I love the Wu-Tang Clan. One of the very first hip-hop acts I ever listened to; Enter the 36 Chambers also being one of the first albums I've ever heard. Their debut, and every album leading up until their second group effort, Wu-Tang Forever, is classic, almost flawless displays in what hip-hop is capable of when fully utilized. GZA, RZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, and Method Man were always at the forefront of the group, while Masta Killa, U-God, and Inspectah Deck played the lesser known, but still great soldiers; the first sect of that group, the cousins, have changed a lot during the years. ODB unfortunately passed away, while GZA fell off into monotony and RZA decided to film movie scores instead of focus on albums, since the former career is far more lucrative. The second is the group we'll be discussing today.
Ghostface Killah has always been the most consistent of anyone on the Wu-Tang; he really has never released a bad album, and yes, I'm including Ghostdini. His oft-P.I.C. Raekwon has two classics under his belt, the landmark Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and its sequel. Method Man is probably the most well known of all the Wu-Tang, as he has become something of a household name since "M.E.T.H.O.D. Man" dropped 18 years ago. In 2010, they're really the best the Wu has to offer. Which is what makes this album rather dissapointing.
Now, is it their fault this album doesn't live up to expectations? Not completely, no. A lot of the blame rests on Def Jam's shoulders. They rushed the project along, and hyped it up in epic proportions. They're really expecting great sales, or media attention from this album, so they've released FOUR singles, 3 alternate album covers, one music video, and one promotional mixtape since this project was announced three months ago. All of these covers were designed by famed comic book artist, Chris Bachalo, of Generation X & Death fame. Four singles were released, that makes up one-third of this 12 track album; and two of those tracks are 30 second skits.
So, yes, there's around 30 minutes, at most, of music on this project. 6 of the 10 songs clock in at under 3 minutes long; which hurts the product extremely, especially with tracks like Criminology 2.5 and Mef Vs. Chef 2, both of which are only 2 minutes long. I suppose they live up to the "2" in their names.
None of the songs really grab you, at all. A part of the problem really is the incredibly-aggitating length of the records, which, I don't understand how they completely blame Def Jam for. Did Def Jam really cut Criminology 2.5 in HALF because of time restraints? I doubt it. I have no idea why Raekwon's verse was cut off, nor why Ghost's was taken from No Man's Land, a bonus cut off of OB4CL2. Mef Vs. Chef 2 has the best production on the album, but 2:01 is NOT enough. It feels like an interlude. In fact, most rappers' interludes are longer than most of these songs. This is hard to classify as genuine MUSIC at this length. I understand that They wanted to show off their liquid swords, but damn guys, HOW HARD IS IT TO ADD A FUCKING HOOK?
And talk about more than fucking guns already, huh? We know, you're raw. You're hard. You're the hardest rappers out there. But honestly, you criticize Waka Flocka for not having lyrics, and saying rappers of your ilk are outta touch, when you're not covering any ground that Waka or any of these other young "trappers, not rappers" are covering, and you can't even afford the time to write a hook. Honestly, you guys ARE out of touch, no matter how much it hurts me to say that. The difference being that these other rappers are in their early to mid twenties, and you guys are almost old enough to be their fathers. Come on guys, grow up.
I don't understand it, honestly. OB4CL2 was fantastic, and Ghostdini was a great approach in another direction for Ghost. Those albums came out about 6 months ago, respectively. And this is what they come up with as a follow up? You can't completely blame Def Jam for this, and their time restraints. Even with more songs, these guys weren't really going anywhere with this effort. In fact, there really isn't any effort. It comes off more as a quick attempt to grab cash from hardcore Wu-heads by Meth, Ghost, Rae AND Def Jam. I feel like they're all in cohoots to rob us, especially with all the hyped and alternate cover BS going into this project. The marketing is better than the overall product. If only Def Jam put this much effort into their GREAT albums.
It's not all bad, don't get me wrong. Dangerous, Miranda, It's That Wu-Shit, and Our Dreams are all pretty good, if not kinda generic. There's just nothing really great about this album, either. It's just kinda, blah. I doubt anyone'll be listening to this album past April, if they even remember it for anything other than being a failed marketing ploy.
Sorry, Wu. But you left me down this time, and I'm sure you left plenty others down, too. Try harder next time, and try to take some of the blame for once, huh? These are the same guys who blamed RZA entirely for 8 Diagrams being a dissapointment, yet I'd listen to that album again over this.
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