The BLK LT$
Honey: The BLK LT$ Meets the Killa Bees
36 CHAMBERS
The BLK LT$ was six or seven the first time she heard the raucous rhymes of Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s Return to the 36 Chambers at summer camp, a listen that had her hooked on ODB and, by extension, Wu-Tang Clan from the first minute. Through her years producing and engineering for some of the biggest names in hip-hop—Drake, DMX, Future—LT$ was always sharpening her pen; and now, writing, producing, and recording troves of Wu-inspired tracks over the years has culminated in Honey: The BLK LT$ Meets the Killa Bees, an ode to the group that’s fueled her love and passion for hip-hop since that fateful summer day.
After a downright mystical introlude reminiscent of the movie-sampling core of the Wu-Tang ethos, LT$ wastes no time leaning into the countless hours she’s put into studying and building on the ways of Shaolin. “Damage” sees the emcee slice through the man that’s been messing with her head, flipping on a dime between quickfire melodic raps and a powerful mezzo that’s just dripping with acid ready to do some damage. After an eerie piano refrain raises the track’s anxiety levels, LT$ doubles down on the Wu-Tang stylings by name-dropping Method Man, ODB, Ghostface Killah, and Masta Killa through a gritty back-and-forth with her inner self. The flow, timbre, and vibe are all unapologetically Shaolin, a masterful display from a student who's been putting the work in for this moment for years.
The remainder of Honey weaves together LT$’s love of the Wu with the contemporary stylings that she’s made her living on while fashioning the scaffolding for some of hip-hop’s biggest stars. “NTFW” breathes in Wu-Tang’s “Ain’t Nuthing ta F’ Wit” while trading the OGs’ tiger-style rhyming for a sultry black-lotus melody—hypnotizing the listener rather than pouncing on the beat. Later on, LT$ flips Method Man and Mary J. Blige’s “All I Need” into a contemporary R&B ballad on “Real Talk,” while “Light a Candle” intros like its been pulled from RZA’s dusty record crates only to sharply pick up the pace with an influx of hi hat triplets. The fusion reaches its apex on “Thug Cry,” where LT$ enlists RZA himself over 808s to lay down a visceral verse narrating the brutal reality of street life in New York. The transition from LT$’s contemporary melodic rapping to the gruff, poetic documentations of RZA and back again distills Honey’s spirit: the next-generation Wu-Tang Clan.
With Honey, The BLK LT$ establishes herself as the heir-apparent to the Wu-Tang ethos. It’s no wonder that she caught the ear of RZA, given her command of the Shaolin artistry mixed with the personal touches that have garnered her GRAMMY nods as a producer and engineer. As the third signee to his 36 Chambers imprint (behind RZA himself and NY drill artist and ODB’s son, Weather Park), LT$’s central role in the story of the new generation of Wu-Tang apostles is just beginning.
