Wu-Tang Clan - Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (November 9, 1993)

I hope you appreciate what I'm doing for you.

Because the problem with reviewing indisputable classic albums is everybody already said everything. These timeless pieces of audio art are ritualistically listened to by someone throughout every passing year all around our global village, and something new is being discovered relating to it each day. So, all that is left is for you to give your own opinion and hope that there's someone out there who shares it.

OK, I've already mentioned on this blog that video games played a big role in my introduction to boom bap. I've also talked a bit about the very first rap song I've ever heard, which is the Monstars Anthem, a song that I still absolutely love. My preteen self immediately recognized that the MCs present on that posse cut were of a special breed. LL Cool J, B-Real, Busta Rhymes and Coolio.

By proxy, this song was also my introduction to Cliffy Clifford Smith aka Shaquan from the DMD Crew aka Tical aka Iron Lung (my favorite), better known to the world as Method Man. His old-geezer voice stuck with me the longest after I first finished hearing the song, along with B-Real's nasal tone. His verse is also the first rap verse I've ever memorized. So, in reality, I owe my love to hip hop to B-Real and Method Man. A realization I only came to after writing this paragraph.

That love didn't last at first, because I sort of forgot about rap until my Eminem phase. When it blew over, I remember asking myself the same question asked by the millions who were introduced to hip hop through him: "Eminem can't be the only good rapper out there." But given that I lived on the Arabian Peninsula, I really had nowhere to properly look. All the music stores were stuffed to the fucking gills with Arabic love songs, the oversaturation of which made me mostly loathe romance in poetry period. And the only hip hop you were going to find was Eminem and Dr. Dre related! Which led me to alternate sources like the Anderzej Bartkowiak-Jet Li films, and more importantly, video games. Namely the GTA and Def Jam-AKI Corporation series. And through Liberty City Stories' hip hop station The Liberty Jam and the Fight For NY storyline to be specific, I was firmly reintroduced to Method Man. The Liberty Jam also introduced me to Corey Woods aka Raekwon The Chef from the DMD Crew for the very first time, by including his timeless Incarcerated Scarfaces joint. (which I shamefully admit to hating at first.) Furthermore, the Def Jam games introduced me to Dennis Coles aka Ghostface Killah aka Ironman, although they regretfully didn't include a single song of his on neither game. By then in my late teens, I went through the same confusions I did with my Onyx journey. Obviously meaning that I didn't have a clue that these three were part of the same group. Enter my ravenous Wikipedia appetite: After I did a backup check on Mef, I finally found out that all three were part of a larger collective: The Wu-Tang Clan.

Now, I have a very different history with the Wu brand itself. For the simple reason that I was exposed to it many years before I ever heard of Eminem, but only through a review Electronic Gaming Monthly ran of the Wu's Shaolin Style fighting game in 1999. I thought the premise sounded very interesting, and something about the different personalities described in the review clicked with my prepubescent self. Had I found the fucking game at the time, my hip hop journey would've been sped up immensely. But, alas. I made the discovery that they were, in fact, a hip hop group when I heard their debut single, Protect Ya Neck, on the True Crime: New York City radio. I must remind you of something I also already mentioned during my Onyx run: That my attention to lyrics was absolute horseshit at the time, or else I would've immediately made the connection between the gravelly voice I memorized from the Monstars Anthem along with the Fight For NY story on one hand, and the third verse on the damn song on the other! I mean, Mef clearly mentions his name at the beginning of his shit! How much more braindead can a guy get?! But, I digress.

I must mention that I took an instant liking to Protect Ya Neck's first MC: Jason Hunter from the DMD Crew aka the Rebel, more famously known as a locally-popular owner of a falafel stand called Inspectah Deck's. In short, Deck quickly rose to become my favorite member on the song, and would eventually become my favorite clan member period. Maybe it's because his verse was the first verse I could perform from the shit. Later on, I made the discovery that Lamont Hawkins aka Golden Arms (his most fitting nickname) aka Baby U from the DMD Crew aka Goldie aka Zilla only had 4 bars on Protect Ya Neck and was notoriously absent from the rest of the album except for one other song, due to him serving some prison time. This absence would affect everybody's view of him later in his career, especially Wu fans' views, due to his stupid solo career moves. C'mon people, he is just as good a team player as every other Clansman, and I will prove it.

Protect Ya Neck was a landmark record in hip hop history for many reasons: It brought back the traditional no-nonsense approach to hip hop songwriting, given the minimal amount of compromise on it. It displayed a new approach to the sampling methods pioneered by the Ced Gees and the Marley Marls. And most importantly to me, it finally perfected the posse cut: A unique type of song that throws in it as many MCs as possible, effectively keeping the song fresh and showcasing new talent with each passing verse. With the eight MCs all re-debuting at the same time, the "new talent" factor wasn't really highlighted but they surely grabbed people's attention for the entirety of the song, a feat rarely accomplished before. So good they've perfected this format on future Wu-related releases that they effectively became the leading example on how to make a proper posse cut: From the chemistry of those chosen to the subject matter of the song, making it without doubt the hardest type of song to master. And yet the Wu would make this format their second home, delving into many varied subjects with each passing posse cut. This synergy would never be possible had it not been for one man. One crazy scientist who ran the whole gig like a well-oiled machine.

I am, of course, talking about Robert Diggs fka All In Together Now's The Scientist aka Prince Rakeem. He was the second MC in his family to get a record deal, shortly after his cousin Gary Grice fka The Specialist aka The Genius. But while Gary got to work on a full-yet-slightly-flawed album under Cold Chillin', Bobby was shafted in every creative way by Tommy Boy. They gave the poor fuck a three-track EP, and only Deadly Venoms sounded like a song he really considered making. Thank God for that, though, as his growing frustration with the situation exploded into a beautiful creative idea that involved uniting the figures mentioned above to take the industry by storm while promising them the absolute top of said industry. If realized, this idea had the potential to change the hip hop game forever, so it needed a steady and firm hand to nurture it. 

Later dubbed the "five-year-plan", (during which Bobby effectively dictated each and every one of his collective's business movements from 1992 to 1997) the first fruits of that idea showed themselves in a heavily-bootlegged demo tape that had various solo songs of his on one half. Composing the other half were his experimentations with his late great cousin Russell Jones fka The Professor aka Ason Unique (who also got a solo song on said demo), the aforementioned DMD Crew members and his roommate Ghostface Killah. Add them with The Genius and you have the entire cast of Protect Ya Neck. The Wu lineup wasn't yet complete, however. I'll choose to reveal the final member when the time is right.

Speaking of teamwork: RZA had an equally important role to play besides hard-ass manager. Starting with the aforementioned demo tape, Bobby forced himself to become one of the greatest hip hop producers the game has ever seen. This album marks the first glimpse the world got into his method. A tried-and-true hip hop production staple, RZA produced the entire album with a minuscule amount of help from some of his fellow Clan members who practically lived with him during the entire five years. This approach capitalizes on the resulting human interaction in said situations and, in my opinion, is the reason many hip hop legends made the music that established them as such. The current format artists utilize today, of emailing music to each other, remains too lacking and no amount of Facetime nor social media could ever replace some old-fashioned brainstorming sessions. I have the Wu to thank for teaching me that. Plus, their output also helped me figure out how to categorize my own hip hop collection.

Now, after I've had my Ritalin, we can commence with the reviewing. Allow me to note that I'll be reviewing the tracklist of the international version. Spoiler alert: I'm recommending the fucking thing in the end, so this is a perfect opportunity to enjoy my genius writing for a change.

BRING DA RUCKUS

After a while, this particular kung-fu sample from Shaolin And Wu-Tang will wash over you like soothing water. The calm before the storm that is the rest of the song. Bobby, who now calls himself the RZA, marvelously weaves musical bytes also taken from the classic kung-fu flick, all intertwined with just enough of that Synthetic Substitution mixed with some CB#2 to get your mouth watering. Kudos to adding that loud snap to those impressive snares. Ghostface and Raekwon officially establish the RAGU (or Rae And Ghost United) movement right here with some street bravado for dat ass, only to be completely upended by Jason and Gary, who also changed his name to the GZA. Seriously, these two go off. Doesn't make RAGU any less awesome, but it had to be said. A timeless album opener all the fucking way.

SHAME ON A N****

Ladies and gents, may I present a true Russell Jones showcase. Unfortunately, in my humble opinion these are pretty few and far between during the Wu regime, as I've only felt this energy from him sparingly. Enjoy what you're getting, folks. On this song and the rest of this album, whenever Russ (who has now irreversibly changed into the famed Ol' Dirty Bastard) touches that microphone, each and every guy sharing the song with him is forced to step up his game. RZA once again delivers the sonic goods behind the boards with an exquisite mesh of Thelonious Monk & Syl Johnson samples, creating the backdrop for ODB, Rae & Mef to wail on the beat worse than a drunken Jackie Chan. Given such, a Wu fan would know who walked away with this song. And rightfully so, as Russ gave two blistering verses that will still endear him for generations to come and rank among his best work ever.

CLAN IN DA FRONT

The intro of this song firmly establishes RZA as the shoutout king, as he prattles on the many names of the Wu family. What follows is a so-short-you-might-miss-it kung fu sample, followed by a magnificently plodding RZA beat, this time meshing Synthetic Substitution with a swirl of Thelonious Monk, Honeybee & The Jacksons. All setting the stage for Gary Grice to return to his solo ways, with the second solo track out of the Wu camp following the Clan's second single and b-side to the lead single, the eponymous Method Man. Gary sets a truly shining example to the rest of his clansmen in how to properly handle his cousin's tracks. This punchline classic remains two of the most smoldering verses I've ever heard and can be placed up against any hip hop pioneer's best punchline work. The second solo Wu track is a smashing success.

WU-TANG: 7TH CHAMBER

Following the same kung-fu grunts as Shame On A N**** (which threw me off the first time), a bunch of the Wu enact a scene where their daily banter is interrupted by the death of one of their acquaintances. I've always loved how RZA tossed these interludes in a way that turns the album I'm listening to into a very musical audio novel. This was started here, and I love it. I also commend his smorgasbord of a beat: A blend of Charmels, Mickey & Sylvia and Otis Redding glazed with some sweet Dr. Lonnie Smith drums. This song is further proof that the Wu are the masters of the posse cut, as they made lightning strike twice after the glorious Protect Ya Neck with this baby, another hook-free treat. The entire Clan, sans Golden Arms and the surprise (not really) member, throw down lyrically in a legendary repeat of their debut single's success. I have to give it to Deck, though. He always shines on these tracks. These song structures would become a formula in later albums, where each one would have at least two grand posse cuts similar to this banger.

CAN IT BE ALL SO SIMPLE

Bobby sets the mood on the prelude to this magnificent song. Behind the boards is where his true genius in this song lies though, as he places a Gladys Knight intro to her own song then cuts the first bar she sings and loops it around the track giving it its name. I dug the way Raekwon repeated some of her words as if to psych himself up before he and Ghost dive into the subject matter of two perspectives on how to escape ghetto life's troubles. Congrats on your first official RAGU duet, reader. This track was so loved that the camp released it as the fourth single. Corey would brilliantly start a career-long trend in his duets of portraying a negative stereotype with the party sharing the song with him, in this case a stellar Ghost display, portraying the flipside to his perspective. RZA adds a bassline from Labbi Sifre that screams introspection. This was a smash on so many levels for me, and I'm delighted to tell you the Clan would only get better with these as their careers went on. Props to Rae's exclamation that shattered Ghost's daydreams at the end of the second verse.

DA MYSTERY OF CHESSBOXIN'

RZA uses a lone scorching verse from Golden Arms to conclude the latter's extremely-short time on this album by setting off yet another Clan-wide posse cut minus GZA & RZA, and it's a bulldozer of a verse that most Wu fans consider his best. I highly disagree though, and I'll explain why in later posts. I have to say that Deck continues his impeccable batting average on this album so far. Kudos to Mef, who soldiered without a verse on hook duties. Kudos as well to ODB, who co-produced this crazy instrumental with cousin Bob, set to another deft Otis Redding sample. And now I unveil the final member to enter the Wu ranks: (humor me, will you?) Elgin Turner bka Masta Killa aka High Chief aka Jamal Irief, the only non-rapper at the time of this song's recording, truly earning his place among the other Clansmen. Legend has it (and by that I mean Masta Killa mentions this in an interview) that after rigorously training under GZA in the ways of MCing, Elgin would compete with a fellow East New Yorker and very close friend who calls himself Killah Priest, over the last spot in the 9 Wu Generals lineup. Fortunately for Mr. Irief, Priest fell asleep while he stayed up all night to write the song-stealing verse that we end up hearing, thereby earning his spot on the Wu roster. Awesome posse cut #2.

WU-TANG CLAN AIN'T NUTHING TA FUCK WIT

We ain't seeing much from RZA on the lyrical tip so far, so it's always refreshing when he shows up. And boy, did he bring the ruckus here: His opening verse set the beautifully raging tone that Deck and Mef follow up spectacularly, with Deck shining more as usual. Bobby also deserves praise for making a high octane beat out of the most mundane Underdog and Biz Markie samples, with a little Joe Tex drums thrown in for good measure. Most baffling of all to me is that Mef co-produced the fucking beat. Another smash that would get me unscathed out of a city-wide brawl.

C.R.E.A.M.

The third single, and the song that catapulted the Wu into the mainstream. It was the West Coast, of all coasts, that showed the Wu enough love to this single back then to help them sell five hundred thousand album copies. And deservedly so, as this song is yet another introspective victory. One even better than the glorious previous effort on this album. Except it's Jason in Dennis' place as the conscious voice in the equation of horrid ghetto life. Although it mystifies me how this song is associated with just the Chef, when Deck blows him out of the fucking universe with his gut-wrenching autobiographical verse. Merely starting a song is not enough, and even though Rae's contribution is not to be scoffed at, you have to earn your keep like Deck did with his. The wisdom he drops at the end of that verse is nothing short of prodigious. To think that he was only 23 when this came out. Then again, hip hop is full of such breathtaking imagery by similarly young MCs. His is hands down my favorite verse on the entire album. RZA uses a different sample from the same Charmels song used on 7th Chamber. This song is a fucking hip hop staple for a reason. And once again: It's not Raekwon. I will state though, for the final time, that he did do good.

METHOD MAN

This was truly a shrewd business move by RZA, where he devoted the single that came out three months before the full album hit the shelves to be a solo joint for Mef. Word has it (and by word I mean numerous Raekwon interviews) that RZA emulated the business moves of EPMD's Hit Squad during their creative peak, 1992. Aside from the acquisition of multiple solo deals from various labels in the industry in similar fashion, RZA assigned a face for the Wu much similar to the Hit Squad's punchline-spewing Redman. The similarities between Red and Mef were just too much by the time Mef perfected his rhymes. Come this instrumental, he had become a punchline monster in his own right. They even have similar sounding names. Can you believe the irony??!! In all seriousness though, the game played between Rae and Mef in the beginning is fucking hilarious. Then, various Wu members are heard participating in a game of craps in an overtly comical manner, following which GZA re-introduces the list of members up till that point, sans Masta Killa. Once the piano samples hit, it's the Iron Lung show all the way, as he gets the infectious hook outta the way and proceeds with two unforgettable verse. Dude just blacks out with the punchlines as if his life was at stake, and each and every one is an instant quotable. By the hundredth time you've listened to this shit, you will remember this song like the back of your hand. Trust me, you have no choice in the matter. Excellent second single. But, before it became popular enough to be that, it was the b-side to....

PROTECT YA NECK

Ah yes. the record that started it all. To the odd futures and the rich gangs of the world: This is how to properly debut a hip hop group. RZA molds a magnificent beat around a JBs sax sample, interwoven with some kung-fu samples that effectively establish the Wu-Tang sound that they would be synonymous with for decades to come. I just wish he'd added Golden Arms and Masta Killa's verses from Da Mystery Of Shadowboxin' here. Then we would have had a proper Wu-Tang posse cut of the original nine members with ODB still around. RIP to the legend. It would've even been better to leave off Goldie entirely instead of those 4 bars we got. C'mon, RZA. 4 bars? You could've come up with something better than that. I don't care if all the Wu should've ganged up on the fucker, he could've given you something equal to what we saw earlier. Anyways the remaining generals come correct. Especially GZA. The man puts the rest of his brethren/disciples to shame, schooling them in his unique beat-slaughtering ways. His entire contribution is one long verse of flesh-burning lyrical venom towards his former label and all labels in general. Awe-inspiring stuff, truly. However, I must note that there's a reason why RZA has an affinity to start most Wu posse cuts with an Inspectah Deck verse and it's this song here. 

TEARZ

I already mentioned that this track was on the previously-reviewed demo tape, and I postponed its review to this post here. Well, Bobby Diggs (that name's really starting to sound like a porn pseudonym) chose to add a short intro to the song with him blasting someone then suddenly screaming at the loss of another person right after. After which we hear Wendy Rene's haunting wails, followed by RZA's heartbreaking sampling of her song of the same name. He then performs a poignant duet with his best friend and roommate Ghostface. I just came to the realization that Ghost has never called himself Dennis The Menace, or any variation of that nickname. It fits him perfectly. Just think about it. He could be Menacing Dennis Coles, World Wallabee Champ or some shit. I digress. So, Bobby and the Menace form a conscious storytelling duo that would be an instant hit. It's a formula they would even use twice on a future Wu album. All made possible because of this song here. They both tell tales of equal poignancy about the pitfalls of arrogant ignorance in the ghetto, and that God will punish one if one gets too cocky. Really, they've done a phenomenal job, with RZA inducting solemnness into his verse and Ghost giving us some well-placed humor in his. This would've been the perfect ending to this magnificent debut. Alas...

WU-TANG: 7TH CHAMBER - PART II

This is in no way a part 2. This shit is just a remix that uses a an almost-exact drum sample of the original, until one finds out that they're some Make It Funky drums and not the Dr. Lonnie Smith drums. RZA tries his hands at some bass keyboards and while the result is admittedly interesting, the shit pales in comparison to the gargantuan sound of the original. Lyrically, the song is the exact same. Sorry, but it has to be said that this song served no fucking purpose on the official album release. This should've been included on one of the singles to make way for...

METHOD MAN (SKUNK MIX)

Now most Wu fans already associate this with Mef's debut in the following year, but trust me: This shit fits so much better here. That point can be up to debate. Seeing as this is my review though, you're getting my opinion whether you like it or not, motherfucker. Bobby continues to build his eclectic brand of sampling impressively with each song he produces and this one is no exception, as he makes some very unseen choices and compiles them on the famed Synthetic Substitution forming this perfect instrumental. All while focusing Mef's punchline attack squarely to the back of your mind, which is a prime reason why your face is currently looking like you sucked on a lemon when hearing this coveted display of battle raps. Not quite as great as the original but pretty awesome, nonetheless.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Do I even need to write after what you just read?! This album refined so many aspects of hip hop, from the business side to the production aspect to the lyrical approaches each MC took during its crafting process that I'm definitely sure I missed something. However I echo each and every fan of this album's enthusiasm when I say: This album changed the way I listen to hip hop. It also planted seeds for trees of thought that grew into ideas and beliefs that changed my entire outlook on art and business, in general. It's THAT type of album.

WORTH IT? What the fuck are you still doing reading this? If you haven't listened to this album yet, go do so now. If you have, do so again. Because you haven't yet heard this shit after reading what I had to say. That's a good little child.

For more Wu-ness, as a fellow blogger so eloquently put it, here.