It's depressing and angry, and shows just how much RZA had grown as a producer since Enter The Wu-Tang. "Heaven & Hell" is such a mournful track. Within a few months of "The Purple Tape," everybody was adopting crime lord aliases from "Frank White" to "Escobar." Rae popularized that. There were just so many parts to try to understand that you couldn't just Google.
"Wu-Gambinos" is the introduction of the Wu aliases like 'Lou Diamonds," "Starks," "Noodles," "Johnny Blaze" and "Maximillion?" Listening to Wu-Tang was like trying to solve Rubik Cube. The T-shirts were super popular for a hot second and this song, along with Meth's "All I Need." duet with Mary, showed that Wu had a somewhat unexpected knack for connecting with women. You get Tony Stark in all his glory. "Ice Cream" features Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Cappadonna a classic single and video.
but Ghost really became Ghost on "The Purple Tape." And this is the most traditionally Ghostface moment here. "Wisdom Body" could be considered the song that basically announced Ghost's forthcoming solo career. And gotta love that Emotions sample. The first Wu-Tang joint to feature a non Clan member. This is three supreme lyricists pushing each other to greatness. This song could only come from RZA.Īnd on the perfect "Verbal Intercourse," Nas opens with a verse to end all verses, and Ghost and Rae match him bar-for-bar. Masta Killa does the damn thing here, in his own unique way. Everything about this song is quintessentially Wu. Rae's best single and another high water mark for RZA. I remember you and I were speaking about the influence of the mafia on Hip-Hop. "Glaciers of Ice" is a masterpiece: "Rap Meyer Lansky, crash your fantasy." I mean, come on. "Ice Water" is a highlight from Cappadonna this is definitely one of his best. that led to an inflammatory verse on Biggie's "Kick In the Door" in 1997. Sneak dissing Bad Boy while giving props to Nas, it established some bad blood between Rae and B.I.G. "Shark Niggas (Biters)" is one of the most "shots fired" moments in mid-90s rap. One perhaps can't give it Terminator 2 status it's more like The Bourne Ultimatum. The "Can It Be All So Simple" remix is another great example of their chemistry. I've never thought it surpassed the original, but it's a very good sequel. He throws down the gauntlet and sets a standard. But damn - the dude is wildly consistent and snatches the spotlight on many a Wu track. She always brings a sorrowful quality to songs that need that. And "Guillotine (Swordz)" is in an indicator that Deck is one of those rhymers you can't even call "underrated" anymore. Over the years, her vocals became an indelible part of classic Wu for me. "Rainy Dayz" is a stellar Blue Raspberry showcase. "Morphine chicks be burnin' like chlorine/Niggaz recognize from here to Baltimore to Fort Greene." And it's another great usage of The Killer. "Incarcerated Scarfaces" remains one of RZA's best beats ever and Rae gives one of his all-time greatest lyrical performances.
Like you said, a lot of what people associate with Wu is really epitomized on Rae's first album. The coke sniffing intro on "Knowledge God," those elegant-but-ominous strings that give way to weird-ass piano keys and shit. A lot of what people remember Wu-Tang for is actually Rae and Ghost's chemistry. Songs like "Knuckleheadz, "The MGM," Verbal Intercourse," "Fish," and "Bring Da Ruckus" are reminders that their chemistry was unmatched. "Knuckleheadz is one of several examples that prove Ghost and Rae are like peanut butter 'n jelly. An album intro evoking John Woo's The Killer. In a pre-Internet era, making those connections wasn't always so easy. "Striving For Perfection" is an example of a time when intros were so engrossing that listeners didn't skip. arrived in August 1995 following the well-received single "Heaven & Hell," and the album not only cemented Rae as a star in his own right it elevated the stature of fellow Clan member Ghostface Killah and heralded an evolution in RZA's production sound. That album would see a long shelf-life on the strength of word of mouth throughout 1994, and successful singles like "C.R.E.A.M." and "Can It All Be So Simple." Both of those tracks prominently featured Clan wordsmith Raekwon, and they set the stage for the fiery rhymer nicknamed "The Chef" to drop his solo debut. had exploded onto the scene at the tail end of 1993, with the release of their acclaimed debut Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers. The nine (ten?) man collective out of Staten Island, N.Y.
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