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The Labor Union

For the organization of workers, see Labor union.
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
PopMatters5/10[1]
RapReviews8/10[2]

The Labor Union is the second solo studio album by American underground rapper King Syze. It was officially released on August 5, 2008 via Babygrande Records. Recording sessions took place at Found Sound Recording in Philadelphia. Production was handled by Team 707, MTK, Skammadix, DJ Waxwork, Ill Bill, Sake, Sicknature, Tut the Instrumentalist and Undefined, with Chuck Wilson and Vinnie Paz serving as executive producers. It features guest appearances from several Army of the Pharaohs members and Ill Bill.

Critical reception

The album was known for "[Syze] lacing his relentless, rapid-fire flow over a slew of spine-tingling gutter tracks". AllMusic's Matt Rinaldi called it an "underground classic".[3]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."The Labor Union"
707 Team Productions3:42
2."The Best"
  • D. Albaladejo
  • Kris Rey
Skammadix4:04
3."Play Ya Part (P.Y.P.)" (featuring Doap Nixon and Ill Bill)
3:56
4."Creep Show" (featuring Lawrence Arnell and King Magnetic)
Skammadix4:13
5."Love Vs. Hate"
  • D. Albaladejo
  • Coles
  • Blanger
  • Gourdais
707 Team Productions3:06
6."Cement Work"
  • D. Albaladejo
  • Julian Hammer
DJ Waxwork3:29
7."Haters Beware" (featuring Planetary)
707 Team Productions3:34
8."Mayhem" (featuring Army of the Pharaohs)
Sake5:47
9."That's How You Rap"
  • D. Albaladejo
  • M. Henzey
Undefined3:25
10."And Now" (featuring Vinnie Paz and Apathy)
Tut the Instrumentalist4:09
11."Pain"
  • D. Albaladejo
  • Coles
  • Blanger
  • Gourdais
707 Team Productions3:17
12."Sibling Rivalry Pt. 2" (featuring OuterSpace)
MTK3:50
13."Reality Check"
  • D. Albaladejo
  • Crabtree
MTK2:24

Personnel

  • Daniel "King Syze" Albaladejo – vocals
  • Kenneth "Doap Nixon" Greene – vocals (tracks: 3, 8)
  • William "Ill Bill" Braunstein – vocals & producer (track 3)
  • Lawrence Arnell MacMillan – vocals (track 4)
  • Jason "King Magnetic" Faust – vocals (track 4)
  • Mario "Planetary" Collazo – vocals (tracks: 7, 8, 12)
  • Jose "Demoz" Vargas – vocals (track 8)
  • David "Des Devious" Edens – vocals (track 8)
  • Edward "Chief Kamachi" Littlepage – vocals (track 8)
  • Victor "Celph Titled" Mercer – vocals (track 8)
  • Seamus "Esoteric" Ryan – vocals (track 8)
  • Vincenzo "Vinnie Paz" Luvineri – vocals (track 10), executive producer
  • Chad "Apathy" Bromley – vocals (track 10)
  • Marcus "Crypt the Warchild" Albaladejo – vocals (track 12)
  • B. Coles – producer (tracks: 1, 5, 7, 11)
  • Olivier Blanger – producer (tracks: 1, 5, 7, 11)
  • Stéphane Gourdais – producer (tracks: 1, 5, 7, 11)
  • Kris "Skammadix" Rey – producer (tracks: 2, 4)
  • Jeppe "Sicknature" Andersen – producer (track 3)
  • Julian "DJ Waxwork" Hammer – producer (track 6)
  • R. "Sake" Joyce – producer (track 8)
  • M. "Undefined" Henzey – producer (track 9)
  • C. "Tut the Instrumentalist" Ashton – producer (track 10)
  • Matthew "MTK" Crabtree – producer (tracks: 12, 13)
  • Scott "Supe" Stallone – recording (tracks: 1-5, 7-12), mixing (tracks: 8, 10)
  • Jeff "Stress" Davis – recording (tracks: 6, 13), mixing (tracks: 1-4, 6, 7, 9, 12, 13)
  • Hakeem for 707 Team Productions – mixing (tracks: 5, 11)
  • Mark B. Christensen – mastering
  • Charles "Chuck" Wilson, Jr. – executive producer
  • Dan Bradley – photography, design
  • Jesse Stone – marketing
  • Ben Dotson – product management
  • Willy Friedman – product management

References

  1. ^ Martin, Andrew (October 8, 2008). "King Syze: The Labor Union, PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  2. ^ Chandler, Justin (August 19, 2008). "King Syze :: The Labor Union – RapReviews". www.rapreviews.com. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  3. ^ Rinaldi, Matt. "Jedi Mind Tricks - King Syze: The Labor Union Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved February 13, 2024.