Killarmy - Silent Weapons For Quiet Wars (August 5, 1997)

I know I'm not following chronological order. Fuck off.

So, it's the mid-90s and a certain group called the Wu-Tang Clan are in the midst of experiencing their biggest successes to date. Naturally, the next step was to spread their influence in a way that keeps the Wu flag high up both critically and commercially. Basically the plan was to debut a carefully-selected group of artists that would ensure their growth as a whole. These new debutants were dubbed the Wu-Affiliates.

The first mark these guys left on the industry was through Sunz Of Man, the very first Wu-Affiliate group, on Diary Of A Madman, the debut single of Gravediggaz, in which Wu ringleader RZA was a full-fledged member, which led to their debut album, the classic N****mortis/6 Feet Deep, on which they appeared on further songs along with a certain Dreddy Kruger (one of my favorite Wu-Affiliates period). From there, the slew of Wu-Affiliates only grew, as they kept popping up in Wu-related releases. Notice how many times I said 'Wu' and 'Wu-Affiliates' so far in this paragraph alone. Eventually, these dudes had to have a release of their own. And that's where our hosts come in.

In 1995, Sunz Of Man released their debut single under Wu-Tang Records called Soldiers Of Darkness. This song features the very first recorded rhymes of any member from Killarmy, the second group of Wu-Affiliates to ever be introduced. Naturally, it would be the two with the strongest ties to the actual Clan: Staten Island, NY's Jeryl Grant bka Killa Sin, who is the younger brother of Wu-Tang manager Oliver Grant bka Power and (similar to many a Wu fan) my absolute favorite member of Killamy, and Steubenville, Ohio's Terrance Hamlin aka Madman (an alias that should've went to Sunz Of Man member Prodigal Sunn. True Wu stans will know why.) nka 9th Prince, younger brother of RZA himself. Their performances in this song, well, mostly Killa Sin's, obviously turned enough heads for people to check for their later output. (Of course, the accompanying Wu banner almost ensures said outcome, which is always a plus.) So, when Wake Up featuring Sunz Of Man was released this time, more people took notice of this new unit in the Wu-Affiliate ranks. And by the time RZA shouted them out along with the effing Gravediggaz and, again, Sunz Of Man on the intro to Triumph on Wu-Tang Forever (the best material from the entire Clan, group or solo.), it was official: Album time was upon Killarmy.

Up until that time, Killa Sin and 9th Prince were the only known members of the group. By the time Wu-Renegades was released later that year, however, the late General Wise, founder and true leader of the group, had already added the remaining five members. Steubenville's Jamal Alexander tka Shogun Assasson nka just Shogun (who, unlike many a Wu fan, is my second favorite member of Killarmy) Samuel Murray tka Beretta 9 nka Kinetic 9, Rodney Stevenson bka Islord (hands down, the Cappadonna of the group) and Staten Island's Domingo Del Valle tka PR Terrorist nka Dom Pachino, the only other member besides Killa Sin who isn't from Steubenville. As you've probably guessed by now, most of these dudes are childhood friends of 9th Prince. I know the question that's on your mind right now: (whiny voice) 'But shoe-in. You said there were five more members? Where's the fifth member, huh? HUH?' Alright, alright. You see, both Soldiers of Darkness and Wake Up were RZA productions. Well, starting with Camouflage Ninjas, which also came out in 1996, Killarmy accomplished a goal many aspiring MCs absolutely disregard to this day: adding a producer who knows his shit to their ranks.

Selwyn Bogard bka 4th Disciple is yet another export of Steubenville. More importantly, his subsequent contributions to the group prove that the most important role in the creation of good hip hop is the producer, not the MC. Now I know that Bobby already did that with his five-year plan but still, the point begs proving yet again. 4th Disciple, along with fellow Wu-Element True Master, also get criminally overlooked as frequent contributors to many classic Wu songs. So in 1997's Silent Weapons For Quiet Wars, Killarmy's debut, 4th has a chance to showcase his true capabilities properly.

Silent Weapons For Quiet Wars was the other album besides The Pick, The Sickle & The Shovel to be released alongside the Wu's gargantuan sophomore. And it benefited way more than it should've. Now, it sold zilch because come on, but one can assume that it sold enough copies for Wu-Tang Records to warrant a follow up the next goddamn year.

Silent Weapons For Quiet Wars, boy/girl (pick one):

DRESS TO KILL

4th Disciple starts the evening off with samples from what sounds like a chessy-ass political documentary. You know, the ones that stale rotten orange cheeto, the one that the US government calls a president at the time of this writing, grew up on. Anyways, it serves as a very fitting introduction to the group's aesthetic. In place of their parent Clan's kung fu MO, we're supposed to treat these guys as an army of lyrical terrorists. Hell, for the duration of this album, one of their members calls himself PR Terrorist. As such, the three members displayed here relay the message very well. Although allow me to clear the air on something: Many a Wu fan complain about 9th Prince' deliberate disregard for rhyming on-beat, and at first I might be inclined to agree, but I find the shit too damn funny. I know that's not Mr. Hamlin's original intention, but here you go. Plus, you can't deny that the BNB (Boasts N Bullshit) he's actually saying fits the image a group named friggin' Killarmy is aiming for perfectly. That said, my two favorite members from Killarmy bookend this song. 9th Prince never had a chance. Awesome song.

CLASH OF THE TITANS (FEATURING STREETLIFE)
This was an interesting choice for the b-side of the 2nd single, which we'll get to. Shogun opens up this song, as well, sounding just as impressive over a 4th Disciple beat that sees him go way back, looping a Celeste Aida sample and sprinkling it with enough dusty keys and a drum break that will throw you instantly back to RZA's Tical days. Then, 9th Prince enters the picture and the laughter starts for me. Dom Pachino with his overrated ass punches in, interrupting the fuck outta 9th in the process, which only increased my laughter. By the way, to all you Dom Pachino fans shitting on 9th Prince, Dom's flow was equally as erratic, if not even more so. All's forgiven, though, as we have the first of two features from bonafide Wu generals in Streetlife. I've already said it in my Forever review and I'll say it again: Streetlife is an official Wu general. Even though he tends to be satisfied as Method Man's hypeman. Anyways, he blows every one of his costars outta the water, naturally. Poor Beretta 9 is left to pick up the pieces, and he sounds like an adult version of Islord on pretty much everything I heard him on. Having said that, he does OK. All in all, a very good track.

BURNING SEASON
Until this shit comes along. Yes, people. You get a true Killa Sin solo that is the first of many shots during his career where he proves that he's the most deserving of a solo album from the group. Alas, his numerous run-ins with the law (whom unfortunately have caused many an injustice on Staten Island throughout the years. RIP Case, Eric Garner & many more.) have resulted in him getting locked up for a long time. Sigh, now the only option you have left is supporting him through his music. I'll state for the record that this song is one of my favorite songs on the album. Basically, 4th Disciple provides a canvas of multiple head-nodding samples of the same Al Green record, while adding a few touches to make the result truly blood-pumping. He then passes the canvas over to 9th Prince, who lays the hook and gets the hell outta the way as Killa Sin burns the canvas, the surrounding area, the whole thing down. He may be the one MC who can access the 'crhyme' style popularized by Raekwon The Chef without coming off as a biter. This be some headbanger shit.

BLOOD FOR BLOOD
Again with the samples from left field! Very true to RZA's teachings. Except that 4th Disciple is a bigger fan of classic English odes than RZA. Or Irish in this case, as he samples a Dead Can Dance acapella and surrounds it with instrumentation of his own composition. The result's pretty impressive, as the members who punched in for the day: Shogun, 9P, Dom & B9, all accommodate themselves nicely to the beat, with Shogun again taking the cake. 9P's flow sounds like he's trying too hard to meet a deadline again, but somehow it fits slow jams like this. This was nice.

SEEMS IT NEVER FAILS

Ah yes, the advent of Islord. And he chose to debut his 2-year old voice on the 4th Disciple beat, composed from scratch, that is most likely to get stuck in your noggin. So, Islord does such a shitty job he manages to make 9th Prince sound like GZA by comparison. Although I must say once again that 9P's jumbled flow sounds a lot better on Selwyn's slower beats. This did what it could, so let's move on now.

UNIVERSAL SOLDIERS
With the most fitting kung fu skit that can possibly describe Killarmy, 4th Disciple constructs his most minimalistic beat on the whole album, building it around a distinctly sped-up Isley Bros loop. Really impressive work. In a repeat feat of Dress To Kill, Killa Sin smokes his cohorts yet again with the surprising exception of Dom, who comes admirably close.

LOVE, HELL OR RIGHT
Skit. Although this reminds me of the early Wu skits. Still a skit, though.

WAKE UP (FEATURING HELL RAZAH & PRODIGAL SUNN)
Weirdly enough, this song was chosen to be the b-side to Killarmy's debut single. RZA scores this song by looping a minuscule sample of a Joe Harnell composition for the Incredible Hulk TV show. Needless to say, this is 92-97 RZA we're talking about here, so you already know this shit's beautiful. Prodigal Sunn and Hell Razah from Sunz Of Man repay Killa Sin and 9th Prince for their contributions to Soldiers Of Darkness. Even though Hell Razah (my least favorite member of Sunz Of Man) had zilch to do with that song, so why is he punching in for 62nd Assassin again? Everyone else stepped their lyrical game way up, though: especially Killa Sin. Spectacular song.

FAIR, LOVE AND WAR

4th Disciple's back, and he brings with him a beat that could've very well fit the subject matter that Killarmy has hammered home numerous times by now, if not for one very noticeable and glaring flaw: Selwyn decides to introduce a goddamn synthesizer a la Zapp. By God, does this move stand against every musical direction the Wu has ever went for in the most inappropriate way possible. So much so that it'll be the only remaining memory that stays with you from the song, leaving each of the war-themed BNB inputs from Killa Sin, Beretta 9, Dom Pachino & Shogun to die a pitiful death. Shame, as they were quite up to the album's standards so far.

WU-RENEGADES

The 2nd single. This also oddly came out before the album. 4th Disciple's synth on the previous track was so horrendous that he had to redeem himself somehow. Well, my fellow Wu stan, I'm happy to say that he completely delivers on said redemption. Looping two of the most obscure classical music samples I've ever come across (courtesy of Norwegian pianist Christian Sinding & legendary Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov), Selwyn cooks up one hell of a recipe for the quartet of Dom Pachino, Killa Sin, 9th Prince & Beretta 9 to expand on the war-themed BNB we've grown accustomed to throughout this album. Once again, Killa Sin lyrically rules the bunch by a wide margin.

FULL MOON

A soulful excerpt from Brooklyn Bridge starts off this album cut, followed by a well-used Headhunters drum break by Selwyn. It's really impressive how he's kept the sound of the album this consistent while surviving the pitfalls of redundancy, and this beat is definitely no exception. Of course, the duo of 9th Prince and Killa Sin decide out of the blue that this beat is appropriate for a deviation from the subject matter prevalent so far on the album: 9P dedicates his verse to a friend on the verge of release from jail, while Jeryl mourns the death of his friend. Both express a vivid attention to detail, which always doesn't hurt. Yeah, I liked this and you will, too.

UNDER SIEGE

From two songs of expert sampling techniques to a completely original composition by 4th Disciple, permeated by dialogue excerpts from Stanley Kubrick's classic war horror film Full Metal Jacket. I tell you, RZA taught this Wu-Element well. This be the song that proves why Shogun is my second favorite Killarmy member by a considerable margin. Dude says: 'Now you're a mere memory of bloody victory'. Fellow members Dom Pachino and Beretta 9 sharing the track with him can only hope to sound this ill.

SHELTER (FEATURING HOFFA)

We're introduced to the very first Killarmy affiliate, something called a Hoffa who used to go by the name of Cloud 9. So that technically makes him an affiliate of an affiliate of the Wu. Fascinating. Anyway, dude's stuck with hook duties here, as this song is a completely Steubenville affair, with Beretta 9 and Shogun giving a verse apiece. Naturally, Shogun smokes his cohort to kingdom come over another jarring keyboard display from 4th Disciple. 'Jarring' here was somehow meant to be a compliment.

CAMOUFLAGE NINJAS 

The actual debut single, even though it's b-side, the aforementioned Wake Up, received the true lead single treatment, music video n'all. I'm also pretty sure Wake Up came out, in some form or another, before this song. Whatever. Selwyn chooses to insert the second kung fu sample here, after which he reveals his beat, composed from an Earth, Wind & Fire loop surrounded by singing from an unknown vocalist. I actually suspect it's Tekitha wailing her ass off, but I've looked everywhere for proof of such claim without finding none. This is the third song in a row where Shogun lyrically reigns supreme over whomever shares the track with him. Dom and B9 already felt his wrath and now it's time for 9th Prince to have a taste as well. Let's not get it twisted, though: Everybody did a good job here.

SWINGING SWORDS
This time, 4th Disciple builds an entire instrumental from scratch around a very well-known Billie Holiday sample. Wu stans who just so happen to be Billie Holiday stans as well will recognize it immediately. This time, Dom P finally shows some effort with the beginning of his verse, only for him to give up midway and revert to his lukewarm form of shittalking that you've begrudgingly heard from him all night. Fear not, though: 9th Prince and Killa Sin bookend his contribution. You don't need me to tell you who bodied this song the best, because by this point, you'd've already chosen him as your favorite Killarmy member, just like every Wu stan who's been exposed to them so far.

WAR FACE (FEATURING HOFFA)
RZA returns to the boards with another Full Metal Jacket sample, before committing one of the laziest production choices I've ever come across so far: He literally used the same beat he did for reggae/dancehall legend Bounty Killer's, wait for it, War Face (Ask Fi War), a remake of his own 1995 cut Ask Fi War. Nevertheless, it's a fucking cunt move. So, it was all for the best that Killarmy made the beat their own. Trust me. Hoffa returns with an actual verse this time. Oh sorry, he was known as Cloud 9 then. I think he was pissed of 9th Prince & Beretta 9 took all the 9-related names he thought were available to him, so he went with the only name he could think of: Cloud 9. And now everyone laughs at his stupid choice every time people come across this song. That being said, he admittedly sounds like the seventh member of the group, which is to say he sounds fittingly serviceable here. 9th Prince comes with the same flow he's used so far and Beretta 9 continues his overtly direct and simplistic style of braggadocio, which works on beats like this. Shogun, however, surprisingly turns in his weakest effort on the album, one which he rectifies later on in his verse. Thankfully, Killa Sin, in his final appearance on this album, bats cleanup and boy does he ever clean up. I swear, every time I hear him on this album my frustration with his current situation increases. The overall result will fill your appetite.

5 STARS (FEATURING MASTA KILLA)
Yes. Killarmy scored a cameo from the High Chief himself. Maybe the fact that he knew that his solo shot wasn't coming anytime soon helped. I doubt he was aware that it would be a seven year wait, though, or we would've definitely seen much more cameos from the guy. Nevertheless, he shows up here and, no lie, delivers the best verse on the entire album over 4th Disciple's recreation of a popular Johnny Mandel record. Killarmy can only thank the Lord Almighty that Masta Killa committed to such a degree. None of them come close to touching his lyrics, of course. But I will say that Shogun is back on his groove, making sure to banish his previous contribution far away from the listener's memory, sounding the best out of any of his groupmates. I would say that he was inspired by Beretta 9's surprising leap in quality. For real, he turns in a fantastic 10 bars. For their parts, 9P & Dom  make do with their bread n butter, with 9th sounding a tad more focused, in a sign of things to come.

FINAL THOUGHTS
It just hit me how long this album really was, and how long my write-up of it is, as well! So no one actually bought this. Come on, you were expecting another Death Row situation? The industry was very keen to never allow that again. Having said that, it may all be for the best, as this scenario guaranteed that only the most hardcore Wu stans were exposed to this shit. And I think that such an audience is exactly who this album is for. I'm not saying that this record can't be enjoyed by any other type of music lover. Hell, I actually feel that this project remains Killarmy's most accessible album to date. It surely set the standard for future albums from the group. Don't get me wrong, Killarmy is definitely no Wu-Tang Clan, but on projects like this, they properly display how to cover slip-ups within a group setting, so that the song as a whole doesn't get ruined. For that alone, they are worth mentioning and studying. But take in the fact that this was also 4th Disciple's proving ground as an album crafter, and he passed that particular test with hella flying colors. This project can always be presented as an exemplary showcase when debating Selwyn's status as one of the production greats. Plus, it's always nice to hear Killa Sin spit his heart out, and it's always equally nice to see Shogun finally get some shine. I believe I'm the very first person on the Interweb to ever praise duke's lyrics.

WORTH IT?
Many people have disliked Killarmy in the past because they didn't get to experience what they were about, what with the jumbled flows n'all. However, this album really presents the full spectrum of Killarmy's message successfully, so if any album from their catalog deserves your attention, my pick would be this one. We'll eventually see if there's another one deserving of similar recommendation later. 

Craving some more shit from the actual Clan? Here. If you're crazy in love with that W brand, though, here. Enter at your own risk. And finally, this is where all those batshit crazy enough to be Killarmy fanboys go.

Gravediggaz - The Pick, The Sickle and The Shovel (October 14, 1997)

I finally return with my 2nd Wu run, and this time it's gonna be a fucking doozy. Yep, I'm tackling their 97-00 output. Fair warning: this time some Wu b-teamer albums will be reviewed. By this sentence, you're probably saying: Clearly, shoe-in has chosen to wear his Wu stannery proud with absolute disregard to other hip hop acts more deserving of such extensive retrospect. You're motherfucking right. However, I didn't say all Wu b-teamers. I'm not that crazy.

So, last time we saw the Gravediggaz, they were rabid dogs backed into a corner. The brainchild of Paul Huston bka DJ Prince Paul, this was a group of blacklisted artists who lashed back out at the industry that rejected them in a most spectacular fashion covered in my earlier review of their debut. The co-conspirators in this unique idea were one Anthony Berkeley bka the late great Poetic RIP, one Arnold Hamilton bka Frukwon and one Robert Diggs tka Prince Rakeem. That last dude, though, had another project he was working on to bumrush the industry with: the Wu-Tang Clan, in which he changed his name to the infinitely-better-known RZA. Guess which venture panned out for son.

That W left an indellible mark in the industry, through a phase he infamously dubbed 'the 5-Year Plan', where he directed the Clan's output masterfully, yielding at least 7 classic hip hop albums starting with the group's debut: Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Here's the crucial part: Paul finished the Gravediggaz project before the Wu's seminal debut, but the Gravediggaz quartet were so blacklisted then that it took the Wu's most successful single to date, C.R.E.A.M., to break out for the Gravediggaz to be welcomed back. By then, their brash and confrontational practical joke was suddenly in high demand through the simple fact that the leader of the hottest hip hop act was a member in the group. Needless to say, Gravediggaz were stuck with their association with the Wu ever since.

But N***amortis/6 Feet Deep was still a Prince Paul creation through and through, to the point that he assigned each member a pseudonym Raekwon-style (Well, technically Rae imitated Paul so maybe Paulie should do a Shark N***as of his own?): Paul himself was the Undertaker, Poetic was the Grym Reaper, Frukwan was the Gatekeeper and RZA, most unoriginal of all, was the RZA-recta. (You already know I'm using these names for the remainder of the review, right? Just checking.) In true Undertaker fashion, though, he lost interest in the concept the minute he saw how successful their debut was. I swear, I think he was too stung with what happened after De La Soul's debut. Anyway, the Undertaker loosened his grip at a time when the Wu were achieving their greatest feats in the industry, so naturally leadership was overtaken by the one who had the most experience leading shit: the RZA-recta. This transition can be traced all the way back to 6 Feet Deep, where Bobby was the one who added the finishing touches on the album while introducing his close affiliates, who would then form the genesis of the Wu's wild family tree, which has surely spiralled the fuck outta control by now. And with Wu-Tang Forever being the monster that it was (it's not my favorite Wu project for nothing), the next Gravediggaz project was surely going to be as Wu-related as they come.

The Pick, The Sickle and The Shovel dropped on Gee Street, who were desperate to continue their business relations with the trio now that they were bona-fide Wu-Affiliates. The album dropped the same year as the Wu's coveted sophomore, in a calculated effort by the RZA-recta to capitalize on its success. Thing is, this album was the beginning of Bobby Diggs relinquishing dictatorial control over everything that wasn't an official Wu-Tang Clan release. Then, there was the fact that he had his solo aspirations to look forward to, as he was prepping for The Cure, his solo debut that was going to change the world. I tell you, everyone was waiting for that shit. Everyone's still waiting, you say? Look, it's the Gravediggaz sophomore review!

INTRO
In the interview featured here, Gatekeeper states that Undertaker is with the remaining trio in spirit. Telling, that. Yet another hip hop intro that wastes a dope-as-fuck beat.

DANGEROUS MINDZ
A 4th Disciple/RZArecta co-production, where samples from Lobo & the Classic IV are distorted just enough to achieve that vintage Wu sound. The trio accommodate themselves properly, tearing the shit outta said beat. From the very first word you hear uttered from the Grym Reaper's mouth, you sense his and Keeper's immense lyrical growth. Of course, you've already documented Bobby's with his Wu exploits by now, or else you wouldn't even give this post a second glance now, would you? I will say, though, that he still gives it his all every time he shows up on this album. Seriously, the dude is as focused as you'll ever hear him, and thankfully it's apparent here. For what it's worth, this is, bar none, the finest lyrical display by Anthony Ian Berkeley ever set to wax. No, really. You'll get plenty chances to check for yourself later on in the album and in his later discography. You'll agree eventually. You all do. Naturally, he walks away with the whole song, but the other two are very close behind him. I must note that Gatekeeper bragging about his ride in what is supposed to be a mission statement for the "elevated" subject matter of this album is unintentionally hilarious. He still did well. A smash.

DA BOMB
True Master establishes his connection with the duo of Grym Reaper and Gatekeeper, who do most of the lyrical heavy-lifting on The Pick, The Sickle and The Shovel. (Foreshadowing, much?) His beat is a pseudo-Arabesque tune on the keys (it provides the needed entertainment value, but is an absolute failure at imitating Arabic music) while on the hook, Gatekeeper decides that he has vocalism skillz, yo. He's horrible, by the way. Everything else about the track is pretty good. I was so sure I was gonna trash this one, but here you go.

UNEXPLAINED
The Pick, The Sickle and The Shovel also marks the debut of Grym Reaper, the producer. He would eventually become the primary producer of the group up to his untimely passing. And here I was so sure that Gatekeeper would take up that job, based on his excellent showing on Blood Brothers from 6 Feet Deep. Anyway, Grym proves he was paying attention to Undertaker and RZA-recta, the masters of production he was around in this group, by freaking a New Birth sample effectively. Which gives him and Gatekeeper ample room to flex their Killah Priest some. I must say, they do a better job than Walter Reed himself, even if we are talking five percenter crazy talk here. (Side note: I never liked Killah Priest's quasi-religious psychobabble style, even though I am certain that he's a very capable MC. But we'll cross that bridge when we get there.) Good shit.

TWELVE JEWELZ
In an attempt to change the pace, something called a Darkim Be Allah produced this short RZA-recta solo, where he goes into a batshit five percenter tangent of his own. The bass here wasn't fancy but it never needed to be. And Bobby further proves in this one-verse wonder why he's just as capable an MC as he is a producer. Back then, anyways.

FAIRYTALEZ (FEATURING KELIS)
That's right. Mrs. Motherfucking Milkshake herself debuted on a fucking Gravediggaz song. Her singing has always sounded terribly forced to me. If you have a problem with that, Kelis, you are welcome to comment on this post, and I'm welcome to not give a single solitary fuck what you think. So, yeah, this song marks the debut of producer Goldfinghaz (not to be confused with Grym's little brother Goalfingaz fka DJ E-Sharp), a short-term Wu-Affiliate who would fall out unceremoniously with the Clan and start shitting on them. Easy to see where his career ended up. For what his beat is, it's not bad as the Reaper-N-Keeper offer their take on the fairytales-reflecting-hood-life formula we see so much in hip hop. All in all, this shit is OK.

NEVER GONNA COME BACK

Unlike this song, where Goldfinghaz brings you his single best beat he ever did, courtesy of a Barry White loop. Seriously, don't go looking anywhere else for better work from this guy. You won't find none. This is not lost on Reaper-N-Keeper, as they deliver one of their best works on this album so far. Considering you already heard Dangerous Mindz, that's no easy feat. And might I add that there's no way that Gatekeeper's not walking away with this song, with this being his best lyrical offering to date in my humble opinion. His last few bars, and his delivery of said bars, are heartbreaking. This tale, unlike the previous song, accomplishes so much in so little time. My favorite song featuring these two as a duo period.

PIT OF SNAKES
So RZA-recta decides that now is a good time to re-enter the fold, with True Master this time sharing production duties with him, with his two cohorts. You know, because he just remembered that Gravediggaz is a goddamn trio. I must say that our three hosts are much more lyrically potent together this time round, and it shows in songs like this. RZA-recta and True Master further their journey into Bobby Digital musical territory with admirable results, even if the beat pales in comparison to the previous song.

THE NIGHT THE EARTH CRIED
This time, RZA-recta goes back to 4th Disciple for co-production duties. They head to a Peter Nero sample and loop it to achieve the desired somber effect, which works in my opinion. RZA-recta also chooses this song to outshine his two partners through delivering a full-blown thesis on slavery. Grym comes close with his 5%-based aspirations. But Keeper is a clear last place here, as he wastes his first 8 bars bragging about himself, even though he redeems himself with the second half. Overall, this is a very good showing.

ELIMINATION PROCESS (FEATURING SHABAZZ THE DISCIPLE & OMEN)
Production duties are handed back over to the Grym Reaper as he crafts another unorthodox beat, although this one isn't as effective as his last production. And that hook? I'm sorry, Grym, but how did this abomination of a chorus escape the studio again?! Even the lyrical quality's compromised here, as Sunz Of Man outcast and co-founder Shabazz The Disciple returns to yet another Gravediggaz project to ruin the reputation he garnered with his stellar debut on Diary Of A Madman, Gravdiggaz' debut single, and his fantastic solo singles circa 95-97. Only Grym and newcomer Omen represented with Grym launching a scathing attack on rappers who glorify violence needlessly, while Omen follows up on said concept with observations of hood life and how the ghetto's structured to keep minorities down and squabbling with each other. Overall, some touches work enough to give this a pass, but this was a very close call.

REPENTANCE DAY (FEATURING KILLAH PRIEST & HELL RAZAH)
Unlike this track. Here, the Grym Reaper delivers his best work behind the boards ever, while bringing a verse that really forces you to respect him. I mean, I stand by my opinion that nothing beats his Dangerous Mindz verse, but this is some awe-inspiring shit nevertheless. Gatekeeper goes missing on this song, as he was babysitting his baby mama's daughter from another man here, so Grym recruits more Sunz Of Man alumni in Killah Priest and Hell Razah to bookend his monolithic contribution. Killah Priest, another Diary Of A Madman debutant, is right at home in songs like this, so he does very well. Hell Razah, though, is by far my least favorite member from Sunz Of Man, and his contribution here does little to convince me otherwise. Taken as such, his verse wasn't bad. Grym Reaper should've switched him and Shabazz' placements on the album, because Shabazz has been known to amaze on backdrops like this. Oh well, still a great song.

HIDDEN EMOTIONS (FEATURING TRUE MASTER)
The lone track where former Gravediggaz ringleader the Undertaker contributes anything of note, as his skit here is one of the few skits he's done that are devoid of any humor. That's no knock on said skit, by any means, as it introduces the subject matter of the song brilliantly. Speaking of which, True Master freaks a revered Otis Redding sample in a befitting way as he lays out the canvas for Reaper-N-Keeper to paint a vivid picture that tells a gut-wrenching story of a street thug who's struggling between trying to be a better father to his son and taking vengeance upon the murderers of his friend. In a surprising move, True Master himself enters the fold as a mentor figure reprimanding said thug and setting him firmly on the course of positivity. Truly one of the greatest songs on the entire album, and that's saying a lot. Shame it didn't open the album proper, because that would've been... Sigh. One can dream.

WHAT'S GOIN' ON? (FEATURING BLUE RASPBERRY & 9TH PRINCE)
The final recording of all three remaining Gravediggaz together. Because c'mon. You know Undertaker's way out of the picture by now. Fitting that RZA-recta brought his lil bro, Killarmy's 9th Prince, to round out the Wu-Affiliate exhibitions on this album. He chose to represent the two main acts repping that W flag other than the main crew in a way that suits him. Can't be mad at that. This song's awesome, by the way. RZA-recta's for dolo behind the boards this time, and this is one of his better compositions as he gets on the piano to create a menacing loop while sprinkling it with two Chuck Cirino and George Jackson samples spread throughout the tracks that create the feel of a massive lyrical throwdown. And what a throwdown it is, as all three Gravediggaz, along with 9th Prince to a degree, tackle their beefs with society's ills and how far they're willing to go to prevent said ills from ruining the world. A great one-two combo when paired with its predecessor, even if 9th's flow can become aggravating to some, with him trying to cram as many words as possible into his verses at the time. Hell, this song even has a Blue Raspberry hook! Ever since Tekitha entered the Wu-Affiliate ranks, you hardly ever come across these anymore.

DEADLIEST BIZ
The final record for the evening is spent with Reaper-N-Keeper flexing their braggadocio muscles with a beat by Grym that sounds OK by itself, but sucks balls in comparison to the heights The Pick, The Sickle and The Shovel has achieved overall. Bad move, that, as your immediate reaction will be to switch off your media player of choice regardless of the song's quality, and I don't blame you.

OUTRO
Yeah, so this outro contains the lone Undertaker beat to grace the sophomore album of the group he created. And it's a goddamn scorcher, to boot. Completely wasted, of course, on snippets of the same interview you heard in the intro and before Twelve Jewelz. Truly a shame.

FINAL THOUGHTS
With The Pick, The Sickle and The Shovel, Gravediggaz have firmly stepped out from under the Undertaker's umbrella, for better or worse. Naturally, the RZA-recta was on hand to pick up the baton, which is why the album is infested with Wu-Affiliates, Wu-Elements and Wu-catering, even though he relegated himself to a recurring guest role a la Tragedy in The War Report instead of immersing himself fully with his brethren. Still, back in 1997 that Wu-Affiliate brand was a great look, and the album benefited from it, reaching similar critical heights as 6 Feet Deep, albeit inferior to said debut in cohesive nature. The lyrical abilities of the Grym Reaper and Gatekeeper grew, as well, with Grym gaining the most from said growth, as well as dipping his hands into beatmaking, mostly with admirable results.

WORTH IT? Hell yes. You can never have enough Grym Reaper in your life, and Gatekeeper is awesome on most of this album, as well. These two show you their absolute peaks here. Plus, this was back when RZA-recta was still willing to properly collaborate with other hip hop figures, instead of desperately sucking up to rock acts of various degrees of credibility like he does nowadays.

For more Wu-ness, here. For more stuff RZA dabbled in by his delf, here. For more Gravediggaz confusion, here. Finally, if you're a glutton for punishment and want more things Wu-related, here.  

Wu-Tang Clan - Wu-Tang Forever (June 3, 1997)

Consistent output. The elusive goal that every artist worth a dime tries to achieve, and yet most end up failing miserably at some point during their careers. How many times have we seen entire acts fall apart because they never knew when to stop working? Trust me, it's a science.

The first artistic act to teach me this in any genre was the Wu-Tang Clan, and they did so through their lauded 5-year plan: A period of, you guessed it, five consecutive years where the Clan produced some of the best work hip hop has ever seen, reaching up to eight albums' worth of pure quality. Because of their sheer number, they gained an enormous advantage over other camps by producing all this in a shorter amount of time, although that meant an insane workload on their director, the RZA.

Speak of the Abbott, if he spends the remainder of his career trying to fuck up his legacy in hip hop, I won't care one bit. What he accomplished with the Wu's rise to the top is nothing short of groundbreaking. Humanely flawed, but groundbreaking nonetheless. This genius 5-year plan was his brainchild so, of course, he had to follow it through.

Now, the plan was always to enter with a deafening bang, splinter and conquer the various sides of the industry with a round of solo albums that would nevertheless further establish the camp's identity, then unite again to deliver the final act that would cement the Wu as a whole in pop culture history: Wu-Tang Forever. Sounds momentous, right? Well you bet your doughy and smelly ass, it was. This album generated a crazy amount of hype as the reunion album of the so-called "hip hop Beatles", even though their debut was only five years prior. As such, the lead single of the album needed to reflect this album's stature. Thus, the world was treated to Triumph.

Triumph was the first hip hop song to receive a video that cost $1 million, so naturally it got a ton of airplay on TV. For a Wu record, anyway, because, come on. It also sounded nothing like singles by other rap acts of that stature. Keep in mind that this single was released in the very peak of the playboy with the shiny suit era, a style popularized by the repulsive Sean Combs, known on this blog as Comby. The single, aided with nothing but the hype surrounding the record after the Clan's output in the past three years, fueled the commercial performance of the album, selling 2 million copies and thereby going 4x platinum in only four months, a reversal of the Wu's monetary fortunes, given the nature of their slow-burn sales. It remains the best-selling effort from the Wu camp to date.

I see your face. I said 2 million copies, yet I mentioned the album going 4x platinum. Well, silly. That's because Wu-Tang Forever is a double album! Holy buttfucking crapcakes, Batman! Double albums throughout history have almost always been highly bloated, highly inconsistent affairs that reflect Artist X's self-absorption, with said artist fully convinced that people are chomping at the nuts to hear whatever sow dung that comes out of his mouth under the guise of artistry. These obese works usually contain a single album's worth of good songs (if the artist is worth a shit, anyway) alongside a usually bigger album's worth of utter sewage. There are also double albums by highly respected artists that are, top-to-bottom, absolute menses. Now, compilation double albums are a different story: I'm very supportive of well thought out compilations, like the timeless Full Clip by the timeless Gang Starr, because they act as proper introductions to people who might not have heard of the artist displayed on said compilations. One of the  handful of exceptions in my mind is the Wu, because of one very simple reason: There are nine members in the group. It would theoretically be very easy to shift the weight of the album around between so many players.

On that note, many Wu fans were acutely aware of the shortage of some Wu members in comparison to the first five members that made the cut for the solo shots during the 5-year plan. RZA took notice of that and made sure he shed some extensive light on those members. This resulted in guys like Inspectah Deck receiving a ton of airtime on the album, for better or worse. Unfortunately, this came at the expense of the other two co-founders, the GZA and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard, who were his damn cousins. That pissed me and a whole lot of people off, and more importantly, it pissed ODB off, too. Now, granted, ODB was in full-on party mode and didn't make it to many of the sessions but how would that explain GZA's absence as well? Enough rambling, let's move on.

This album also marks the very first time that RZA explicitly requests the help of his handpicked Wu-Elements: the first draft of which is Brooklyn's Derrick Harris bka True Master and Steubenville, Ohio's Selwyn Bogard bka Killarmy's 4th Disciple, who handle seven tracks shared between them: five for 4th Disciple and two for True Mas'. A lone track was given to surprise producing prospect Inspectah Deck. Let there be no mistake, though: RZA has his fingerprints deep in all of these dudes' tracks, mixing them after they're delivered to him with the Clan's verses just enough to fit the album structure, which is the sole reason why I blame RZA for not including ODB nor more of GZA on Triumph.

I remember the very first time I heard Triumph. It was just after I started researching the Wu on Wikipedia and Youtube, and this was at the very start of my voyages on both these services. I actually went looking for it right after I was done with Protect Ya Neck following my exposure to the latter record on True Crime: New York City. So, in a sense, Triumph is the second Wu-Tang Clan song I ever heard. I remember feeling blown away at the evolution of the group in every aspect: The rhymes, the musical backing, the video's scale. (I still somehow like the video, even though it had some pretty stupid choices. e.g. RZA's bullshit wings, Golden Arms dangling from a fucking tree. etc. Thanks Brett Ratner, you steaming pile of cinema excrement.) The two songs were light years apart. I spent an incredibly long time studying the single's lyrics, because the flows were so elevated I didn't understand them right away. But even back in my beginner days, I knew that I was becoming a fan of something fundamentally different than what little hip hop I used to listen to at the time.

And now, you're here to find out if I was right.

For clarity's sake, I've decided here, as well, that I won't be stating the songs that are credited as featuring Darryl Hill bka Cappadonna (aka Cappachino The Great aka Papi Wardrobe aka Oh Donna aka that dude who almost ruined this double album aka he who was kicked out of the Wu camp for a long time and had to resort to driving a goddamn cab until he got back into the Clan's good graces) and Patrick Charles bka Streetlife as being such. Because both members, especially Oh Donna, have since been included in the lineup of legitimate Wu generals. And as usual, I will be reviewing the version with the most official tracks of this album, the international version.

CD1:

WU-REVOLUTION
With a title like that, fans expect an epic display of lyricism, production and subject matter from the Wu, right? Well, too bad, as RZA thought studio time for the opening track on their triumphant return is best used for the mother of all Popa Wu rants. Seriously, this shit goes on for over six fucking minutes. No wonder people are so put off by this album. Hell, at least Words From The Genius had an actual song opening the album. A putrid song, sure, but a fucking song nevertheless. Remember my rant against Popa Wu in the Ironman review? Magnify that a million fold. The horror of this song is further amplified by something called an Uncle Pete attempting to sing while sharing equal babble time with Popa Wu. After 6:17 minutes, (I'm telling all you digital owners of this album the exact moment to where you can skip this shit to spare you the torture vinyl & cassette owners go through. Damn, I love iTunes.) we hear the thing we should've heard all the way back in the beginning of the track: A kung fu sample, and an exquisite one at that. This sample is really the only reason why I haven't deleted this track the fuck off my tracklist of this album, which brings me to another issue I have with Wu-Tang Forever: Why aren't these kung fu intros mixed into the very tracks they're introducing? You read correctly, I wrote tracks, because there's more than one instance that this happens. Fuck anything not kung fu-related on this piece of shit.

REUNITED
The kung fu sample of bliss leads into the TRUE album opener. Remember how Bring Da Ruckus was the perfect opener for 36 Chambers? This song's function is the exact same. The marriage between beat and rhymes even pumps your blood in a very similar way. On the musical front, this song is a live-instrumentation RZA composition top-to-bottom, and it's glorious. The various strings and keyboards really do their part in elevating the feeling that you're listening to the Wu arriving at their coronation party. And the lyrics, by three co-founders and the bankable star no less, also add to said image. I know GZA's verse earned a quotable in The Source, and rightfully so, but I've always preferred RZA's contribution. Fuck it, I gladly admit the hook is a guilty pleasure. This bangs in all right ways so hard it successfully washed away the previous track's remnants without a trace. This song was so popular it was issued as the third single, complete with a video and everything. Granted the video was a crapfest, but it's still a video of a kickass track.

FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE
I didn't think it possible, but by God RZA pulls it off: His beat here, provided mostly by live instrumentation as well, is an even better production than the previous one, and I'm not saying that because of the sped-up King Floyd sample (which scares the bejesus out of my wife, for some reason I'm not privy to at the moment.). The bass riff, the Wu-Tang chants in the background, it's all pretty energetic. So, imagine my bewilderment when Inspectah Deck starts his verse: Believe me when I say that, in a continuation of his fine showing on Ironman, his lyrical abilities have grown so much on this album that it's no longer a debate, he has without doubt evolved into one of the best MCs in history. His punchlines on this song are Exhibit A. After the Rebel blazes through his bars, Masta Killa, another underutilized Wu member, follows up with an imagery-laden verse beautifully contrasting with Deck's that echo his own transformation into his own legendary status. Finally, Cappadonna of Oh Donna fame closes out with a verse that signals a certain change from his triumphant displays on Ironman, though not quite the drop in quality that I've been painting previously. I said almost ruined, didn't I? His command of flow does seem to be a bit off, though, but it can still be taken as him toying with his flow a la Kool Keith. And trust me, on this album, that comparison is not that far off of a stretch. Yet. But yeah, I love this song even more than Reunited.

SCARY HOURS
I know it's not the song's full title. I simply chose not to write the whole thing because: a. It's my fucking review. b. It's my fucking review. c. The title is too long for no goddamn reason whatsoever. And, yeah, did I mention that it's my fucking review? The first 4th Disciple contribution of the night, and unlike RZA, he and the rest of the guest producers mostly stick to samples with their beats. 4th's beat, for example, is comprised of two expertly cut seconds from a Skeeter Davis record. The first cut, in particular, is nothing short of genius: by cutting it mid-lyric, the result sounds like the singer is singing "Money!" when she's singing "shining"! Of course, any reference to material wealth on the track is bound to attract Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, who bookend a Method Man verse that sounds like he's being sedated mid-performance. RAGU kill their shit, by the way, with Chef as usual delivering his crhymes while displaying the peak of his flow skills, a peak that he somehow sustained for a few years, only to drop such a drop from which he would never recover from again. Enjoy that shit while it lasts and cherish the fact that he debuted it on his crew's best-selling album. As for GFK? He hits his peak on this album as well, one which he sustained much longer than his portly cohort. However, he elevated everything that was good about his writing on Ironman, to the degree that I honestly think that that while his future output is legendarily consistent, nothing tops what he shows you on Wu-Tang Forever, in my humble opinion. And this song is his first display of the night. By the way, I'm a fan of the fading out of an MC's verse and how it gives the illusion that he can rhyme forever. Not as good as the previous two songs, but still very good.

VISIONZ
Inspectah Deck's lone production, and it's his second ever to boot! His debut was his solo track on the Tales From The Hood OST, Let Me At Them, which was an interesting punchline/thuggery display. But this track? Visionz is a posse cut masterpiece, italics emphasized. The keys you hear on this instrumental equip you with the feeling that you're a towering giant walking among men, and for a producer to achieve that on only his second try is amazing. Five members deliver the goods, some even trading styles with each other: Rae, of all people, handles punchline duties, while Mef joins Masta Killa in taking care of imagery. And even though half of GFK's fantastic verse was on Comby's putrid Face to Face Mix of Babyface's equally irksome This Is for the Lover in You (I don't know how the fuck GFK's lyrics ended up there. Maybe the theme suited them, yet I doubt it.), they feel right at home here because it's clearly evident that they were written primarily for this song. He successfully blends imagery and punchlines resulting in a potent mix. But the true star, predictably, is the song's producer as Deck obliterates his own beat to kingdom come. Seriously, it's a full-blown MCing lesson, with all the elements present: powerful imagery, witty punchlines, addictive flow. The whole gamut's here, baby. A fucking epic track.

AS HIGH AS WU-TANG GET
A lot of people are stuck on how GZA and Mef haven't yet released a worthy sequel to Shadowboxin', and how Stringplay from GZA's 3rd album Beneath The Surface was an unworthy followup. First of all, Stringplay was awesome. And second but most important, do Wu fans have selective memory? The Shadowboxin' sequel is right the fuck here, complete with a fantastically batshit ODB hook. GZA and Mef continue their awesome chemistry with one blistering verse each. GZA's is appropriately an MCing lesson that is my favorite verse from him ever, including his most quoted line: "Make it brief, son. Half short, twice strong." Mef's, on the other hand, is a healthy smack in the face to anyone who has the gall to say Mef didn't bring it as hard on this album as he did on 36 Chambers and the solo joints. Your only real point of argument is his verse on Scary Hours, and that was by fucking design! His verse is a wonderful mix of punchlines and introspection, an inspired combo that he's been developing from Cuban Linx onwards. This song is smash #5 in a row.

SEVERE PUNISHMENT
A kung fu sample that still feels like a breath of fresh air. Damn, why doesn't RZA rely on these as much anymore? Anyways, there's one final Wu member we haven't seen much of so far, but fret no more, boy/girl. For this song is this album's official introduction to Golden Arms, negative capability extraordinaire. And, folk, he brings it something nasty here, please believe. Backed by yet another one of those organic custom RZA beats, it speaks volumes that he sets off a song where GZA, Chef and RZA co-star. Speaking of the Genius, he's in rare form because on this album he schools you in the art of MCing every time he spits. And this song is no exception. Rae follows with his own hybrid of thuggish punchlines and vicious imagery. Then, RZA starts his verse by quoting four bars from GZA's early single Words From A Genius, after which he finishes the remainder of his MCing lesson of a verse with his prattling flow, which he adopted, again, from Cuban Linx. He's really trying to surpass GZA, his mentor, on this album. But it's the surprise final MC on this song, Masta Killa (yet another of GZA's students), who succeeds in closing the song out properly with his display of metaphor wizardry. Think about this for a second: Three of the most famous Wu members were overshadowed by the two most unrecognizable of their brethren, both book-ending the song. And I loved every second of it.

OLDER GODS
The second 4th Disciple contribution, in which he follows his mentor into live instrumentation territory with fantastic minimalist results. Here, both of RAGU's contributions really seem to blend in together, with Rae doing his damnedest to adopt GFK's choice patterns. And they pull it off beautifully. Both, however, are upstaged by GZA, who seems to be under the impression that his fans don't consider him capable of delivering effective rhymes. Naturally, he delivers a performance that stands right next to his timeless displays on Living In The World Today. So, yeah, obviously this song's my shit.

MARIA
To all rappers everywhere: You do not have a gun pointed at your 10-gallon heads threatening to blow your brain's innards away if you don't include a misogynistic abortion of a song in your album. Hell, the next comment is specifically for the Wu: You pulled it off in three albums in your catalog so far!! Which is why I regret to inform my reader that this song is such an example. Furthermore, RZA's beat, sampling Blood, Sweat & Tears, succeeded in annoying me even more at him and his two cohorts ODB and Oh Donna, thereby adding to my initial frustration with their revolting lyrics, with RZA's verse the most revolting of all. Somehow someway, the Wu were capable of bringing the fantastic momentum established in the previous seven songs to a grinding halt with this horseshit. This song shares Wu-Revolution's infuriating trait that it's contains a sublime kung-fu intended for the following song, which is just peachy. Oh well, at least it wasn't attached to 6:17 minutes of abhorrent psychobabble like Reunited's intro was.

A BETTER TOMORROW
No lie: Ever since I started my reviews of the Wu catalog, I've been waiting to review this song. Why? Because I'm about to state the most blasphemous hip hop-related opinion ever written on this blog so far. Dramatic much? You bet your sexual organs, it is. This song is the single, solitary finest piece out of the Wu camp. EVER. You may be thinking: Come on, you're going to give such a grandiose title to this? You bet your digestive system, I am. First of all, the sample flipped by 4th Disciple here is his best work in music, bar none. The eleven seconds he repeatedly freaked, from a Peter Nero classic composition no less, establishes the importance of the message the MCs are trying to relay to us. And it's only right that we start with Inspectah Deck who, true to his spectacular form on this album, gives you the most powerful lyrics I've ever heard from the man. You know when you hear a statement so poignant that it shocks you into tears before you even register its power into your brain? I swear that this is what Jason Hunter did to me with this verse of his. From then on, the tearflow went uninterrupted as Masta Killa depicts a gutwrenching scene in his best performance, as well. His lyrics' power match that of Deck's blow for blow, and I was left a blubbering mess in their wake. Which wasn't good, you see, as the third verse (by Golden Arms, of all the Wu members) was the most powerful verse on the entire track, simply because of the fact that he pulled off a verse that stayed loyal to his complex negative capability while referencing the real-life accidental shooting of his then-infant son. If you know anything about this negative capability shit, then you damn well understand how hard it is to pull that off, and Golden Arms did it masterfully. Which means that Baby Uey, understandably the most ridiculed member of the Wu-Tang Clan, delivered the best verse on their best song. After this verse, I no longer care about his lame solo career choices. He's done enough on this song alone to warrant him a rightful place directly alongside his Wu brethren in my MC Hall Of Fame. Back to the song: RZA follows Golden Arms (in the first of five successive instances where, when he shares a song with Goldie, he pairs his verse directly with the ridiculed Wu member) with a 16 that's half-atrociously misogynistic and half-exquisitely poetic. My guess is that this was written during the time he found out that his girl was two-timing him. Still no excuse to include eight bars that almost fucked up the song's momentum. Thankfully as mentioned, his remaining eight bars rank among his most introspective work ever. Finally Method Man, with his closing contribution, proves that he's simply a more legitimate lyrical threat when he's costarring with MCs that push him into areas that force him to be brilliant that are far away from his punchline domain where he usually reigns supreme. For the record, his verse closes the song beautifully with my favorite verse of his, as well. I wish RZA didn't veer into his brief lady-bashing, I wish that Golden Arms' verse closed out this song and I wish said song was the final track on CD2 of this double album. But all things considered? This remains my all-time favorite song by the Wu.

IT'S YOURZ
Following up the previous song is impossible. So, the Wu just said 'Fuck it, let's floss on em!' And floss they did. This song became so popular that the camp packaged it as the second single, complete with a video showcasing the Wu clubbing their asses off, although they weirdly replaced GFK's verse here with his Older Gods showing, even though the single doesn't come with any version of said song. Hell, the only version of the It's Yourz single that features another song has a bullshit remix of Reunited, not the album version of Older Gods featured in the video. Enough nitpicking. RZA whips up a Jean-Pierre Decerf and Marc Saclays sample, laces it with some Gaz drums and lets the wondrous result loose for the Wu to hunt down. Rae insisted on being first, with his newly found GFK-aping ways. He still pulls off a classic verse, though. RZA gives you an ideal hook, despite the desperate 5% references, after which Golden Arms follows up with a dope-ass braggadocious entry in negative capability that shows you just how much dude is feeling himself. RZA, like I mentioned, returns after Goldie for a full verse this time, and for a flossy performance, boy he sounds pissed. Call me sadistic, but I like it when that much emotion succeeds in highlighting your qualities as an MC, which is definitely the case here. That display of rage is immediately cooled down by a calm-by-comparison Rebel INS showing, where my favorite Wu MC lets loose a quick flurry of punchlines that still showcase how much his talent is fully realized on this album so far. The hook returns, then gives way to GFK paying Deck back for his Visionz victory earlier, because while Deck had the best verse on the earlier song by a country fucking mile, GFK delivers a verse equally filled with quotables here, most notably the 'think like the man behind the register' line. The full picture becomes that the Wu made sure their choice for the second single was a smart one. Mission accomplished.

CD2:

INTRO
An intro is still mostly a skippable intro. However, RZA and co., including a badass-sounding GZA in the middle, call out wack-ass musicians in hip hop, whether behind them boards or on that mic. Can't ask for more than that on a skippable intro.

TRIUMPH
The lead single, and the biggest song from the Wu camp to date after CREAM. I am forever pissed at RZA for not including GZA and ODB's verses from Reunited on this track. Other than that, this song lives up to every bit of its reputation. Four seconds from a Rance Allen Group record was all RZA needed to create a monolithic instrumental. Imagine if all of NY's towers and titantrons were made of light and the entire city was home to the biggest red carpet premiere you could think of. Transform that into hip hop form and this beat is what you get. I also love that this is not lost on the rest of the Clan, especially Deck, who woke up too early one morning and found RZA with just Triumph's drum sample. He spit his now-legendary verse, previously used on Tony Touch's Power Cypha mixtape, and crashed back to sleep. When he woke up, he found that RZA added the legendary abovementioned sample, and that everyone else in the Clan got on the resulting beat and followed his lead. Mef continued his blistering form, with punchlines mixed with apocalyptic imagery, Cap with his left-field references continue to confuse Wu fans to this day, though let it be known: They're ultimately alright with me, regardless of his irregular flow. Golden Arms follows suit with yet another quotable negative capability performance. I don't care if y'all are sick of me referencing that particular aspect of his lyrics, because it's the least I can do after so many people bashed the ever-living shit out of his entire career, solo or otherwise, for so many years. Although, there are some who are completely justified in doing so. I'll explain later on in this review. The Abbott of the Clan follows its least-liked member for the third time on this album with a goddamn physiology lesson of a verse that really sheds light on how dope his post-Cuban Linx flow really is. Next up is GZA, and if you were waiting for him to finally follow up his magnificent showings from CD1, by God you're in for a downer: The GZA, a goddamn co-founder of the Wu, has only eight bars on the entirety of CD2, six of which are on this song. RZA should take full responsibility for such a fuckup. Anyway, Masta Killa seems to have sensed that injustice, because he turns in yet another shining gem of a verse, one filled with his reputed talent for metaphors. In fact, he just might be the most metaphorical of the entire Clan. GFK is up next, and dear Lord, he seems to be on a mission: Engrave his blend of imagery and punchlines into every Wu fan's brain by shouting. He really shouts the fuck out of his verses, trust me. And he does you one by adopting Rae's flow, further blurring the lines between the two MCs' styles. Speaking of the Chef, for the second time on this album, he adopts GFK's choice patterns in his bars, sounding much better in the process and ending this leviathan song on the high note it deserves. In closing: There's a reason why this song is their second-biggest track to date. Nine reasons, in fact. Even if one of them had only six bars to prove itself. My second favorite Wu track of all time, and their absolute biggest track in my opinion, by far.

IMPOSSIBLE
The high note established by the previous track once again puts this song in the enviable position of following it up, which it can't, of course. Hell, it sounds like RZA was so exhausted from his work behind the boards on Triumph that he had to take a breather for this track. So, 4th Disciple's back, and it's another somber piece of work that samples, of all people, the Beethoven himself. Even Tekitha sung her very distracting chorus to Beethoven's notes. Feeling yourself much? Apparently, though, RZA still has enough lyrical energy to drop a goddamn thesis of a verse that still had room enough to include a pinch of braggadocio and the odd punchline or two. He once again pairs his verse with another masterpiece contribution from Golden Arms, who followed up in the same vein with his patented take on negative capability. I must point out, though, that his verse here is slightly inferior to his gargantuan accomplishment on A Better Tomorrow. Of course, GFK ends the song with his greatest lyrical contribution to hip hop ever. A fact that has already been hyped to the moon and back, and you better damn well believe it's deserving of such. He dives headfirst into a tale that is shocking in its ability to convey what an event like the death of a human being actually feels like. So, even though he really didn't use his entire arsenal on this verse, he didn't need to. All he had to do was inject the emotion needed to maintain the strength of the image he was trying to paint through lyrics. To this end, I must mention the fact that RZA should've ended the song without Rae's following outro. Because even though you can feel Rae's honesty, what he ended up saying can only come up short in comparison with GFK's timeless verse. Yet another powerful message on this album, though I still edge out A Better Tomorrow as the *ahem* better track.

LITTLE GHETTO BOYS
So the Wu deliver a nice contrast between the presence of mind in the previous track's outro and the absence of said mind in the current track's intro. Nerd talk, I know, but it's part of the whole healthy meal that is this review. So, most heads complain about the originality factor being absent from this track's beat just because RZA delivered a similar concept for a Donny Hathaway tribute to Dr. Dre's Little Ghetto Boy from his 1992 overrated classic The Chronic. But most people overlook the fact that the similarities stop at the title and sample choice: literally everything else about the track cannot be more different. RZA's composition remains far more dreary than anything the soulful tunes of Dre's beat dished out. As for the lyrical front, Rae spits, no lie, his best lyrical showing to date. Seriously, every fucking thing one could like about Raekwon the Chef is present in this offering: Imagery, punchlines, thuggery, slick talk, the whole shit. Oh Donna then abandons the song's concept entirely by spitting an otherwise dope verse where he calls out east coast rappers who bit his costar's style, amidst other funny shit like: "Peep my new style fuck Cristal and Moet/I drink Evian water while my darts get published" Hilarious, but very far off the song's subject. Imagine what could've been had RZA swapped Cap's verse with GFK's from the previous song. One can only dream. Nevertheless, this song is a must hear for Rae's verse alone. It's that good. Once again, though, a kung-fu sample meant as an intro to the next song invades this track's space, transitioning you into...

DEADLY MELODY
The song where Masta Killa decides 'Alright, I'm done being in the shadows.' He straight up violates RZA's banging-ass piano-centered beat in such a way that nobody on the remainder of this track comes remotely close to topping. On some real talk his work is metaphorical perfection. Matter of fact, one thing I've always liked about the High Chief is the fact that you can't really find that many 'likes' in his rhymes. Example: 'The flow changes like a chameleon...etc.' Ever since Liquid Swords, he's been dialing down on that particular tool hard, to the point where he only uses it once during the entirety of his showings on Wu-Tang Forever. Granted it's on this song but regardless, that's fucking impressive. So, Golden Arms attempts to continue the momentum singularly established by the previous verse with yet another example of his mastery of negative capability. However, negative capability is a style much more suited to introspection than braggadocio, so Goldie is kept from upstaging Masta Killa this time. RZA, for the final time on this album, sides his verse with Golden Arms' in an effort to feed off its energy, and it works beautifully, yet RZA also starts a very unfair trend that continues throughout the rest of the track: He splits his contribution to two verses and convinces costars Mef and Streetlife to do the same. Oh by the by, this song marks the official induction of Streetlife as an official member of the Wu-Tang Clan. Feel free to argue my point of view regarding this matter in the comments section. It's there for a fucking reason, my lone reader. RZA alternates between him and Mef first, then he makes the weird choice of forcing both Masta Killa and Golden Arms to spit a minuscule contribution each. He then irritates you further by throwing in a measly two bars from the GZA. I know you've been on your musician flex for the longest, dude, but why would you shut out the most experienced member from your crew from this CD2? And he's your older cousin and mentor, might I add? Especially considering how minute his contributions are on both Triumph and this particular track? What you should've done is keep every single one of your contributions at one verse each. Hell, it's a right sight better than cramming three very capable MCs in a mere five-bar space, especially when one of whom is a bonafide co-founder of the Wu. Other than that particular fiasco, the rest of the track returns to the glorious heights established by Masta Killa with Method Man returning and establishing a glorious chemistry with his weed-carrier Streetlife for the first time on a wide commercial release. Seriously, these guys sound great together. Streetlife then makes way for a surprise GFK verse that seems as if it was planned to rectify the five-bar mess earlier. And GFK makes sure his verse accomplishes just that, with his trademark flavorful blend of imagery and punchlines. After which Streetlife returns and asserts himself within the Wu lineup proper. My final verdict on this track? Even with the five-bar fuckery, I still think it's an awesome song but reviewing it was a fucking nightmare. A three-week nightmare. The track, once again, ends with a skit intended for the next song, where RZA and the underrated Dreddy Kreuger call Inspectah Deck over for a smoking session until the Rebel notices a dude who has beef with his crew...

THE CITY
...After which multiple gunshots can be heard where it's implied that Deck either shot the fucker or was shot by the fucker. 4th Disciple is back on the boards and it seems like he's officially in charge of the more morose songs on the album, whether they be thug shit or introspective babble, two fields Inspectah Deck seems to be steadily staking claim in. Good thing that this song contains a dark mesh of both, as Inspectah Deck rips through the live 4th Disciple beat with two incendiary verses that comprise his most known solo song outside his own catalog. The lyrics rank right up there with his legendary work on A Better Tomorrow and Assassination Day, especially the second verse. In closing, I'll be honest: While the beat is a definite grower, I've always felt the lyrics deserved a more grandiose backing. It's certainly not as if 4th Disciple can't deliver on said standards. However, the track remains an essential part of this double album.

THE PROJECTS
Now why in the fuck does this track get to have its intro attached to it when other more deserving tracks don't, especially when the intro is a bullshit phone call between Rae and Wu-Affiliate Shyheim, whose mere mention now is legitimately depressing because of the way he eventually threw his life away. Here's hoping he comes out of jail a better person. Anyways, RZA orchestrates a beautiful piano instrumental sprinkled with a sweet violin sample from the O'Jays throughout. The Wu-Massacre trio (That album. Ugh.) handle this track while Golden Arms is limited to the embarrassing routine during the hook by simply exclaiming 'Projects!' three times before shouting 'New York projects!' once. Once again, RZA takes full blame for this. If Goldie wasn't able to deliver to the Wu's standards during that session, simply leave him out of the damn song. Back to the actual lyrics, though, as Rae begins with some top notch bragging. By now, he has fully adopted GFK's style of using the most out-of-left-field reference he can come up with to assist him in his verses, this one being no exception. Mef follows up with a verse that shows just how far he's come as an MC who would merely be associated with punchlines by himself, with a more condemning twist to his quality lyrical posturing. Check the first six bars and the last four to understand exactly what I'm talking about. Finally, GFK comes with a verse that, in all outward appearances, has been nominated for the most misogynistic verse ever written. I used to think so, too, which always drove me nuts. To the point that I'd always fail to distinguish his very last bar: 'The condom broke, bitch you got AIDS, I'm shaking in my bones' That lone bar made me understand the true nature of this verse: GFK is basically playing the role of a misogynistic asshole who gets what's coming to him. Matter of fact, what if he was talking from Big Moe from the shelter's perspective about his encounter with Stephanie? Remember? His friend that he told you about in Tearz, way back on 36 Chambers?! The dude who 'got stuck with the HIV'?! Come to think of it, he did describe him as an arrogant bastard who 'came out laughing with glory' when he fucked Thelma. I now consider this verse a very clever piece of fan service, and it has a positive message under a layer that pisses superficial people the fuck off. Let me make it very clear that I'm including my former self in that particular group. It's like he doesn't want any new fans while reserving his verse's nature to only the true Wu heads, whom he knows will dissect every single bar coming out of his mouth. Reviewing this track was immensely entertaining, and it's a kickass song to boot!

BELLS OF WAR
Yet another RZA masterpiece behind the boards, as he strings a soothing live guitar & keyboards loop that contrasts with the five Wu members currently attending's rough assertion of themselves over the scope of hip hop in general. Golden Arms continues his stride of amazing negative capability performances, banging out yet another boastful verse in superb form. Mef follows up with a chillingly menacing verse that still found space for them punchlines he's so good at. I honestly feel that this album makes a great case for Mef as a multi-faceted lyricist who can deliver beautifully on any topic he chooses to rhyme about. I say this fully aware that Mef himself criticizes his work on this album hard. The evidence is damning, dude: This album houses your best penmanship to date it's not even funny. RZA steps up next for yet another thesis punctuated with the odd threat or boast here and there, making me lament that he chose to head in that Bobby Digital venture afterwards, because it's obvious that being dead serious is where he lyrically shines best. Then, an interlude surprises you from out of nowhere, where RAGU and their own clique have a useless boxing discussion, after which GFK gifts you with another one of his trademark blackouts, once again proving why this album houses his finest material ever. I simply cannot stress enough just how much Wu-Tang Forever has been the best lyrical showcase for the Wu in general this far in. RZA then drags you into a long-ass intro that, honestly never felt that long. Maybe it's because he was having a natural discussion with GZA and Dreddy Kreuger that felt so informal, the shit just breezed through. Still a masterpiece of a song. Kudos to RZA and the Wu-Elements for keeping the standards consistently high with nine great songs in a row! That's pretty damn impressive.

THE MGM
Finally, True Master is allowed his time in the sun! Derrick Harris' first production appearance on the album is RAGU's worthy sequel to Heaven & Hell, and he made sure his beat was recognized as such. He normally concentrates on big, theatrical music anyway. As for RAGU, they masterfully tie their story to a real life event, the Caesar-Whitaker fight at, you guessed it, the MGM in Vegas back in 1994. It amazes me how these two can describe so much happening from such an insignificant instance as merely arriving in the crowd for the fight, and still find time to flex their lyrical muscles with imagery and references. The hot streak continues...

DOG SHIT
Or not. RZA returns with a beat that he tailored exclusively for the return of Old Dirty Bastard to the fold, and this time he's given a full track to rip. So, of course he goes on a misogynistic drunken rampage. I hated every aspect of this song: From the off-kilter music, to ODB drunk off his ass and biting from other MCs in his camp. That "Calling me a dog" bar? That was Mef's. I really hate this stupid song. especially when Dirt is capable of so much more than resorting to women-bashing. It ain't my fault RZA couldn't pick the right woman at the time. The outro with the dude snapping at everybody was hilarious, but only the first time.

DUCK SEAZON

RZA commissions a straight-up confrontational instrumental, perfect for an MC to deliver his punchlines on and make a listener feel that extra sting. Which is why it was so disappointing to hear Ol' Cheffy set it off with a boringly flossy verse. Sure his flow's still amazing, but it's a damn shame that he didn't use his crhymes here, as that would've been perfect. RZA sensed this and decided to school Rae on how to deliver a proper thuggish verse that still has some knowledge woven into it, doing so with a 50+ bar verse no less. Mef could only follow RZA's example with his following verse filled with menacing-ass punchlines. And the final verse on this track is...Rae again. Really, RZA? No room for GZA here? He would've been perfect on this song. What's more, Rae didn't learn the lesson Mef and especially RZA were trying to teach him, because he went straight back to the flossy shit that made his first contribution wack in the first place. Overall, the track is fairly decent, but that ODB solo still isn't washed out of my ear. The track ends with yet another kung-fu sample meant for the next track. UGH.

HELLZ WIND STAFF
What's very noticeable about this track is the fact that RZA went back to sampling hard on here. Every component of the beat is sampled, even the kung-fu intro! This seems to have delighted the rest of the Wu, as they bring forth yet another one of those posse cuts they seem to revel in. Streetlife sets shit off with a verse that would've sounded right at home in A Better Tomorrow or Impossible, but sounds a bit pretentious here. Don't get me wrong, it's still his best verse ever, but this beat feels more like a battle record, which is why it might not have the desired impact with some. And which is also precisely why GFK shines real nice on the following verse: The man has truly opened his imagery floodgates on this album, and by the looks of it, opened Raekwon's as well since Rae is once again aping GFK masterfully here, even though GFK, in what would unfortunately become quite the Wu trend, brutally teases you here with what could've been an epic followup to Cuban Linx instead of Immobilarity, which I will review later on. Mef is also in his element with the mythological punchlines he's been spewing on this album so far, continuing to do so in fine form here. RZA, in particular, seems to have put in extra effort to make his brash punchlines leave a mark. Peep this: 'Soul edged blade controls your Interpol' Or this: 'Pushed through like George Bush Operation Whoops' Damn, those two lines stung like a motherfucker! I'm even inclined to admit he got the better of a fully competent Inspectah Deck verse, which is the single biggest lyrical accomplishment RZA achieved on this song. This finally washed that ODB solo out of my ear properly.

HEATERZ
True Master returns with a damn fine followup to the previous track. His sample game, just beginning to hit the peak that he would sustain for two straight years, is solidified here with how he cuts up a Gladys Kinght record multiple times to form an epic beat in every sense of the word. Seriously, this beat is still a favorite for many a Wu fan almost 20 years later. Rae sets it off with his flow amping you up as you listen to another one of his dope GFK-aping verses, until he's blown away by a Deck performance that asserts INS as the true lyrical king of this song. ODB only gets four bars, because RZA. Golden Arms gives you his final relevant contribution on this album with an assertive negative capability verse. The song's final verse is left to Cappadonna, who might be getting flak for his numerous fuckups on his debut, but he's unfairly criticized on this album as his shit was still dope, sans the Maria joint where everybody involved sucked balls. In fact, Heaterz houses Cap's best lyrical performance on Wu-Tang Forever. And it's the second song where he establishes an infectious chemistry with True Master, the first being GFK's Fish. I'll even one up that statement, dear Wu head: Most of True Mas' best productions were Cap' tracks or ones that featured Cap. Think about it, and you'll definitely know it to be true. Then, we hear a shower running where we hear a couple exchanging romantic banter... wait...

BLACK SHAMPOO
And everything that was good in the world was sucked away into this gaping black hole of a song. This song is the lone reason why I wouldn't blame ANYONE out there ripping Uey's rap career a new asshole. I'm going to be fair, however, and rip RZA's an even bigger one. Why? It was his fucking idea in the first place! What kind of sick twisted fuck puts this sow manure at the end of a double album chock full of hits. Maria and Dog Shit sound like A Better Tomorrow compared to this, for we have the most pedophilic RZA beat that will ever come across any of your senses backing a Uey performance where he actually plays the female in the relationship! If any verse Uey spit on this album is anything to go by, you'd know that be some weird-ass shit. Imagine if EL James wrote Fifty Shades Of Grey as a rap song, and then people found out that EL James was simply an avatar of a disgusting 90 year-old man posing as a 50 year-old woman with a midlife crisis. That's what this song feels like! Motherfuck this song and its entire family. Sigh, at least I have Golden Arms' verse on A Better Tomorrow to fall back to.

SECOND COMING (FEATURING TEKITHA)
Because this makes sense: An R&B song. A boring-ass R&B song, might I add, on a hardcore Wu-Tang album. And it's about how the Wu are divine saviors of hip hop... Y'know, I'm starting to appreciate the contrast of this album even more. Because of the fact that this album has been majorly full of skyrocketing highs, it makes sense for RZA to purposefully create the most plummeting lows he can think of just to show that he's human, you feel me?

THE CLOSING
The outro, where Rae is really feeling himself. Here he thinks he literally saved the world, so he's ordering the fans to go buy Wu-Wear and shit as thanks for him blessing you with this album. Or maybe this was a waste of everyone's time. For US consumers, this is where the album ends...

SUNSHOWER
Which really sucks for them, as they were missing out on a RZA solo song that houses his finest lyrical work in hip hop, bar fucking none. Remember those lyrical theses him and Cousin GZA drop on their records from time to time? Well, here's a full song with two 50+ bar verses, throwing everything at you, from philosophy, to religion, to politics, to lyrical displays, everything. If that ain't a hip hop thesis then I don't know what is. Smart choice for the beat, as well, making that shit calm yet thumping to keep the listener following the lyrics being prattled off. Many people close to RZA within the Wu camp have stated that this lone song will be the closest anyone from the public will get to hear from The Cure, RZA's original plan for a debut album. Aside from that Tragedy joint, anyway. You know, before Bobby Digital was unleashed unto the unsuspecting public. I digress, this is how you end an album.

THE PROJECTS (REMIX)
Now this I find to be a complete waste of everybody's time. RZA, the fans, the label, everyone. Not only is RZA dead wrong by removing the exquisite piano piece on the original but his keyboards in the section's place are an absolute snoozefest. I wish there's something more to talk about, but everything else about this song is exactly the same as the original cut. If you own this digitally, you could delete this song from the tracklist and your life wouldn't be affected in the slightest. Unless you're an obsessive Wu collector who must have every single piece of work they ever released. In which case, I pity you and your loved ones who expect you to accomplish something, ANYthing, with your free time.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Whew!

This project must've certainly been hell to record, because RZA was obviously trying to showcase each and every member of the Wu-Tang Clan properly on here, with very unexpected results at times. No two ways about it, there were times where he fucked up bad because it's a 28-track album, for God's sake! He was bound to slip up somewhere! Granted the slipups were devastating but still, when 20 of those 28 are absolutely timeless hip hop. You know you have something special here. Of all RZA's experiments behind the boards, this is the album where he succeeded most. Throughout the massively-spanning careers of each and every MC featured on here, this is the album where they spit their best shit. And when all the smoke settled, the lesser-known members of the Wu shined equally as much as the figureheads. Well, maybe if GZA and ODB were featured more, that would be true but still. Everyone who jumped from 36 Chambers to this found nine very different MCs here, and it was because everyone incorporated their experiences froim the first batch of solo albums and pooled them here, making for a very satisfying meal where everybody hit their absolute peak, sans, unfortunately, ODB. The addition of 4th Disciple and True Master only added to the momentum this album was gaining over every other double album I know of. The final product before you is, in my opinion, the greatest piece of work the Wu-Tang Clan, group or solo, has ever released. Yes. This over 36 Chambers.

WORTH IT? You better fucking get this shit right now or, I swear to the Almighty, I will... do absolutely nothing because, grow up, this is the internet. What would I look like threatening random people on the internet? Although if there was some way I could physically deliver on those threats... One can only dream.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
AMERICA (FEATURING KILLAH PRIEST)
Ah yes, the public service announcement. Although this one is probably for the right reasons, as this was the lead single from the America Is Dying Slowly compilation charity album, the 8th in the Red Hot AIDS Benefit Series, recorded by the Red Hot Organization for AIDS relief. The beat remains one of my favorite RZA works, and the lyrics are predictably top-notch because the Wu has provided valid proof over the years that they excel in serious subject matter. I wish Masta Killa and Inspectah Deck had more time to give you proper verses equal to their costars instead of listening to the remainder of the beat for nearly three minutes without one verse to be heard. Oh well, at least the beat is a damn masterpiece that magically samples OV Wright.

DIESEL
Remember when I said that ODB was capable of wondrous things behind the mic? I present his most cryptic lyrical work ever, from the Soul In The Hole OST. (Allow me to add that the title track to this album by the Wu All-Stars is addictively timeless.) He steals the spotlight from everyone else on here so bad it's not even a competition. He had this eerie energy engulfing him here, because he describes in vivid detail how the government is after him. Three years later, the tragic events that set off his descent are set in motion, becoming well-documented history. RIP, man. RZA samples a Ruby Andrews record and mixes it with his own instrumentation to create one of his well-known left-field beats where he, Golden Arms, Rae and Mef share the spotlight with ODB. Everyone, especially Rae, was following wherever ODB went, with Golden Arms' negative capability, oddly enough, producing the best results of the remaining lineup.

DIRTY THE MOOCHER
Now this should've been ODB's solo track on the album, instead of wasting away with no sequence on the Hoodlum OST, home of that Mobb Deep-Rakim collaboration y'all love so much. I don't blame you, I love it too. Anyways, here RZA samples one of Cab Calloway's wilder songs before crafting a banging-ass beat, which seems to inspire ODB just enough to snap, the right way with his finest hour on the mic. This is just the type of record that the Wu should've been showcasing ODB with. I cannot recommend this song enough.

PUT YOUR HAMMER DOWN
Off of Vol. 3 from Funkmaster Flex' 60 Minutes of Funk mixtape series, RZA loops the first ten seconds of a Rufus Thomas classic and lets the Clan run wild on the shit, except for GZA who had his verse from Killah Priest's Cross my Heart imported to this track. Don't worry, nobody heard this track, yo, you're safe. Oh, and Deck uses this verse plus a few bars later on Rae's Wu-Tang Cream Team Line-Up. Don't worry, though, nobody heard both songs, yo. So, RAGU, Goldie and Mef are in full-on battle mode with everyone assuming their battle stations properly. Read: they all get busy, which is really all I ask of any MC.

EXECUTE THEM
Off of the Wu compilation album The Swarm, this song is more special to me  because my two favorite Wu members are given time to shine here. Sampling a Leonard Cohen trippy record and a Streetlife sample that sounds as if he was spitting right next to them, RZA gives you a triet between Rae, Masta Killa and Inspectah Deck, where Rae is predictably spitting a GFK-esque contribution that sounds dope as always. However once Masta Killa comes in with that 'like'-free verse, you will no longer remember what the fuck Rae was rapping about, as the High Chief's metaphor game takes you over, lulling you into a false sense of security until Deck comes to finish you off with one of his hybrid verses that got him so much respect on Wu-Tang Forever. And we're finally done

For the rest of the Wu's minuscule catalog, click here at your own risk.