Along with Dr. Dre's The Chronic, the Wu-Tang Clan's debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), was one of the most influential rap albums of the '90s. Its spare yet atmospheric production -- courtesy of RZA -- mapped out the sonic blueprint that countless other hardcore rappers would follow for years to come. It laid the groundwork for the rebirth of New York hip-hop in the hardcore age, paving the way for everybody from Biggie and Jay-Z to Nas and Mobb Deep. Moreover, it introduced a colorful cast of hugely talented MCs, some of whom ranked among the best and most unique individual rappers of the decade. Some were outsized, theatrical personalities, others were cerebral storytellers and lyrical technicians, but each had his own distinctive style, which made for an album of tremendous variety and consistency. Every track on Enter the Wu-Tang is packed with fresh, inventive rhymes, which are filled with martial arts metaphors, pop culture references (everything from Voltron to Lucky Charms cereal commercials to Barbra Streisand's "The Way We Were"), bizarre threats of violence, and a truly twisted sense of humor. Their off-kilter menace is really brought to life, however, by the eerie, lo-fi production, which helped bring the raw sound of the underground into mainstream hip-hop. Starting with a foundation of hard, gritty beats and dialogue samples from kung fu movies, RZA kept things minimalistic, but added just enough minor-key piano, strings, or muted horns to create a background ambience that works like the soundtrack to a surreal nightmare. There was nothing like it in the hip-hop world at the time, and even after years of imitation, Enter the Wu-Tang still sounds fresh and original. Subsequent group and solo projects would refine and deepen this template, but collectively, the Wu have never been quite this tight again.
G**Y
The great hope of the East Coast.
By 1993, West Coast G-funk and gangsta rap was dominating the hip-hop airwaves.Dr. Dre, having paved the way with his group NWA and his solo classic The Chronic, owned the hip-hop world along with Suge Knight and his Death Row records. Tupac Shakur was already making waves. The East Coast as yet had little to no notable rappers to its name; but here, on this low-budget posse record, the seeds of the East/West rivalry were sown as they wrenched the focus away from Compton.To this day, no rap album sounds like Enter The Wu-Tang, and no rap group sounds like they do. Nine of them, all MCs, headed by the RZA, each with their own styles, colliding into an astonishing, snarling beast of a record.With a tiny budget to work with, RZA crafts sawn-off, raw beats that punish the listener. None of the rough edges are smoothed off, leaving pounding jams that lack the richness that G-funk boasted. What replaced it was bizarre kung-fu film references.The album, unified by its sparse sound, allows the nine Wu-Tang MCs room to stretch, and each of them has their own style, from Ghostface Killah's high-pitched yelp to Method Man's stoned ramble, all the way through to the utter insanity of ODB.Ghostface opens the record on the clattering 'Bring Tha Ruckus,' a clear statement of intent; his rhymes about a 'head rush' and being 'tougher than an elephant tusk' already establishing how bizarre and unique the group's rhymes were. 'Shame On The N****' pushes ODB to the front as his marble-mouthed style seems both threatening and endearing. Meanwhile, 'C.R.E.A.M.' was so influential that its title became a rap slang word in and of itself.From here, virtually every member of the crew - particularly The GZA, Raekwon and ODB - would craft era-defining solo albums of their own, but it all started here and arguably, this was the most unified album the group produced both conceptually and as far as quality.
A**R
Good music
Top music
R**R
Absolute classic and frankly a must have...
If you are a fan of Method Man and Raekwon then this will obviously already be a good one for you. However as an album it lays bare the level of skill within the clan and their styles. You can easily see in this album the calibre of the crew, like Inspectah Deck who goes on to lay one of my favourite raps in 'Triumph' in a subsequent album. Although it was recorded in '93 it's still as relevant as ever.
D**D
From the very moment you hear Ghostface' voice..
You know this album is going to be crazy from track one, the moment you hear "GHOSTFACE! Catch the blast of a hype verse" Track after track it's brilliant, Clan in Da Front has probably the greatest intro to a track ever. With each member complimenting each other's style so well, Method Man with his comical wordplay, Ghostface's abilities to tell stories, GZA dropping knowledge, it all just fits. It's brilliant. The production almost sounds unfinished, but that turns out to be a great thing, because it just fits so perfectly.You have to listen, words on a screen can't do the album justice! Hip Hop classic!
A**E
Classic raw genius
Shame there is nothing much like this now, this is raw unadulterated genius.
J**R
Cash Rules Everything Around Me.
An absolute classic hip hop album. I first heard C.R.E.A.M. track while watching YO! MTV RAPS on Saturday morning back in the early nineties and it totally summed things up at that moment of my life.All the ninja stuff was damn cool at that time too so this album was like gold dust, a must have in everyone's collection.That songs chorus still resonates today.Great album, highly recommended.
A**S
No doubt a Masterpiece, but Dear RZA, the fans NEED a Deluxe, expanded & fully REMASTERED release of this.
Maybe Shaolin's finest moment. It's doubtful at this point if they'll ever put out anything equal or better than this.My main concern is the album, despite being renowned as a work of Lo-Fi, minimal genius could definitely benefit froma thorough, tastefully done & subtle 24 bit remastering. As it stands it is often let down by less than great Stereo definition/distinctions which leave brilliant tracks sounding flat and compressed.It could also greatly benefit from some basic "equalization" enhancing (at the remastering level) to put a slight leash on thebass which is overblown in certain places (Shame on a Ni**a) and to sweeten & tease out the treble and mids in manycases (I know a home equaliser unit can do this but it's better to be done at the Studio level of the process so we may havea default well-balanced sounding CD).Remastering needs to be done with respect and fine comprehension of the original producers aim/vision, otherwise it canbe a butchering process.RZA, I hope it can come to pass and be brought about by the right folks to breathe fresh life into a true Hip Hop classic!
A**S
Wuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
Probably one of the best albums ever made if you like this sort of thing. Classic material if you know you definitely know!
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