The W

by Wu-Tang Clan

Overview

After a host of disappointing solo albums and quickly diminishing celebrity (most of the latter devoted to the continuing extra-legal saga of Ol' Dirty Bastard), Wu-Tang Clan returned, very quietly, with 2000's The W. The lack of hype was fitting, for this is a very spartan work, especially compared to its predecessor, the sprawling and overblown Wu-Tang Forever. While the trademark sound is still much in force, group mastermind RZA jettisoned the elaborate beat symphonies and carefully placed strings of Forever in favor of tight productions with little more than scarred soul samples and tight, tough beats. The back-to-basics approach works well, not only because it rightly puts the focus back on the best cadre of rappers in the world of hip-hop, but also because RZA's immense trackmaster talents can't help but shine through anyway. Paranoid kung fu samples and bizarre found sounds drive the fantastic streets-is-watching nightmare "Careful (Click, Click)." Unfortunately, though, The W isn't quite the masterpiece it sounds like after the first few tracks. It falls prey to the same inconsistency as Forever, resulting in half-formed tracks like "Conditioner," with Snoop Dogg barely saving Ol' Dirty Bastard's lone appearance on the LP, a phoned-in vocal (in terms of sound and quality). When they're hitting on all cylinders though, Wu-Tang Clan are nearly invincible; "Let My Niggas Live," a feature with Nas, isn't just claustrophobic and dense but positively strangling, and singles material like "Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off)" and "Do You Really (Thang, Thang)" are punishing tracks. Paring down Wu-Tang Forever -- nearly a two-hour set -- to the 60-minute work found here was a good start, but the Wu could probably create another masterpiece worthy of their debut if they spent even more time in the editing room. ~ John Bush

Product Details

Release Date:	11/21/2000
Label:	Bmg / Sony Music
UPC:	0886977170423

Tracks

1. Intro (Shaolin Finger Jab)/Chamber Music; Intro (Shaolin Finger Jab)/Chamber Music [Explicit Album Version With Medley Segments]
2. Careful
3. Hollow Bones
4. Redbull
5. One Blood Under W
6. Conditioner
7. Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off)
8. Let My Niggas Live
9. I Can't Go to Sleep
10. Do You Really (Thang Thang)
11. The Monument
12. Gravel Pit

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Wu-Tang Clan   Primary Artist
Busta Rhymes   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Junior Reid   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Snoop Dogg   Primary Artist,Guest Artist
Nas   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Redman   Primary Artist,Guest Artist
Isaac Hayes   Primary Artist,Guest Artist
Ghostface Killah   Vocals
RZA   Vocals
Cappadonna   Vocals
Ol' Dirty Bastard   Vocals
Method Man   Vocals
Raekwon   Vocals
GZA   Vocals

Technical Credits

James Cruz   Mastering
Jose "Choco" Reynoso   Mixing,Engineer
Junior Reid   Performer
RZA   Mixing,Producer
Wu-Tang Clan   Composer
Busta Rhymes   Performer
Nas   Composer
Robert Diggs   Executive Producer
Dennis Coles   Executive Producer
Dylan Dresdow   Mixing Engineer,Track Engineer
Isaac Hayes   Performer
Snoop Dogg   Composer,Performer
Trevor Smith   Composer
R. Noble   Composer
Monica Morrow   Stylist
Michael Lavine   Photography
Liz Hausle   Product Manager
David Bett   Package Design
Oli "Power" Grant   Executive Producer