The Wu-Tang Clan were one of the pioneering groups of East Coast hip hop in the early '90s, mixing their strength by numbers rap attack with gritty production consisting of soul and kung fu movie samples. The raps were straight lyricism; aggressive and confrontational with a story telling ability that has rarely been rivaled. This union also acted as a spring board for the solo careers of the original nine clan members, all who have gone on to have some success in that regard.
A little over 20 years later, you can tell a few things have changed. For one, Ol' Dirty Bastard is no longer with us, though he does have a few sound bytes on the record. I was a little curious as to whether he would make an appearance and whether any more archival material of him existed. Another thing that is obvious is that some of the members are no longer on the same page. Where as in the beginning it seemed every member had something to prove, and showed this through the most aggressive means possible, it seems the fire has died a little bit. The production here is very rarely like the classic Wu-Tang sound, and it seems a little too sappy and nostalgic for rap group that is usually quite hard hitting. 'Miracle' is the most excruciating example of this, with a chorus that had to be a joke.
As for lyrics here, there are moments of greatness here, mostly from Method Man and Ghostface Killah, though there is an air of disinterest in some of this material. I always feel like if you're not particularly interested in a project, there's nobody forcing you to make it. Except for this case of course, in which RZA literally forced Raekwon into the studio to finish the album. I feel like a Wu-Tang reunion was something RZA thought the people wanted, and we did, but you don't do something because your fans want it; you as a group need to want it too, because we can tell when you're truly invested in a project and all working towards the same goals, and when the group is a little splintered. And that's really what I'm hearing here. Still excited about the new Ghostface though. Maybe with eight less personalities to deal with, he can deliver his next classic album.
A little over 20 years later, you can tell a few things have changed. For one, Ol' Dirty Bastard is no longer with us, though he does have a few sound bytes on the record. I was a little curious as to whether he would make an appearance and whether any more archival material of him existed. Another thing that is obvious is that some of the members are no longer on the same page. Where as in the beginning it seemed every member had something to prove, and showed this through the most aggressive means possible, it seems the fire has died a little bit. The production here is very rarely like the classic Wu-Tang sound, and it seems a little too sappy and nostalgic for rap group that is usually quite hard hitting. 'Miracle' is the most excruciating example of this, with a chorus that had to be a joke.As for lyrics here, there are moments of greatness here, mostly from Method Man and Ghostface Killah, though there is an air of disinterest in some of this material. I always feel like if you're not particularly interested in a project, there's nobody forcing you to make it. Except for this case of course, in which RZA literally forced Raekwon into the studio to finish the album. I feel like a Wu-Tang reunion was something RZA thought the people wanted, and we did, but you don't do something because your fans want it; you as a group need to want it too, because we can tell when you're truly invested in a project and all working towards the same goals, and when the group is a little splintered. And that's really what I'm hearing here. Still excited about the new Ghostface though. Maybe with eight less personalities to deal with, he can deliver his next classic album.
Out of a total of five stars, I give this:
What do you think of the album? Feel free to let me know. Check in later, as I look at the aforementioned project, 36 Seasons, as well as the new album by the Smashing Pumpkins, Monument to an Elegy.
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