Customer Reviews

Wu-Tang Forever

5 star:		(114)
4 star:		(39)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I just want to let you ALL know, Wu-tang clan has never " fallen off"? What you are calling " Falling" is simply the Wu-tang style metamorphasis. Let me break it down for all yall... If you have been a Wu fan for a while you will reconize what im talking about.. but heeeeeeeeeeeeere we gooooooo....

Their first style- probably the most trademark, The Kung-fu sampled, dark/ chamber style beats introduced by the infamous Rza. There are many examples of this - Enter the Wu, Cuban Linx, umm Liquid Swords, Pillage ( yuck).. anyway- this seems to be the most popular, and definetly was reconizable. The rugged beats with dark lyrics seemed to have faded away...

2nd style - THIS album - kind of their inbetween, its very weird, i can't really have a grasp on the sound they were going for on this album, we really caught them in the midst of experimentation - you can tell by such songs as, Older godz, Triumph ( kinda), MGM, Cash rules, Projectz especially, they were slightly leaning toward glamour and MGM type apollo sounds ; lyrics werent rugged, more of a ghetto pride, superior black supremist who obtains the glitter and glamour of money and respect --- SIDE NOTE: if you want to see the final result of this style, check out Ghostface killah - supreme clientele ( wow, great album- good job ghost)

3rd style ( cuz i only got 1,000 words)
now i like this the best, RZA did more experimenting with Soul, mo-town samples, with that classic Wu-sound mixed in... kind of hard to explain but you can see examples with " Hollow Bones" off " the W" and RZA - " Be a man" he kind of slowed down the beats, and made the lyrics more rugged like the first style, but it sounded tight mixed in with the samples.

Bottom line - What would you have rather seen Wu do, Experiment with their style, change it up a little, possibly break up into numerous solo projects and develope individual sounds....

OR simply sell out to the ice shattered, female degrading, mainstream pop that has now taken the name Rap??

I was 16 years old when this cd dropped, and I didn't listen to hip hop at all at the time. I was a skateboarder, and all I listened to was punk rock back then. I didn't really get the slang, styles, or concepts of hip hop; and I never really gave hip hop a chance before this cd came out. However, I do remember a lot of my friends telling me how nice The Wu were, and how excited they were when this cd was released.

After seeing the video for "Triumph" a few times, I knew that The Wu were dope. I didn't realize it at the time, but "Triumph" actually changed my whole perspective of hip hop. To this day, I believe that this song is the best posse cut ever. Inspectah Dek and Method Man jump start this song with incredible back to back verses, and the beat is epic. I've heard this song hundreds of times, but I still get amped whenever it's playing. Everyone spits a good verse on this song, and the energy of the track is incredible.

"It's Yourz" is another classic. This is a great closing track for disc 1. Similar to "Triumph", this song has a lot of energy. It also has a great hook. This time it's The Rza and Inspectah Dek who lace the track with the most memorable verses.

A lot of people hate on this cd, but I don't understand why. Although "Wu-Tang Forever" is not anywhere near as raw as "36 Chambers", it is definitely more lyrical. I don't agree with all these filler complaints either. I have listened to both of these discs repetitively for nearly a decade, and the only tracks I skip aren't actual songs.

My favorite tracks include:

Disc 1
Reunited-great verses from The Gza and Meth
Visionz-great Production from The Rza
Older Gods-love the beat and Ghostface's verse
It's Yourz-see Inspectah Dek verse

Disc 2
Triumph-The Anthem
Little Ghetto Boys-one of Cappadonna's more memorable verses
Hellz Wind Staff-dope song w/ martial arts vibe
Heaterz-another great beat courtesy of The Rza

The Last Words: Classic cd. It honestly changed my life.

Double rap albums are usually long-winded self-indulgent affairs. But then again, the Wu-Tang aren't your usual rap group. We're talking about the Wu-Tang Clan, a conglomeration of some of the best MCs to ever grace the microphone helmed by a producer of ingenious proportions - the RZA. Remember that irrefutable masterpiece Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) that came roaring out like of the underground, slashing and biting? It hit hard and quick - BAM, BAM, BAM! Like the grace and viciousness of martial art fighting, Wu-Tang Clan combined the mystique of sparse minimalist beats with savage lyricism. But while, Enter the Wu-Tang was characterized by guerilla style attacks, Wu-Tang Forever is the group's manifesto drawn out to epic scope, unfolding slowly like a sepia-toned cinematic tale of inner city life. In this, the group sacrifices impact for the overall effect. If it's one thing that Wu-Tang Forever suffers from, its over ambition. But you can hardly blame a group for such a fault. Criticize a rap artist for turning out a cheap cash-in, criticize a rap artist for stuffing a double album up to its neck in filler - but Wu-Tang Forever is neither. Wu-Tang Forever takes artistic chances with RZA fleshing out some of the most captivating soundscapes ever heard in the rap world. Look at the song "Reunited" - where violins wail gypsy-style changing tempo and building up into a climactic frenzy. It's classic Wu at its best. Lyrically, the entire album crackles with the same passionate furious energy of their debut album. Over the spread of four years, the group members have developed distinct personas and defined their rapping style. On Wu-Tang Forever, each member really comes into their own, exchanging rapid gunfire worldplay with experience and ease, playing off each others strengths and weaknesses. All rules and logic argue that with such large individual egos in play, it would tear the group apart but rather it tightens it into a sleeker method of attack. The song "Triumph" is the best example of this with all the group members passing the mics as torrents of lyricism follow each other with relentless power. The Wu-Tang Clan is such a tightly knit combination of talent it seems difficult to ever take them down. Even when RZA's beats and productions don't hit the mark, the MCs carry the song through. And vice versa. There are a few times when both counterparts fail such as Black Shampoo and Maria. But these are minor complaints because even the throwaways work beautifully within the context of Wu-Tang Forever. Check out "For Heaven's Sake" with a trademark stomping militant chorus come-on and its quirky nasal female flourishes. "Visionz" features eerie piano chords tip-toeing along dark alleys and ducking within shadows. Speaking of vision, there's plenty of it on Wu-Tang Forever with the group contributing to the anti-mainstream rap cause and calling for social reform. And while a few times, the group's vision errs (i.e. the condemnation of evolution), nonetheless it remains refreshing and interesting compared to their middle-of-the-road peers. Take Wu-Tang Forever piece by piece, listening to the entire album in one sitting is a feat I myself have not even accomplished. The album is meant to be enjoyed in measured listenings but the overall effect at the end is more rewarding than any hip-hop album I have heard yet.

First off, I must say that I was never a fan of rap and hip hop and still am not. I'm just a white, middle class, suburbinite. I must also add that I have deep respect for extremely talented expressions of artwork. That is where Wu-Tang's Forever comes into place. This 2 disc album is not even the best Wu-Tang album, 36 Chamber is, but this one still takes your breath away. The beats are like instrumental songs of their own, and the MC's crash perfectly in with them on the same level. Even the weakest of the Wu-Tang MC's are still much stronger than most lyricists these days. Inspectah Deck is just amazing. The lyrics and rhymes he writes are some of the best, if not the best ever. Rza keeps everything so much more powerful with his genius and revolutionary beats. Ghostface Killah shines throughout with his heart filled and high pitched vocals (especially seen in "Impossible"). Those are just a few, but everyone on these 2 discs deserves to be mentioned. All in all, anyone with a brain can listen to this and realize that the 9 men of the Wu-Tang Clan are extremely gifted artists and can at least be appreciated for that.

its 1997, and the wu-tang clan has had 6 classic albums (36 chambers, tical, liquid swords, return to the 36 chambers, only built 4 cuban linx, ironman), almost all with huge commercial success. how do you turn that into a 7th hit? make a double album backed with a banging #1 single. it obviously worked since the ablum went gold in the first week alone. but that commercial success is when the wu started losing some of their original touch. 36 chambers had 12 perfect tracks and fans only wanted more, but when 26 tracks come out at once there have to be some fillers alongside the classics (...).

all fillers ignored, however, this album is just killer. triumph, the #1 hit single features every member (odb only doing the intro tho). reunited, the street single, is my personal favorite on the album. rza innovates a little with violin loops instead of his usual keys and it turns out to be dope. odb and gza drop some of the best verses on the album on that song. gza and raekwon also kill on severe punishment with some funny kung-fu samples, and rza's production is top notch on songs like heaterz. deadly melody showcases masta killa's haunting rhyming skill over rza's usual eerie piano loops with tight verses from meth and ghostface too. as high as wu-tang gets is another one of the standout tracks, with meth and gza (probably the best wu members to work together as seen on shadowboxin' from liquid swords) rhyming over a funky rza beat with a dope bassline and a fun singing chorus from odb.

overall this album is one of the best from the 90s and an excellent sophomore attempt from the whole clan, not innovating too much but still offering something different from their first album. unfortunately their next 2 albums almost completely ditch the old wu-tang style and now they're just above-average rappers instead of the supergroup they once were.

If i could give this album 10 Stars i would. Aight theres a lot of haters out there givin this album less than 3 stars... If you not a die heart Wu fan you will never like or understand this album. To me this album is perfect, only disapointment is that there is hardly any GZA on it, who is my personal favorite. If you love Raekwon this is going to be an amazing album for you to hear, he is everywhereee on this album. And i aint rating no tracks couse i am a true fan. Wu-tang 4 EVER

2005-2006 look out for Ghostface-fishcale/ GZA&Mugzs- the Grandmasters/ Raekwon- O.B.4.C.l Part2(I cant Wait) Inspectah Deck-The Rebellion/ ODB- A son Unique/ U-god- Mr. Excitement (In Stores NOW) Masta Killa- eat Coast In Da House/ MethodMan- (Title TBA)And The RZA- Return of the Prince, or Bobby Digital in 5:1

Even though I've had this album for nearly two years now I can still listen to it over and over again (this is the great strength with Wu albums). If they'd cut out the shit tracks and the filler (wu-revolution, black shampoo, second coming) this album would come extremely close to matching enter. As usual the RZA creates amazing aural soundscapes, though 4th Disiple does good as well, and on the tracks they shine on they really shine, For heavens sake, Older Gods, Triumph, the City and Hellz Wind Staff in particular. If the next LP is a combination of this and Enter The Wu-Tang it will destroy nearly every other rap album made. If you've not got any Wu-Tang Lps get Enter first but otherwise you'll not regret buying this.

I seem to be alone on this, but I found Wu-Tang's second cd to be far superior to the celebrated debut. Disc one alone matches Enter..., offering the same swirling brew of rhymes, beats and loops with varying degrees of success from filler to fantastic (For Heaven's Sake and It's Yourz are my favorites). Disc two however is damn near perfect. From the bass boomin' Triumph to the chilling string lines of The City, it's a dense masterpiece from hip-hop's premier producer and a squadron of top-notch rappers whose combined pool of talent may be unparalled, not in hip-hop, but in mainstream music, period. On the whole, the sum of it's parts may be less than perfection, but the bang for your buck is pretty hard to top.

The year is 1997. The hip-hop world has been rocked by the recent deaths of 2Pac and Notorious B.I.G. Out of the tragedy emerges Puff Daddy...the complete opposite of the gangsta image that had emcompassed hip-hip music for the majority of a decade. Suddenly, rappers everywhere begin dropping their thug persona to get "jiggy" and boast their bank accounts.
Maybe this was one of the things working against the hardcore Wu-Tang Clan as they released their double-disc sophomore effort.

The 9-man group had released five highly praised solo efforts between their group projects and with the anticipation of Wu-Tang Forever, seemed poised to officially lock down the title of world's best rap group. But, alas, it was not to be.
Deep down, Forever was and is a brilliant album. Lyrically the Clan had progressed to a breaking point where listeners were forced to write out the words and analyze them to completely understand the gems contained. Production-wise, RZA offered cleaner sounding and more high-tech sample-free beats than their stunning debut.
Unfortunately, the MTV crowd wasn't ready and party joints featuring juvenile lyricism laced over jacked-80's hits kept Forever from producing even one hit single.
Sure, Forever isn't without its flaws. With over 20 tracks, there is plenty of skip-worthy material and even the best tracks have difficulty holding up to most of the Clan's previous work.
But a good album is still a good album and very few releases can stack up to this one.

Only track I skip is Black Shampoo, other than that this album is dazzling and there is no filler. They took their time and came up with a classic, what all artists should do.