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This album was released on November 9th in 1993. I don’t even know how to start this shit. You guys know how Illmatic & The Chronic were really big albums? This one’s the same way. If you’re reading this you probably don’t need me to tell you that. This is one of those big Hip Hop albums that I’ve unfortunately never heard. I know. I’ve heard a lot of the singles tho, so I guess that makes it a little better. A little… This is one of the most important albums of all time. Anybody who tells you that this isn’t a classic album is a fucking fraud. That shouldn’t even be an argument. This was the first actual Wu-Tang album. I guess this is where the Wu-Tang Marathon actually becomes enjoyable for me. Should I talk more about the background of this album or just go ahead and start the review? Well, I guess you’ll probably get most of that information once I start talking about the music… Okay. I’m just gonna start the album. I’m expecting this to be dope af. Every track is produced by RZA.

Track 1: Bring Da Ruckus (Performed by Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, GZA & RZA)

This is one of the songs that I’ve actually heard before. These first five tracks make up the “Shaolin Sword” side of the album. It’s starting now. It begins with a sample from a Kung Fu movie called “Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang.” It seamlessly transitions into the hook. RZA’s screamin’ “BRING THE MOTHAFUCKIN’ RUCKUS.” It sounds so fuckin’ grimy. I feel like I’m in New York whenever I hear this song. The hook is dope af. The beat is fantastic too. It’s really simplistic. It’s perfect for these MCs tho. The raw percussion sounds so fuckin’ good. The way the beat snaps makes it sound like RZA looped somebody cracking their knuckles. Ghostface is on the first verse. He sounds so young. His verse was great. Rae comes in right behind him. The atmosphere of this song is way more hostile and aggressive than anything that was on Words From The Genius or Ooh, I Love You Rakeem. Raekwon fuckin’ killed it. His aggressive delivery sounded so gangsta on this shit. INS is on the next verse. Damn. It’s like every verse is better than the last. INS’ verse was dope af. “I rip it hardcore, like porno flick bitches / I roll with groups of ghetto bastards with biscuits / Check it, my method on the microphone’s banging / Wu-Tang slang’ll leave your headpiece hanging.” God fuckin’ damn. GZA killed that last verse. Why the fuck wasn’t he rhymin’ like that on his first album? He sounds much better over this grimy production. This more aggressive style works really well for him. He was fuckin’ goin’ off. I feel like if he originally had this type of production, his first album could’ve been pretty good. This song is dope af. Each MC had a dope verse. It just gets better and better with each verse. GZA had my favorite verse on here. It’s weird hearing The Genius rap like that now. It’s the same guy, but it’s SO MUCH better than Words From The Genius. I definitely fuck with this song. This is dope af. 5/5

Track 2: Shame On A Nigga (Performed by Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Method Man & Raekwon)

I don’t think I’ve ever heard this one. ODB’s on the hook and the first verse. It was dope af. This beat is much smoother than that of the previous track. Well, “smooth” doesn’t seem like the right word. It just has a much more accessible sound I guess. Meth’s goin’ in now. His verse was dope af. His flow was really good. Rae had a quick 8 bar verse. It was pretty good. ODB definitely stole the show with that outro verse tho. He just comes off nasty as hell. In a good way tho. Mostly because of the shit he said about keeping shit stains in his draws. I fuck with this song. The beat is great, and ODB was weird as hell on here. 5/5

Track 3: Clan In Da Front (Performed by GZA)

I know I’ve heard this track before. I don’t really remember it tho. Maybe it’ll come back to me once it starts playing. Oh shit I remember this intro from RZA. This is pretty much a GZA solo track. RZA just gives a bunch of shout outs to the Wu-Tang Killa Beez. Okay, GZA’s finally goin’ in now. This beat is dope af. GZA had a nice reference to Pass The Bone—A.K.A. the only track on Words From The Genius worth listening to. He did his thing on the first verse, but he really stepped shit up for the last verse. He killed it. I definitely fuck with this shit, but the long ass intro is definitely gonna decrease the replay value for me. The actual song itself is dope once the intro ends. I fuck with this shit. It’s dope. 4/5

Track 4: Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber (Performed by Raekwon, Method Man, Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, RZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard & GZA)

This track opens up with a long ass skit with Ghost, Rae, Meth, & U-God. This would normally get on my nerves, but I actually really enjoyed this skit. It almost makes me wish Wu-Tang had their own gangsta ass movie or some shit. Okay, the song’s starting now. Raekwon’s on the first verse. He did his thing. This beat is dope af. Meth’s verse was dope. There’s no hook. It’s just one dope verse after another. Meth, INS & Rae had dope verses. RZA’s goin’ in now. Wow. This is his first verse on the album. I guess I didn’t notice that he wasn’t really rapping before. I’m eating Oreos right now, and they’re fucking delicious. I’ve always been more of a Chips Ahoy! guy, but these are really good too. RZA’s verse was dope. ODB’s verse was weird as fuck. It was dope tho. GZA’s outro verse was great too. I definitely fuck with this song. I’m glad there’s a track with most of the members just rapping without a hook. I think my favorite verse came from INS on this one. Either him or Raekwon. It’s dope af. 5/5

Track 5: Can It Be All So Simple (Performed by Raekwon & Ghostface Killah)

Woah. This beat is smooth as fuck. I wasn’t expecting this kinda production on this album. It’s not bad tho; I just wasn’t expecting to hear anything like this on here. Raekwon’s verse at the beginning was dope af. He was rapping about life in the hood. “My pops was a fiend since 16 / Shooting that ‘that’s that shit’ in his blood stream / That’s the life of a grimy, real life crimey / And niggas know that habit’s behind me.” He killed it. The hook is dope. Ghost’s goin’ in now. Yes. The way the beat kinda switched up for his verse was dope. His verse was great. I think I prefer Raekwon’s verse tho. It ends with Method Man giving an interview where he explains each Wu member’s stage name, which was pretty interesting if you’re a fuckin’ dork like me and you care about shit like that. I definitely fuck with this track. It’s dope. Wow. The music video plays the censored version of this song, and it’s terrible. I mean, it’s still a good song, but the way they censored it just sounds really bad… The music video itself is cool I guess. It’s not really that much better than any other Hip Hop music video. The song is dope, but I’m not really in love with it. The beat was cool, but it didn’t hit me like the other ones. I enjoyed the song. It’s just not really on the same level as a lot of the other tracks for me personally. It’s still dope tho. 4/5

Track 6: Da Mystery Of Chessboxin’ (Performed by U-God, Inspectah Deck, Raekwon, Method Man, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Ghostface Killah & Masta Killa) [Co-Prod. Ol’ Dirty Bastard]

This is the first track on “Wu-Tang Sword” side of this album. This beat is dope af. I’ve never heard this song before. U-God starts the song with his first verse on the whole album so far. His verse was actually great. I’m pretty sure that U-God is universally known as the weakest member of the Wu-Tang Clan, but his verse here wasn’t bad at all. His flow was dope, and his rough voice sounded great over this production. He was incarcerated during this albums composition, which is why he doesn’t really have much of a presence on it. Deck killed the second verse. The third verse from Raekwon was great. The hook from Meth is pretty good. ODB’s singin’ in the background like a goddamn fool. He’s goin’ in now on the fourth verse. Oh, I’ve heard this before. Well, I haven’t, but the part where he says “enter the Wu-Tang zone” was sampled on Pioneer The Frontier. ODB is fuckin’ insane. In order to get a verse on any of these songs, RZA made the members battle each other, and whoever won was able to spit a verse. I wish I could see the battles with ODB. That’d be crazy. He killed his verse here. Damn. Ghost went the fuck off on that fifth verse. Masta Killa closed the song with his only verse on the whole album. I actually really enjoyed his verse. His flow was dope af to me. The best verse is definitely between Ghost & ODB tho. If Ghostface’s verse was longer I’d probably say he did the best. They all went in tho. I definitely fuck with this track. I really like the music video too. It’s dope af. 5/5

Track 7: Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing Ta Fuck Wit (Performed by RZA, Inspectah Deck & Method Man) [Co-Prod. Method Man]

Alright here we go. This is another one of the song’s that I’ve heard before. This beat is legendary. Again, the snaps in the percussion sounds like somebody cracking their knuckles. RZA’s on the first verse. He fuckin’ killed it. I love how he starts the verse off. Once the beat finally drops he just goes the fuck in. His delivery is fantastic. Inspectah Deck’s 8 bar verse was pretty good. Method Man’s verse was dope af too. I feel the same way about this track that I do about Bring Da Ruckus. The beat is grimy af. Each MC had a great verse. RZA’s delivery was perfect. His hook was pretty similar to that of Bring Da Ruckus too. He’s just yelling the title of the track, and it sounds raw af. I definitely fuck with this shit. This is dope af. The music video was pretty dope too. It wasn’t as good as the video for Chessboxin’ tho. 5/5

Track 8: C.R.E.A.M. (Performed by Raekwon, Method Man & Inspectah Deck)

This is one of the few Hip Hop songs that I remember hearing when I was little. I just remember hearing this song on the radio almost everyday, which is pretty weird now that I think about it because this song came out about 4 years before I was even born. Anyway, I just remember hearing Method Man say “DOLLA DOLLA BILL, Y’ALL.” It was weird as hell to me. I guess I hadn’t really noticed that a lot of music was about money. Okay, it’s starting now. Yes. This song has one of the greatest beats of all time. Raekwon’s verse at the beginning was dope af. “No question I would speed for cracks and weed / The combination made my eyes bleed.” That line is so hard to me. The hook is legendary. “Cash rules everything around me: CREAM; get the money / Dollar dollar bill, y’all.” INS killed the second verse. I honestly like his verse more than Rae’s. This song is fucking incredible. The way they were describing their fucked up lives in the hook was amazing. Not to mention the classic beat & hook. I definitely fuck with this. This is dope af. The music video was cool too. 5/5

Track 9: Method Man (Performed by Method Man)

This track opens up with Raekwon & Method Man trying to one up each other with different ways of torturing their enemies. “I’ll fuckin sew your asshole closed, and keep feedin you, and feedin you, and feedin you, and feedin you…” Okay, the song’s actually startin’ now. This beat is dope af. Damn. He went off on that first verse. He kinda reminds me of ODB. He had references to Fat Albert & Looney Toons. His flow was dope af. The second verse was great too. If you like Method Man, there’s absolutely no reason for you not to like this song. He really took advantage of having his own solo track here. I keep wanting to say that he stole the show even tho there aren’t any other MCs here. He just comes off super charismatic. I definitely fuck with this track. It’s dope af. The music video’s not bad either. 5/5

Track 10: Protect Ya Neck (Performed by Inspectah Deck, Raekwon, Method Man, U-God, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Ghostface Killah, RZA & GZA)

This is one of the Wu-Tang Clan’s most popular songs, but I don’t think I’ve actually heard this one before. This was their first official single. It sold over 10,000 copies before they actually got signed to Loud Records. It’s starting now. This beat is dope af. INS killed the first verse. Rae & Meth did a great job with the next two verses. U-God didn’t really have a verse. He just spit a short, 4 bar bridge. ODB’s verse was dope af. The way they censored this song with guitar riffs and other sound effects actually sounds kinda cool. I wasn’t really amazed by Ghost’s verse, but it wasn’t bad at all. I enjoyed it; just not as much as a lot of his other verses. RZA’s verse was great. GZA’s goin’ in now. Huh… Is he dissin’ Cold Chillin’ Records? He said something about Wu bein’ “too slammin’ for these Cold Chillin’ labels.” He must’ve been bitter since they dropped him after he failed with Words From The Genius. That’s kinda cool. Oh, he said “Cold killin’ labels,” not Cold Chillin’. Whatever. It’s clear that he was talking about Cold Chillin’ Records. This whole verse seems like a diss to the label. “First of all, who’s your A&R? / A mountain climber who plays an electric guitar? / But he don’t know the meanin’ of dope / When he’s lookin’ for a suit & tie rap that’s cleaner than a bar of soap.” His verse was dope af. I definitely fuck with this song. It’s dope af. ODB probably had my favorite verse. Either him or Method Man. Or INS. I don’t know… The music video was dope. The song is dope af. It was great to hear almost every member rhyme on here. 5/5

Track 11: Tearz (Performed by RZA & Ghostface Killah)

I’ve never heard this track before, but the beat sounds kinda familiar. I probably heard somebody freestyle over it on Sway In The Morning or something. It’s dope af. RZA’s on the first verse. Oh hell yeah this shit is dope af. There’s a line where all he does is laugh, but he still gets it to rhyme with the previous line. Oh shit… The first verse just ended. This is fucking incredible. I love it when RZA tells stories like this. He did it on Diary Of A Madman too. He’s basically just telling the story of when his little brother got killed. “I picked him up then I held him by his head / His eyes shut, that’s when I knew he was… / Aw man! How do I say goodbye? / It’s always the good ones that have to die.” He should’ve tried rapping like that on Ooh, I Love You Rakeem. I guess it’s kinda dark for a project like that… Either way this is dope af. Ghostface is goin’ in now. Eh… His verse definitely wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t as dope as RZA’s. RZA rapped about some really sad, personal shit. Ghost’s verse just isn’t that heavy. He rapped about his friend who caught the HIV after having unprotected sex. It just doesn’t hit me as hard as the shit RZA rapped about. I still liked Ghost’s verse tho. It was dope. I definitely fuck with this song. It’s dope af. 5/5

Track 12: Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber, Pt. II / Conclusion (Performed by Raekwon, Method Man, Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, RZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard & GZA)

I’ve never heard this one. It’s starting now. Rae’s on the first verse. He… Wait a minute… This is the same as the first version of 7th Chamber… It just has a different beat. I fuck with the new beat, but… Should I even rate this? I probably won’t… I guess I’ll just talk about this new beat. It’s dope af. Okay, that’s all I have to say. I can’t decide which version I like more… The original version’s beat was a lot darker, but I still really like this one. I guess it just depends what mood I’m in. I like this version too tho. They’re both dope af.

Final Thoughts:

This album is absolutely dope af. Shit. That was fun. It sucks that it’s over now. I honestly don’t even really know what to say. Am I supposed to talk about why this is a good album? Y’all don’t need me for that. Just listen to this album for yourselves. It’s not hard to understand why this album is so influential. You can hear Wu-Tang influences in artists today from Pro Era to even Odd Future in some ways. Each member brings a different personality and level of charisma. They never really give you the chance to be bored. Half of the fun is getting to know each MC, and not knowing who’s gonna go in next. It’s just a really fun album. The production is phenomenal. I’m definitely a bigger fan of their more grimy shit like Bring Da Ruckus & Wu-Tang Clain Ain’t Nuthing Ta Fuck Wit, but they still did the lighter shit really well. C.R.E.A.M. has one of the greatest beats of all time, and it’s nowhere near as grimy as Protect Ya Neck—the drums are admittedly pretty rough tho. It’s just a really good album. I don’t know how else to put it. If you don’t like hearing people spit bars, then you won’t like it. That’s what it is. It’s just the sound of 9 MCs having fun and spittin’ their fuckin’ asses off. I personally enjoyed the Wu-Tang Sword side of this album the most, but the Shaolin Sword side is very good too. I definitely fuck with this shit. It’s dope af.

Favorite Song: The 7th Chamber

Least Favorite Song: Can It Be All So Simple

Verdict:

96%

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