Posts tagged with RZA

03/30/2010

method man, ghostface killah & raekwon – our dreams

This jam is pretty much a slam dunk right off the bat. I mean, it’s pretty hard not to be when you have a wicked awesome sample like this from the late, great King of Pop. The sample is from “We’re Almost There”, a song that I have never heard before this, but it was clear right away who sang it. I think that motown Michael Jackson was one of my favorites, right after disco Michael Jackson. I’m not even planning to pretend that I know about the Wu-Tang Clan, but I do know that this track is the first single from the upcoming Wu-Massacre album, which is the “kind of side project from a few Wu-Tang members, but let’s not call it that, because we’re all in Wu-Tang already, so we don’t need to be in a different group” album, released today. I’m confused by this whole thing. It features Method Man, Ghostface Killah and Raekwon and is produced by RZA along with a whole cast of characters. I really should have recruited my resident hip-hop writer for this one since I’m sure he knows whats up, but don’t I at least get something for trying? I never claimed to be a music historian, only a purveyor of songs that are good. But what I do know is the heat level of this song, which is bordering on hot to quite hot.

Method Man, Ghostface Killah & Raekwon – Our Dreams

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05/27/2009

ghostface killah, method man, raekwon – the new wu


Raekwon spittin' verse

Raekwon the Chef is not a moniker that most true Wu-Tang Clan fans would associate with culinary faculty. But on “New Wu,” The Chef displays his craft at conjuring the ideal (if stock) recipe of classic ingredients in order to reinvigorate our anticipation of the now legendary “masterpiece” in progress, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II, the long-awaited sequel to his now-canonical 1995 debut album.

It’s no secret that the platinum Only Built 4 Cuban Linx is widely regarded as one of the seminal hip-hop albums of our time, and almost universally regarded as one of the finest Wu-Tang solo projects. It appears on Rolling Stone’s Essential Recordings of the 90′s list, establishes Rae’s reputation as the “storyteller” of the Wu-camp, and cements RZA’s growing status as one of the top producers in the hip-hop world. RZA’s production evolved from the minimal, lean, and gritty beats employed on Enter the 36 Chambers to a more layered feel that incorporated soul music samples, layers of synthesizers, and increased use of strings and piano loops to create an even darker, more menacing sound. This slow, sinister beat, use of orchestral sections, and liberal sampling from kung fu movies came to characterize RZA’s production style and his creative monopoly over the budding Wu members’ solo projects reached its peak (to much critical acclaim) during this period in the mid-90′s. Albums such as Method Man’s Tical, GZA’s Liquid Swords, Ghostface Killah’s Ironman, and Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx expanded the Wu-empire, effectively branding the Wu-camp with a recipe for success based on the marriage of each emcee’s unique style with The RZA’s tight production. But as The RZA loosened his control over the production aspect of these efforts and began to grant more autonomy to the Wu-Tang members’ individual creative directions and development, a crucial element became lost in the process. In the case of Raekwon, his OB4CL follow-up efforts Immobilarity in 1999 and The Lex Diamond Story in 2003 received mixed reviews both publicly and critically.
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