Wu-Tang - Return of the Wu and Friends

Author

Liam Blackford

Published

Thursday 25th February

This record is a collection of unreleased but not necessarily unheard Wu-Tang cuts from the decade just gone. In so many ways the Wu-Tang Clan need no introduction- they have been around for so long preserving their masterclass reputation in the hip-hop world, with probably the best, most hard-hitting rhymes ever recorded. Mixed by Mathematics, an old ally of the Clan, this record delivers on all the fronts you would expect it to deliver, but since it is essentially a compilation of tracks that never made it to Wu-Tang longplayers, it doesn’t really break any new ground or do anything in a particularly new way.

Having said that there is some really cool stuff on this record which, unless you’re a Wu-Tang fan of hardcore calibre, you probably won’t have heard before. Respect 2010 is a great Wu-Tang track, with superb, crunk hip-hop production with wild, chop-changing Wu rhymes on top, and it is merely one of many supreme cuts on this compilation. Wu-Tang Clan are well-known for the eclectic menagerie of pop culture influences that their music pays tribute to, and it’s awesome to be reminded on tracks like Iron God Chamber and All Flowers that this is not merely a production gimmick but is an ethic that gets to the root of the Wu’s music.

The one new track on the record is Clap 2010, which matches sharp rap turns with a frenetic beat which eschews swagger in favour of tension. In spite of being a fresh recording it is similar to the rest of the record insofar as the production is relatively modest and unembellished in comparison to that on the Wu-Tang Clan’s major releases. Nonetheless, there is so much here both for long-time fans not just of the Clan but also for fans of impeccable hip-hop.