9th November - Wu-Tang Clan's Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Artist – Album: Wu-Tang Clan – Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Released: 9^th November 1993

Sounds Like: Nuthing ta fuck wit

I’ve already shied away from delving into the Wu-Tang Clan backstory once before, and I’m not about to fall into that trap now. Luckily, at the end of the ballad-like ‘Can It Be All So Simple’, the Clan make their mission statements clear for all to see anyway:

“Inspectah Deck – He’s like that dude that’ll sit back and watch you. Play yourself and all that that right? And see you sit there and know you lying, and he’ll take you to court after that because he the inspector.

Raekwon – he the chef, he cooking up some marvellous shit to get your mouth watering.  

Then it’s the Method Man, it’s like mad different methods to the way I do my shit. Basically Method Man is like roll that shit, light that shit, smoke it.

Baby U, he a psychopathic thinker.

Then we got the Ol’ Dirty Bastard, cos there ain’t no father to his style. That’s why he the Ol’ Dirty Bastard.

Ghostface Killa, he want some know you see me know you don’t.

And the RZA, he the sharpest motherfucker in the whole clan, he always on point. Razor sharp. With the beats, with the rhymes, whatever, any deeds.

And the GZA, the genius, is just the genius. He’s the backbone of the whole point. He the head, let’s put it that way. We form like Voltron, and GZA happens to be the head.”

Baby, Sporty, Scary, Ginger and Posh they ain’t. Kung-fu movie samples, Transformers references, lethal rap battles, and dirty, minimal production – Until Jay Z rewrote the rap rulebook in 2000, Enter the Wu-Tang was the brilliant blueprint for hip hop. 

Albumaday... rating: 8/10

1.       Bring da Ruckus – 4:10

2.       Shame on a Nigga – 2:57

3.       Clan in da Front – 4:33

4.       Wu-Tang: 7^th Chamber – 6:05

5.       Can It Be All So Simple – 6:53

6.       Da Mystery of Chessboxin’ – 4:48

7.       Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta Fuck Wit – 3:36

8.       C.R.E.A.M. – 4:12

9.       Method Man – 5:50

10.   Protect Ya Neck – 4:52

11.   Tearz – 4:17

12.   Wu-Tang: 7^th Chamber – Part II – 6:09

Listen to ‘Shame on a Nigga’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wf3jzDb4H7o