Customer Reviews

Enter the Wu-Tang

5 star:		(335)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I'm not gonna pretend like a know a whole lot about the history of Hip-Hop and rap music to write this review. All I know is what I like--tight beats and ill lyrics, and this album is a classic because it excells in both areas! I'm not into most newer "Hip-Hop" that is played on the radio or on MTV; most of it all sounds the same, and its pretty weak. This album came out over ten years ago and sounds just as good now as it did then, and that is ten times better than most of the B.S. you hear anymore. I remeber when I first heard of the Wu-Tang Clan back in 1993 (when I was only 13!) when I first saw the videos for Method Man and C.R.E.A.M.--I couldn't wait to hear more! It took a few months, but I finally got this album and haven't grown tired of it ever since. Its not on constant rotation, but I've got every track memorized, even the sketches, and the $hit never gets old! If you don't have it yet, what's your excuse? Never dated or outdone, Wu's first album is one of the greatest albums of any genre, and I'm a fan of Punk, Metal, Classic Rock and even Jazz, and this is still one of my all time favorites.

I listen to a lot of music. And, y'know, some albums get stale after a while. Some albums, you can only listen to for a few weeks, and then they sit on your CD rack for months before you go back to them.

But "36 Chambers" is icy-fresh every time you drop it into your stereo. It's everything hip-hop should be: raw beats, simple hooks and evocative samples intertwined with nine rappers' unique styles, all of which come together to build an hour-long assault on the body and mind.

I weep when I listen to this album. It showcases the Ol' Dirty Bastard when he was simply a purveyor of a brilliant style that was utterly his own, before the persona overshadowed the man. The price of the album is worth it for "Protect Ya Neck" alone--a concise, perfect summary of what it means to be Wu-Tang. You come to know the album, and then you come to know the rappers themselves, seeing them like a twisted set of Superfriends, finding yourself thinking, "Here comes Inspectah Deck; he's about to rip sh*t up."

You have to take most rappers' boasts with a grain of salt or two. But when the Wu-Tang say they're nothing to f*ck with, you believe them. They are, most especially on this album, an unstoppable force for hip-hop justice.

O.D.B. aka The Ol' Dirty Bastard, aka Big Baby Jesus aka Dirt McGirt died today, and I think everyone who doesn't have this album owes it to him to PICK IT UP, also because its the second best rap album of all time behind Ready To Die (in my opinion).

For all of you who don't know, the Wu-Tang Clan was RZA, GZA/Genius, Ol Dirty Bastard, Inspektah Deck (Rebel INS), Masta Killa, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, U-God & Raekwon, with RZA producing all Wu-Tang albums, and almost all of Wu-Tang's solo projects

1.Bring Da Ruckus (Ghostface, Raekwon, Inspektah Deck, GZA)-5/5-Perfect opening song. RZA's production is perfect like usual, and every verse is great
2.Shame On A N**** (Ol Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ol Dirty Bastard)-6/5-One of my favorite songs of all time, one of the only old upbeat RZA productions I've ever heard (even tho i love this beat), ODB stands out on this one, with some of his best work
3.Clan In Da Front (Intro by the RZA, GZA solo)-5/5-My favorite Wu member (GZA), rips it up over a classic RZA piano loop.
4.Wu-Tang:7th Chamber (Raekwon, Method Man, Inspektah Deck, Ghostface Killah, RZA, Ol Dirty Bastard, GZA)-5/5-All Wu members on this song drop hot verses (over a great RZA beat) but my fav's on this song are Rae's, Ghostface's & RZA's
5.Can It Be All So Simple (Raekwon, Ghostface Killah)-5/5-Great song by Rae & Ghost, who always go great together (if you like this song you will love Only Built 4 Cuban Linx)
6.Da Mystery Of Chessboxin (U-God, Inspektah Deck, Raekwon, Method Man, Ol Dirty Bastard, Ghost Face Killah, Masta Killa)-5/5-Classic beat by RZA, every verse is great, and the first time you hear Masta Killa and U-God, who drop hot verses
7.Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthin Ta F' Wit (RZA, Inspektah Deck, Method Man)-6/5-One of my favorite songs of all time, one of the greatest RZA productions and the energy on this track is crazy
8.C.R.E.A.M. (Raekwon, Inspektah Deck, Meth on chourus)-5/5-RZA produces one of the best piano loops in rap EVER, and Raekwon and Inspektah Deck drop 2 of the best verses on the CD
9.Method Man (Method Man)-5/5-My favorite Method Man song of all time, and another great beat.
10.Protect Ya Neck (Inspektah Deck, Raewkon, Method Man, U-God, Ol Dirty Bastard, Ghostface Killah, RZA, GZA)-5/5-This song is edited on this CD for some reason? This song features all Wu-Tang members except for Masta Killa, and everyone drops a hot verse, especially ODB & GZA
11.Tearz (RZA, Ghostface Killah)-5/5-RZA & Ghostface drop CLASSIC verses, on one of my favorite RZA beats
12.Wu-Tang 7th Chamber Pt.II (Raekwon, Method Man, Inspektah Deck, Ghostface Killah, RZA, Ol Dirty Bastard, GZA)-5/5-Same verses as Wu-Tang 7th Chamber, new hot beat

The CD is a MUST HAVE for all rap fans
PICK IT UP RIGHT NOW IF YOU DONT HAVE IT!

The band may have all released a bewildering array of solo albums, and possibly weakened the brand with offshoot merchandising, but the group hailing from Staten Island..N,Y dropped this debut, in 1993, that not only completely put East-Coast Rap firmly on the map, but this was a collective of 9 members, with a Shaolin / Martial Art fixation, that put such a ominous & thuggishly confident album together, it still to this day ranks as one of the finest Hardcore Rap albums ever made.

"Bring da Ruckus" is the sort of street-smart & confrontationally raw track that brought the clan to fame, minimal beats & complex wordplay are the order of the day, and set a running theme throughout the album, as virtually all the tracks on Enter the Wu-Tang is packed martial arts metaphors, pop culture references, that would take multiple listens to fully digest.

"Can it Be All so Simple"...leads with a marvellous northern soul sample before breaking into a fusion of strings and horns, and off-kilter menace, (RZA the production genius behind the album, blends a sublime fusion here). And yet the production is never allowed to overshadow the lyrics, with self-introspection rhymes such as: "Yeah, my pops was a fiend, since sixteen Shootin' that (that's that sh***!) in his blood stream", meant that this wasn't an album all about needless gun posturing.

"C.R.E.A.M"...pushes RZA production to the forefront with menacing minor-key piano, ominous string arrangements and subtle clipped beats underlayed over the whole thing, that remarkably became something of a 'Wu-Tang' trademark, but the tales of money related crime make for thrilling listening, and when this lyric is dropped: "But it was just a dream for the teen, who was a fiend Started smokin woolies at sixteen, And running up in gates, and doing hits for high stakes, Making my way on fire escapes!!"...this is as lyrically tight a rap Collective as there has ever been.

"Protect Ya Neck"..is arguably my personal favourite, and shows the group in a united stance, with the gorgeous muted Horns, schizophrenic surreal beats, sounding like a brooding soundtrack to a horror film. And its here, that I feel the interwoven rhymes between the members is at it's most impressive, with each member not only being cerebral storytellers, but lyrical technicians as well, each member having a very distinctive lyrical rhyme passage, on the mic, before handing over the Mic to the next member. And the track is rounded out perfectly with 'The Genius' (aka "GZA") stealing the show with this lyrical rites of Passage: "First of all, who's your A&R??...A mountain climber who plays an electric guitar??...But he don't know the meaning of dope, When he's lookin for a suit and tie rap, that's cleaner than a bar of soap, And I'm the dirtiest thing in sight...Matter of fact bring out the girls and let's have a mud fight!!!".

If you have even a passing interest in either (A) The Wu-Tang Clan, or (B) Hardcore/East Coast Rap, you owe it to yourself to (at the very least), give this album a whirl. Not only did it set the bar for the majority of rap albums that followed, but it is here, that the Clan not only provided their most impressive performances & (thanks to RZA), often imitated production. This is truly a landmark album, and one of the (very few) rap albums that ever makes those "Best albums ever" list, when people lists their favourite ever albums....truly astonishing.

Where there is monotony and 2-D artists there will be the 4-D ingeniuty that break way from false contract images and dead end lyrics. This is the highest most praised and the utmost ultimate example of this. At the time of the early 90's rap had got too happy. With gold chains and laceless adidas sneakers putting smmiles on the world's faces, the rap artists had forgotten their roots where there was discrimination, random assaults and always the s£%! end of the stick in life. Where rap was the only exhalation in the suffocating enviroment of urban life. It seemed that the west coast picked up on this before the east, Ice Cube, Dre,2pac, Snoop, warren g and death row were dominating the rap scene with all the ferocity,originality and gangsta assertiveness that the rap audience hungered for. The east coast were dying although the quiet few were steadily rising e.g. nas, black moon they did nt reach the worldwide platinum sales the west coast had achieved, yet.....

'93: Rza, Gza, ODB, Meth, Rebel INS, U-God, Raekwon the Chef, Masta Killa and Ghostface Killah spelled earth shattering rap for the nation. THE group that would balance the scale of the West-East rap game. THE music that would bring forth legions of cult rap fans spewing forth highly intelligent hords of lyrics to backslap the commercial scene to h--l.
How did they do it. I would have to say they are truly genius artists. To further define this there system of kung-fu cuts, grimy stringz and piano keys and pulsating basslines would lay the foundations of how the new rap music was to be created. Unformulaic and different, when I first listened to it I was like "What the F%$£ is this?" After the 2nd listen the music consumed me, I fell into the wing chun nun chuck swingning beats and indulged in something highly original. It's just the way the whole thing is composed, it sounds as if it was created in someones bedroom under the influence of genetically enhanced drugs and a truckload of malt liquor. But it all links, the distorted backing tracks contrast with the terrifying battle raps, the martial arts cuts sluice the liquified quiet piano riffs and morphed strings e.g. Bring Da Ruckus, Wu tang clan aint nuthin to f wit. This all drags the listener further into the teachings of the 36 chambers beacuse everyone wanted something different and the WU were delivering it in truck loads.

I aint got nuttin else to say except every artists were at they top game on this album, they were all starving so they had to put their heart and soul into this. It shows so much check C.R.E.A.M. where Rae and Deck bare their souls on life. And Protect Ya neck, without a doubt the best song on the album, HIgh voltage ryhmes and pure KUNGFUISM. This is the first album of Wu u should buy, believe me. DISGUSTING.

Rap never knew what hit it when the hooded swordsmen hit the streets with ENTER THE WU TANG: 36 CHAMBERS. If you need refreshment from bling bling, mercedes benz and gun toting strip club lovin' retards then
pick this megaton up real quick and filter out your grimed out earz with a new type of grime....

Fave songz: 4th Chamber, Protect ya neck, C.R.E.A.M., and Tearz.

I finish as usual with some words from the artists. The wise high exhalted Raekwon ".... The wu the WU got suttin that I know everyone wanta hear coz i know i bin waitin to hear, but straight up and now till we gotta go we gonna keep goin...."

Keep the Wu-Tang Dynasty alive my people and keep HIP HOP.

It's not often that you can pick up an album which is 100% raw talent. In fact, I could safely say that in the past decade I've found less than ten albums which deserve the above accolade. Wu Tang's 36 chambers take that down to 9.

36 Chambers was groundbreaking. It created a whole new sub-culture within the Rap and Hip Hop genre, and gave us more talent in one album that at the time could be found in a selection of twenty. I remember listening to it and knowing that this album had changed my perception of music, Rap and Hip Hop forever.

In seven years I still haven't found a place within 36 Chambers that makes me want to switch to another room. There's not one bad verse, one weak link. The chain is solid. How anyone could mix the bounciness of Shame on a Nigga, with the emotion of Tearz, and the threats of Bring da Ruckus, with the insight of C.R.E.A.M., it's beyond me. No wonder that the production force of the RZA is much coveted.

Of course it helps that the Clan's members all have their own unmistakable style. But remember - 36 Chambers was the beginning, the start of the whole thing. Look at Method Man, Look at the ODB, Inspectah Deck, Rza, Gza, Ghostface Killah. Lok at where they are, and what they're doing now. It's all on the back of 36 Chambers, when their talent was first brought to light.

They say, the birth of a new life is the most incredible thing one can ever see. With 36 Chambers, we saw a multiple labour.

Can you fight the Wu Tang sword style? Not a chance.

Phat beats, sword-sharp samples, quality rappin'...

I bought that CD at the age of 14 and as I first pressed play on my stereo I just stood there for the first three tracks.

Then I sat down, just facing the speakers like I was watching a movie or somethin...only this was like one of the greatest movies I had ever seen!

Next thing I knew I had gone through the whole thing so I played it over and over again, all afternoon long just lying on my bed and watching city scape outside my window as the night fell...

Now I'm 22 and every time I enter the 36 chambers again, it feels as good as the first time.

Undoubtly one of the 5 finest hip hop albums ever. Full stop.

Popular music these days has become foul. Every thing is going downhill, with the birth of bubblegum pop. Even hip hop is at an all time low. It began after the deaths of both the Notorious B.I.G., and Tupac Shakur, with the un-originality of rappers like Puffy (Bad Boy), Will Smith, and the Cash Money crew. It seems they are into hip hop for money and/or fame.

The music of the Wu-Tang (back in the early to mid 90s) brought orginality and depth to hip hop. The release of 36 chambers allowed people to look at hip hop, not only as "talking over beats", but as an art form.

The production of the RZA is top-notch. He pulls in trippy melancolic piano melodies and dope beats. He also brings in cool backgrounds and a few rappers with "killer" lyrics. My point is, "give the man his credit". He is a musical genius.

36 chambers intends to bore the listener with the slow and steady track "Bring Da Rukus". It then wakes you up with "Shame on a Nigga". Watch out for the brilliant performance by ODB. It then introduces you to the clan with the third track. For the next 2-3 tracks, it puts the listener in a relaxed soulful mode. Half way though the album, it picks up and plays around with the listener by bringing in humor and gratifying hip hop music. Tracks like C.R.E.A.M., Method Man, and Protect ya neck are examples. Tearz is a hip hop ballad about bad choices in life, also a great one. The final track is a wrap-up of all the tracks. A good idea for a conclusion.

If anyone should own only one hip hop record in their life, it certainly should be this one. This is as good as hip hop gets. I have failed to find a hip hop record that bears comparison to this one. Till this date, it is the highest status in the evolution of hip hop.

Incorporating diciplined martial arts tactics including the group's name, Wu-Tang Clan, pierced through the industry with their debut album Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). "Bring Da Ruckus" introduces the album and the clan with a slow, dark instrumentation with hints of ancient effects. Unselfishly sharing verses, four of the eight members slash through the track with lyrical wisardry. Picking up the pace on "Shame On A Nigga" is a direct blow with combining off keyed production with perfection. The Genius also known as The Gza stepped center stage on "Clan In Da Front" as the remaining members chant "...Wu, Wu, Wu..." bringing the clan to the forefront. Providing lyrical arsenal without any need for gimmicks, hook or chorus, "Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber" -Part I and II as six of the members flow back to back in unison and individualism with contents such as "...rap assassin / fastin'..." The same formula could be found on "Protect Ya Neck" with only a bridge to gap the diversity. "Can It Be All So Simple" mostly dedicated to the streets by Raekwon and Ghost Face Killer flows with finess over the looped overpowering guitar strum. The one, two kick drum accompanied by an Oriental themed keys on "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'" contributed to the LP's concept with Wu-Tang's signature sound. Continuing with "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing Ta F' Wit" they proved how tightly knit the group is going in any direction or angle. The title "C.R.E.A.M." soon made it to be a household slang for cash rules everything around me or better yet "...dollar, dollar bill y'all..." Member and title "Method Man" enlighten the dim surroundings with simple keys to compliment the rhaspy, energetic flow. Completing a 360 angle, "Tearz" contains tales of street life and decisions one make told by The Rza and Ghost Face Killer respectively. All production and arrangement was held down by member Prince Rakeem also known as The Rza that tailored the style and signature of the group to perfection. For its time and to date no other group with this many members come togher to create a timeless piece or classic the closest would be the earlier Three 6 Mafia material. The Rza, The Gza, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Inspector Deck, Raekwon The Chief, U-God, Ghost Face Killer and Method Man strikes as if it is retaliation, but their nitche was loosely guarded as they made an entrance.

this should be part of every rap lover's collection