The release of "Wu-Tang Forever" was a huge success, and the following year, both official members and affiliates continued to release albums. Unlike the initial wave, these releases were no longer under the direction of RZA, who was on the road to retirement. After three years, the Wu-Tang Clan reunited and released their third studio album. The album was entirely produced by RZA, with two tracks left to Mathematics. The members of the Clan are all present with the notable exception of ODB, who was in prison at the time of recording the CD, and who appears on only one track.
1. "Intro" (Shaolin Finger Jab)/Chamber Music" (Raekwon, Method Man, GZA & Masta Killa)
Kung-fu sample, RZA, Meth e Raekwon in the intro. After the intro, Chef Raekwon has the honor of opening the album with the first verse of "Chamber Music". Quite simplistic hook by Johnny Blaze, GZA enters with a flow composed on a messy and elementary production by RZA, not at his most inspired and definitely not at his best, far below his standards. Meth disappoints with that childish chorus, his flow ain't better, quite lazy, hook again, then the piece is closed by Master Killer.
2. "Careful (Click, Click)" (RZA, U-God, Masta Killa, Cappadonna, Ghostface Killah, U-God & Inspectah Deck)
Claustrophobic production by RZA, dry and tight drums, dark samples, Abbot himself introduces the cut with a verse, short hook by U-God, Masta Killa continues with a short contribute. Cappadonna bursts in with the hook and spits his bars in a messy way as usual, continuing the hook together with his friend Ghostface Killah. Tony Starks boasts a syncopated verse, he doesn't sound very good on this rhythm that is quite difficult to deal with, U-God perhaps understood it better than the other interpreters and sounds much cleaner than all for whatever reason, perhaps because he's also the only one so far to have arrived without a hook and to have been able to attack the rhythm in the wake of Ghostface's verse. Rebel INS has another hook, number four, his verse doesn't hit, then another final hook with Cappadonna, Ghostface and U-God. Outro. Skit. Terrible cut. Chosen as a single. RZA wants to make another "Triumph" and fails miserably.
3. "Hollow Bones" (Raekwon, Inspectah Deck & Ghostface Killah)
RZA goes to take a Syl Johnson sample from "Is It Because I'm Black" to build this plaintive rhythm: honest bass, plaintive sample, a bit rusty carpet for Raekwon's velvety flow. A piece without a hook, fortunately, Inspectah Deck follows with a good flow, Tony Starks closes, even if the song doesn't fly as high as it should, could and would like, also due to a not excellent production. The RZA disappoints again behind the keyboards.
4. "Redbull" (Method Man & Inspectah Deck ft. Redman)
Boom bap with disco vibes for this piece opened by Redman, the first guest on the album (excluding Cappadonna). Red launches the track splendidly, also featuring Method Man and Deck. A bit weak and poor rhythm by RZA.
5. "One Blood Under W" (Masta Killa ft. Junior Reid)
Bobby Digital returns to form with James Bond vibes on this beat, which he then decides to have reggae singer Junior Reid introduce for whatever reason. The track is basically a solo cut by Masta Killa, with guest Reid doing the hook and outro. Masta Killa is fine, the track doesn't take off.
6. "Conditioner" (Ol' Dirty Bastard, GZA & Inspectah Deck ft. Snoop Dogg)
Outrageous production by RZA for a song that should be historic. ODB has his only presence on the album, because at the time of recording he was in prison and his contribution is recorded in prison. He drops a verse and exchanges a few lines with Snoop Dogg, believed to be the first external guest to the Wu-Tang Clan in history. Snoop, as well as RZA, isn't in his best moment, and it doesn't matter. After four minutes the song ends and a new heavy and quite poor boom bap beat is born on which GZA seems to freestyle for a minute destroying the beat chosen by his brother and perhaps dissing Snoop himself, with whom he didn't want to be on the same track or in the same rhythm. Outro by Inspectah Deck.
7. "Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off)" (Inspectah Deck, Raekwon, Method Man, Masta Killa, RZA, Ghostface Killah, U-God, Cappadonna & GZA)
Terrible rhythm by RZA for this sequel to the historic first single by the Clan, nine years ago now. Deck opens excellently, Chef Raekwon continues with a spectacular and silky style, he kills the rhythm. Method Man is also in form, at his best in years, the rhythm unfortunately really sucks because of a senseless and annoying sample to death. Masta Killa slows down the rhythm and delivers a good verse, preceding RZA, who struggles to emerge on his rhythm, Tony Starks goes hardcore to annihilate the beat. The arrival of Lucky Hands at verse number seven without hooks is blessed by a healthy change of rhythm and a more melodious and light sample, U-God at his finest here and also Cappadonna who follows him stands out on a better production than the one heard in the previous minutes. Don Cappachino seems like a legitimate Wu emcee, the piece is closed by The Genius who murders the beat, in the meantime returned to the previous one. The cut is chosen as first single of the LP.
8. "Let My Niggas Live" (Raekwon & Inspectah Deck ft. Nas)
Introductory skit from "Short Eyes", intro and hook by Lou Diamonds. Cinematic and mafia production by RZA for this track where the Chef joins the Inspektor and Escobar. Raekwon opens the dance with one of his best flows and a great verse, his long hook to open the floor for Nas. The guest takes the entire album with this verse, the best of the album. Deck closes the piece paying homage to Nas. Final hook by Raekwon, sample of "Walk on By" by Isaac Hayes to introduce the next track on the album where Hayes is the guest.
9. "I Can't Go to Sleep" (Ghostface Killah & RZA ft. Isaac Hayes)
The third single of the record starts with a sample from Isaac Hayes' "Walk on By", a production finally right by RZA, it was about time. Ghostface Killah attacks the beat with the same inflection of one of the most heartfelt and touching songs in his catalog, "Wise (In the Rain)". Here he pulls out one of his best verses ever and starts what should be a classic. Starks stops the song, asks and gets the beat to go back and he returns to deliver the first verse, continuing with that sad inflection in his voice. The hook comes directly from Isaac Hayes, who guest sings on his own sample in this Wu-Tang Clan track. The piece is another classic duet between Ghostface and Steelz, on a rare beautiful production by the post-2000 RZA and one of his last in his career. The Abbot goes with the same inflection as Ghostface.
10. "Do You Really" (Method Man, Masta Killa & Inspectah Deck ft. DJ Kay Slay & Streetlife, both uncredited)
The tenth track features the first production not created by RZA, being made by Mathematics. Amazing boom bap by Allah Mathematics, heavy bass, crunchy drum, splendid rhythm. After an intro by DJ Kay Slay, a Wu-Tang posse is born. Fluid hook by Meth, energetic entrance by Streetlife, who makes an entrance as it should be done in a track of a Wu-Tang Clan album. Ticallion is on the second verse, hardcore, lucid, clean, in shape, his hook, then space for Masta Killa with his slow and slightly chanted style, hook, Inspectah Deck on the last verse, long final hook.
11. "The Monument" (Raekwon & GZA ft. Busta Rhymes)
Decent rhythm by RZA, average boom bap, nothing to say, no infamy, no praise. Busta Rhymes fast on the first verse, Raekwon follows with a good flow without hooks; There's a break before GZA's final verse. Not a memorable track.
12. "Gravel Pit" (Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon & U-God ft. Paulissa Moorman, uncredited)
Long intro by RZA, hook by Paulissa Moorman, first verse by Method Man. Tical goes fast with U-God saying a few things during his verse; Blaze also says something on Moorman's hook. Mesmerizing production by Abbot with Middle Eastern sounds inspired by The Neptunes for this second single. Tony Starks is immense on this messy production for the club and radio. Interlude by Raekwon, U-God closes the track with some of his best flows ever, hook by Moorman, outro with skit from "Short Eyes".
13. "Jah World" (Ghostface Killah & RZA ft. Junior Red)
Second production ideated by Mathematics. This is a ballad introduced by Junior Reid, Ghostface Killah descends on the track amidst the sounds of western gunfire and delivers slowly almost in spoken word, magnificently, the drum gently accompanies him arm in arm falling downtempo, beautiful melodic rhythm, excellent work by Mathematics who humiliates his master RZA. Junior Read also very good on the hook. One of the best songs on the album.
Uncredited and hidden bonus track
14. "Clap" (Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, U-God & Method Man)
Aka "Hand Clap". Questionable and annoying production, poor boom bap, inside Raekwon, Tony Starks, Lucky Hands and Meth, outro with kung-fu samples, no one saves the cut. U-God is the only one not to have a verse, only briefly included on the hook.
Final Thoughts
The third effort of the Wu-Tang Clan comes three years after "Forever". During this period, Gravediggaz, Method Man, RZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah release their second albums, with Cappadonna, Inspectah Deck and U-God publish their debuts. During the same time frame, dozens of Wu-Tang affiliates continued to release material, flooding and saturating the market.
Inspectah Deck is the main performer appearing in half of the record, in front of Raekwon (6), Ghostface Killah (6), Method Man (5), Masta Killa (5), U-God (4), GZA (4), RZA (4), Cappadonna (2) and Ol' Dirty Bastard (1). Cappadonna isn't yet a official member of the Wu-Tang Clan, but he's not credited as featured guest. For the first time, there are guests not affiliated to the group, some good like Nas and Redman (and Busta Rhymes, more or less well), others forgettable like Snoop Dogg, and the singers Junior Reid and Isaac Hayes. RZA production is less cinematic and more dark, again skeletal and tense like that one of the debut, with inflections and nuances from soul, funk, reggae, dance and rnb, reason why the musical soundscape built by Bobby Digital suffers from a lack of cohesion, with some rhythms that aren't completely successful.
Lyrically, you can feel that the Clan's writing is less sharp than in previous years and that their papers are yellowing, they are all less inspired than usual, mixing the themes of the debut with those of the double album. Inspectah Deck seems to be ahead of everyone, Method Man, Tony Starks and Lex Diamond have more or less arrived and are almost on autopilot, U-God immediately behind, Masta Killa goes well, Cappadonna better than RZA, while GZA has a good lyricism but he's no longer inspired as in the good old days, bored here.
With fourteen tracks and an hour of material, the album overall is pretty good. Very well received by critics and included in many lists of the best albums of the season, "The W" is driven by the two successful singles "Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off)" and "Gravel Pit": the first reaches the top ten among rap songs (the last to do so in the history of the group), while the second becomes a worldwide success. Although not going beyond the number twenty slot among rap singles, it enters the charts of three continents, reaching the first place among hip-hop singles in the UK and ending up among the best-selling singles of 2001 in Europe. The album sells like hot cakes and after three weeks it's platinum. It's also the last Wu-Tang album to reach number one in the charts (among rap releases in the US, among R&B releases in the UK, and Ireland), after which the group will have a sudden decline in popularity among the mainstream crowd.
Rating: 7.6/10.
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