Inspectah Deck
| Inspectah Deck | |
|---|---|
|
Inspectah Deck performing in Paris, 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jason Hunter |
| Also known as | Rollie Fingers, Fifth Brother, Rebel INS |
| Born |
July 6, 1970 The Bronx, New York City, New York |
| Origin | Staten Island, New York |
| Genres | Hip Hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, Producer, actor |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | Loud, Relativity, Koch, Urban Icon, Traffic |
| Associated acts | Wu-Tang Clan, 7L & Esoteric, Kurupt, Gang Starr, The Housegang, Big Pun |
Jason Hunter (born July 6, 1970) better known by his stage name Inspectah Deck, is an American rapper, producer, and member of the Wu-Tang Clan.[1] He has acquired critical praise for his intricate lyricism, and for his verses on many of the group's most revered songs.[2] He has grown to become a producer in his own right, taking up tracks for fellow clansmen and his own projects.
Background
Early career
Hunter was born July 6, 1970 in Brooklyn, New York, but grew up in Staten Island.[3] Hunter routinely mentions the Park Hill Projects in Clifton, Staten Island, where he grew up and went to school with the future Method Man, Raekwon, and Ghostface Killah.[4] Coming from a musical family, his father died when he was six years old, and seeing his mother support the family contributed to his laid-back, quiet mentality; this led to his stage name, as he decided to play a low-key counterbalance to the antics of Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard, and RZA.[5] This is also referenced by Method Man at the end of the track "Can it Be All So Simple?" on Wu-Tang's debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) :
| “ | Inspectah Deck, he's like that dude that'll sit back and watch you play yourself and all that right? And see you sit there and know you lyin; and he'll take you to court after that, cuz he the Inspectah. | ” |
Despite this inconspicuous persona, Inspectah Deck maintained a relatively high profile, as he was the second most featured member on the album, and provided highly acclaimed verses for the singles "C.R.E.A.M.," "Protect Ya Neck," "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta Fuck Wit," and "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'." In the years following, Hunter would appear on several Wu members' solo projects, including Method Man's Tical (1994), Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… (1995), GZA's Liquid Swords (1995), and Ghostface Killah's Ironman (1996). On Wu-Tang's second group album, Wu-Tang Forever (1997), Deck produced the track "Visionz" and contributed a solo track, "The City", as well as writing one of the most critically acclaimed verses in hip-hop on the group's hit single "Triumph". He would also provide production for some of his Wu cohorts, including "Elements" and "Spazzola" for Method Man's Tical 2000: Judgement Day (1998), "Kiss of a Black Widow" for RZA's RZA as Bobby Digital in Stereo (1998), and the title track for GZA's Beneath the Surface (1999).
Solo career
Inspectah Deck's debut album Uncontrolled Substance was initially set for a late 1997 release, however, this experienced several delays due to a flood in producer RZA's basement studio, which destroyed over one hundred beats, including those made for the album. Wu-Tang affiliate Cilvaringz stated in a 2010 interview "Recently Deck pulled out some disks from the flood and they worked again and he used one for his upcoming album on Koch."[6] In September 1999, Uncontrolled Substance was released, and featured more of Deck's own production, and appearances from several lesser known affiliates. The album received generally favorable reviews from music critics, but failed to garner the reception attained by earlier Wu-Tang solo projects. Shortly after this release, Deck returned to the Wu-Tang fold for the group albums The W (2000), and Iron Flag (2001).
In 2003, Inspectah Deck released his second studio album, The Movement (which he would later state did not live up to his expectations),[1] and in 2006, he released The Resident Patient, intended as a precursor to The Movement. In 2007, the rapper reconvened with the Wu-Tang Clan to record the group album 8 Diagrams. Along with Raekwon, and Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck partook in the controversy, sparked when several group members disparaged RZA's tight artistic control of the album, championing Ghost's album The Big Doe Rehab. In regards to these disagreements, Deck stated in an interview:[7]
| “ | I feel like we have to give them a newer, better album such as the new Ghost album. I’m not saying that’s the truth either. I’m just saying that his album sounds like what a Wu-Tang album should sound like, but it’s him by himself. | ” |
Around this time the rapper announced two projects: a collaborative album called Czarface with Boston's 7L & Esoteric featuring the legendary DJ Premier[8] and his up-coming solo album The Rebellion, confirming production from RZA and the Wu-Elements; it is now set to come after The Resident Patient II, and will reportedly be his final album as a solo artist.[7]
On March 23, 2010, Inspectah Deck released his third solo album Manifesto, which features guest-appearances from Raekwon, Cormega, Termanology, Planet Asia, Cappadonna, Kurupt, and M.O.P.'s Billy Danze. In 2008, a mixtape entitled The Resident Patient II was leaked on to the internet; this features some original material, as well as freestyles over other artists' songs. Inspectah Deck stated in an interview that The Manifesto was meant to be the originally announced full-length sequel, Resident Patient II.
Since early 2010, Inspectah Deck has begun work on Czarface and The Rebellion, and has expressed his interest in working with several Wu-Tang members, as well as Snoop Dogg, E-40, Nas & Jadakiss on the album. He had mentioned in an interview with Conspiracy Radio that he will only retire from solo albums if the fans don't show support for The Manifesto and The Rebellion.[9] He has also mentioned his plans to release an instrumental album of his own production, entitled The Bodyrock Volume 1, which is inspired by the instrumental albums released by Alchemist, Ayatollah, and Pete Rock.[10] On February 11, 2013, in an interview with HipHopDX, Inspectah Deck stated that he also has an upcoming album with producer Agallah in the works.[11] He recently confirmed via Twitter that he has changed the name of his final album to "Uncontrolled Substance II," a sequel to his debut album; that will be produced primarily by RZA.[12][13]
After working with The Wu-Tang Clan on their sixth studio album A Better Tomorrow, he reunited with 7L & Esoteric for another Czarface album titled Every Hero Needs a Villain, which was released in June 2015.[14]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | US Rap | |||||||||||
| Uncontrolled Substance |
|
19 | 3 | — | |||||||||
| The Movement |
|
137 | 29 | — | |||||||||
| Manifesto |
|
— | 69 | — | |||||||||
| "—" denotes a title that did not chart, or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
Collaborative albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | US Rap | ||
| Czarface (with 7L & Esoteric as CZARFACE) |
|
— | 34 | — |
| Every Hero Needs a Villain (with 7L & Esoteric as CZARFACE) |
|
— | 15 | — |
Mixtapes
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| The Resident Patient |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US |
US R&B |
US Rap | ||||||||||
| "Let Me at Em" (with Wu-Tang Clan) |
1995 | — | — | — | Tales from the Hood | |||||||
| "Semi-Automatic Rap Full Metal Jacket" (featuring U-God and Streetlife) |
1996 | — | — | — | High School High | |||||||
| "REC Room" | 1998 | — | — | — | Uncontrolled Substance | |||||||
| "Forget Me Not" | 1999 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "Show N Prove (Power of God)" | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Word on the Street" | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Movas & Shakers" | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "The Movement" | 2003 | — | — | — | The Movement | |||||||
| "City High" | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Bumpin' and Grindin'" | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Vendetta" | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Big City" | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "He's a Rebel" | — | — | — | N/A | ||||||||
| "The Champion" | 2010 | — | — | — | Manifesto | |||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||
Guest appearances
| Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Mr. Sandman" | 1994 | Method Man, RZA, Streetlife, Carlton Fisk, Blue Raspberry | Tical |
| "Cold World" | 1995 | GZA | Liquid Swords |
| "Duel of the Iron Mic" | GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard Masta Killa | ||
| "Guillotine (Swordz)" | Raekwon, GZA, Ghostface Killah | Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... | |
| "Assassination Day" | 1996 | Ghostface Killah, RZA, Raekwon, Masta Killa | Ironman |
| "Semi-Automatic Rap Full Metal Jacket" | U-God, Streetlife | High School High | |
| "Wu-Tang Cream Team Line Up" | 1998 | Raekwon, Harlem Hoodz, Killa Sin, Method Man | 60 Minutes of Funk Vol. III |
| "One More to Go (The Earthquake) | Deadly Venoms, GZA, Method Man, Streetlife, Cappadonna | Antidote | |
| "Tres Leches (Triboro Trilogy)" | Big Pun, Prodigy | Capital Punishment | |
| "Cross My Heart" | Killah Priest, GZA | Heavy Mental | |
| "Above the Clouds" | Gang Starr | Moment of Truth | |
| "S.O.S." | Streetlife | Wu-Tang Killa Bees: The Swarm | |
| "Tru Master" | Pete Rock, Kurupt | Soul Survivor | |
| "Play IV Keeps" | Method Man, Hell Razah, Mobb Deep, Streetlife | Tical 2000: Judgement Day | |
| "Spazzola" | Method Man, Masta Killa, Streetlife, Killa Sin, Raekwon | ||
| "Rumble" | 1999 | U-God, Method Man | Golden Arms Redemption |
| "Make Cents" | I.G.T. | N/A | |
| "Forget Me Nots" | N/A | ||
| "The Authentic (Street)" | 2000 | Ruthless Bastards | |
| "Verbal Slaughter" | The Dwellas | The Last Shall Be First | |
| "Speaking Real Words" | 2001 | 7L & Esoteric | The Soul Purpose |
| "X (Y'all Know the Name)" | 2002 | X-Ecutioners, Pharoahe Monch, Skillz, Xzibit | Built from Scratch |
| "Sparring Minds" | GZA | Legend of the Liquid Sword | |
| "Killa Beez" | RZA, U-God, Suga Bang Bang, Blue Raspberry | Wu-Tang Killa Beez: The Sting | |
| "Get Away From the Door" | Cappadonna | The Struggle | |
| "Bump and Grind" | Fat Man Scoop | Party Breaks | |
| "Always NY" | Mathematics | Love, Hell or Right | |
| "Street Rap" | 2004 | Mareko | White Sunday |
| "Silverbacks" | Masta Killa, GZA | No Said Date | |
| "A Star is Born" | 2005 | Streetlife | Street Education |
| "On a Mission" | YOR123 & Skandaali | Around the World | |
| "A Ha (Remix)" | Mos Def | Tale #10 | |
| "Strawberries & Cream" | Mathematics, Ghostface Killah, RZA | The Problem | |
| "Spot Lite" | Mathematics, Method Man, U-God, Cappadonna | ||
| "Move Unheard" | 2006 | Cappadonna, Joe Young | Cash & Grams |
| "Everything" | Method Man, Streetlife | 4:21... The Day After | |
| "9 Milli Bros." | Wu-Tang Clan | Fishscale | |
| "Street Corner" | Masta Killa, GZA | Made in Brooklyn | |
| "Piece of the Pie" | 2007 | Pop Shuvit | Freakshow Vol 1 : Tales of The Travelling Tunes |
| "I Don't Wanna Go Back" | Joe Young | Gorilla Street Gang | |
| "Rap Burglars" | Raekwon | Wu-Tang Clan & Friends: Unreleased | |
| "You Can't Stop Me Now" | 2008 | RZA | Digi Snacks |
| "You Already Know" | 2009 | Kool G Rap, Suga Bang Bang | The RZA Presents: Afro Samurai Resurrection OST |
| "Kill Too Hard" | U-God, Masta Ace | Wu-Tang Chamber Music | |
| "Harbor Masters" | Ghostface Killah, AZ | ||
| "Sound the Horns" | Sadat X, U-God | ||
| "Symphonies" | Phil Anastasia | The Symphony | |
| "On Tha Run" | D. Dermz | N/A | |
| "House of Flying Daggers" | Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, GZA | Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II | |
| "Black Mozart" | Raekwon | ||
| "Mean Streets" | Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Suga Bang Bang | ||
| "Kiss the Ring" | Raekwon, Masta Killa | ||
| "Rockstars" | Raekwon, GZA | ||
| "Gunshowers" | 2010 | Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Sun God | Wu-Massacre |
| "12th Chamber" | 7L & Esoteric | 1212 | |
| "Chop Chop Ninja" | 2011 | Raekwon | Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang |
| "Never Feel This Pain" | U-God, Tre Williams | Legendary Weapons | |
| "The Road" | Masta Killa, Bronze Nazareth | School for the Blindman | |
| "Put God First" | Cappadonna, Solomon Childs | The Pilgrimage | |
| "Honey's Look Good" | Cappadonna | ||
| "How You Do That" | 2012 | Illmaculate, OnlyOne | Skrill Talk |
| "Chairmen of da Barz" | Two Tungs, Spleen | 2000 and Now or Never | |
| "Different Times Zones" | Ghostface Killah, Sheek Louch | Wu Block | |
| "Bust Shots" | |||
| "Get live" | 2013 | Dynasty | Beyond measure |
| "Devotion to the Saints" | Killah Priest, Ghostface Killah | The Psychic World of Walter Reed | |
| "Blood on the Cobblestones" | Ghostface Killah, U-God | Twelve Reasons to Die | |
| "Murder Spree" | Ghostface Killah, Masta Killa, U-God, Killa Sin | ||
| "An Unexpected Call (The Set Up)" | Ghostface Killah | ||
| "4 Horsemen" | Mathematics, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Raekwon | The Answer | |
| "Mt. Everest" | U-God, eLZhi | The Keynote Speaker | |
| "These Broken Wings" | 2015 | Shalé, DJ Revolution, Mike Smith, Jonathan Hay, King Tech | When Music Worlds Collide |
Production credits
1995
Wu-Tang Clan - Tales from the Hood The Soundtrack
- "Let Me at Them"
1997
Wu-Tang Clan - Wu-Tang Forever
- "Visionz"
1998
Inspectah Deck (ft. Streetlife) - Wu-Tang Killa Bees: The Swarm
- "S.O.S."
Method Man - Tical 2000: Judgement Day
- "Spazzola"
- "Elements"
- "Kiss of a Black Widow"
1999
- "Beneath The Surface"
Inspectah Deck - Uncontrolled Substance
- "Femme Fatale"
- "Word on the Street"
- "Elevation"
- "Hyperdermix"
- "The Cause"
U-God - Golden Arms Redemption
- "Glide"
2000
Ghostface Killah - Supreme Clientele
- "Stay True"
2001
Cappadonna - The Yin and the Yang
- "Revenge"
2005
Streetlife - Street Education
- "A Star Is Born"
2006
Inspectah Deck - The Resident Patient
- "Get Ya Weight Up"
- "My Style"
2009
Fes Taylor - Flight 10304 (T-2 Fly)
- "Show Something"
- "CMG Salutes La Banga"
2010
Inspectah Deck - Manifesto
- "Luv Letter"
- "T.R.U.E."
- "We Get Down"
- "9th Chamber Part II"
- "Really Real"
2013
- "R U Listening?"
References
- 1 2 Micheal Variano (February 1, 2005). "Inspectah Deck...Icon". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on July 30, 2010. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
- ↑ "DIGITS: The AllHipHop Top 20 Dopest Verses Ever!". AllHipHop.com. November 8, 2007. Archived from the original on December 14, 2007. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
- ↑ Steve Huey. "Inspectah Deck Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
- ↑ "Wuforever Wu-Tang Community". Wuforever.com. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
- ↑ "Inspectah Deck (Wu-Tang)". Halftimeonline. November 10, 2004. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
- ↑ "Cilvaringz: Wu-Tang Report :: news articles at Wu-Tang Corp. - The Official Site of the Wu-Tang Clan". WuTang-Corp.com. April 18, 2003. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
- 1 2 "Inspectah Deck". HipHopGame. December 14, 2007. Archived from the original on March 10, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
- ↑ Horowitz, Steven J. (February 21, 2012). "Inspectah Deck And 7L & Esoteric Join Forces As Czarface". HipHopDX. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
- ↑ "PodOmatic | Best Free Podcasts". Conspiracyworldwide.podomatic.com. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
- ↑ Paine, Jake (March 2, 2010). "Inspectah Deck: Pawn To King". HipHopDX. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
- ↑ Meara, Paul (February 11, 2013). "Inspectah Deck Says Esoteric Is "Up There" With Eminem & CZARFACE Is A "Friendly Duel"". HipHopDX. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
- ↑ "Twitter / INSpectahDECKWU: After further review the ruling". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2013-07-11.
- ↑ "Twitter / INSpectahDECKWU: @INSpectahDECKWU Yes RZA will". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2013-07-11.
- ↑ Cliff Grefe (April 21, 2015). "Czarface "Every Hero Needs A Villain" Release Date, Cover Art, Tracklist & Pre-Order". HipHopDX. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
- ↑ Conaway, Matt (1999-09-07). "Uncontrolled Substance - Inspectah Deck : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-07-11.
- ↑ Bush, John (2003-05-20). "The Movement - Inspectah Deck : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-07-11.
- ↑ Rinaldi, Matt (2010-03-23). "Manifesto - Inspectah Deck : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-07-11.
- ↑ "Czarface - 7L & Esoteric, Inspectah Deck : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. 2013-02-18. Retrieved 2013-07-11.
- ↑ Grefe, Cliff (21 April 2015). "Czarface "Every Hero Needs A Villain" Release Date, Cover Art, Tracklist & Pre-Order". HipHopDX. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
- ↑ Brown, Marisa (2006-07-25). "The Resident Patient - Inspectah Deck : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-07-11.
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