Talkin 'Bout Wu-Tang

[oistheone]

The Roo threw me into a big-time Wu-Tang phase. You know those serious musical phases you get into? As in, you have trouble listening to anything that isn't the artist you're obsessing over?

Well, it's a particularly bad one with me and Wu-Tang. Almost two weeks since the Roo and I can't escape the Clan. And I wanna talk about it!

Might be a stretch, but any love for the Clan here? Favorite member? Favorite album?

I never really dove too much into the solo albums when they initially came out, and I'm so very glad I didn't. Because to only NOW discover a classic like Liquid Swords by GZA is like stumbling upon a trunk full of gold in your basement. Good lord, the Genius rhymes like no one else. He's not exactly a motor-mouthed fast rapper, but the words and rhymes flow like such a hard-rushing river, and while listening, I feel like a rock in that river, getting soaked as all the beauty flows by me. And the beats! My God, the beats! RZA is a genius.

[Fully]

I hated Wu Tang's roo performance, but then I expected to. But I do love to listen to them live. Protect Ya Neck and C.R.E.A.M. are my two favorite songs. The Tao of Wu by RZA is an interesting read if you want to get into the minds of the Clan. Enter the Wu Tang:36 Chambers is the best jumping off point imo. Have digging through Wu Tang's catalog.

[manonthemoon]

Always love Dirt Mcgurt, RIP, and the rest of the crew.  Probably not the most talented member but he was always doing something different than the rest. 
I agree with Beth that the first two albums are by far the masterpieces as and as far as songs go it was Bring the Ruckus, Uzi, Cheesboxin, Truimph, Brooklyn Zoo were always my favs. 

I can't vouch for the newer stuff, but the older stuff was classic and some of the best hip hop that ever came out IMO.

[oistheone]

As far as I'm concerned, it's impossible not to love Dirt. What a talent. There has never been another like the Ol' Dirty Bastard. I often catch myself rapping his lines, which is not a good thing for a white boy to do, but fuck, his verses are always so damn catchy. And funny! I don't think it's a coincidence that the Clan used him for the "chorus" of so many of their tunes. He gets in your head and stays there.

I just got my hands on a copy of his unreleased posthumous album "Ason Unique" and I think it would have gone down as his masterpiece. This record smokes from start to finish, I urge fans of McGirt to track it down! Here is the opening track, in which ODB kicks the fucking door down and announces he's here to fuck shit up, Dirt-style. If this doesn't get you bouncing, you may need inflation.

Ol' Dirty Bastard Feat Missy Elliot - Lift Ya Skirt (Excellent Quality)

[Come Closer]

First off, I apologize if I'm cramping your style with my username, I didn't realize there was an oistheone when I registered, but I should have known. Is it possible to change it, because I would if so.

Now onto the Wu, who I am a big fan of. If you're just getting into the solo albums (extremely envious) the next ones I would listen to are Rae's Only Built for Cuban Linx (I and II) and some of Ghostface's releases- Ironman, Supreme Clientele, Fishscale in that order. If you haven't heard any other Gza albums, I would recommend Gza vs DJ Muggs- Grandmasters. A few others that come to mind are Masta Killa's No Said Date, Method Man's Tical, and Deck's Uncontrolled Substances. Deck also just collaborated with 7L & Esoteric on a project called Czarface that turned out pretty well.


There are also a lot of Wu family releases that are great. Here's a list of some of my favs.

Gravediggaz- 6 Feet Deep
Killarmy- Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars
Bronze Nazareth- The Great Migration
Wisemen- Wisemen Approaching
Sunz of Man- The Last Shall Be First
Hell Razah- Renaissance Child
Hell Razah & BSBD- Razah's Ladder
Black Market Militia
Killah Priest- Heavy Mental (this guy is the actually the emcee on BIBLE off Liquid Swords)
Cappadonna- The Pillage

[Murph]

What a good thread to start up.  Who can't appreciate some Wu Tang?!!?

As far as the solo stuff goes, I love Ghost and Raekwon.  Lyrically they have to be the best two, add Method Man in there probably also. 

1- Raekwon: Only Built For Cuban Linx
2- Ghostface: Supreme Clientele
3- GZA: Liquid Swords
4- Method Man: Tical
5- Raekwon: Only Built For Cuban Linx II

Those 5 albums are essential listening to any Wu Tang or hip hop fan.  I listen to rap so rarely these days (except for my man Action Bronson who any Wu fan should check out if they havent already) but can still bump these any day

[capt. scotty]

Wu Tangs for the kids!! Pretty easily still my favorite rap artist/group. GZA is my favorite as Im all about the lyrics, but Ghost and the Chef arent far behind, and ODB will always have a soft spot in my heart.

[capt. scotty]

Now onto the Wu, who I am a big fan of. If you're just getting into the solo albums (extremely envious) the next ones I would listen to are Rae's Only Built for Cuban Linx (I and II) and some of Ghostface's releases- Ironman, Supreme Clientele, Fishscale in that order. If you haven't heard any other Gza albums, I would recommend Gza vs DJ Muggs- Grandmasters.

There are also a lot of Wu family releases that are great. Here's a list of some of my favs.

Hell Razah- Renaissance Child
Hell Razah & BSBD- Razah's Ladder
Killah Priest- Heavy Mental (this guy is the actually the emcee on BIBLE off Liquid Swords)

Also some great recommendations here. Liquid Swords is my favorite Wu solo, but as I said GZA is my MC, and Grandmasters is easily my 2nd favorite from GZA and overlooked. Supreme Clientele is probably my 2nd favorite Wu solo, but all 3 of those Ghostface albums are fantastic. Raekwon isnt too far behind.

I love those 2 Hell Razah albums, and the Killash Priest one is also solid.

[Ruckus]

Great thread O!  A throwback to the origins of my handle.  I probably stopped listening to Wu by the late 90's but 36 Chambers and Only Built 4 Cuban Linx are gems and Liquid Swords is the end all be all masterpiece for all things Wu as far as I am concerned.  I haven't seen a live performance by any of them in well over a decade so I am completely out of touch.

[parkervb]

Witty Unpredictable Talent And Natural Game!

[oistheone]

I am thrilled so see so much love for the Clan 'round here! They really do stand apart from other hip-hop acts, mainly in that I can listen to them and actually enjoy it. There is something timeless about the run of shit the Clan (and affiliates) put out from 36 Chambers up to the early 2000s.

Thank you to everyone for the recommendations on solo albums! I decided to start at Ironman and am greatly enjoying it. I love Ghostface's verses on Wu tracks, but I thought an album full of his kinda high-pitched flow might grate on me. Not so! It's awesome that Raekwon and Cappadonna get pretty much equal time in the spotlight on that album too. Actually, I have to say that's my favorite thing about all these early Wu-MC solo albums -- they're practically Clan albums!

But of course, it's all held together by THE RZA! I just read The Tao of Wu where RZA preaches about knowledge, wisdom and lessons. Well, one lesson I've learned is that I am a sucker for RZA beats! What a fucking roll he was on production-wise in the first five years of the Wu. I am going to pick up the box set of Liquid Swords that comes with all the instrumentals (and also a fully functioning Wu-brand chess set) and I can imagine just zoning out to those beats for hours at a time.

Next up: Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...

[Come Closer]

I completely agree about the solo albums being great because of the copious appearances of other clan members. I think you'll find OB4CL is as much a Tony Starks album as it is a Chef album. It honestly might be my favorite Wu solo LP just ahead of LS.

[oistheone]

[Excited Wu ramble begins]

GODDAMN Supreme Clientele is one hell of an album! Just dived in to this record the other day and I think this might be my favorite Wu solo effort outside of Liquid Swords. But ask me next week and that'll probably change.

I just can't get enough of this stuff. It's been almost two months since Roo jump-started my Wu fandemonium, and it's showing no signs of fading. There's SO. FUCKING. MUCH. It's overwhelming in the best possible way.

I am obsessed with the Gravediggaz right now, a RZA offshoot project started in 1994. He and Prince Paul combined to form one of the most potent production teams in history. Two months ago, I'd never heard their first album Six Feet Deep, yet now I can confidently say it will go down as one of my favorite albums of all time. Nary a dull track.  The beats are sick, the rhymes are also sick (in a different and hilarious way), and the execution of the concept is perfect. I URGE any Wu fan to track this down.

Of course, my love for this album prompted me to track down everything that was created by the Gravediggaz in that era. Given how prolific RZA was in those days, it came as no shock that there is a HELL of a lot of non-album gems out there to be tracked down. I may or may not have dropped a hundred bucks to become a 1994 Gravediggaz completist --  but it got me a shitload of 12" singles with unreleased tracks and extended mixes, as well as a vinyl copy of Niggamortis, the ORIGINAL pressing of Six Feet Deep (which was understandably banned in North America) that has even more unreleased tracks.

When it comes to Wu shit, I'm completely immersed. Six feet deep indeed.

[Rant over. I apologize for doing this on a MMJ forum.]

[dookie shoot bandit]

Haha! Just got a flash back of  '97... Trippin listening to "trippin" off 6 feet deep!!!
Thanks!!

[Come Closer]

O, you see this?

http://www.hiphopsite.com/2013/07/25/exclusive-prince-paul-breaks-down-gravediggaz-6-feet-deep-track-by-track/

[Ruckus]

Haha! Just got a flash back of  '97... Trippin listening to "trippin" off 6 feet deep!!!
Thanks!!

Just a heads up.  There is a hip hop thread buried somewhere here called Crate Diggin' Redux.  I've been out of the hip hop loop for some time now other than some random underground stuff I dig up.  If any of you guys active in here have suggestions, that would be great.  Cheers!

[oistheone]

O, you see this?

http://www.hiphopsite.com/2013/07/25/exclusive-prince-paul-breaks-down-gravediggaz-6-feet-deep-track-by-track/

GOOD GOD, MAN! This is fucking unreal! Thank you!

[Murph]

Haha! Just got a flash back of  '97... Trippin listening to "trippin" off 6 feet deep!!!
Thanks!!

Just a heads up.  There is a hip hop thread buried somewhere here called Crate Diggin' Redux.  I've been out of the hip hop loop for some time now other than some random underground stuff I dig up.  If any of you guys active in here have suggestions, that would be great.  Cheers!

There's just something about Action Bronson.  I think I like him more as a persona, but I can listen to him rap about food and doing splits all day.  Check out the mixtape Blue Chips

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKBN_ENIJ4c

[capt. scotty]

Haha! Just got a flash back of  '97... Trippin listening to "trippin" off 6 feet deep!!!
Thanks!!

Just a heads up.  There is a hip hop thread buried somewhere here called Crate Diggin' Redux.  I've been out of the hip hop loop for some time now other than some random underground stuff I dig up.  If any of you guys active in here have suggestions, that would be great.  Cheers!

There's just something about Action Bronson.  I think I like him more as a persona, but I can listen to him rap about food and doing splits all day.  Check out the mixtape Blue Chips

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKBN_ENIJ4c

Love Bronsolino. I only have really given Dr. Lecter extended listens but I love it. I gave his EP from this year SAAAB Stories a listen. Decent but didnt like it as much.

He has quite a few mixtapes on datpiff.com that you can d/l for free.

[oistheone]

I definitely gotta get into this Action Bronson character. He just announced a show at my favorite venue in town with one of my favorite acts around, Danny Brown, so I'll be upping my Bronson content big time over the next few months. Thanks for the recommendations!