Check Out: Cappadonna

Any avid Wu-Tang Clan fan knows of Cappadonna [Darryl Hill]. He is basically an unofficial member of the clan and has appeared on countless Wu tracks. Perhaps one of his biggest features was on Triumph, which features every single member of the clan. I've always been a fan of Cappa, although there is the odd time where he delivers a verse I'm not feeling. Regardless, Cappa has proven himself at equal caliber to certain clan members (I'm not gonna name names here...) and grew up with some of the Clan members in Staten Island, New York.

You can find Cappa on numerous Ghostface Killah tracks, but he also has five official studio albums under his belt, most notably, to me, is The Pillage, Cappa's debut album featuring production from the RZA, True Master, Goldfingaz and more producers in the Wu camp. The album also features Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Raekwon and U-God from the Clan.

Cappadonna has always been an interesting artist for me since he hasn't really been in the spotlight - yet he shines on the countless Wu tracks he is features on, especially on the Forever album. Check out the tracks For Heaven's Sake, Little Ghetto Boys and Heaterz for examples (he is the last one to rap in all three songs). Most notably, Cappa absolutely destroys his verse in Ghostface Killah's Winter Warz off of the Ironman album. I urge you to check it out immediately - he starts at 2:28 and finishes the second the track cuts.

What also interests me about Cappa is his lifestyle choices. He was once in a dispute with RZA, which temporarily cut him out of Clan involvement. During his hiatus from hip-hop Cappa moved to Baltimore, Maryland, gave away all his belongings, and drove cabs for eight months. In a Ghostface track titled 9 Milli Bros Cappa raps "Diggler AKA the cab driver, drop 'em off in the middle of fire" which, correct me if I'm wrong, was one of Cappa's first features after his hiatus.

This all being said, I hope that people find a new appreciation for Wu's unofficial tenth member. Cappa has been spittin for years and for the most part never got the recognition he deserved. Whether you're listening to Oh Donna from The Pillage or Dogs of War off of Ghostface's Fishscale, you can always get some extremely underrated and unknown material from Cappachino the great.