Wu-Tang Clan - 8 Diagrams
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Free Music Notes for 8 Diagrams
Free Music Review: RZA - End of Story
Hit: 4 Stars
1st time through i wasn't really impressed..... but it grew on me..... there are only 2 maybe 3 song that i skip over Free Music Review: 8 Diagrams isn't as bad as some say
Hit: 4 Stars
I think Wu-Tang fans are too spoiled because they think every release the clan comes out with has to be on a 36 Chambers level. Let's face it folks, the 36 Chambers days are over. Nas will never make another Illmatic. I see 8 Diagrams as a welcome return to form. The RZA's beats are intricate and complex, but in no way are they low quality as some people have said. Raekwon, Ghostface and the rest of the members seem on the top of their game in the rhyme department. My favorite songs have to be Rushing Elephants, Take it Back, Life Changes and my Heart Gently Weeps. I felt that the ODB tribute, Life Changes was heartfelt and geniune.
No, 8 Diagrams isn't the best Wu-Tang album of all time. The RZA seems to have experimented a little too much with his beats and what he should have done is kept it simple. A great example of this is the song Take it Back. In terms of Ghostface not liking the album, he just has a giant ego and he thinks he is the top member of the clan.
I am sure a group as big as Wu-Tang would eventually come to the point where they would come at odds with each other. And if this is the last Wu album as a whole, it's a damn good way to go out. I like Wu-Tang as much as the next guy, but the clan is definetely past their prime.
Free Music Review: Instant Classic
Hit: 5 Stars
This is by far my favorite Wu Tang cd. Every track on this cd is banging.
RZA did a great job with the production on this disc and everything just sound great.
Free Music Review: Masterpiece! The Clan come full circle with 8 Diagrams.
Hit: 5 Stars
Spellbinding beats with the lyrical skill you have come to love from The Clan. RZA's production reaches new heights on this album. If you are a RZA fan, you understand the complexity of his music. Some Wu fans want a throwback to 36 chambers and will complain that this album is not raw enough. If you want raw/uncut, look to Wu-fam or Wu-Syndicate. What you will get from RZA at this stage is head music that soars above any production in Rap today and the ocassional banger. RZA could easily make an album with all bangers, but he choses to show off his next level of production evolution on this one. The Heart Gently Weaps, Wolves, Get Them Out Ya Way Pa, Stick Me For My Riches, are the obvious standouts on the album. Overall 4.5/5 Hopefully we will get more product from the Clan. Ghost is droppin every 6 months, I wish RZA and the clan would follow his lead and feed the streets!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