Being associated with the Wu Tang Clan – even if that affiliation is in the past - means that you have talent in more than one specific area. Some dudes are better at writing than rapping, and some are just good at it all. Killah Priest hasn’t gotten behind the board as of yet, but he unquestionably possess an acute mental acumen compounding his conceptual writing and rapping. He’s not the total package, but he’s more than most other emcees out there in 3d. Thankfully, not been relegated to mix tape purgatory, his latest release, I Killed The Devil Last Night, comes off more like a proper release than a downloadable tidbit.

Having severed ties with the Wu syndicate during the ‘90s, the split came only after appearances on discs like the Gravedigga’s first release as well as some Wu solo efforts. And while Killah Priest went on to form Sunz of Man, he too dissolved that association – amicably. On those discs, Priest was able to pretty well solidify the topical perspective to most of his work. Some of his raps get kinda heavy and even boarder on preachy while not getting quite there. But judging from his name, it’s not that surprising.

I Killed The Devil Last Night, is a concept disc – kinda – and it focuses on exactly what the title says. The intro track, which utilizes the same type of soul music as the base for its sample as heard throughout the rest of the disc, explains in spoken word fashion how and why such a deed would need to have taken place. The remainder of the mix tape then functions as a place where Killah Priest is able to explain the ways in which the devil rears his head in and around black culture. From playing dice on “Drinkin’ with the Devil,” to having time pass you by on “Puff a Cloud,” this emcee is able to perceive the ways in which common situations in life can and often do end up distracting everyday people from achieving and accomplishing positive acts.

It really does sound like a diatribe aimed at folks who’ve become lax in regards to daily living, but listening to I Killed The Devil Last Night doesn’t make one think that there’s just a series of orders being barked out from Killah Priests’ deep baritone. The production on here, which doesn’t sound quite as dusty as some Wu efforts, but close, probably disallows from any rap on the disc from becoming too troublesome. It’s just good soul and heavy drums to keep it moving.

Perhaps not having gained the same sort of notoriety as other Wu clansman, Killah Priest has maintained one of the more focused rhyme books of any rapper. That doesn’t make a career, but it does speak to this man’s ability to gain perspective and relate his experiences in song. But what makes this mix tape a step (or two) ahead of everything else of late is the fact that a great deal of what’s here gets related in the form of a narrative. And that, in and of itself, is real hip hop.