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Wu-Tang Clan - 8 DiagramsAlbum Review by:
John Burnett
Sunday, December 9, 2007
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Fourteen odd years ago, 9 underground emcees assembled to form the greatest collective of rappers ever. What made the Wu Tang Clan such a special entity was that any one of the emcees could easily have had success as a solo artist—and many would go on to do just that—but instead, “they formed like Voltron” to create something, ultimately, greater. The product of their mobilization was Enter the Wu Tang (36 Chambers), an indisputable Hip Hop classic that trumps the best of their solo efforts (OB4CL, Supreme Clientele and Liquid Swords included). The Clan returns years later, with one less member (R.I.P. Ol’ Dirty Bastard), at a time similar to their initial emergence. Hip Hop is more Hollywood; more R&B; more pop than ever. What better time than now to bring it back to that raw style of Hip Hop that they’re renowned for on their fifth studio release, 8 Diagrams?
The difference between now and 93’ is that the Wu no longer presents a unified front and the friction amongst the ranks is evident on 8 Diagrams. “Campfire” earnestly opens the album up with an inspired verse from Method Man who shines throughout the album. But, a more appropriate reintroduction to the Wu would have been the Easy Mo Bee/RZA produced “Take It Back.” The track is stripped down to an aggressive percussion section intermingled with a recurring scratched up voice sample and not much else. This lends Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah and U-God plenty of space to roam with all participating emcees equally bodying the track in their unique styles; classic Wu ish. Cohesion is interrupted by the bizarre “Unpredictable” featuring Dexter Wiggle. Musically, the track is too busy; RZA layered the track so heavily that it distracts the listeners away from his and Inspectah Deck’s verse. The result is a track that’s likely to be skipped over early and often. And, although the Wu’s cover of the Beatle’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” is ambitious, Raekwon, Ghostface and Method Man’s storytelling seem out of place when matched up with the downtempo instrumentation. The Clan finds redemption on the “Gun Will Go” where instead of loading the track up with myriad instrumentation; RZA provides a steady drum line and a repetitious guitar riff. Method Man, in turn, kicks another solid verse rhyming “y’all make it harder to get dough/the harder the kid go/the harder the piff blow/harder when it snow/the pinky and the wrist glow/this here is what we live for/get guap and get low/but first off/you got to get the work off/the gift and the curse boss.” Although the disarray is a constant through 8 Diagrams, the album concludes on a unified note with a stirring tribute to the O.D.B. on “Life Changes.”
On 8 Diagrams, RZA and the rest of the Wu Tang Clan’s vision on what this album was supposed to be differed and it’s evident. Musically, RZA expanded his palate accessing more instrumentation than ever as opposed to his previous sample heavy production, but his beats on 8 Diagrams don’t cater to the Clan’s strengths. If he would’ve just laced them with some simplified boom bap, this would have been a much better album. Regardless, Method Man, U-God and the Chef still cook up some marvelous verses; those verses just come at different points during the album. There are few times when the Clan puts together a strong collective performance. Don’t get me wrong this isn’t a bad album but it could have been much better. I’d rank this album right in the middle of Wu’s catalogue above The W and Iron Flag but below Enter the Wu (36 Chambers) and Forever.
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