Inspectah Deck

Inspectah Deck
Deck performing with Wu-Tang Clan
Background information
Birth name	Jason Hunter
Born	July 6, 1970 (age 39)
Origin	The Bronx, New York City, New York
Genres	Hip Hop
Occupations	Rapper, Producer, actor
Years active	1989 - present
Labels	Loud, Relativity, Koch, Urban Icon Records
Associated acts	Wu-Tang Clan The Housegang

Jason Hunter, better known as Inspectah Deck (aka Rebel INS), is an American rapper, producer, and actor. A member of the Wu-Tang Clan, known for his lyricism, he has not achieved the same level of commercial success in his solo career as some of his fellow Clansmen (such as Ghostface Killah or Method Man)^[1], though he continues to be respected and actively releases material.

Biography

Born July 6, 1970, Hunter routinely mentions the Park Hill Projects in Clifton, Staten Island, where he grew up, going to school with the future Ghostface Killah, Raekwon and Method Man^[2]. Coming from a musical family, his father died when he was 6, 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 RZA, Method Man and ODB.^[3]. This is also referenced by Method Man at the end of the track "Can it Be All So Simple?" on Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), stating,

However, Deck was featured as much, if not more, than any other of his fellow clansmen on the group's debut album, "Enter the Wu Tang". While keeping a relatively high profile on Wu-Tang group releases — including highly-praised verses on the singles "C.R.E.A.M." and "Triumph", from 36 Chambers and Wu-Tang Forever, respectively — Deck has had less success with his own solo career. Originally set to release an album in 1995, his first effort, Uncontrolled Substance, was delayed until 1999, after a flood in RZA's basement destroyed over a hundred beats, including those meant for Deck's album. According to Wu affiliate Cilvaringz, "Recently Deck pulled out some disks from the flood and they worked again and he used 1 for his upcoming album on Koch."^[4]

In the years following the release of the highly successful debut album of the Wu-Tang Clan, Hunter would appear on several Wu members' solo albums, including the critically acclaimed trio Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… by Raekwon, Liquid Swords by GZA and Ironman by Ghostface Killah. On the Clan's second group album, Wu-Tang Forever (1997), Deck produced the track "Visionz" and contributed a solo track, "The City." He also provided production for some of his Wu cohorts, including "Kiss of a Black Widow" for RZA's RZA as Bobby Digital in Stereo, and "Elements" and "Spazzola" from Method Man's sophomore Tical 2000: Judgement Day. In 1999, he finally released his debut solo album, featuring a number of less-exposed Wu-Tang affiliates as guests and more of Deck's own production. The album failed to garner him the popularity enjoyed by some of his groupmates; Deck subsequently returned to the Wu-Tang fold for the albums The W and Iron Flag, also providing beats for GZA's sophomore Beneath the Surface and Ghostface Killah's Supreme Clientele. In 2003 the rapper released his follow-up, The Movement. That album failed to live up to Deck's expectations, and soon he was back to planning his next album, The Rebellion^[5]; three years later, in 2006, he released The Resident Patient, intended as a precursor to the album. The rapper took a hiatus to record 8 Diagrams with the group, partaking in the controversy sparked when Raekwon and Ghostface disparaged RZA's tight control of the album, championing Ghost's album The Big Doe Rehab:

He has also mentioned The Rebellion again, confirming production by RZA and the Wu-Elements; it is now set to come after The Resident Patient 2 and will, reportedly, be Deck's final album as a solo artist^[6]. Deck is also featured on several tracks of Raekwon's most recent album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II.

Discography

Albums

Singles and EPs

• 1995 "Let Me At Em"
• 1998 "REC Room"
• 1999 "Forget Me Not"
• 1999 "Show N Prove (Power of God)"
• 1999 "Word on the Street" b/w "Movas & Shakers"
• 2003 "The Movement" b/w "City High"
• 2003 "He's a Rebel" b/w "Big City"
• 2003 "Bump & Grind" b/w "Vendetta"

Appears on

References