I admit I wasn’t initially impressed by Wu-Tang Clan.
My first taste was “Method Man”; its crafty, reference-heavy play-on-words lyrics perplexed me almost to the point of annoyance.
My second taste was “Protect Ya Neck” which was vastly different from anything I was remotely accustomed to. It left me feeling ignorant, like being invited to an art display I just didn’t understand.
Then I saw the video for the “Da Mystery of Chessboxin”.
I was hooked by its kung-fu-theater imagery mixed with samples of martial arts combat over war drums and eerie Asian-inspired melodies. Each MC who rhymed on this track brought an entirely new flavor and pattern, yet as a whole the song never lost its form. I couldn’t stop listening to it, which led to the purchase of their brilliant, superiorly original, unforgettable album.
Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), the Clan’s 1993 debut LP, marked the first time I understood the terms “listening experience” and “cinematic”. Up to that point I’d been engrossed by stellar Hip Hop albums, but never immersed in them.
For all their uniqueness, Clan members RZA, GZA, Inspectah Deck, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Raekwon The Chef, Masta Killa, U-God, Ghostface Killah and Method Man were a cohesive unit of larger than life action figures who existed at the center of their own mythology and ideology.
Those two aforementioned songs fit perfectly into the context of the greater sonic narrative. Expressions of confidence (“Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthin ta F**k With”), survival (“C.R.E.A.M.”), fortitude (“Bring da Ruckas”) and leadership (“Clan in da Front”) played like chapters.
To be clear: THERE IS NO OTHER HIP-HOP ALBUM LIKE THIS ONE. And it’s dope from start to its emphatic warning at the end.
R.I.P. Ol’ Dirty Bastard | THIS ENT
[By Mr. Joe Walker]
On August 11, 2023, we will join Sixman in Grand Rapids, MI for HIP HOP 50Th Anniversary Music Fest live at top-rated venue The Pyramid Scheme!
Celebrating this cultural milestone, Sixman will close out a stacked lineup of Nappy Head Assassins, J.Rob, Manchild, Loudchief, Zero, Gwopped Up Speedy, Alfie Da Great, Huff the Goat, WUZEE, Sonny Ski, D.E.S., Sha Dow, Adrian Wright, Dj Ill One, DJ Kapp, Dj Seven Eightz, and DJ Kokn, with industry favorite MR. 1204 serving as host.
Sponsored by WYCE, NOXX and COOKIES GR, Wasted Brand Clothing, Debo Scotty (Power Moves Only), Vitale’s On Leonard, THIS ENT, and Feeding America (West Michigan), Sixman is encouraging attendees to bring a non-perishable food item to help feed the less fortunate in the community.
With this once-in-a-lifetime event Sixman and everyone involved are upholding the charitable nature of Hip Hop’s origin at 1520 Sedwick Ave in Bronx, NY fifty years ago.
