Wu-Tang Clan- 8 Diagrams Review. A Juanfeesh/Hungryfortacos Collabo in the Essay Series

Now I can't speak for Mr. Juanfeesh, but over my first semester at college, new music hasn't been as easy to come by as I hoped. In response, I found myself downloading Wu-Tang Classics, such as Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, and previews of upcoming shit, such as Rae's Vatican Mixtapes. So when I heard that Wu-Tang was dropping a new album, first to be released in November and then postponed til December, I went straight to Amazon.com and ordered myself up a copy, which finally came today.

Now since I picked up the album roughly six hours ago, I have listened to it straight through three times. The one thing that has struck me most about the album is the frequent lack of coherence between the rappers on each track. You don't see the back and forth verbal sparring present say on GZA's Shadowboxing or Method Man's Meth vs. Chef. Also, each verse is often separated by a hook or a few bars from the sample, preventing the rhymes from flowing into another, as demonstrated by Biggie and Meth on The What, or most of Raekwon's Guillotine (Swordz). Mr. Feesh asserts that to "the loss of ODB, who was one of the best at transitioning into his flow". While I agree with that to some extent, it's also important to note that Wu-Tang's best years and most cohesive years came more than 10 years ago, so to expect that sort of continued unity from the group may be unreasonable.

That being said, I along with Juanfeesh consider this to be a masterpiece. It has a different feel from Enter the Wu-Tang, but that does not prove to be a bad thing. The album starts off powerfully with Campfire and Take it Back, two more classical sounding Wu-Tang tracks. Method Man has the first verse on the album, and he spits gasoline that he ignites into fire throughout the rest of the album. U-God comes hard as one of the forgotten members on Take It Back, and he has a powerful presence throughout the album.

The album is at its strongest on tracks 4, 6, and 7- Rushing Elephants, While the Heart Gently Weeps, and Wolves respectively. Rushing Elephants has an old school angry Wu sound, perfectly captured in Masta Killah's verse. The Heart Gently Weeps is Feesh's "song of the year" and I would call it one of the best tracks I've heard in a while. Each verse is hot, as three of the best spitters of the group, Rae Face and Meth, absolutely destroy it, with Meth sounding like Cheese from the Wire in what I think might be the best verse of the album. The next song, Wolves, has a sort of funk feel to it with George Clinton on the chorus, and U-God once again laying down a great verse.

The second half has a sort of darker feel, and slowly Ghostface fades from the album and GZA begins to take over. There are two quirky tracks that feature primarily RZA that don't work particularly well with the rest of the album, and I would bet are part of the cause of the controversy in the group.

The album ends strongly with three powerhouse songs, starting with Windmill which according to Juan "has that old Wu-Tang feel as well, but it adds new elements that are from a newer era, especially with the sampling of a little riff from the Kill Bill soundtrack, an homage to the RZA's more recent past." I like Rae's verse on this as he speeds it up a bit. Next is Weak Spot which for John is "is undeniable in its mastery". GZA destroys it in a Liquid Swords fashion, reminding us that he just might be the best pure lyricist of the group. The CD ends with Life Changes, the ODB homage track noticeably missing Ghostface. It's a powerful track, but one that serves to highlight the lack of coherence in the group.

Since each rapper seems so isolated in the album I'm giving each a grade. Method Man deserves an A+ as he sounds the hungriest of all the members, and doesn't drop a single bad verse. U-God and Masta Killa get an A and A- respectively, as they assert their presence with authority. I thought U really was the surprise of the album. I would give Rae and GZA each a B+ as while they bring it on a couple of tracks, they are either missing or sound soft on one or two others. RZA gets a B for solid production and a couple good verses, but his two solo songs bring down the album. Inspectah Deck disappoints in my book, earning him a B-, and Ghostface doesn't come hard when he's on the album, and remains absent for most of it, meriting a C+. I think he might be buying into his own hype a little much.

That being said I'd give the album a solid 4 Tacos out of 5. While Mr. Feesh gives it a 4.5/5.
And I cannot wait to see them on concert on the 27th. I wouldn't be surprised if this was one of the last few times they tour together as a group.

The rest I leave to Senor Feesh, who chose his three favorite tracks + a little bonus:

Campfire - This song is produced masterfully, in starting with a scene around a campfire, it slowly transitions into a bad-ass rap track. It tells a story, not only in the lyrics, but in the way that the beat transforms slowly over the course of the song.

The Heart Gently Weeps Featuring Erykah Badu, Dhani Harrison & John Frusciante - I would call this one of my songs of the year. This version, unlike the leak that came out a couple of months ago, is mixed perfectly. a monumental achievement. Erykah badu and Dhani Harrison (the kin of sampled Beatle's member the late George Harrison) lay it down smoothly, and John Frusciante continues to impress me in the work that he does outside of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, showing to me that he is one of the most forward thinking guitarists in the rock game right now.

Weak Spot - My favorite beat from the album. RZA is surely one of the best producers of all time; his sound is different than anything else out there, and GZA kills it. I love it.

BONUS: Scarface - Dollar | A track off of his new album, MADE. I have only given it a couple of listens, but so far so good. This track has an old school Scarface beat, accompanied by some great rhymes, but is slower than his older work. The verses are pretty hot, but the chorus is a little soft for my conventional B.A.M.F. Scarface affliction. I still dig. Buy both albums, Wu first and Scarface second.

Out like Penny from Miami.

Hungryfortacos Analytical Essay Series: Entry #2: The Year of the Roc?

These past few days of procrastination have led to multiple days of multiple music downloads. The more music I have downloaded, the more of a common thread I have found. About 1 in every 3 songs I download either are by, or feature the same three artists. And all three come from the same label: Roc-A-Fella Records. These three artists are none other than Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel, and Freeway. In an earlier post on this blog, I made the assertion that the month of December could be the biggest month in the near future for rap music. I still believe that this is the case, but now, whether or not the month of December plays out the way I and the other contributors on the blog want it to, the next year in rap music may be dominated by the Roc. Backing up Jay-Z's earlier claim that "R-O-C is running this rap shit".

The first album release by one of these artists was Jay-Z's American Gangster, which dropped a couple weeks ago. I remained hesitant to buy this album at first, I never heard much of anything off Kingdom Come, but I heard it sucked, so I was skeptical of his newest effort. However, as I sat blazed to shit in the room of a buddy of mine in one of the frats on-campus, I found myself hearing a familar Brooklyn accent boasting "And I don't need a hook for this shit". This was not "Change Clothes" or "Show Me What You Got" Jay-Z. No, this was Reasonable Doubt Jay-Z. I came back to my room and after yacking, promptly downloaded the entire album. And I found, not just was the song "No Hook" fire, but the whole album was fire. Especially the songs "Blue Magic", "Ignorant Shit" and "Oh Hello"- my personal favorite, produced by DJ Toomp, the man behind T.I.'s "What You Know". This album was Jay-Z back to his old form, meaning the disputed "Best Rapper Alive" or "King of New York" proves he's worth the title belts he wears.

The next album scheduled to be released is Freeway's Free At Last. Every song I've downloaded so far from this album features big name artists, and Freeway consistently outshines them on the tracks. Scarface, Weezy, and Busta Rhymes all feature, and all come away sounding second-fiddle to Freeway. This album will not generate massive sales or publicity. However, the blogging world and the internet rap scene all seem to be trying to get Freeway tracks. People who know rap know Freeway has massive talent, as demonstrated in his freestyle I put up in my new music, and if he can generate some positive reviews and some buzz around his album, the Roc will have quite possibly its second-most talented lyricist rebuilding the dynasty.

I already mentioned Beanie Sigel in my previous essay, yet I want to add a few more words on the Mack. Beanie is only featured for 8 bars on Jay-Z's "Ignorant Shit" off of American Gangster, but as soon As Jay-Z cuts him off, I always feel a yearning to hear him spit more. I didn't particularly like his song with R. Kelly (I thought the beat and hook were mediocre), but I found myself constantly going back to listen to the song. Beanie always leaves you wanting more, and if his album can satiate that yearning, his album might be the hardest thing of the year to stop listening to.

A few years ago, Jay-Z built the Roc-A-Fella dynasty on the backs of weak rappers such as Memphis Bleek and Chris and Neek of Young Guns. While these individuals received the hype as the Roc became one of the most highly respected labels in Rap, Beanie and Free sat sitting in the wings, with their hungry but not particular radio-friendly music. Now as rap music gets more and more assimilated into the mainstream (for evidence see: Soulja Boy, 50 Cent, T-Pain and any other soft-serve eating bitch), the slept-on rappers of years past are what are needed to keep rap alive. And with Jay-Z's revival and the emergence of Freeway and Beanie, Roc-A-Fella is in position to rebuild the dynasty and reclaim dominance in the genre.