Wu-Tang Forever

by Wu-Tang Clan

Overview

By the time the Wu-Tang Clan finished their first round of solo projects and reconvened for their second album as a group, the double-disc album had become the hip-hop fad of the moment. So why not give it a shot? With a main crew of nine MCs (plus new protege Cappadonna), the Wu wouldn't have to depend heavily on guest appearances to flesh out two whole discs of material, as Biggie and 2Pac had. While the result, Wu-Tang Forever, is frequently brilliant, it's also sprawling and unfocused, losing its handle on the carefully controlled chaos of Enter the Wu-Tang. On the one hand, there's more social consciousness on Wu-Tang Forever, taking hard looks at ghetto life while finding pathos and offering encouragement and uplift ("A Better Tomorrow," "Impossible"). On the other hand, you also get some of the group's most explicit sex raps yet ("Maria," "The Projects," the utterly bizarre ODB solo track "Dog Shit"). In other words, the group is starting to go off in more individual directions here, making it harder to maintain an overall focus. Once you get past the rambling Five Percenter introduction, the first disc is pretty tight, partly because it was kept short to leave room for enhanced CD content. The second disc is far too long, diluting the impact of its better songs (the terrific single "Triumph") with an excess of lackluster material. Wu-Tang Forever easily would have made a brilliant single CD; RZA's production is more polished than the debut, thanks to a bigger budget and better equipment, and leans heavily on soundtrack-style strings to underscore the album's cinematic scope. Some hailed Wu-Tang Forever as the best double-disc hip-hop album yet released, but others regarded it as a disappointment; despite its many high points, it's the first time the Wu didn't quite fulfill their ambitions. ~ Steve Huey

Product Details

Release Date:	12/16/2022
Label:	Sony Music
UPC:	0196587393847

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Wu-Tang Clan   Primary Artist
Street Life   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Cappadonna   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Uncle Pete   Featured Artist
Poppa Wu   Featured Artist
Tekitha   Featured Artist

Technical Credits

Fourth Disciple   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
P.O.W.E.R.   Production Coordination
True Master   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Bob Berg   Photography
Inspectah Deck   Mixing,Producer
Carlos Bess   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
Divine   Production Coordination
RZA   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Assistant Producer
Cappadonna   Performer
Wu-Tang Clan   Composer
Tom Coyne   Mastering
Mitchell Diggs   Executive Producer
Oli "Power" Grant   Executive Producer
Ola Kudu   Art Direction,Layout Design,Design
James Roach   Design,Artwork,Art Direction,Layout Design
Philippe McClelland   Photography
Laurie Marks   A&R
D. Hill   Composer
Sherin Baday   A&R,Photography
Shawn Mortenson   Photography
Arlene Godfrey   A&R
UE Nastasi   Editing
Michael "Wolf" Reaves   Mixing
Robert Diggs   Executive Producer
Scott Harding   Mixing Engineer,Mixing
Dennis Coles   Executive Producer
Troy Staton   Mixing
Ney Pimentel   Design,Artwork,Art Direction,Layout Design
Dia Kudu   Design,Artwork,Art Direction
Che Harris   A&R
D. Harris   Composer
A-D   Art Direction,Layout Design