A year after their last album, Wu-Tang releases their fourth work. The Clan seems to have definitively lost its way. RZA is still the main producer of the project, supported by Wu-Elements Mathematics and True Master, but also joined by Nick Fury and the Trackmasters. At the mic the group loses pieces and for the first time sees no presence from Ol' Dirty Bastard. Several affiliates are present, such as 12 O'Clock of Brooklyn Zu, Prodigal Sunn of Sunz of Man, Polite of American Cream Team, Cappadonna, Suga Bang Bang and Streetlife, as well as Madame D, Flavor Flav of Public Enemy and Ronald Isley.
The album opens with "In the Hood". RZA returns with a classic beat, exquisite sample, rough, hard drum, samples from the kung fu movie "Writing Kung Fu". Verse by Steels himself, punctual, energetic, hardcore, good, great rhythm, could go on for eight minutes. Instead, he stops it after half a minute and ruins everything, turning off the beat and placing another totally confusing, messy, annoying one. Chaotic boom bap, inside Masta Killa doesn't flow well on this rhythm; senseless hook by affiliate Suga Bang Bang who is here for reasons I don't know and don't want to know. Rebel INS on verse number two, that hook again, then the affiliate Streetlife closes the piece, that hook repeated endlessly again, horrible cut. And it started so well. What happened?
The next track is "Rules", chosen as the second single of the CD. Bouncing production by Mathematics, still better than the previous one, but still not good. Some say that here the Wu-Tang guys behind the keyboards wanted to try to make a Premier: unsuccessful result, in any case. Messy samples, noisy drum, chaotic rhythm, inside Steelz, Ghost, Raekwon, Method Man, GZA and Inspectah Deck all say something before the introductory verse by Tony Starks. Rebel INS follows him, hook by Johnny Blaze, Master Killer attacks the beat with a good flow, Streetlife continues, at his second consecutive appearance on a Wu-Tang Clan album. Raekwon delivers his contribution with style and energy, Tical in the last verse, his hook, then it's his friend Streetlife who closes the piece in the outro. When you start to think that the boy has become an official member instead of Cappadonna, he disappears from the record.
The third choice sees the return of Bobby Digital behind the keys for "Chrome Wheels". This track is originally realized by Brooklyn Zu member 12 O'Clock, cousin of ODB, and Sunz of Man emcee Prodigal Sunn, cousin of RZA, for their [never released] collaborative album as a duo Two on da Road. Then the Abbot listens to the joint and likes it so much that he decides to include it in this CD: so, 12 O'Clock has the honor of opening this track of a Wu-Tang Clan album. Bobby Steels' production is loud, dirty, filthy, rotten, underground, not good, with several questionable sounds. The Abbot goes down on the mic using his alias Bobby Digital and delivers a carefree verse over a carefree beat, Lex Diamond follows with a short contribution before the hook of Madame D. Prodigal Sunn brings the track to the bottom with a final verse, great hardcore flow, in his first appearance in a Wu-Tang Clan disk.
The first external guest on the album is Flavor Flav of Public Enemy, who critics say was called in to replace ODB, who was unable to participate in the album. Poor and shoddy production from RZA at his worst in career. Raekwon, Masta Killa, Ghostdeini and U-God are called upon to spit bars while Flavor Flav makes a mess between their verses before starring in an exhausting outro with Method Man. Bobby Steels remains behind the keyboards on Wu-Tang's latest single to enter the charts. "Uzi (Pinky Ring)" boasts a radio-friendly carpet, laid-back vibes, good beat, U-God goes off with his most mainstream flow. Chorus by Polite of American Cream Team uncredited, Raekwon on the second verse with a good flow, after the hook there's Tony Starks who massacres the rhythm. Polite again on the hook, then RZA, Meth, Deck, Masta Killa and GZA one after the other before the last refrain. The song is chosen as the first single and the decision turns out to be lucky.
The sixth track features a bouncy beat by Nick Fury. Rollie Fingerz, Chef Raekwon and Lucky Hands in the cut, which doesn't say anything. When you read True Master's name in the credits you are led to think that the production can improve, instead the Abbot's disciple disappoints: his choice is bouncy and poor, Meth is on fire here, the others are good, RZA less good than all. With the arrival of "Babies", The RZArector seems to find the right path in production: his soundscape is splendid, Ghostface Killah and Chef Raekwon fly on this type of beats with their velvet flows, GZA closes with ease after the hook of Madame D in one of the rare highlights of the album. Bobby Digital continues to deceive and disillusion in this project, because his immediately following choice sucks. The music of "Radioactive (Four Assassins)" is bouncy and annoying, it cannot adequately support the contribution of the performers, wasting verses by Maximilian, Lex Diamond, Johnny Blaze and Noodles. "Back in the Game" begins with a kung-fu skit. The Trackmasterz behind the keyboards to provide a mainstream cut to the Wu, which needs it so much, so much. There's also Ron Isley to support the piece. Inside The Inspector, The Meth, The Genius, The Chef and The Ghost with the soul hook by Ron Isley. The rhythm isn't very good though, what a shame. Because the boys were there.
In the title track, RZA returns to face the chipmunk soul that launched his career, then let loose a fluid, slick, clean beat, he seems to have finally returned to form. Inside Raekwon at his best, clean, silky, wonderful flow, flies away on this fascinating and completely polished production. Masta Killa is fantastic, I think he's in one of his brightest moments, he attacks well, delivers calmly, fresh, loose, in the wake of Lou Diamond's flow. Inspektor Dek closes the games with a rare mastery, killer verse on a rare excellent beat provided here by RZA, sensational cut that risks going criminally unnoticed. When "Da Glock" arrives you can notice that RZA is still hurting behind the keys. This is one of the strangest tracks in the Clan's discography. Inside U-God, GFK, RZA, Cappadonna, Masta Killa and Raekwon reciting a few lines each interspersed with "good thing we brought da glock". The poor rhythm doesn't help. On the melody of "Jingle Bells" (1857), RZA turns the Wu into a caricature in the final track, inside Rollie Fingerz and GZA to save this mess, they fail. As a bonus there's a cut that takes its name from their previous album. The Abbot with the sane mind again behind the keyboards with a rhythm that makes sense to exist; unusual boom bap, to be generous, but not evil or bad as you might think it was after listening to the whole album. Inside GZA, Method Man, U-God (also engaged in one of the simplest hooks of his life) and Raekwon to give a closure that makes sense to this album. Very good Tical.
Final Thoughts
This is not normal by Wu-Tang Clan standards. No promotion, no skits, no cohesion, no ideas, no bangers, no singles, no videos, no ODB. The cover is a steal from the famous 1945 photo Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. Cappadonna should be integrated into the group and be the tenth member in all respects, but he starts complaining, being impatient, it turns out that his manager is a police informant who could get the entire Wu in trouble, and in the end he's removed from the cover and isn't credited for his only contribution on "Da Glock", which is also forgettable.
RZA's production is so lacking in cohesion that it feels like a splice of beats (and cuts) discarded from both previous Wu-Tang Clan album sessions — "Radioactive" and "Iron Flag" feel like "Wu-Tang Forever" leftovers, though the latter track's beat works just fine; the single "Uzi (Pinky Ring)" feels like it was left off "The W" for whatever reason — and from the group's solo albums, like those by RZA, U-God, and Inspectah Deck — "Chrome Wheels" features a "new" lineup for the Wu, with guys little known to the mainstream like 12 O'Clock and Prodigal Sunn. In addition to the founder of the Clan, behind the keyboards there are also True Master, Mathematics, Nick Fury, whose rhythm fails miserably, and the Trackmasterz, who unsuccessfully try to make a hit without too much effort, blatantly copy from some of their past successes in a tune that has all the ingredients to work, except a decent rhythm.
Raekwon is the main interpreter of the edition, participating in 11 of the 14 tracks, preceding Inspectah Deck (8), Masta Killa (7), Method Man (7), Ghostface Killah (5), GZA (5), RZA (5), who disappears halfway through the album after dominating the first half hour, U-God (4) and Cappadonna (1). Lyrically, the album doesn't lend itself to in-depth analysis, the boys still deal with braggadocio, gangsterisms and streams of consciousness in series. Ticallion stands out as the MVP of the record.
Sort of separate twin of "The W", it's carried up the charts by the single "Uzi (Pinky Ring)", which ends up in the top 20 among rap songs, the last effort of Wu-Tang to do so. The album gets a comforting response on three continents, ends up in the top ten among hip-hop releases in its homeland and is certified gold a month after its release. Not recommended.
Rating: 7/10.
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