Well once again, one of the most influencial groups in hip hop history and back with their third full album in 2000. After the shit that was Wu Tang Forever, the clan are making the effort to go back to their roots and produce some funky hip hop sounds. Even though a number of the clan have tried their hand at a single career (ODB, Meth, Ghostface for example), they have decided to put it on hold (one of them didnt really have any choice!) and finally produce the album that fans have been waiting for. All the classic Wu Tang elements are here, with RZA’s fine beat production and Method Man’s, Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s and Ghostface’s superbly performed lyrics, a combination that makes for some truly unmissable Wu Tang Moments.
1994 – Within a game full of gangsta rappers from the West Coast, Wu Tang came out with ’36 Chambers’ bringing more social messages mixed in with tight beats and lyrics, as usual.
1995 – Tical by Meth was one of many solo efforts by the Clan, but was also one of the best.
From the production to the lyrics it seems to have been blessed with the same style that led their first album to be claimed an instant classic. There are signs of continued growth: there are subtle production touches like lyric-cued sound effects, and a few times RZA shifts beats in the middle of a track – virtually unheard of in hip-hop. One of the best tracks, “I Can’t Go To Sleep,” really connects and portrays a harrowing social comment which ably blends extended samples from Isaac Hayes’s cover of “Walk On By,” new Hayes vocals, synth strings, and powerful raps from Ghostface and RZA. Leadoff single “Protect Ya Neck – The Jump Off” uses the beat from Otis Redding and Carla Thomas’s “Tramp”, famously sampled by Salt-N-Pepa. 1997 – Back with the second full cru album, Wu Tang Forever was not quite what we’d expected. Maybe just a bit boring, but definetely not as original as ’36 Chambers’
2000 – ‘Supreme Clientele’ by Ghost was another, more recent solo effort by the Clan members. Rugged and hard, just like Ghost himself.
All the Clan members managed to participate – Ol’ Dirty, who was in rehab while the disc was cut, somehow appears on “Conditioner” with Snoop Dogg. This album truely reflects the attitude of hip hops bad boys with an exceptional mix of aggresive, mean, no-nonsense tracks (Chamber Music) with that of old skool funky beats such as the excellent gravel pit which got to Number 10 in the US charts. However, as ever, it still is Method who is the jewel in the clans crown, if you are a fan of the clan, then this definately is an album that should be in your collection.
2000 – ‘The W’ brings back more of ’36 chambers’ and mixes that style with a more funky style. Definete progression by the clan.
Reviewed By Hip Hop Network for HipHopHotSpot.Com
