The bulk of the production is taken care of by Carlos "Six July" Broady and 4th Disciple, although Rza, Muggs and Havoc weigh in with one or two. This LP marks a return to the gritty street rhymes that haven't really been done since Raekwon's seminal release. La possesses a gritty, grimy delivery which complements his subject matter. Highlights include "Polluted Wisdom" a tale of a female with a twist. This one's produced by the Rza who seems to be in good form. Then we have "City Lights" which will keep you listening to the end. Other cuts such as "Gun Rule" and "Lucci" demonstrate the street mentality that is contained on this disc while the title track has Muggs behind the boards giving a good Rza-impression while rhymes drops down like hail with La and Killa Sin keeping it tight.

What I like about this album is the quality of the Darkman's lyrics ... not the usual thuggish ruggish fare that you can get elsewhere. Yes, the subject matter has largely been covered before, but there's room for one more. Just check "Element of Surprise" for instant satisfaction and follow it up with a dose of "4 Souls". The trademark Wu Tang discordant loops are in effect throughout, not a bad thing indeed when done well. But all good things have a bad side, and here we have the okay-ish commercial-sounding "Spring Water" with Chef Raekwon and a played out sample contained on "What Thugs Do" that Rae himself was rockin' on Gina Thompson's "The Things That You Do (remix)". We also have some R&B hybrids in "Street Life" and "Love" employing the vocal talents of Tekitha and Maia Campbell respectively, but in a Wu Tang context that doesn't leave the usual sickly taste in the mouth found from the usual poorly done commercial fare - this just ain't commercial, dun.