Wu-Tang Clan - 8 Diagrams
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Free Music Notes for 8 Diagrams
Free Music Review: Not 36 Chambers but good in it's own ways
Hit: 5 Stars
When people heard the Wu was coming with a new album, they were all expecting another 36 chambers. News flash people: there will never be another 36 Chambers. It's like people wanting another Illmatic from NaS. It's just not going to happen.
The clan's lyrics have really evolved over the years as well. If you listen to the lyrics on 36 Chambers, they're raw but in the same sense, a little immiture. That's what I noticed the most about 8 Diagrams. The Wu's lyrics are so much more cohesive and mature. RZA, GZA, Ghostface, Raekwon & Masta Killa really shine in this sense.
Now the production on this album is really an aqquired taste. You either love it or hate it. Personally, I like the more laid back beats a little better than some of RZA's harder beats. RZA's been doing a lot of movie scores lately and he obviously used that on this album. He's going for a more worldly, instrument-laden production scheme (many of the songs include electric guitars, violins, pianos etc.)
1. Campfire 8/10-Starts off with the always classic kung fu sample. Method starts it off with a dope verse followed by Ghost who comes correct. Cappadonna is also on this song which shows that he is now the closest member to the wu since the passing of ODB.
2. Take It Back 9/10-One of the few songs that take you back to the old Wu days. Nice simple beat with some great lyrics
3. Get Them Out Ya Way Pa 8.5/10- Nice beat from RZA. Perfect example of the new production on this album. Powerful but suddle. Method Man has a nice verse, and U-God shows off his great flow which is really in effect on this album with Ghostface and Raekwon taking on the chorus.
4. Rushing Elephants 10/10-This track really grows on you. Great production and use of horns. This is classic Wu Tang material. Five verses-No Chorus. Takes a couple listens to really comprehend all the lyrics
5.Unpredictable 9.5/10- Chaotic production but it works well. Inspectah Deck comes with his specialty: a great kick off verse. RZA drops some dope rhymes too.
6. The Heart Gently Weeps 10/10-My personal favourite track on the album, a remake of the Beatles song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". Its got George Harrison's son , Dhani and the Red Hot Chilli Pepper's John Frusciante on the guitar and Erykah Badu on the chorus. Raekwon has a great verse along with Method Man but Ghostface steals the show. Absolutely amazing verse that has to be heard to believed.
7. Wolves 10/10- One of the darker sounding songs on the album. Great verses all around with George Clinton holding down the chorus.
8. Gun Will Go 9/10- A really quite, slow beat from RZA with some great use of the violin. Really sounds cinematic. Nice chorus
9. Sunlight 9.5/10-A solo track from RZA. A song dedicated to 5% teachings/Allah and muslim. Good lyrics from the Abbott
10. Stick Me For My Riches 10/10- Starts out a bit slow with over a minute of singing but once the verses come this song gets kicked up a notch. This song has a "Mo Money Mo Problems" message and great verses all around especially RZA & Method Man
11. Starter 6/10- Really the only song on the album that I don't like. Has a R&B crossover sound to it. Mainly consists of the clan rapping about girls. Skipable
12. Windmill 9/10- RZA comes with another suddle beat that really grabs you're attention. No chorus just the clan going at it for 4 and a half minutes. Great Song.
13. Weak Spot 10/10- Probably the closest thing to 36 Chambers on this album. Complete with hard beat, kung fu samples and hard hitting lyrics. RZA really shines on this track.
14. Life Changes 10/10- Tribute track to ODB with a verse from every member (except Ghostface) clocking in at over 7 minutes. Really moving. The best verses come from GZA, RZA, Method Man, U-God and Inspectah Deck. The track ends with a man talking mandarin for the last minute.
Overall a great album. I'm looking forward to the solo efforts from the wu in the upcoming year.
Best Tracks:
The Heart Gently Weeps
Weak Spot
Life Changes
Wolves
Stick Me For My Riches
Rushing Elephants
Free Music Review: Hip Hop is Back!
Hit: 5 Stars
Wu-Tang is my favorite Hip Hop group of all time, they are different from the rest and they are one of the rawest of all time. I have 36 Chambers (classic) and Wu-Tang Forever (classic) but I was very dissapointed with the W and Iron Flag, especially The W. But they come bcak this year with a 6 year long awaited classic the "8 Diagrams". This year was very slow for Hip Hop, there is very little substance these days, no deep message these so called rappers are tryna put out. Especially the south which is murdering and butchering Hip Hop slowly with and exception with Outkast, UGK (R.I.P. Pimp C) Scarface, Ludacris, Lil Wayne etc. But still I really hate crunk music and thats the only thing I'm hearing these days, BUT thankfully Wu-Tnag came back not too soon to drop a monster hardcore Rap Masterpiece. Wu-Tang has always been famous for creating music that reaches out and gets into your head, most of the members like to use metaphors and analogies wen they rap and really gets into your head, Wu-Tang has always been great in creating stories which what all songs are supposed to do create a story. But Wu-Tang is very unappreciated and thats why they aren't as succesful as they should be, the fans they got are the ones that sticked with them from day one which I estimate about 40 million, but they can never reach out into commercial success which is the downfall of Wu-Tang, but even so they still create great music and I'm glad they never changed who they are just to make a couple of bucks.
Each member has something going for them, with the death of Ol Dirty Basterd (R.I.P.) there are 8 main guys in the group with the exception of the main associates of the Clan like Cappadona, Streetlife, Killah Priest.
1)RZA - the de facto leader of the group, the main composer producer (in my 5 top Hip Hop producers)
2)GZA - the oldest as well as the most experienced, GZA always brings fire to every track he's on, his technique is the most complex of the group
3)Method Man - the most commercially succesfull, the youngest as well, his unique style using drugs as his analogies most of the time.
4)Raekwon - the most hardcore of the group, his lyrics are real as real can get, brings the most rawest rhyme schemes of the group
5)Ghostface Killah - the most consistent, drops an album almost a spand of a year or two, he has hardcore rhymes but honestly my least favorite of the group.
6)Inspectah Deck - a fan favorite, whenever he is on a track he outshines everybody, example: C.R.E.A.M., Triumph, Heaterz
7)Masta Killa - the most underrated, he has potential, he is the last to drop a solo album but when he did it was a classic
8)U-God - he is the most forgetable but he does provide good lyrics and his deep voice is his trademark
9)Ol Dirty Bastard - R.I.P. the craziest and most out of control nigga in the group as well as the most unique, WE GONE MISS U ODB
The album is great but I have some complaints though, the production of the album is the most diverse of the RZA, usually he has an asian feel to his productions from old Kung-Fu movies which is still present on the album, but very little compared to other albums. The production has an R&B feel to it which is actually pretty good, the RZA is becoming a little unpredictable now which is a good thing but his his production on the album is kind of a hit and miss for me, about 70% of the production
is sick but the 30% is not up to par as what the RZA is capable of. Everybody contributes to album very well especially RZA and Masta Killa who has a strong presence on the album, they have grown as lyricist. Method Man and Raekwon have a strong presence as well but not like RZA and Masta Killa. My complaint is I wish GZA and Inspectah deck as well as Ghostface Killah could've added more to the album, they were barely on the album especially Ghostface who is only on about 3 songs on the album. Also you would think after 6 years they would release about 20 songs but it was only 15 which is pretty short to me, but with that said BUY THE ALBUM AND KEEP WU-TANG CLAN ALIVE.
Top 5 Tracks
1)Stick Me For My Riches
2)Wolves
3)Life Changes
4)Windmill
5)Campfire
Free Music Review: What the hell were Ghost & Rae thinking? 8 Diagrams is awesome!
Hit: 5 Stars
This album is dope and different. The raps feel so much like they will still be relevant many years from now, and the maturity is welcome.
Ghost badmouthed the album without even giving it a chance; I bet he hardly listened to the whole album. (RZA said, that he was the last one to join the production (8 diagrams interview: http://youtube.com/watch?v=QQgSpmrRRxk )
I think that those who try to compare this LP with the ones from the 90's don't quite get the picture about the direction of this album. Most of the haters say it isn't good because it's not like the 36 chambers or Forever, but they really should analyze the 8 Diagrams for what it is, it's something like a thematically soulful hardcore Hip-Hop album. It's natural that they don't go back and rap about "Wu-Tang Clan ain't nothing to f*ck with" because everyone already knows that, and they need to display maturity and more wisdom.
And let's face it, the Wu is still morning; it's the first WTC LP since we lost ODB. The whole direction of the album makes so much sense once you understand the state of the game from RZA's perspective. The production of the album feels a lot more like World Music, because Wu-Tang has grown enough, and it's not only about the problems of the hoods of NY (for instance), it tries to achieve a bigger worldwide audience, with themes that are somewhat easier to relate to and understand, because rather you're black, white, brown, yellow, red, or blue there's something for you.
This is one of those albums that challenge you to evolve your listening habits. Too bad a lot of "occasional" listeners are already deeply programmed for fast food music. 8 Diagrams is more like Opera, it takes keen ears and a minute to truly appreciate its different levels of depth.
Favorite Tracks:
1) Life Changes (this song got me to turn off the lights, close my eyes, and play it in my home entertainment setup, and my pc WMplayer with headphones, simultaneously synchronized. One of the best choruses ever: "I go through life pretending, that time will change the ending." Simple, yet so rich. The beat is just RZA at his finest.)
2) Campfire (Awesome beat, superb intro, Method Man and Ghostface at their best, displaying one of/if no the best verses of the album. Simple HOT fire flow and rhymse. Iron Lungz, baby!)
3) The Heart Gently Weeps (The whole production is one step above, the instruments make the track even more organic. Erika Badu owns the track.)
4) Unpredictable (Killer track! The guitars just make it even more exceptional, and you will feel it hard to the bone. Great production. Inspectah Deck at his best.)
5) Weak Spot (Great production! The more I listen to it, the more I like it. This is the kind of song that only gets better with time, and when I will be past some songs, I'll still be digging this one.)
6) Starter (Guilty Pleasure. It reminds me of Bobby Digital style of beats. It also has a vibe that reminds me of some German Hip-Hop. The background samples add an interesting twist to the otherwise simple beat. Like I said, guilty pleasure.)
7) Wolves (Authentic Wu-Tang banger! U-God delivers.)
8) Stick Me 4 My Riches (This is probably the less impressive song of the bunch that I happen to like. Maybe it's Method Man, maybe it's the chorus, maybe it's the alterations of the beat, maybe it's the message, I don't really know. One thing I do know, it's that the singer can get irritating.)
*
Honorable Mention: Take It Back
Mixed Reactions: Rushing Elephants
Honest Grade for 8 Diagrams: A-
*No pun intended. I didn't pick 8 favorite songs because the title of the album is 8 Diagrams. It just happened.*
The 8 Diagrams
Free Music Review: The closest we will ever see to real hip-hop....
Hit: 5 Stars
When I say that statement, I mean the hip hop you saw from Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, etc. The hip hop that was fun listen to but also had substance in their lyrics. This Wu Tang Clan offering gives us that -- or as close as it will ever be in the foreseeable(?) future. Some may know already about the Wu but I'll break it down for some of you.
They hit the underground in a big way with Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Solo release after solo release after this was either seen as an amazing album or a huge disappointment.(half of these weren't "solo" btw, but welcome to the now-a-days standards of features)Ask anyone who around 93-97, that's how long it took for the Wu to release a follow up to their classic debut. Almost on par with their critical acclaimed debut, Wu-Tang Forever was followed with commercial success as well. It was clear that this group was here to rule all. As a group, they didn't get the critical acclaim or even the commercial success as their sophomore release. Between the disappointment of The W and this album, 8 Diagrams, we saw the tragic lost of Dirt McGirt, Ol' Dirty Bastard. Everyone knew that the group was extremely hurt about this and everyone was waiting for something that brought the group together and they all finally agreed to do another album.
We start off with "Campfire", starting things off on a good bang. Everyone expected Martial Arts movie skits, and they are definitely present here. "Take It Back" is another bang and it would've been a better opening track then the previous song. They're proclaiming their ruling power in the past,present and future. Method Man continues to dominate this album with "Get Them Out Ya Way Pa". Honestly, this feels like something on a Meth album, just very smokey beat and flow. On "Rushing Elephants", we finally hear GZA and RZA, both on top notch. Really weird lyrics here but they come great. "Unpredictable" feels like a hit or miss. It might be due to the more exciting beat rather then the relaxing/smokey beats we had before. "The Heart Gently Weeps" is easily the album's highlight, or one of them. Has become my favorite thus far, not just because of the singing(very nicely done by Erykah Bad btw) but by the chilling beat/flow(s). I think Masta Killa and/or GZA would have gone better here rather than Ghostface. Still well done. "Wolves" feels like some REALLY crack/cocaine track. The p-funk beat and the hook by the godfather of it, George Clinton, really put me in a wild state. What I noticed is how great U-God has become with his lyrics.
"Gun Will Go" could be the best lyrical track here. "Sunlight" is a RZA solo. It feels like he did this without the group's approval, it just feels odd. "Stick Me for My Riches" is another one of those highlights. Top notch lyrics, flow and beat. I wouldn't complain about the long length of the song. "Starter" is the only song I couldn't stand. Its shame, the lyrics are well done but the beat isn't. Both "Windmill" and "Weak Spot" feel like real hip hop, along with the beginning tracks. The conclusion is tragic, we all expected it sooner or later, the ODB tribute. "Life Changes" could be one of the best tribute tracks, lyrically, along with Can't Stop This by The Roots. If you're lucky, you'll get the bonus tracks, but I didn't...lol.
In conclusion, please don't expect this to be the messiah of hip hop music. Don't expect another 36 chambers or Wu-Tang Forever. But I do guarantee a very good album. 5/5
Free Music Review: PURE FIRE, START TO END 5 Stars
I WANNA START BY SAYING THAT THE ALBUM IS OFF THE METER!! PEOPLE THAT DENOUNCE THE ALBUM NOW WILL BUY ALBUMS IN THE FUTURE THAT BITE OFF THE PRODUCTION SEEN HERE (THATS WHAT HAPPENED WITH IRON FLAG AND SUPREME CLIENTELLE). SOME TRACKS ON HERE HAVE A SOUND LIKE NO OTHER, AND THATS WHAT I WANTED. IF I WANTED ANOTHER 36 CHAMBERS STYLE ALBUM I WOULD LISTEN TO THAT, IF I WANTED CUBAN LINX ID HEAR THAT, IF I WANTED WU FOREVER, ID HEAR THAT, BUT THIS IS 8 DIAGRAMS CUZIN WAKEUP!!IN CAMPFIRE, THE BEAT IS A BANGIN BASS TRACK, W/ILL VERSES FROM GHOST AND CAPPA, AND METH LEADS OFF. TAKE IT BACK IS A CLASSIC FAST PACED WU BANGA W/INS AND RAE STEALIN THE SHOW. GET EM OUT YA WAY IS THAT 36 CHAMBER BRING DA RUCKUS W/U-GOD PUTTIN EM ALL TO REST. RUSHING ELEPHANTS IS ANOTHER WU BANGA, WIT REFERENCES TO EXCALIBUR, T-REXES, DNA, VOLCANOES, AND A THUMPIN BEAT WIT TRUMPETS AND THE WHOLE NINE, AND RAE AND GZA SHINE HERE. UNPREDICTABLE HAS A KINDA HEAVY METAL SOUND 2 IT, BUT NOT TOO MUCH 2 THE POINT WHERE ITS NOT HIP HOP, IT JUST GIVES THAT FRANTIC, UNPREDICTABLE FEELING TO IT. INS RHYMES FOR LIKE 2 MINS STRAIGHT HERE TO LEAD, BUT WIGGLES F*CKS UP THE HOOK. HEART GENTLY WEEPS IS LYRICAL FIRE TO A SOFT BEAT, BUT THE RHYMES ARE SO HARD, THAT THE TRACK IS FORD TOUGH. LISTEN 2 RAE AND GHOST ON HERE, CASE CLOSED. WOLVES HAS A VERSATILE BEAT THAT'S MY FAV BEAT ON THE ALBUM, WIT METH AND U-GOD BLAZIN THIS TRACK, AND GEORGE CLINTON'S DOIN THE HOOK. GUN WILL GO IS KINDA LACKLUSTER COMPARED TO THE FIRST 7 TRACKS, WIT RAE AND METH DOIN THERE THING. THE ONLY REASON I SAY THIS IS KINDA REPETITIVE IN THAT ITS A LOT LIKE GET THEM OUT YA WAY, BUT ITS NOT BAD AT ALL (WATCH YOUR MOUTH SHOULDA BEEN HERE INSTEAD). SUNLIGHT IS A RZA SOLO SIMILAR TO HIS TRAGEDY SINGLE, JUST SLOWER AND MORE PEACEFUL, BUT IT THROWS SOME MIXTURE IN THE ALBUM. STICK ME 4 MY RICHES IS GOOD, JUST HAS 2 MUCH SINGING IN THE BEGINNING, AND THE TRACK IS LIKE 6-7 MINUTES, W/GZA AND METH KEEPIN IT NY HERE, RZA AND INS TAKE A DIRTY SOUTH FLOW, BUT IM FROM BROOKLYN, SO ITS NOT MY THING. STARTER IS A GOOD LOVEY TRACK, WIT SICK PRODUCTION, BUT AGAIN, I RARELY FEEL THESE. ALSO, I CANT STAND INS ON HERE, BUT U-GOD REMINDS OF ITS YOURZ ON HERE. WINDMILL'S BEAT IS FIRE, BUT THE LYRICS AFTER RAE'S LEAD OFF VERSE FALL OFF FROM THE USUAL WU SHARPNESS. WEAK SPOT QUICKLY REDEEMS THEM LYRICALLY, WIT RAE DROPPING ONE OF THE BEST VERSES ON THE WHOLE ALBUM. THIS IS CLASSIC NO HOOK STUFF, WIT RAZOR SHARP PRODUCTION, AND FIRE FROM RZA, GZA (WHOSE WHOLE VERSE IS A CHESS METAPHOR), AND RAE. THE ALBUM FINISHES OFF WIT LIFE CHANGES, THE ODB TRIBUTE, AND ITS A PERFECT TRIBUTE, FROM ALL THE MEMBERS WERE ON THE TRACK.
ALL IN ALL I SAY THE PRODUCTION IS A PERFECT 10, WIT A LOTTA VARIETY. RAE, U-GOD, RZA, GZA, AND METH ARE THE BEST LYRICALLY ON THE ALBUM, WIT INS BEING VERY ON OR OFF, AND GHOST RARELY THERE(BUT HIS APPEARANCES WERE FIRE). MASTA KILLA WAS NOT AS SHARP AS HE WAS ON IRON FLAG, SO HE'S BACK TO BEING THE WORST MEMBER OF THE GREATEST GROUP, AND CAPPADONNA AND STREETLIFE DIDNT MESS ANYTHING UP. A FEW QUESTIONS I HAD WERE WHY WAS GHOST ABSENT AFTER THE 1ST 6 TRACKS (ESPECIALLY LIFE CHANGES), WHY WAS WATCH YOUR MOUTH TAKEN OFF, AND WHY WAS RAE COMPLAININ ABOUT THE PRODUCTION, CUZ THERE'S NOTHING SOFT HERE. I THINK IF ODB WAS AROUND, HE WOULDA FIT IN PERFECTLY ON TRACKS LIKE WOLVES (THAT WOULDA BEEN LIKE MYSTERY OF CHESSBOXIN), OR STICK ME 4 MY RICHES, BUT LIFE CHANGES. RIP!