1.  Cover Me’s tribute to covers of Lady Gaga!  Go here and check out the tunage.

2.  GHOSTFACE RnB Fish.  Mixtape by DJ Lord Finesse.  Cop it here.

3.  Win the new Rogue Wave album here.

4.  A bunch of covers of You Keep Me Hangin’ On are at Versions Galore.

5.  B.O.B.’s album release date has been pushed back. So he leaked a track.  Cop it.

6.  The Mixtape by the Kanye West endorsed CyHi Da Prynce.  Here.

7.  RAS KASS-Endangered Lyricist mixtape.  Cop it here.  Ras is one of the vastly underrated underground rappers.

Only Built 4 Cuban Lynx (a.k.a. “Linx”) is easily one of the most important, and best, single-artist original mixtapes of all time.  It’s right up there with Lil’ Wayne’s, “Dedication,” Clipse’s, “We Got It 4 Cheap,” and the first couple mixtapes by Young Jeezy.  These works defined the mixtape as a street album, a place where artists could establish themselves or, in the case of Raekwon, redefine themselves.  On Only Built 4 Cuban Lynx, The Chef and his partner, Ghostface Killah, established their ability to work without the Wu Tang Clan (even if most of the key Clanners participated).  So, what is Rae trying to by releasing a sequel, over ten years later?

He’s trying to save rap.

Raekwon (and Ghostface) pretty much created mafia rap, a genre that tells raw street stories.  Unlike gangsta rap, Mafioso hip hop focuses on the good and the bad, without glamorizing bling and drug dealing.  It’s “conscious,” in the sense that it is aware, but does not qualify as “conscious rap” because it makes no apologies and doesn’t seek to convert bangers away from the life.  The reach and influence of this style, which grew out of Slick Rick’s storytelling, is huge.  In many ways, Ice Cube’s old, first-person NWA stories were a response to Raekwon and Ghostface.  Where Rae and Ghost can be crude and violent, they were never self-indulgent.  Of course, from NWA came gangsta rap and from that came just about everything else.

So how does Raekwon’s return fare in this modern era?  Amazingly well.  It’s a true-to-the-game, blistering joyride that never stops moving.  It’s like he released it days, instead of years, after Cuban Lynx I.

Of course, as far as age and credibility go, Raekwon has the advantage of never having been a blockbuster, never having sold himself based on his abs or his cameo appearances, and, frankly, never having appeared to have sold out.  Sure, he’s made buckets of change off of Wu Tang alone, and the first Only Built mixtape eventually got a proper album release, but he’s always remained (or at least appears to have always remained) humble.  On Linx II, he’s up to his old tricks, telling tales comparably grimey and raw—and in some cases, like “Gihad,” even more intense than ever.  The guest shots are ubiquitous and pretty much excellent without exception, with contributions on the mic or the boards from, among others, the surviving members of Wu-Tang Clan, Dr. Dre, Beanie Sigel, Slick Rick, Busta Rhymes, Marley Marl, Erick Sermon, Cappadonna, J Dilla, Jadakiss, and, of course, Ghostface.  The only obvious person missing is Nas, who doesn’t appear
(for personal reasons) on “Verbal Intercourse 2.”

Pretty Toney fills the same role he had on Linx I, peppering Raekwon’s heavy/serious tales with bizarre and violent poetry.  He’s like a very intelligent and versatile hype man who is capable of holding his own.  GFK deserves to share title billing on this album; that he didn’t fight for it is a testament to his obvious love for Raekwon and for Hip Hop as an art form.

Lyrically, Rae and Ghost (and friends) are still full of choruses that chant about money and guns, and they still throw in head-scratchers (“Our guns is chunky,” e.g.) and tell vile stories with humor and aplomb.  One minor quibble: The beats here are no longer primarily Cuban.  “Surgical Gloves” sounds middle Eastern, and there are Asian influences on several other tracks.  But don’t take this as a complaint.  The music is fantastic.  It’s just that calling it “Cuban” Linx is a little misleading.

Misleading title aside OB4CL2 is easily one of the best records of the year..  The second half of this decade may be remembered as the year that many old-timers returned with new claims of relevance: KRS-One and Buckshot teamed up and released a strong album, even if it didn’t break new ground for either of them.  Jay-Z tried (some would say tried too hard) to return to form.  Nas said hip hop was dead, but then kept putting albums out.  Clipse have struggled to release Until The Casket Drops and, more famously, Dr. Dre still hasn’t brought Dretox.  Oh, and Wu Tang released easily the worst album of their career, and in the process showed their ugly sides.  Several Clanners have shown a steady decline in the quality of their solo work as well.  Even Tupac has run out of decent material.

Only Raekwon’s return is a certifiable classic.  It should remind everyone why the 1990s were the best years for rap, and why The Chef and Iron Man deserve to be remembered as the greatest rap duo of all time.

New Wu (feat. Method Man and Ghostface Killah)

01) Intro
02) Staten We Go Hard
03) Trenchmen
04) Pop Champagne (Freestyle)
05) Criminology 09
06) Yessir (Feat. Crooked I & Ghostface)
07) Wu Ooh
08) Stick Up Muzik
09) Blood Missles (Feat. Az)
10) History
11) Very Well (Skit)
12) White Lines
13) State Shoutout
14) SuperFly (Skit)
15) Real Talk
16) Once In A Lifetime (Feat. Mika)
17) Resolution
18) Watch How You Talk to Me
19) Spook That Sat By The Door
20) Rae’s Letter To B.I.G
21) Where’s The Money (Skit)
22) Flawless
23) The Setup
24) Attention (Skit)
25) Heat Rocks
26) Rotate (Freestyle)
27) Renaissance Rap
28) Get It In (Freestyle)
29) Guerilla Rap
30) Realer (Feat. Maino)
31) Give It To Me (Remix)
32) Words From The Chef (Outro)

GET THE MIXTAPE

(Thanks, Smoking Section!)

J-Love’s Hidden Darts series are some of the best mixtapes ever.

This year brings us volume 5.  Enjoy.

I’d appreciate any diggs, stumbleupons, or any “hearts” at Hype Machine.

Ghostface – Hidden Darts Vol.5 (Hosted By J-Love)
1. (00:00:18) – Track 1
2. (00:02:29) – SLEPT ON TONEY
3. (00:01:39) – A.B.C
4. (00:03:47) – WU OOH FEAT RAEKWON & METHOD MAN
5. (00:02:01) – CRIMINOLOGY PT 2
6. (00:03:16) – DA G HIDE
7. (00:03:08) – THE RICH FEAT RAEWON
8. (00:03:36) – WHAR FEAT KOOL G RAP & RZA
9. (00:03:20) – BARRELL BROTHERS FEAT BEANIE SIGEL & STYLES P
10. (00:03:59) – FULL METAL JACKET FEAT J-LOVE , MEYHEM LAUREN , WIGS & TRIFE DA GOD
11. (00:03:53) – AMSTERDAM FEAT TRIFE DA GOD & WIGS (PRODUCED BY J-LOVE)
12. (00:03:46) – SHAKEY DOG (RMX) (PRODUCED BY J-LOVE)
13. (00:03:26) – CHINA TOWN FEAT M F DOOM
14. (00:02:39) – TRIALS OF LIFE FEAT PRODIGY
15. (00:02:40) – MESSAGE FROM GHOSTFACE

Link

The best posts on this site are the ones that piss people off.  At least those are the ones that I find the most interesting, and that tend to have longevity in terms of drawing readers and comments.  Like my “Best Indie Albums Ever” post that still pisses off hundreds of readers a week.  That post was a poll–I asked you all to vote and published the results.  This post is not, but I’d love to read your comments.  I’m sure many people will say Jay-Z is overrated, but i just can’t agree.  Dude has mad variety in flow and lyrical content, is able to mix college-level political theory with street-level slang, and has sustained a career for decades.  The criteria for an overrated rapper have to be that the guy is famous, respected (i.e., people put him on top 10 lists, etc.), has been around for more than a few years, and has a tight following.  In other words, they have to actually be rated well.  This means that the artists on this list do have skill–I’m not throwing artists like Nelly up here because all they did was make pop for a few years and then fade away.  None of these folks should be ashamed of who they are.

They’re all very talented.

They’re just not as talented as everyone says they are.

They’re just not as good as everyone says.

Why do I make these excuses?  Because I asked about a dozen rap bloggers to contribute to this post, and most were too scared sign on.  Only two agreed, and their contributions are included below.

Dig in.

10.  Timbaland/Akon.

The bottom rung of this ladder is occupied by two producers.  Is that a copout?  Maybe a little.  But these producers are collectively responsible for about 75% of the irresponsibly saccharine hip hop that has diluted the art form and changed it from a refuge for street poets into an echo chamber.  Or, even worse, a sideshow.  Pussycat Dolls, Nelly Furtado, Tweet, Brandy, Stefani, Timberlake . . . All projects that used rap as little more than a way to give the featured artists some sort of credibility.   Timbaland is a master at selling the hip hop art form for far less than its true value, just to make another dollar he probably doesn’t even need.  And if any of you have heard the leaked Jay-Z tracks from his coming album, you’re probably as worried as I am that Timba found a way to slay Hova.  The beats are weak as hell.  As for Akon, his latest album merged hip hop with pop to completely rape both genres, taking only their most stereotypical, cypher-like qualities.  It was too offensive for the 12-year-olds it was marketed to, and too infantile for anyone with more than a grade school education.  I’m not a t00-serious humbug or a killjoy, either.  Any regular reader of this blog knows I dig lighthearted pop, and I’m not easily offended.  But an art form should make up its mind what it wants to say–it should have a message and a meaning.   And although they’ve worked well with rappers in the past (Timba’s Missy Elliott work is brilliant), Timba was also responsible for “Ayo Technology”–possibly the worst 50 Cent hit in history.  And Akon’s “Smack That” marks the precise point in time when Eminem completely fell off.  Timbaland and Akon, whether working solo or with other artists, are pure formula: This worked before, so we’ll do the same damn thing again, without any thought or consideration about what a particular artist might need.  A good producer is willing to hang in the back and let the artist shine–but to Timba and Akon, the artist is irrelevant.  And both started strong, too. Akon’s first album, written while he was in prison, was a great example of how rap and R&B can merge effectively, cohesively, and create a powerful work of art.  Timbaland’s early work with Missy E is nothing short of stupendous, because he let her do what nobody but her has been able to do with him since: Take center stage and rock the mic.  He’s never been that good again.

9.  Wale. Wale has been called the greatest rapper since Jay-Z, but I have yet to hear understand what all the hubub is about.  The guy has a decent flow the first few times you hear him, until you realize that that’s all he can do.  His rhymes aren’t  creative or interesting, and the Seinfeld gimmick “Mixtape About Nothing” was aptly named.  It was thin and boring.  Every other artist on this list has proven himself to me on more than one occasion, but Wale has yet to bring it.  I think people really want him to be a big underground success story, and he’s riding the crest of a wave of expectation, but if he can’t put a single album together, and he hasn’t yet, then I have to ask: What’s the big deal about Wale?  Oh, and just who is it that called him the greatest since Hova?  That unparalleled hip hop tastemaker, GQ Magazine.  I rest my case.

8.  Method Man. Here’s another one I just don’t get.  Method Man crossed over into bad movies and bad T.V., but what has he done since 1993?  In fact, what has he done since he did his best work, which was also his first real work?  Was anything on “Tical” anywhere near as good as M.E.T.H.O.D. Man off of  “Enter the Wu: 36 chambers?”  And was Method Man even the best part of Wu?  Like Nas, Method Man is still riding off his initial brilliance, never since showing improved skills, versatility or breaking new ground.  And MM’s inability to live up to his legend is made all the more obvious when you compare his post-36 Chambers work to that of so many other Wu Tangers who went on to make amazing solo album and who continued, for years or even decades, to move hip hop forward: Ghostface (Supreme Clientele, Fishscale), RZA (producing every good Wu solo album from the 1990s) ,GZA (liquid swords), Raekwon (Cuban Links) . . . even ODB continued to grow creatively.  Method Man even took a pretty skilled artist, Redman, teamed up with him, and basically ruined him.  I defy any of you to listen to “Blackout” straight through.  Method man is waaaaay overrated.  In fact, if more people respected him, he’d be a lot higher on this list.  As it is, too many people revere him.  I wonder if they ever actually listened to any of his albums more than once.

7.  Buck 65 and Aesop Rock. Buck and Aesop don’t suck, but once you’ve heard one of their albums, you never need to listen to another one.  There are better white rappers out there (Beasties, Eminem, MC Serch).  There are even better underground white rappers out there (Slug, Eyedea, El-P).  There are even better Canadian rappers out there (K-Os, Abdominal, Kardinal Offishall).  Aesop is intelligent and crafty, but he doesn’t move the crowd, and that goes double for Buck 65 who is more of a beat poet than a rapper.  I get that they’ve both made some good singles and Aesop even made a couple pretty good albums, but do they really belong in discussions about the best rappers around today?  No, they don’t.  And yet, I frequently find them the subjects of such discussions.  They are overrated.

6.  M.I.A. Okay, Paper Planes and Galang are hot as fire, but is M.I.A. really to blame for that?  The beats are hot as fuck.  I think Bob Dylan could read the phone book over those beats and still have a hit.  And can anyone with a penis listen to an entire M.I.A. album without gagging?  This is hip hop for chicks.  Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it also doesn’t make it good.  It also doesn’t make M.I.A. a rap star.  There’s lots of talented female MCs out there, and M.I.A. doesn’t even come close.  BET named her the best femal rapper of 2009?  Please.  Lauryn Hill’s lame cheese from the “Surf’s Up” soundtrack was more hip hop than Kala.  Not to mention Remy Ma, Rah Digga, Jean Grae . . . M.I.A. is a pop star who has managed to convince everyone that she’s a rapper.  As a pop star, she’s great.  (But arguably not as great as Santigold.)  As a rap star, she’s, say it with me now, overrated!  (And Santigold is a better rapper, too.)

5.  Lil’ Wayne. First off, I give props to Weezy’s work ethic and his wilingness to release tons of shit for free.  Mad props for that.  But if you have better-than-average skills (which he does) and an offbeat imagination (ditto), and you throw enough crap at a microphone, you’re bound to strike gold sometimes.  But can any of you name a solid Lil’ Wayne solo album?   You can’t, can you?  (And don’t say Carter III, you’ll only expose yourself as an ignoramus.)  Lil’ Wayne makes singels, but outperforms his own studio work with his own mixtapes.  And overexposes himself to boot.  While I appreciate free music on mixtapes, and I enjoy me a good “Prostitute Flange” now and then, I recognize that he’s not nearly as good as many other artists out there who control their output and only release a record when they’ve really got something to say.  Wayne talks too much.  He should lay off the sizzurp and get some focus.

4.  Snoop Doggy Dogg. Snoop’s creeping, sneaky, brimming-with-danger delivery is a major reason why The Chronic is one of the greatest albums of all time, and why Doggystyle is probably in the top 50 as well.  Not to mention Snoop’s debut track, Deep Cover, which may be one of my top ten all-time favorite rap singles.

But since then, he has had absolutely nothing on his mind except smoking weed and making money, and that’s commercialism, not art.  He’s not a great rapper, he’s a great product.  Dre found Calvin when he got out of prison, wearing a backpack and blue jeans, and Dr. Dre turned the lanky pothead into a superstar.  To paraphrase Jay-Z, he’s not a businessman, he’s a business, man!  With 20-something records under his belt, he averages one or two good songs per album (even less, lately).  That just does not make him a great rapper.  His stuff is weak, lazy, and formulaic.  Plus, he’s responsible for The Eastsidaz AND the Dogg Pound.  Shame on you, Snoop!  You’ve been around as long as just about anyone who is recording today, and you have a grand total of one good album.  The rest of them all suck, every one.  There may be a few decent club bangers here and there, but not a single good album.  You are vastly overrated.

And I’m not the only one who feels this way.  One of the two rappers brave enough to take a stand in this post says . . .

“As much as I love snoop for his personality and song ideas- as a rapper’s rapper– I don’t need to hear more rhymes about Lincoln Continentals.”

Haldan of Palms Out.

3.  Gucci Mane. I’m gonna let my buddy Jeff do the talking here:

“Let’s be clear: I don’t hate Gucci Mane. In small doses, Radric Davis is perfectly tolerable, even occasionally enjoyable. Gucci Mane stretched over an entire mixtape or album? It’s the aural equivalent of trying to eat pizza three meals a day. At first, it’s awesome but by the 22nd time, you feel bloated, indolent and suspect that you might be too old for these sort of harebrained schemes.

The defense is that the streets want Gucci. That’s fine–the streets also want Coldplay, Kings of Leon, and Nickelback. It just depends what street you’re on. Don’t try to tell me that he’s a thesaurus wizard because he compared a jewel to a tomato. That doesn’t mean he’s a genius, it means he walked into a supermarket. Here are several other similes that you could compare a jewel to: a radish, a red hot, Satan’s ass. See, it’s really not that hard. It’s fine if you like Gucci–more power to you–but trying to turn him into the second coming of Nas is absurd. I say we compromise: Gucci is a poor man’s Juvenile. Ha.”

Jeff of Passion of the Weiss.

2. 50 Cent. Fiddy rose on the strength of one song: How to Rob an Industry Nigga.  It was pure genius, and it was coldly calculated to move units.  In it, he namedropped every pop and hip hop star in the top 40, the diss record equivalent of a gonzo porn film: All cum shots and blow jobs.  After that, he took beats that Dr. Dre was too lazy to use for himself and Eminem didn’t need, and used them to augment fairly weak lyrics on a hit album.  And then, after that, he got worse with every release.  There’s one thing 50 does great: Hooks and banter.  “Go shorty, it’s your birthday!”  “G-g-g-gee Unit!”  “I’m a muthafuckin’ P-I-M-P!”  All cool as shit.  But what about the lyrics: “She dances for dollas.  She got a thing for that Gucci, that Fendi, that Prada.”  “This town’s one big pussy, waitin’ to get fucked.”  It’s all crude and obvious lines.  50 makes hooks, not songs, and he makes singles, not albums.  On top of that, the only things he can rap about are getting drunk, getting rich, and robbing people.  Is that really all that’s on his mind?  Doesn’t he love his children?  Has he ever regretted anything?  Can he just drop one honest bar?  Just one, I’m not greedy.  Rap is supposed to have elements of self-revelation and exploration–all the best do it: Jay-Z has his “Song Cry,” Nas mixes in politics and empowerment, and Eminem skins himself alive every time he hits the mic (except on his last album).  I’m not trying to discount the volume of sales 50 Cent has generated: The man is a monster, no doubt.  But there’s no way he deserves to be considered a great rapper.  He’s a caricature.  An action figure.  A corporate shill.  There’s more to good rap than a chorus.

1.  Tupac. Makiavelli is a brilliant record, from start to end, and “2pacalypse Now” doesn’t suck, either.  And the man knew how to make rap hits–real rap, too, not crap watered down for the radio.  Plus, to be fair, after he died they released every rough draft, piece of shit, and phlegmy cough the man ever did on mic, making him the only person dead or alive who is more prolific than Lil’ Weezy.  But even if we limit this to an examination of his five official albums, he just doesn’t measure up to the title of “Greatest of All Time,” which he is so often given.  Other than Don Killuminati, there are at least a half dozen better records that came out at the same time each of his studio platters dropped. Take 2Pacalypse now, for example.  That same year, 1991, also brought us the nothing-short-of-brilliant Ice Cube album, Death Certificate, and his cousin Del’s ingenious I Wish My Brother George Was Here, as well as Step Into the Arena, Effil4Zaggin, De La Soul is Dead, Ice T’s magnum opus O.G., Cypress Hill and Naughty By Nature’s eponymous debuts, and Apocalypse ‘91.  All better records.  Of course, 1991 was a watershed year for hip hop.  So let’s check out 1993, when Pac brought Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.  Can that record, track for track, even compete with Midnight Marauders, Enter the Wu Tang, Doggystyle, Enta Da Stage, Masta Ace’s Slaughtahouse, or even Ice Cube’s Lethal Injection?  If you were a fan of 1995’s Me Against the World, you should have been listening to Liquid Swords, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, The Infamous, or Da Shining.  And even if Pac wins the 1995 contest, and I admit that one is close, his 1996 All Eyez on Me pales in comparison to The Fugees’ debut album, Hova’s Reasonable Doubt, and OutKast’s ATLiens, not to mention the competition from Ironman, Here to Save You All (by the vastly underrated Chino XL), It Was Written, Illadelph Halflife . . . Tupac was a very good rapper, but he was an even better folk hero.  Let’s not let the legend overeclipse his talent.  If Pac hadn’t been shot, most folks wouldn’t put him in their top 10s.  Top 20, maybe, because he had such a dynamic personality, but he’s outclassed in flow by Jay-Z, Eminem, Chuck D., Bun-B, Biggie, Q-Tip, and even Obie Trice and Project Pat.  He’s outclassed lyrically by KRS-One, Masta Ace, Biggie (again), Talib, Mos Def, Eminem (again), and MF Doom.  And he’s outclassed as a gangsta storyteller by Vinnie Paz, Mobb Deep, Nas, Slick Rick, Ice Cube, and Jay-Z.  And those are just the folks I can name off the top of my head.

Pac was good, but the greatest of all time?  No.  As a rapper, he was, that’s right, overrated.  And given the legendary status he’s managed to attain, he is inarguably the most overrated rapper of all time.

Raise ‘em up if you were disappointed by 8 Diagrams! Anyone not raise their hands? Then you don’t know shit about Wu Tang Clan. I’m happy to say, though, that The Razor, a cornerstone of New York’s most talented collective, hasn’t lost his skillz. Released on the independent Wu Music Group, Afro Samurai: Resurrection, is the second soundtrack to the groundbreaking Anime series. Cartoon Network has done some great things with music, and this is yet another. Not a traditional soundtrack, the album contains fully formed songs and fantastic rappers. There’s “You Already Know,” which features Kool G Rap and Inspectah Deck; “Blood Thicker Than Mud,” which samples Sly Stone’s “Family Affair;” Whar w/Kool G Rap, Tash, and my personal pick for the most talented Wu banger, Pretty Toney, who goes by Ghostface Killah on this track; and a key spot by Rah Digga, Bitch is Gonna Get Ya, which really shows off this underrated female rapper’s ability. And best of all: No useless snippets.

This is the best rap album of the year so far. It’s early in 2009, only January, so it’s easy to say this, but don’t take it too lightly. There’s a lot of strong, classic-sounding Wu on here.

Whar-Kool G Rap, Ghostface, Tash, and RZA

Classic Wu:

Wu Gambinos-Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Rza & Masta Killa.

Wu-Tang Clan ain’t nuthin’ to fuck with! From December 2007. Live rap is rarely great (and this ain’t either), but it’s often interesting (and this is).

A few tastes, then a zip.

Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta F’ Wit
Da Mystery of Chessboxin’
Fish (Ghostface)
Duel of the Iron Mic (GZA)
It’s Yourz
Liquid Swords
Ice Cream
Incarcerated Scarfaces
One Blood Under W
Do You Really (Thang Thang)
Cash Still Rules
Protect Ya Neck
As My Blood Runs Black
Tar Pit
Method Man
C.R.E.A.M.
Spoken tribute to ODB
Shimmy Shimmy Ya
Brooklyn Zoo
Triumph

ZIP FILE

5. Ghostface Killah-Big Doe Rehab.
21. Wu Tang Clan-The 8 Diagrams.

How the fuck does GFK do it? Album after album, he consistently brings the best beats, and wittiest verses, in all of hip hop. And instead of bringing in name-dropping cameos to add a verse after he’s done, he truly collaborates with his guests, punctuating their verses with his own characteristic, breathless rants. This year–nay, this very month–Pretty Toney made the ballsy move of competing with his own band: And slammed their impressive, long-awaited reunion album right down to the streetop.

But even if the full Wu couldn’t compete with its lone member, The 8 Diagrams is far from disappointing. In their first studio release since the death of Ol’ Dirty Bastard, GZA, RZA, Method Man, Raekwon, U-God, Inspecta Deck, Masta Killa, and Ghostface Killa reform like Voltron to produce their second greatest album ever. RZA is still brilliant in both his choice of beats and his complex, layered approach to hip hop: A great Wu Tang song is marked not only by the rough, rugged, and often paranoid lyrics of whichever master is at the mic, but by the understory told through the music. And the individual members are in fine form too, as if they know that this album could very well be the launchpad for the success of their future solo work—or, just as easily, it could sound a death knell for subsequent success. Method Man, one of my least favorite of the Clan, brings his best work since Enter the 36 Chambers on the lead track, Campfire, and even U-God shows skills on the drug anthem, Get Them Out Ya Way Pa. I admit, I was concerned by the underwhelming single, While My Heart Gently Weeps, featuring Erykah Badu. GFK had already taken The Beatles on, several times, on mixtapes, and his stuff was just . . . Better. But when I heard the track again, in the context of the full record, it worked for me.

I read an article that quoted Ghostface as saying the following about 8 Diagrams: “RZA is fumbling the ball. . . . His music wasn’t sounding like how it was when we first came in. And it’s hurting us. People want that old Wu-Tang shit, but you tryin’ to make new shit—tryin’ to play live instruments, instead of just goin’ to the crates and just do what you do best. You still a master at what you do, but right now you ain’t lookin’ like that master, ’cause you tryin’ to do other stuff. We were just upset with the way things was comin’ out.”

But in the same article, Ghost defends Jay-Z’s Kingdom Come because an artist in his late 30s can’t be expected to sound like he did in his early 20s. He has to grow up. Diagrams is RZA’s Kingdom Come. It’s still dark and thick and disturbing, but it uses a live band and longer musical clips—it represents the DJ as a songwriter, rather than as a hook-maker. I will probably get lots of hate mail for saying this, but Diagrams is Wu’s second best album. Like their first, it takes risks by delving into new styles and featuring almost ballad-like soundbeds. It’s a much better album than everyone else says it is.

There’s been lots of talk about “concept rap” albums this year, between Lupe, NaS, MF Grimm, and Jay-Z, and I’m a fan of all those releases, but both Big Doe Rehab and 8 Diagrams are organic albums that don’t need a concept. They are best heard in a single listen, and that’s not because they adopt characters and tell a story over the course of the album. It’s because they are created by true artists who understand that only half of storytelling involves words—the other half is mood and delivery.

As for mp3s from these albums, they’re RIAA releases, so you’ll have to be content with a mixtape track and a live show (a repost).

Wu Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthin To Fuck With-Rage Against the Machine

Clientele Kidd-Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Fat Joe (Remix) (Mixtape)

Celebrate (Mixtape version)-Ghostface

Set It Off (Big Daddy Kane cover) (live)-Ghostface

C.R.E.A.M.-Ghostface (live)

Go here for a full live Ghost show!

Today, we capture that most elusive of prey: A high quality, well-played, and not synced to tape live rap show, featuring one of the top 5 rappers around today: Ghostface. I’ll be beginning my year-end wrap up in a few weeks, and I’m sad to say that Ghostface’s More Fish will not be on it. It was a good album, but nowhere near as good as Fishscale, and not better than 40 other albums that came out this year. So, I’m throwing this up as a consolation prize. GFK is truly one of the greatest in the game today. Backing him at this show is The Roots, the same folks who backed Jay-Z on his live acoustic album.

A few tastes, and a zip. Enjoy.

01. Ice Cream (Originally with Raekwon, from the classic mixtape Cuban Linx)
02. Pass The Mic (Theodore Unit)
03. Greedy Bitches
04. Daytona 500
05. Fish
06. Set It Off (Big Daddy Kane cover).
07. Holla (Chorus)
08. Biscuits
09. Nutmeg> Apollo Kids
10. Shimmy Shimmy Ya (cover of Ol’ Dirty Bastard)
11. C.R.E.A.M. (Wu Tang/Raekwon and Inspektah Deck)
12. No, No, No (Chorus)
13. Cher Che Le Ghost (Also performs U- God’s verse)
14. Back Like That
15. Run

ZIP

Okay. I’m gonna start by saying this: I know this post will produce a flood of hate-mail and negative comments because I didn’t get such-and-such facts precisely right, or I didn’t focus on person-X-whose-your-favorite-Clanner. Lemme say up front, I know I don’t know much, and I will not be posting every Wu-Tang Clan song ever laid to wax. Get over it.

The story:

Wu-Tang Clan started with three cousins: the Genius (GZA), Ol’ Dirty Bastard, and Prince Rakeem (The RZA), known underground as the Force Of The Imperial Master and the All In Together Now crew. GZA got signed to Cold Chillin’ Records and The RZA was signed to then-relatively-small-time Tommy Boy Records, but neither of them broke.

In the early ‘90s, The RZA hooked up with the rest of the gang to form the Clan, which included, in order of importance to the rap game:

- Ghostface (a.k.a. Tony Starks, Ironman GFK, The Talk Of New York, Theodore Deini, Monster Don (from Fishscale), Tonetana, Clark Kent, Starsky, and many other names), who began his career much like MF DOOM, wearing a mask to hide his secret identity (he was born Denis Coles). For his discussion of his period of his life, check out his duet with MF DOOM, titled “The Mask.” GFK was the opener on the opening track off 36 Chambers, “Bring da Ruckus.”

- Raekwon (a.k.a. The Chef, Lex Diamond).

- Ol’ Dirty Bastard (a.k.a. Big Baby Jesus, Dirk McGirk, Dirt Dog, Russell Jones).

- GZA (a.k.a. The Genius, Allah Justice, Maximillion).

- Method Man

- Masta Killa. He’s not on 36 Chambers much ‘cause he was in prison while most of it was cut, but his solo release, “No Said Date” is fantastic.

- Inspectah Deck, who never lived up to the promise he showed in 36 Chambers, but did become a talented producer of projects by guys like Ghostface Killah and Big Pun.

- U-God (a.k.a. Golden Arms)

They called themselves the Wu-Tang Clan, and patterned a unique, grimey style and taking on their own legend – from the hills of Shaolin. (The name was taken from a Saturday Afternoon Drive-In Karate movie, although there have been claims that it was an acronym for “Wisdom, Universe, Truth, Allah, Nation, and God”.) Far as I know, they were the first to do this: Create a group with a history, philosophy, and style that was mostly factually fictional, but within which each member’s personality found character.

Taking a page from our nation’s Greatest President (George Washington), their leader, The RZA, took an oath to step down in 5 years—at which time he predicted they’d all be stars. He was wrong. It only took one year.

After releasing Protect Ya Neck independently, the group signed to Loud/RCA with a contract clause allowing each member to record solo albums with other labels. In ’93, the group released its manifesto and its greatest album: Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). The most revolutionary aspect of 36 Chambers was the production, which, like the content, was mythic. Other than Public Enemy’s Terminator X and their wall of sound, no rap group or artist had ever created a sound that was so distinctive. There’ve been lots of imitators since then, but nobody has been able to come close to duplicating the albums layers of grit, and the ease with which each unique member was able to pass the mic to the next, seamlessly transitioning between philosophical ramblings and hardcore tales of gangsta street life.

There’s not a weak track here. You get ODB’s Shame On A Nigga; Inspectah Deck’s Clan In Da Front; Method Man’s eponymous track; the classic chipmunk soul of, Can It Be All So Simple; and the single greatest bling track ever: C.R.E.A. M. (The only bad thing to come of it is Limp Bizkit’s album, “Dolla Bill Y’all.”) 36 is one of the best rap albums in history, right up there with Nation Of Millions, Ready to Die, Illmatic, Reasonable Doubt, and St8 Outta Compton.

Bring Da Ruckus-Wu Tang (demo version)

Enter the Wu Tang.

Go here to see Wu Tang Clan Ain’t Nothin’ To Fuck Wit-The Video.

Soon, we saw solo outings. First, The RZA formed the Gravediggaz with Prince Paul and others, rising from the semi-successful Stetsasonic. I used to have an old scratched up remix of “Speaking of a Girl Named Suzie” but I can’t find it. Sorry.

I’ve never been as big a fan of most of the members’ side projects, and I admit that the smokin’ and tokin’ content of Method Man’s work leaves me cold. Still, Tical is his best independent work, and it was also released during the 1993-1994 spate of solo projects made possible by 36 Chambers. (Probably because Tical was produced by The RZA and basically sounds like more cuts from 36 Chambers.)

Ol’ Dirty Bastard truly piggy-backed on his band’s hype, releasing Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version in 1995. He proved himself to be the band’s Flavor Flav—somewhat of a lesser rapper in terms of wordsmithing and variety, but large on charisma and clowning.

Don’t Go Breaking My Hearth-Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Macy Gray (Elton John and Kiki Dee cover).

But the true hot release, and one of the greatest solo Wu albums ever, was Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. Basically, the album was 36 Chambers minus the depth. A straight street-hustler movie of sound, again produced by The RZA, with a more accessible sound but still distinctively Wu. Where 36 Chambers introduced some of the rules the Clan lived by, Linx made it all seem real. De La Soul had had its flowery lingo and 3d Bass featured rudimentary beginnings of a lexicon, but on Linx, Raekwon (and his collaborator, Ghostface Killah—the albums true star in my view) featured an entire new slang, complete with idioms and vocabulary, that rolled off his tongue like he’d been born speaking it.

Go here to read The Unofficial Guide to Wu Tang Slang.

Linx included beef tracks against Notorious B.I.G., who GFK and The Chef accused of stealing the idea for his debut album cover from NaS. Later, on NaS’ “Last Real Nigga Alive,” the true King of New York defends the two, chosing sides and spitting: “Ghostface said it on ‘The Purple Tape: “Bad Boy biting Nas’ album cover, wait.”.

Ghostface also beefed with 50 Cent, who had begun the feud with a verse on “How to Rob” calling out Wu-Tang. In 2000, 50 Cent laid down a mixtape freestyle again dissing Wu Tang Clan. But the whole thing kinda faded away.

50 Cent Freestyle dissing Ghostface.

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx also marked the beginning of Mafia raps was the first album I know of to name-check Cristal. Other than the full group’s debut, Linx is the most influential of all the Wu/Wu related records.

GZA’s Liquid Swords was also released during the Wu Golden Age. It was another street-life epic, but it lacked the humor of Linx. I’d have to say it’s not quite as good, but it definitely shouldn’t be overlooked.

Capping off what I call the Golden Age of the Wu, in 1996 Ghostface Killah came out with Ironman: One of the best Wu-Tang solo albums ever, by the best Wu-Tang solo artist.

Wu-Tang returned in 1997 with Wu-Tang Forever. It was number one with a bullet, moving more in its first week than most artists move in their lifetimes. Again, the band broke boundaries by releasing a double album and picking the 5-minute, all verse and no chorus, Triumph as the first single. I’m not as big a fan of this record, but it certainly has many hot moments. What made Wu Tang Forever special was that each member had had so much time to find their own unique voice. Where it’s often hard to tell them apart on 36 Chambers, here they all add something unique to the mix.

But the Clan was beginning to show signs of bloat, adding side members like Cappadonna, and including production by folks who weren’t The RZA (like True Master and 4th Disciple). True to his word, The RZA quit as Wu-Tang’s leader in 1997, right after the release of Wu-Tang Forever—five years after 36 Chambers first appeared. This marked a low period in terms of quality, but the high mark in terms of Wu productivity. Without RZA’s protection, the band became highly commercialized—with Wu-Wear, an outtakes
release (“Wu-Tang Killa Bees: The Swarm), and tons of side-and-solo projects by both members, hangers-on, and loose affiliates. We saw weak records by Cappadonna, Sunz Of Man, Popa Wu, Shyheim, Killarmy and Killah Priest.

Hell Razah Mixtape (download)

The Offering-Killah Priest

Streetlife-Lay Down (w/killa sin).

The core-members solo work also suffered during this time. (See the Gravediggaz’s second release, e.g., which was basically violent porn; The RZA’s Bobby Digital In Stereo; ODB’s Nigga Please; etc.) Even my favorite members’ project–The RZA & Ghostface Killah’s Supreme Clientele simply didn’t reach the heights of their earlier work. (I know this is a controversial statement, and lots of folks love it, but to me it’s no Ironman. It’s not even as good as Bulletproof Wallets.) One lesser-known gem from this
period, though, is The RZA’s soundtrack to the fantastic film Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. If you see this at your local haunt, it’s definitely worth picking up.

Also during this low point, ODB was thrown in jail for a probation violation, from which he escaped and lammed it until he was captured while signing autographs at Mickey D’s. He also stormed the Grammy stage in ’98 shoving Shawn Colvin aside to make the point that “Wu-Tang is for the children.”

2001 brought us Iron Flag. Other than a few tracks like Uzi (Pinky Ring) (off Iron Flag) and Gravel Pit (off The W), neither album was particularly memorable, but it did go double-plat. The band splintered more than it united, with 2004 marking U-God’s angry departure and ODB’s death.

The first artist who has broken out of the doldrums is Ghostface Killah, who, by my reckoning, is better now than he ever was. His commercial releases are all solid, but its on mixtapes that he truly shines.

Be Easy-Ghostface.

Masta Killa is a close second, based on the indie release of No Said Date. Ironically, Big Baby Jesus arose from the dead to release another of the strongest recent Wu releases, Osirus: The Official Mixtape. GZA has rebounded with force, notably on his two collaborations with DJ Muggs—GrandMasters and the GrandMasters Remix albums. Incidentally, during the Grandmasters session with Mobb Deep, masked gunmen stormed the studio and robbed Mobb Deep, but left GZA and DJ Muggs alone. Some folks think Mobb Deep were victims of a sting, particularly because they’re allied with G-Unit, who had a long-running feud with GFK and Raekwon.

Method Man’s newest album is much more a return to form for him—maybe he’s finally over trying to be a sit-com star. (I’m not dissing his acting, though—He’s great on The Wire.) And he’s funny, too.

Video: Method Man dissing Wendy Williams.

Raekwon’s 2006 mixtape, Heroin Only, is also powerful. And RZA’s doing great soundtrack work. Here NPR interviews RZA about his work on soundtracks.

So it seems most of the Clanners are getting their grooves back.

The group reunited (all original members, including the dead ODB), on “9 Milli Bros” (on the Ghost solo album, FishScale), but other recent rumors to reunite haven’t ended well.

Village Voice article about their recent comeback.

So for now, that’s it. Here they are, A to Z:

A is for Applejax-Raekwon.

A is also for: All In Together Now-GZA and DJ Muggs. From The Grandmasters album.

B is for Black Rob! True Master-Wu Tang, ft. Black Rob, Louis Farrakhan. Black Rob is a grossly underrated rapper, cut down in his prime by health problems.

C is for Criminology-Raekwon. From Cuban Linx.

D is for The Drummer-Ghost, Method Man, Streetlife, Trife.

E is for Elton John! Don’t Go Breaking My Hearth-Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Macy Gray (Elton John and Kiki Dee cover).

F is for Fiddy! 50 Cent Freestyle dissing Ghostface.

G is for guests! Supernatural opened for Wu Tang when he performed this famous 20-minute freestyle. He’s known for this kind of extended rhyming–an incredible feat.

G is also for: Be Easy-Ghostface

H is for Heart of Stone-U-God.

H is also for: Hell Razah Mixtape (download)

I is for I Will Not Lose-Method Man and Redman.

J is for John 3:16-Method Man

J is also for Jadakiss! Run-Jada and Ghostface. One of my favorite GFK solo tunes.

K is for Killa Sin! Killa Sin and Streetlife-Lay Down.

L is for the mixtape version of Love-Musiq and Ghostface.

L is also for Luda!!!! Coochie Bangin’ (featuring Ol’ Dirty Bastard)-Ludacris

M is for The Mask-DangerDOOM

M is also for Mash Up! Blade’s Wu Tang Chili-Wu Tang Clan vs. The Red Hot Chili Peppers.

N is for Northstar, in the GZA-produced When the Guns Come Out-Northstar w/WC and E40.

N is also for: New York-Az with Ghostface and Raekwon.

O is for The Offering-Killah Priest.

O is also for: Skrillz-ODB; and Old Man (clean version)-Masta Killa and ODB. From No Said Date.

Oh. And this little rarity: ODB auditions for Mr. Ed.

P is for posthumous! Back in the Air-Ghost and Ol’ Dirty, off of A Son Unique, a posthumous release.

Q is for: Quickly! Keep reading before you notice there’s no Q!

R is for Da Ruckus! Bring Da Ruckus-Wu Tang (demo version).

R is also for Rock Steady-Wu Tang Clan.

And R is for RZA’s Theme-RZA From Ghost Dog Soundtrack.

S is for Sumertime-Beyonce (Ghostface remix).

T is for one of the best appearances by Trife. Oooh Wee-Ghostface, Trife, Saigon, and Nate Dogg.

U is for U God-Bump Mob

V is for video: Wu Tang Clan Ain’t Nothin’ To Fuck Wit-The Video.

V is also for last year’s famous Vatican Mixtape. Diesel-Raekwon (w/Wu Tang Clan).

W is for The Wu Is Coming Thru-Wu Tang Clan.

X marks a spot near the end of this list.

Y is for Y M I doing this? I don’t get paid.

Z is not for Zip file. You gotta go through this list track-by-track to score the goodies.

The Top 10 Wu and Wu related albums (recommended purchase list):

(In order of your need to buy them.)

1. Enter the 36 Chambers-Wu Tang Clan.
2. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx-Raekwon.
3. Ironman-Ghostface.
4. No Said Date-Masta Killa.
5. Ghostface Killah – Supreme Clientele.
6. Grandmasters-GZA vs. DJ Muggs
7. Wu Tang Forever.
8. Liquid Swords-GZA
9. RZA as Bobby Digital in Stereo
10. Ol’ Dirty Bastard – Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version

And if you’ve already got some of them, fill in the holes with any of these:

The Ghostface Hidden Darts mixtapes.
Tical-Method Man
FishScale-Ghostface.
Pretty Toney Album-Ghostface.

Or, you could cop this: Raekwon and Ghostface Killa: Only Built for Cuban Link 2 & Fishscale Mixtape Prequel. A few cuts from both albums. Highly recommended!

What’s the Wu doing here? They’re a plat-selling crew, and even some of their members’ solo tips get major label backing. So how are they coming by this corner of the indie-love hood?

Wu-Tang and Friends: Unreleased is an independent release (on the Nature label) of unreleased studio tracks, B-sides, and remixes mastered and collected by their associate and longtime DJ, Allah Mathematics. None of this has hit the streets before this album.

Wu need no intro—most of the big guys are here (except Method Man), along with friends of theirs who’ve been known to appear together in the past. In other words, you’ll hear the work of Raekwon, Ghostface Toney Starks Ironman Killah, Buddha Bless, Cappadonna, GZA, RZA, Masta Killa, Eyes Low, -God, Inspectah Deck, Killah Priest, Hell Razah, and Shyhiem. And many more. No Ol’ Dirty Dirt McGirt Baby Jesus Bastard though.

Is it good? Some of it is excellent—true grimy liquid swords, like you’d expect from Enter the 36 Chambers. I’m thinking of Raekwon’s, “Treez,” “King Toast Queen,” and “U Don’t Care,” in particular. There’s not a lot new in the “Maxine” remix, but if you’ve never heard it before it’s well worth a few spins. And of course, Raekwon and Inspectah Deck are fiyah on “Rap Burglars.” The “Wu Banga (Remix),” replaces the original’s piano with a horn sample, and I actually like it better.

With a few of the songs, though, it’s obvious why the material released earlier. Like “Where Brooklyn At?”, which is just a lame hood-pride shout out that goes on forever. (It’s also one of the cuts with no Wu guys on it—just All Day, Allah Real, and Bad Luck). And the skits are useless. In fact, just about any skit without ODB is useless. Still, some excess baggage is inevitable with this kind of re-release. Treat it like an EP and get it for the seven tracks featuring actual Wu Tangers. That way, if you like the other cuts, it’ll be like a bonus.

And just for getting unreleased Wu, it’s worth every penny.

Rap Burglars-Raekwon and Ghostface

Alternate link:

Rap Burglars-Raekwon and Ghostface

Wu Banga-Wu Tang (feat. RZA, Ghostface, Masta Killa, Raekwon, Cappadonna

Alternate Link: Wu Banga-Wu Tang (feat. RZA, Ghostface, Masta Killa, Raekwon, Cappadonna

BONUS LINKS:

NastraDOOMus-MF Doom vs. NaS

LCD SOUNDSYSTEM REMIXED

A full album, free for download. But they’d like you to make a donation to Oxfam, if you’re so inclined.

1. Get Innocuous (Geek Chic’s Harm-Free Retouch)-LCD Soundsystem

2. Time To Get Away (ATOM’s Exit Stage Left Mix)-LCD Soundsystem

3. North American Scum-LCD Soundsystem (Dunproofin’s Not From England Either Mix)

4. Someone Great (Shokking Shokkaboy Remix)-LCD Soundsystem

5. All My Friends (AMIGAMAN Remix)-LCD Soundsystem

6. Us vs Them (Go Home Productions Remix)-LCD Soundsystem

7. Watch the Tapes (Team9’s Excursion On The Version)-LCD Soundsystem

8. Sound Of Silver (McSleazy Remix)-LCD Soundsystem

9. London, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down (Hearing Double & JCB Soundsystem)-LCD Soundsystem