Wu Tang Iron Flag [Explicit Lyrics]

Wu-Tang Clan | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 18, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00005U2LM
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (118 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #85,746 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. In The Hood

2. Rules

3. Chrome Wheels

4. Soul Power (Black Jungle) Exp

5. Uzi (Pinky Ring)

6. One Of These Days

7. Ya'll Been Warned

8. Babies

9. Radioactive (Four Assassins)

10. Back In The Game

11. Iron Flag

12. Dashing (Reasons)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another solid Wu cut, November 26, 2002

By 

Andre Shabo (Worcester MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wu Tang Iron Flag (Audio CD)

Sometimes it's hard to be impartial when reviewing a band/group/artist you really like. That is the case at hand, but I must admit that this is by far the weakest album by Wu-Tang. I couldn't wait to buy this as soon as it came out, but I heard the complete album before its release and wasnt too happy. Wu-Tang is known for their unique, dark beats, but this album is commercialized as far as beats go. Don't get me wrong though, the lyrics are tight, typical Wu style. The two people that make this album good, Method Man and Inspectah Deck. A suprise in this album is the improvement of the not-so-good Cappadonna. Ghostface is Ghostface, bringing the random, yet hot verses to this cut. U-God & Raekwon have seemed to decline lyrically over the past few years, but still do a decent job on the Iron Flag.
RZA & GZA both remain solid, and RZA has even improved lyrically. RZA's best work is still on Wu-Tang Forever. Masta Killa isn't on the album that often, which really isn't a good thing because he could have displayed his improvement. (For an example of this, check out Mortal Kombat by Afu-ra.) Below is the track rating (1-5):

In The Hood: 5
Rules: 5+
Chrome Wheels: 3
Soul Power: 1 ( The beat is so annoying)
Uzi: 4
One Of These Days: 3.5
Y'all Been Warned: 5
Babies: 3
Radioactive: 3.5
Back In The Game: 4.5
Iron Flag: 4
Dashing: 4.5

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Once again proud to be a Wu fan., December 22, 2001

By 

Mike Terry (STL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wu Tang Iron Flag (Audio CD)

I don't think anybody would disagree with me when I say this has
been the worst year for hip hop...possibly EVER.
Sure, Jay-Z's album was tight. But what else? You have to know
that when Eve, Ludachris, Bubba Sparxx, Nelly and Trick Daddy
are the top players in the game that something is seriously wrong.
As far as the Wu goes, their last two albums as a group have
been rejected by fans (unfairly in my opinion) and have struggled
to regain the crown they held around 1994-1996.
Wu-Tang Forever was waaaaaay too long and loaded with filler.
The W lacked a cohesive group feel and was loaded with unecessary guest appearances.
And Iron Flag??
To make a long story short, this album is just plain incredible.
The highlight is the production which always keeps
the listener on their toes. Some beats are loud and hype (In
The Hood), some have a west-coast gangsta feel (Chrome Wheels),
some sound like they came from DJ Premier's files (Rules), some are smooth (Babies), some feature Wu-esque samples (Iron Flag) and others are just completely unique (Uzi, Soul Power).
The latter features a flute and drum sample that sounds like it was recorded with a tribe in the African jungle.
Lyrically, the Clan is on point as usual and the weaker mcs (U-God, RZA) spend less time on the mic as the stronger ones
(Inspectah Deck, Method Man).
There is no filler and there isn't even one track recorded with the purpose of getting commercial airplay.
I don't know if this will sell a lot of copies or become one of
MTV's babies, but this is definitely the album Wu fans have been
waiting for.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Classic Wu Album, December 18, 2001

By 

"randombutler" (Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wu Tang Iron Flag (Audio CD)

First of all, I have been listening to a leaked copy of this album for about two weeks. At first I really didn't like it that much, but then after listening to it a few times it got a lot better. In my opinion this is the fourth great album that the Wu has done. First was Enter Ther Wu-Tang, their debut album with raw production and fresh lyrics. Next was Forever, the innovative double LP. After that came The W, the grossly underrated and unusual album. Now comes Iron Flag, the new album, with polished lyrics and great production similar to the old days with simpler loops. All four of Wu-Tang's albums have been totally different from each other and every other rap album out there.

Allright, now more about this album. Simply, it's great. Even though there were some disappointing sophmore solo efforts from Wu-Tang's members, Iron Flag is lyricly as good as any other Wu-Tang album, if not better. It seems like everybody has really got their stuff together. I guess I'll go through each member one by one and talk about their lyrics:

Method Man - Absolutlely spitting his best lyrics since Enter The Wu-Tang. Although he doesn't show up as much as I'd like, he rarely slows down when he gets on the mic. Best verses: "Ya'll Been Warned"
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Ghostface Killah - Luckily the only member who talks about the Sept. 11th attacks more than once. Still, he does a good job even at that, and the rest of the album he continues to deliver the obsucre rhymes and great storytelling that make him unique. Best track: "Babies"
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GZA - Not quite as good as he used to be I'd say, but he's running at 90%. Best Track: "Back In The Game"
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U-God - Much better than he used to. Although he hits a few rough spots, he comes off with some great lyrics. Best track: "Soul Power"
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RZA - RZA's lyrics are excellent on Iron Flag. Like on "Chrome Wheels", he hits an incredibly nice line: "Guns jammed up// I'm crammed up in my lab//". RZA at his best. Best Track: "Chrome Wheels"
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Inspectah Deck - Deck is just as good as ever, and even on the 1 or 2 tracks with so-so beats, Deck makes them worth listening to. Best Track: "Dashing (Reasons)"
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Masta Killah - I didn't used to like Masta Killah, but I have to admit, he's gotten better. Best track: "In The Hood"
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Raekwon - It's kind of weird how he spits like only 4 bars on 2 songs, but on the songs where he does have longer verses, he delivers complicated and almost haunting verses. He sounds different then he used to, but his lyrics were more intricate too. Best Track: "Iron Flag"
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And as for the Wu afilliates, they also make a strong showing. None of the second hand Wu members spat any bad verses. I was a little worried that they might ruin some tracks, but they added to them. On the other hand, there are a couple of annoying female vocals, like on "Chrome Wheels" and "Babies".

Ok, now to talk about the songs. Here are the songs in order of best to worst:

1. [In The Hood] - Includes a superb intro and the most energetic beat of the whole album.
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2. [Rules] - Great beat with some samples of old Wu albums mixed in for fun. A fun track to listen to with a damn nice hook by Meth.
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3. [Ya'll Been Warned] - RZA and Meth tear it up. The hook is not as good as Meth can do but it's still a nice pair of bars. If I heard right this will be the second single (After Pinky Ring [Uzi])

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4. [Iron Flag] - Even with the great verse from Raekown, this isn't exactly the #4 song, but it's also got a semi-hidden song at the end called "Good Thing We Brought The Glock". This hidden song is pretty funny and innovative with a crawling beat.
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5. [Chrome Wheels] - Not exactly a parody of commerical rap like I thought it would be when I saw the track title, but it's actually kind of a remiscent track about the old days before Wu-Tang and a high-school anthem of sorts.

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6. [Radioactive] - A great beat with some freaky stereo sound effects.
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7. [Pinky Ring (Uzi)] - The first single to be released, featuring (I think) every non-incarcerated Wu member. Kind of like "Triumph" due to all the people on the track. A really addictive beat with lots of horns.
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8. [Back In The Game] - A really great drum loop beat and a hook by Ron Isely. I honestly don't like the hook that much or else this song would be higher up on my list.
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9. [Babies] - Not the best beat, but by far the best storytelling track on Iron Flag with Ghostface and Raekwon showing their skills.
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10. [Soul Power] - An underrated song. Decent beat and the hook by Flava Flav. This might be one spot lower except U-God is at his best ever on this track. I really like his verses on Soul Power and I usually don't.
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11. [One of These Days] - Good lyrics by Deck and others but I really didn't like the beat.
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12. [Dashing] - I just didn't like the beat, but once again Deck's lyrics make it listenable.

Even the worst songs on the album are still good to listen to, which is more than you can say for most albums, even great ones. The quality is always high especially lyricly.

I have to admit, the production wasn't exactly on the same level as other Wu albums. I'd give the production 4 stars out of 5. But like I said, the lyrics are amazingly good, so that why I gave Iron Flag 5 stars.

Thsi album is not quite on the level of Enter The Wu-Tang, but it is definetly worth buying, and will become a true classic.