ear (More)” when violins pierce the ears like a shower scene gone wrong, only to switch scenes to a banging beat dug up from the Madvillain fire proof vaults.

    The beauty with Movie Scenes is that it constantly keeps you biting your nails and wondering what is going to happen next. No two beats are similar, and Madlib just continues to show the listener why he should be regarded as one of the best producers in the game today. Even his scratching is neurotic in “Pyramids (Change)” where he takes the sample of “funny how things can change a n****” and flips the sentence over and over again until it finally ends with “a gun! a gun! a gun!”. You will be rewinding this one just to see/hear the scene again.

    As a director, Madlib has made a record that reminds of how work you have to do to find the right actor for the right part in your film. If Dilla has the donuts, then Madlib’s got the icing on top.

    106 & Park’s “Freestyle Friday” is a place for an amateur emcee to test their skills, and possibly get their number retired in the process. Jin did that easily, and made every viewer remember him, especially his race. His first battle on the program left champion Hassan breathless, by killing him before he could even fire back: “‘Yeah, I’m Chinese, now you understand it / I’m the reason your little sister’s eyes are slanted / If you make one joke about rice or karate / N.Y.P.D. will be in Chinatown searching for your body.” Nobody stood a chance. Just like Eminem, this kid could diss himself before you even had the chance. His microphone was hung up, the Ruff Ryders chain was exposed, and the rest is hip hop history.

   The Emcee’s Properganda is a step in the right direction for Jin. Rather than making corny songs about being Chinese and pointing out his difference racially like on The Rest is History, Jin pays tribute to the emcees he truly loves, and tries to make a record that’s focused. On “Top 5 (Dead or Alive)”, we get the impression Jin is just staring at his record collection and trying to make a lyrical catalog. We hear shoutouts to Common, Blackstar, The Roots, Boot Camp, Jadakiss, Ghostface, and a slew of others. While this may seem like a namedrop track, really it just shows Jin’s love for hip hop since he was young.

    “Properganda” starts with some bleeps and buzzes by Demo, followed by pretty church chimes that blend well together. Jin comes straight with what he’s realized through popularity: “I often wonder what determines if one is underground / Or commercial, is it how much sell or how you sound? / Check it, the conclusion that I found / It’s insignificant, so I’m refusing to be bound.” This tracks stands out well, and let’s Jin get a little anger out as well.

    The majority of the beats are produced by Golden Child, apparently a 15 year old prodigy, but sometimes you realize this kid is merely, a kid. Some of the samples are simply thrown in, simplistic drum patterns, but occasionally a good one is found. Tracks such as “G.O.L.D.E.N.” a hilarious rip off of The Neptunes, and “No Concept” show this kid has mad potential.

    With the deterioration of Ruff Ryders, and the loss of many of their premier acts, it’s no wonder Jin is found searching for more, and making an album that truly comes from the heart. With a little more hard work, and the $50,000 he won at a Bahamas battle a while back, he should be able to eventually create a noteworthy album. Question is, by that time, will people still be listening?

     Before we get started, let it be known that production is strictly handled by Muggs, and GZA is the man confined to the booth. The album starts strong with “Those That’s Bout It”, a beat that immediately thumps a hard rolling bass line, beautifully matched piano loops and high pitched singing samples. This track could easily have been a perfecty fit for Legend of the Liquid Swords. The message is the following — if you’re with us, you’re with us, if you’re not, prepare for impact.

     “Destruction of a Guard” samples a crooning woman singing “you” every few seconds over a nice keys solo, sounding like another RZA production from an unreleased Wu casette tape gem. The track details the likes of a robbery and shooting, becoming much more devestating as Raekwon starts his recipe: “Pop pop pop when there’s shots whose to blame? / Three get dropped and we move from the game / One get knocked now his whole life has changed / cause he’s so far from free in a world that seems strange.” Dirty with grass stains.

    “Exploitation of Mistakes” is like an episode out of CSI Brooklyn Zoo. A typewriter quickly ticks in the background, while periodic gongs chime in background, like a man sitting the clock tower, explaining what he saw at the scene of the crime: “Two individuals pulled from a lake / Inside a vehicle, one had his foot on the break / The windows was fully up and the doors was locked / The news made the headline and the town was shocked / The driver was clutching a can of Hi-C / His jacket was tied to a nearby tree / His jeans had dye in’em / An unusual tattoo was the only hope of identifying’em.” This track could easily make the best video if done correctly, or at least be used on an episode of The Wire. 

     The most hilarious track comes in the form of sweet love on “Queen’s Gambit”. This sounds like a theme song made for the Minnesota Vikings newest boat cruise: “Before you know it I had all three in a huddle / Bucking like a Colt before I released the puddles / They spead Eagles like wide receivers / As I ran them in the endzone they became true believers”. The clever wordplay of this song will have you hitting rewind to see if every team is actually referred to, or how many words you can get in one sitting.

    Plain and simple, this album is fantastic. Far too often we judge harshly on classic colloborations cause it only seems like they’ll make a mess. Grandmasters has the Genius showing off his IQ. His lyrics are much stronger than Legend of the Liquid Swords, and he seems to be moving back to what made him great in the first place. Only Ghostface Killah stands ahead of him now for solo releases from the Clan, and this guy is a close second.

    DJ Muggs is often ignored for his production skills, because when you were in school, every kid or stoner who knew nothing about hip hop still knew every lyric to “Insane in the Brain” and “Hits from the Bong”. The beauty of the production on this album is that Muggs is making the type of beat that fits perfectly with GZA’s flow, like the last piece of the puzzle that goes missing from the box. The title Grandmasters can be looked at as arrogant, but once you’ve heard this, you just might agree.