In the late 1980s, cousins Robert Diggs and Gary Grice attempted careers in the music industry: they get a contract with Jamaica Records, which in turn brings the two artists to Tommy Boy. Diggs signs with this label, Grice gets a contract with Cold Chillin' Records, however, both don't get the hoped-for success. In 1990, Diggs moved to Steubenville, Ohio, becoming involved in minor crimes: after a shooting in 1992, he faces eight years in prison, and is saved by the jury. The fact opens his eyes and ears, the boy returns to devote himself fully to music and decides to form a hip-hop group, whose name is taken from a kung-fu film, "Shaolin and Wu Tang" (1983): the Wu-Tang Clan is born. The group consists of nine elements: in addition to him, leader of the group who also plays the role of producer of the album with the moniker The RZA, there are his cousins Gary "The GZA / The Genius" Grice and Russell "Ol' Dirty Bastard" Jones, and members of the previous Diggs group DMD Posse, Dennis "Ghost Face Killer" Coles, Clifford "The Method Man" Smith, Corey "Shallah Raekwon" Woods, Jason "Rebel INS / Inspectah Deck" Hunter and Lamont "U-God" Hawkins, later joined by The GZA friend, Elgin "Masta Killa" Turner.
Iconic short skit from "Shaolin and Wu Tang", RZA's lightning and aggressive hook, then comes the attack of Ghostface Killah that starts it all and changes the course of hip-hop forever. He performs with a fluid, sinister and calm flow, his verse is one of the baddest and most memorable he has left in his career. Raekwon comes in with a great attack after Ghostface and delivers with an aggressive style. The two already show here that they have a deadly chemistry, despite their respective teams having been at war in the Staten Island projects in the past, Ghostface is from Stapleton while Shallah Raekwon is from Park Hill. On a loud, menacing and distressing, tense, hard, rough boom bap, Inspectah Deck emerges with a memorable verse from the first bars and eats the song. GZA destroys the beat in the fourth verse. The cut, lively and energetic, surprising and bright, is a crucial crossroads in the career of the Wu-Tang Clan and the hip-hop genre. Beautiful beat that breathes one minute at the end with some horns, they seem horns, instead it's a guitar from "In the Rain" by The Dramatics.
2. "Shame on a Nigga" (Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man & Raekwon)
Excellent up-tempo production with triumphant cornet sample from Syl Jonhson's "Different Strokes", perfect piano loop from Thelonious Monk: musically, it's one of the cleanest tracks on the record, an excellent effort by RZA. Ol' Dirty Bastard dominates the track with his hysterical, urgent, hilarious, dirty and raw style and despite his rhymes being more simplistic than the others, he takes this track with personality and humor, with a unique nerve hook, showing all his madness ever since the first moments. The beat plays in his favor and the song almost sounds like a solo, despite a good verse dropped by Method Man, and the presence of Raekwon.
3. "Clan in da Front" (RZA & GZA)
The third cut of one of the best hip-hop albums in history is a solo by GZA, because no one wanted to follow his verse and risks being overshadowed. RZA offers one of the greatest introductions ever, he comes in and introduces everyone, the entire Wu-Tang Clan and affiliates (he honors everyone but Cappadonna), then he offers a simple piano loop, quick and robust drum, and The Genius kills the cut: he sounds energetic and hungry, great performance.
4. "Wu Tang: 7th Chamber" (Raekwon, Method Man, Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, RZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard & GZA)
This is the first real posse track: after a minute and a half skit, a brutal battle rap begins between all the members, except U-God, present in the skit, and Masta Killa, who's not yet part of the group, joined in 1993. Fast-paced, dark and heavy rhythm, some heavy and deafening drums, dark simple piano keys that contrast with the group's hardcore delivery: the bars are delivered in order by Raekwon, Method Man, Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, RZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard and GZA, it's an impressive test for the diversity and dynamics of the styles and techniques of the various members of the group.
5. "Can It Be All So Simple / Intermission" (Raekwon & Ghostface Killah)
Skit, then comes one of the most beautiful tracks in one of the best albums ever. Magnificent, soulful, sweet and deep sample: Gladys Knight sings "The Way We Were / Try to Remember", providing a sublime hook. The RZA proves to be one of the best hip-hop producers ever, here he does a brilliant job: he keeps the track's sound dirty and taut with synths and strings combined with a heavy and vibrant bassline. Raekwon & Ghostface Killah make the song thinking about their youth and the important themes in their life, giving to listeners a taste of the lyricism and especially the chemistry they would have had on their respective solo albums released in the following years. First song of Raekwon & Ghostface, masterpiece. "Intermission" follows, a long skit in which the group explains the various monikers used by the performers.
6. "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'" (U-God, Inspectah Deck, Raekwon, Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Ghostface Killah & Masta Killa)
Posse track, U-God opens, Masta Killa closes. Perfect RZA Production: skit from the kung-fu movies "Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang" and "Five Deadly Venoms", boom bap lo-fi, hard and pounding drum machine and great eclectic piano sample. U-God opens with a deeply sick verse, one of his best in career, excellent, performed with a smoothness rough flow. Inspectah Deck delivers one of his typical underrated killer verses, while The Chef follows the wave and releases a good stanza. However, after Method Man's hook, ODB arrives and it seems like there was nothing before him: his bars are really crazy and out of this world compared to what there was before and after, performing with a sick style that to define eclectic would be an understatement, and offering one of the best intro to Ghostface, which kills the cut with an execution formidable, aggressive, smooth, dope.
Last, but most important, Masta Killa: he humbly arrives in the Wu-Tang Clan with a straight verse, quickly written and recorded in one take, which allows him to take the last available seat in the Wu-Tang Clan, which was disputed with Killah Priest (later a member of the Sunz of Man). Almost by chance, Masta Killa offers a sick verse, one of his finest ever, in one of the best songs from one of the best records in history, and launches his own solo career.
7. "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthin ta F' Wit" (RZA, Inspectah Deck & Method Man)
RZA delivers one of the dirtiest and nastiest productions in the project: heavy drums, dry basses, dusty samples, dark and tense vibes. Opens RZA of anger, setting the tone for Rebel INS and Meth that complete the track with energy and intensity.
8. "C.R.E.A.M." (Method Man, Raekwon & Inspectah Deck)
It's the first hip-hop track I've ever listened to, one of the best "suggested videos" that youtube can offer, now I don't even remember which song I listened to before this magical track. Timeless classic, it's one of the Wu-Tang Clan's signature songs.
Short skit by Raekwon and Method Man, on a beautiful soul loop of horn in the background, then the cut begins. RZA delivers one of the best beats ever: brilliant and wonderful jazz soul sample of Charmels' "As Long as I've Got You", perfect drum, with one of the most beautiful piano samples ever heard in the genre up to that point. From the first seconds of this immense song, you understand that the it's a classic. A true classic. RZA creates a phenomenal, dark, soulful, sad and powerful soundscape. The whole song is pure and brilliant poetry. Method Man's perfect hook-masterpiece, one of the most memorable hooks ever, dope. Raekwon's verse is something special, he takes you into the dusty streets of Shaolin Land, with sublime lyricism and perfect execution, deeply flowing, clear, energetic, authentic. Hook of Meth, then Rebel INS releases one of the best verses of all time, with extraordinary delivery style, and untouchable lyricism. All performers are at their best, in this jaw-dropping and thrilling anthem, which will forever be remembered as one of their best performances: is one of the best songs ever made in music, a highlight of the record and of the entire hip-hop genre.
9. "Method Man"
Method Man & Raekwon's skit on torture, then intro by GZA, which is one of the things they remember most about this LP. Simple, fantastic hook, by M-E-T-H-O-D Man, shows you that genius lies in simplicity. Then the boy makes the track explode, in the second solo cut of the record after "Clan in da Front": the production is essential, hard and aggressive, fantastic drum, haunting piano keys looped in the background, while Meth makes a manifesto of his immense talent, showing a dynamic dope flow and fresh lyrics. Outro by RZA, Ghostface Killah, and Method Man, this song is a masterpiece on several levels.
10. "Protect Ya Neck" (Inspectah Deck, Raekwon, Method Man, U-God, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Ghostface Killah, RZA & GZA)
First single by the Wu-Tang Clan: the group originally consists exclusively of the "Force of Imperial Master", namely RZA, GZA and ODB, however, the founder of the group decides to involve the other guys in the construction of his debut album: they all shell out a hundred dollars each to pay the recording studio, releasing a verse and creating another masterpiece cut.
Eight emcees. It's not something you see every day: skit, intro from ODB and RZA, then Inspectah Deck, Raekwon, Method Man, U-God "The Four-Bar Killah", Ol' Dirty Bastard, Ghostface Killah, GZA and RZA. Boom bap tense, dark, gloomy, heavy and tight, with jazz elements and electric guitars to hide curse words (yet another brilliant trick by Bobby Digital, which will then be copied, emulated, imitated by everyone). High quality hip-hop, pretty much everyone kills this posse, but RZA pulls out memorable bars and GZA closes this masterpiece with an effortless big hit against the music industry that has clipped his wings in the past, hampering and watering-down his debut album. Perfect underground cut, it's the song that gets the group a contract with Loud Records, giving life to the supergroup with eight elements.
11. "Tearz" (RZA & Ghostface Killah)
RZA & Ghostface Killah make a song focused on premature death, telling two stories: the death of a brother and that of a friend who has contracted HIV, respectively. Lively and melodic soul rhythm, with wonderful piano notes, opened by a beautiful soulful vocal sample of "After Laughter (Comes Tears)" by Wnedy Renee: the sample is used as a hook and sets the tone for the rest of the song, one of the most underrated and least appreciated on the album.
12. "Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber - Part II" (Raekwon, Method Man, Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, RZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard & GZA)
Intro remixed by GZA in "Clan in da Front" which kicks off the last posse of the album: the performers and lyrics are the same as the original song, the rhythm changes completely, modern, funky, loud and complex, it fits incredibly well to the lyrics. Fantastic. "Conclusion" is amazing too, while the bonus track is a remix of "Method Man" with a rougher, darker and creepier rhythm.
Final Thoughts
Lyrically, it's one of the richest records of the period. These nine rappers provide powerful, raw, rough, dirty and violent lyrics, performing with a hard and pure rapping style, gritty and hardcore, underground but with the typical catchy of the mainstream. They have a varied, dynamic style, both ignorant and socio-conscious, representing Staten Island and Brooklyn, but going far beyond simple and generic vainglory: they make you understand the world they live in, made up of poverty and crime, with fantastic puns, impeccable flows and a carefree and relaxed mood. The guys have fun and make each song fresh and creative, lyrically devastating and musically wonderful, these songs are always impressive and the single rappers provide some of the best quotables ever seen in hip-hop.
The entire production is handled by the mind of the Wu-Tang Clan, The RZA. He chooses a strictly lo-fi work, skeletal and very hard, minimal and raw, dirty and tight: he layers jazzy music samples, soulful melodic samples and extracts from several oriental kung-fu movies – RZA is the first to do it: before him no one had ever thought of combining kung fu and rap – creating a sinister, dark and tense atmosphere. RZA redefines what underground hip hop meant until then and in the next few years all the other artists would be influenced by this style and this striking production, surprisingly flawless: he creates a new original sound, the rap noir, paving the way for the propagation of hardcore hip-hop in New York, and starting the East Coast Renaissance.
GZA (1966), ODB (1968), RZA (1969), Masta Killa (1969), Raekwon (1970), Ghostface Killah (1970), Inspectah Deck (1970), U-God (1970) and Method Man (1971): before that, hip-hop had never seen a group try to do a whole album with nine rappers. The boys more or less all have a criminal background: for example, Method Man joins the group as a substitute of Cappadonna (1969), an original member of the group who was in prison at the time and who mentored U-God, who also ended up in prison during the recording of this LP, reason for which he's present exclusively in two tracks. The talent baggage of these MCs is heavy and allows them to compensate for their possible moments of weakness, practically erasing them, and giving more light to their collective strengths.
RZA has a lot of merits: he manages to put together a group of people who, while differing from each other technically and lyrically, maintain an incredible chemistry, and this fact is truly extraordinary. Each member of this supergroup provides an great verse in every song on excellent beats, not even the skits are wrong on this LP: another noteworthy work, there's a skit and a sample of kung-fu movies in every track, generally, these skits are often quietly skippable and an annoying waste of time, but unlike all the other albums before this one, here they're classic. Furthermore, the curse words spoken by the interpreters are censored by the same RZA which replaces them with the sounds of samples or swords, it's so dope that they're preferable to the curse words themselves.
In 1993, while everyone was coming up with hardcore hip-hop albums, Wu-Tang comes stronger and better than everyone else: it's a straight and powerful bolt of lightning that rips the city sky and shocks the game, bringing hip-hop back home and setting New York at the center of the scene after years of absence. Released by Loud Records, the album achieves a discreet commercial success (#41 on pop records, #8 on the rap chart) and is well received by critics, but is hailed as a classic only in retrospect: for variety, solidity, coherence, talent, originality and genius, it's an extraordinary record, clearly an impeccable masterpiece, one of the most creative albums from a lyrical and musical point of view, consigned to history as one of the most important works of the nineties.
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