Wu-Tang Clan's 8 Diagrams

Sales Figures Are In

2007-12-21T11:18:00.001-08:00

Unfortunately, the Clan only managed to sell just under 69k in their first week, which landed them at the #25 spot. Of course, the days of huge album sales are over for pretty much everybody, but the telling number is that low rank: in the past, when a Wu album dropped, it was going to land at the top of the chart, no questions asked. The somewhat disappointing numbers can be attached to several things, from all the public infighting perpetrated by Rae & Ghost that I think turned a lot of people off--either from listening in the first place or otherwise giving the record a fair enough shot when it landed from out of left field. Also, where is the video? Supposedly a dual vid for The Heart Gently Weeps & Take it Back was about to be filmed several weeks ago--but then again it seems so unlikely that the RZA could manage to get Rae, Ghost, & everyone else involved to show up for a video shoot in the first place, who knows if it even happened. But recently Inspectah Deck's comments seem to show that the Clan is swaying away from the RZA & that the (RZAless) Shaolin vs Wu-Tang project might actually materialize after all [even though both Inspectah Deck & the GZA have very recently discussed plans for fully-RZA-produced solo projects]. Add to this growing list the fact that the Wu tour just kicked off in Chicago a few days back with everyone in attendance except for the Abbot, & that according to people at those first shows, not a single 8 Diagrams track was performed.

Originally I had thought the first week's sales figures might make a natural stopping point for this blog project, but obviously there is still more & more relevant information to chronicle even after the release of the 8 Diagrams.

More VV: Your Favorite 8D Moments

2007-12-17T12:08:00.000-08:00

The Village Voice keeps up it's fairly heavy coverage of 8 Diagrams with a feature about writer Tom Breihan's favorite 10 moments on 8D. It is an interesting format for discussion as Breihan points out in his intro: the format provides "a good excuse to write about [8 Diagrams] without bringing up Rae and Ghost's increasingly dumb jihad against it." His taste is his taste--no need to call anyone wrong here, especially someone who clearly enjoys the album--but it is funny to note some of the things he doesn't like--such as the Heart Sutra rendition at the end of Life Changes or more notably either of George Clinton's performances. Replace Clinton with ODB saying the same shit in the same way & these bits would be universally applauded. But the list is mostly spot on, from the very first item--I can't help but sing that part at the top of my lungs whenever I play Stick Me for My Riches.

1. "Stick Me for My Riches," 0:54-1:00. So the catchiest, most accessible song on Wu-Tang's big comeback record is a six-minute hood-is-dying epic with a guest vocal from the 65-year-old former lead singer of the Manhattans and no actual rapping for the first minute and a half. It's an inspired choice. Gerald Alston has the kind of grainy, raspy grown-man David Ruffin voice that's just completely extinct from R&B these days, and he just kills it over that haunted RZA beat; the whole thing reminds me of the Horace Andy tracks from Massive Attack's Blue Lines. This is the part where the key changes and the horns come in and Alston just starts frothing: "Now with success, I've become a target / They wanna set me up / I guess more money equals more problems," and I can't listen to it while I'm walking down the street without punching the air and screaming along, which makes me look like a crazy homeless man.

2. "The Heart Gently Weeps," 1:36-2:51. Ghostface's verse here is a totally richly textured and beautifully observed narrative, and I like it better than any of the story-songs on Big Doe Rehab. In his 8 Diagrams post, Brandon Soderberg has a great line about how Ghost's verse here is "next to the hood." The guy who tries to kill Ghost in Pathmark is mad because Ghost "murdered his uncle Tim / I sold him a bag of dope, his wife came and copped again." So Ghost is there in the moment, but he also recognizes that he basically killed this kid's family just by selling them drugs, which lends a whole new level of moral complication to the story. It's a dark moment, but then Ghost busts out this ridiculous cartoon falsetto ("You better kill me! / You know you booty!"), and it's just fucking hysterical and overblown. Ghost's story about fighting the kid in the grocery store has all the telling little details that only Ghost seems to be able to conjure these days: "In the aisle busting them paper towels and wiping my Wallies down," "shots was whizzing, hitting Clorex bottles." Ghost delivers the whole thing in this great urgent breathless voice, and he even gives it a satisfying ending. Nobody tells stories like Ghost, and when the music industry completely dies, I'll be buying his novels.

3. "Wolves," 0:21-0:57. When that godawful George Clinton hook dissolves, and RZA's mariachi whistles and humming Ennio Morricone choral moans come in, U-God jumps on the track and just murders it. U-God has always been a really stealthy rapper, the type where you might not realize how good he is on certain songs until years later. But on a track as weird and esoteric as this one, he brings it down to earth with this great authoritative baritone verse, not really talking about anything in particular but sounding absolutely badass and concrete: "I do the honor, the Shaolin bomber / Sharkskin armor, I bring the drama." U-God's always been a role player in the group, but here he's just insanely spry and on-beat. Out of everyone else in the group, U-God probably has the most to prove on 8 Diagrams, and he steps up and goes in hard every time anyone lets him near a mic.

4. "Life Changes," 2:02--2:13. "Life Changes," the ODB tribute, hasn't grown on me the way so many of the other songs on this album have; it's too long and chaotic to really come off as a moving tribute to the one guy who didn't make it. But GZA has a couple of utterly heartbreaking lines where he talks about recording the song in the same studio before he died: "I cried like a baby on the way to hate place of death / Hate not being there the minutes before he left / Now I'm in the booth, ten feet from where he lay dead / I think about him on this song and what he might've said." GZA sounds haunted and broken, like he's not sure if he [should] really say what he's thinking and like he might cry if he keeps talking.

5. "Campfire," 0:58-1:21. After the kung-fu sample, the album really begins with a decaying zombie-movie synth-tone with ghostly druidic backing vocals gurgling underneath and a ticking clock and a few floating ambient sound-effects. And then this titanic snare kicks in, bringing with it a mournful violin sample and Method Man, who sounds totally confident and reinvigorated, back on top of his game once again. The Meth verse that follows might include that near-unforgivable "sexy back" line, but without that it's a shockingly fierce performance from a guy who seemed lost to that untenable middle ground between rap and Hollywood. This opening works so well because it's so sneaky and minor-key, RZA signaling that we're back in bent expressionistic goth-rap territory, that this album isn't going to be Wu-Tang's effort to catch up with rap; it's going to be the album that forces rap to catch back up with Wu-Tang.

6. "Weak Spot," 1:48-1:58. In the middle of Raekwon's verse, this disgusting fuzzed-out distorto-bass suddenly appears, sounding like something RZA pulled from a mid-90s Unsane record. It just thuds away for a couple of bars, and then it disappears. We never hear it again. 8 Diagrams is full of perverse and effective musical left-turns like this; I don't ever quite feel settled when I'm listening to it.

7. "Gun Will Go," 2:28-3:02. Another left-turn: as GZA's verse begins, the song's great little eerie circular guitar-figure gives way to an old rattling Marley Marl-esque breakbeat, buried under layers of tape hiss, like the ghost of 80s rap floating through.

8. "Rushing Elephants," 1:47-1:49. RZA: "Strangle cold bottles of Beck's, like a vexed German." A vexed German? Means nothing, sounds awesome. I should also mention that "Weak Spot" has maybe the most on-beat RZA verse ever. Weird how the guy who makes all the beats is also the most likely to ignore them when he's rapping.

9. "Take It Back," 2:45-2:48. Ghost: "We like rebel niggas powdered-up wildin' in the streets of Liberia." Why Liberia? Because it rhymes with "area" and "ain't tryna hear ya," and because it sounds like the hardest place on earth. Ghost is as good at coming up with incurably badass one-liners as he is at screaming frantic crime narratives.

10. "Stick Me for My Riches," 2:29-2:31. I feel bad not mentioning Meth's verse here, since it's probably his best in years. But the opening of Deck's verse is just so hard and iconic, and it's the one line from the album that probably gets stuck in my head more than any of the others: "In my city gritty blocks / Little love, plenty cops." Deck delivers most of his verse in those clipped shortened lines, and the level of alliteration and internal rhyme is just off the charts.

I wonder how Windmill doesn't get a single mention, given it is perhaps the best track on the LP. Also, I'm not sure about Breihan's take on Life Changes, as each performance is fairly interesting even if the song fails to really gel on the whole, perhaps due to RZA's strange verse--regardless, I'm a big fan of the song. GZA obviously is outstanding on the track, but so are Deck, U-God, & Raekwon, Meth's dope leadoff notwithstanding. Of course, there's Ghostface's absence to remember, but that is an old issue & what's done is done. Breihan also falls a little too much into music-writer mode when discussing Ghost on The Heart Gently Weeps, but perhaps this is just a case of how describing why someone is great obviously doesn't compare to the greatness itself. Everyone writes about Ghost these days, but when Ghost is hitting on all cylinders he really needs no commentary; he's complex, but speaks for himself. Then of course Breihan mistakes Masta Killa for GZA in his Gun Will Go entry (#7) but he's definitely not the first to do that, & I'm probably coming off a little too nitpicky, but discussion is discussion [Another small error: Stick Me for My Riches was primarily produced by Mathematics, with only co-production from the RZA].

Breihan obviously enjoys the album, as do I, if you do too drop your favorite moments in the comments section.

Decisions, Decisions

2007-12-16T12:36:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has gone out to buy 8 Diagrams will have noticed that there are several versions of the record available for purchase. There are two covers available, one featuring the Clan somewhat badly photoshopped together (even though the cover does look better in person) while the other features a sortof 8 Diagrams comet-UFO heading for planet earth. It was my intention to get both, but at the Best Buy I went to they were sold out of the UFO. Best Buy is the retailer of choice in the States for this release, because they include Tar Pit as a bonus track, which means people shopping there get to hear George Clinton's madnesses officially. Other U.S. versions end with Life Changes & the Heart Sutra, whereas the U.K. & other international versions include both Tar Pit & 16th Chamber. RZA was quoted as saying that he left 16th Chamber off of the American release because he couldn't get the sound quality up to snuff, & thought Americans would turn their noses up, while Europeans could handle it. It frankly sounds like some shit but who knows. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the performances ended up on other albums as the years went by, Meth's on Tical (Release Yo Delf) & Dirty's two verses on various things put out by Electra, who perhaps still owns the publishing rights? Who knows, this is just speculation on my part.

8 Diagrams also gets the deluxe treatment as pictured above, which features an extra DVD along with a limited edition Wu-Wear shirt all housed in a metal box. It won't be available until next year though, in late January, on the 28th, & I believe it's Euro only.

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The continuously excellent Wu-Tang Mountain blog has just put up mp3s of Tar Pit & 16th Chamber for those of us who don't have them on our copies.

Words from INS

2007-12-14T09:56:00.000-08:00

The Inspectah Deck has a new, lengthy interview now available from HipHopGame. It is an interesting interview because he basically sides with Raekwon & Ghostface in not really appreciating 8 Diagrams. He goes on to talk about the upcoming Shaolin vs Wu-Tang project, mentioning producers such as Havoc, Q-tip, & Alchemist. About his performance on 8 Diagrams, he admitted he was hit-or-miss due to the fact that he didn't fully enjoy the production RZA was throwing out there. There is quite a difference though between Deck's politeness, consideration & calculation & Ghost's flippancy. The Heart Gently Weeps is a look in the wrong direction, says INS, who fears that the original Wu-Tang fans aren't going to ride with this one. Of course it is my take that they will, realizing that this album requires the same original leap of faith that all of the good Clan albums did--36 Chambers, Forever, The W--all of this while I definitely agree that The Heart Gently Weeps is somewhat out of place on the album & probably belongs on a soundtrack somewhere. Also, INS goes so far as to point out that the Ghostface album came out the way 8 Diagrams should have, & that Ghost will be rewarded with sales. At this point Ghost sold about 35K in week one while it looks like the Wu will easily double that if not break the 100k barrier. & who knows how far the album might've gone if it weren't for this massive, stupid public beef? The Inspectah is true to his namesake, calculating, decisive, insightful. I guess there's still more fallout to come from the 8 Diagrams.

8 Diagrams is finally out. How do you feel about that?

We should have released five albums by now, but you know, it’s all good to still be loved and appreciated and anticipated like that. That’s the best feeling about this whole thing for me right now.

Five years is a long time to go without releasing an album. Was there too much of a layover between Iron Flag and 8 Diagrams?

For me and in my opinion, I would say yeah. But you know, I’m not the one who runs things. I just played my part as an MC on this one.

Did playing your part as an MC include giving RZA your creative input and making suggestions?

I played my part as an MC. This was a vision that RZA had, like 36 Chambers was a vision that he had. We had the faith in him to basically do what he does to the extent of how he does it. Pretty much, that’s what he did. My input wasn’t asked of me. Creatively, that’s really, like, out the window on this album. This was like you had Beethoven and niggas who played guitars and shit. There’s only room for one conductor, man.

It doesn’t seem as though every Clan member has that same faith in RZA that you have. Why do you think that is?

It’s not that everybody doesn’t have the faith. We know RZA away from music, so I know what he’s capable of on and off the field. It’s never a question of faith or anything like that. It’s just more a question of decision-making now that we’re grown. It’s about making the right decision and smart decisions because bad choices can kill you nowadays.

We’ve been a group that’s been under fire for a long time as well. We’re loved and hated. We’re loved for the same reasons we’re hated. So I look at this album, after a layoff of five years, as showing your faith. It’s like the dude you grew up with and moved away from you. You haven’t seen him in five years and when you first see him, it’s going to tell how he’s been living for the past five years. If his face is dirty, you’re going to be looking at him like, ‘What have you been doing all this time?’ I’m not saying we’re like that, but in this real glossy, glossy, glossy industry, it’s like we’re a piece of coal right now. And it’s good and bad. We’re the diamond in its rawest form but the people are misled and blinded by that shine. It just makes it hard, man.

Doing what we do, we have to overpower and redirect dudes’ mindstates, man, whether it’s the fans or the next generation or even just the music industry, which we helped shape to what it is now. It’s taking that motto and that mindset and bringing it back to where that is. There’s so much talent on the street and there’s so much good shit that you will never hear because of these big robots, these robotic dudes who are sucking up everything and making it hard for the independents. It hurts me a lot because there’s a lot riding on this. It’s bigger than us. It’s a hip-hop population that’s buying this album. We know. There’s a generation or population that’s rooting for us. It’s almost like being in a stadium at the Super Bowl and you have your home fans and the stadium is loud and everything. On the first play, you don’t want to throw an interception or turn the ball over because that’s how you lose. That’s how I’m looking at it and I could be wrong, but for this album, man, I think RZA in his creative genius, he took it to a level where he saw himself at. This is a vision that he had, unlike with 36 Chambers, where I saw that vision.

This album, I didn’t really see that vision because I’m still stuck on the core fans who got us to this point. I’m not really interested to cater to the new fans we met in Hollywood and all this, that and the third. If you wanna take it back and you wanna redirect the mindset, you have to do what you originally did because these fans are lost. This music and this generation is lost. If that’s the aim, then you gotta really come hard, man, because this generation’s teenagers are smarter than my generation’s teenagers. 16 year-olds today know what I knew at 22. We told them to stick together and that “clan” means “family”. We gave them guidelines all day with Supreme Clientele and The Purple Tape, Cuban Linx and everything that we’ve done, man.

So to really be at this level and the core is hyped about this album and it’s about a Beatles song. It’s not really about us. It’s about the Beatles. I don’t know, man. Maybe I ain’t seeing it, but it is what it is. I played my part as an MC. I really didn’t have any creative input. I didn’t have any direction to the album. I came in here as Inspectah Deck from Wu-Tang Clan. But if you want to hear creative input and ideas from Deck, you have to catch the Resident Patient album or catch the Part 2 that I’m doing now that’s dropping after this. That’s how I have to get my shit off. I’m one of the most underrated dudes of all-time, if you ask me. Not because I didn’t sell a million records. I didn’t have proper promotion for a lot of my shit, so you know, it is what it is. But that’s my opinion on that album. It’s not my lyrical best because I had to deal with what was put in front of me. I wasn’t really inspired by a lot of the tracks. And I can say that because this is nothing that I haven’t said to RZA already.

You don’t think you killed “Unpredictable”?

Yeah, but that wasn’t how the beat originally sounded and a few other elements…I’m not here to bicker or punch holes in my product. I’m just telling you what’s real with me and I’m not biting my tongue and I’m not trying to front on y’all. I support Wu-Tang 100%. This album was not my greatest and I don’t think it’s our greatest because of the direction that we went. But on the other hand, that’s RZA. He had that vision and he had that vision with 36 Chambers and we’re here now because of that. So maybe I’m wrong. Maybe this will be the album that the world was waiting for to come from the Clan and this will restore our history and restore our legacy and put it on top. Maybe that’s that album. I don’t think so.

Could 8 Diagrams be one of those albums that take awhile to sink in before fans see the greatness in it?

Maybe. It’s definitely going to take them some time to do whatever they’re going to do; if they’re going to get used to it or if they’re going to get familiar with it or if they’re going to hate on it, it’s all in a matter of time. For me, personally, and like I said, I’m only speaking for me, I’ve been born and raised on this Wu-Tang shit before Wu-Tang. In the womb, I was born with this shit. When it comes down to this, I know how to do that. I can’t give y’all my best if I’m not feeling a certain level. If you hear certain tracks and you wonder why Deck is not on this or why Deck isn’t on that, it’s not about that. Me, myself, I can’t perform and just act like I’m feeling this shit just to rhyme on it and just to get the job done and just to get the check. I could never do that. You might get the money but your name is on it and it’s unsatisfactory. Now my name would have to live with that mark on it.

You mentioned how your verse on “Unpredictable” was done over a different beat than the one that made 8 Diagrams. Is it hard as an MC to bring your best over a beat that you know isn’t good enough to go on the album?

It’s tough when you don’t know that’s going to happen. It’s tough when you write to something and you say the rhyme to something and then you come back and it’s something totally different. Yeah, that’s tough even though it’s happened in the past. Some of it has been successful, some of it hasn’t. But I’m not here to nitpick about this whole album. I’m just telling you my personal feelings. I didn’t like it. I like Ghost’s album better than the Wu-Tang album and I can say that because I’m fucking Wu-Tang. I’m keeping it real with the fans. When you see me on the street, I’m not concerned with being no rapper like that. I want to be bigger and more legendary than my solo career has allowed me to be and I know I can be. It takes the right positioning. If the Wu-Tang album has some sort of success, that would be a springboard for me to resurrect my solo career, man, which has been in the dungeons for a few years. I can’t capitalize off of that.

My babies can’t look forward to uncertainty, man, so I need to be sure. And I’m unsure. If you ask me, this is one of the first times that I’ve ever been questioning my own shit. But I’m only being aware of the times and looking at the times and the situation at where we’re at in hip-hop now .Are the people going to accept Wu-Tang trying to be as big or bigger than the Beatles or is Hollywood going to accept Wu-Tang or are we going to be looked at as rock stars? Those are not my dreams or goals so that is unimportant to me. I don’t worry about being looked at as a rock star. Listen, I did a song with Blondie and in two days, got a phone call and performed on The American Music Awards with her for “Who’s Gonna Cry” with me, U-God and Mobb Deep. I don’t have no problem doing that and I go wherever my music takes me.

But the album sounds slow, man. The album is slow. Everything is dragged out. There’s two head-nodding, Wu-Tang, side-splittin’, karate-choppin’ shit. For the die-hard fans that loved us from day one, I feel bad for them. That’s who I’m really speaking for. I’m not talking about the new fans we’re trying to make right now. Maybe fucking Tom Brady will show up to the concert because we did the Wu-Tang/Beatles shit. (laughs) I’m not concerned with that shit.

The backpack generation has been forgotten about. I’m concerned with getting them and the skateboarders, like the Lupe Fiasco’s of the world. Let’s give the young generation something to really , really hold onto, some knowledge, which it’s always gonna be. But the radio don’t play our shit. Is going this route going to guarantee that the radio will play our shit 60 times a day like the rest of that bullshit? Who knows, man? I don’t think so. I’m thinking after five years out the game, Wu-Tang needs to come back on a fucking tank like the A-Team. That’s how I’m thinking we have to come in the game and seize it from the rest of these clowns. We’re coming in kind of passive to me. We’re coming in like, ‘Hey, how are you doing? It’s okay with your bullshit. We’re just going to go over here and do our thing.’ You know what I mean? We have a responsibility to the hip-hop nation who are relying on us to change things once again like we did when we first came in. And it’s bigger than us, man. The responsibility lies on our shoulders and we’re the only ones who have been accepted to do it.

Will the hardcore Wu-Tang fans be unsatisfied with 8 Diagrams?

That’s my thoughts. That’s the thing I think about. Damn, the hardcore fans who got W tattoos on their neck or the GZA logo or the Deck logo or the Meth logo and whether they’re in France, Belgium, Puerto Rico or Chicago, or the ones with Wu-Tang Clan logos on their car or they kept their shirt from 1992 in crisp condition. Those dudes, and females too, what about them? They’re the ones that ain’t buying that bullshit. Now if we give them something worth buying, maybe some artists will go platinum again, like the Talib Kweli’s of the world and the Boot Camp’s of the world who should be going platinum because they’re doing hip-hop, not this fashion show, car show shit that everybody is turning to. But in all respect, man, hip-hop is growing at a rate that nobody’s going to stop. Its influence is here everyday in the commercials. You can sell Honey Nut Cheerios rhyming. Cadillac commercials have beats that could be on niggas’ albums. It’s real.

Will Smith was concerned in I, Robot that the robots were taking over. It’s going to get to the point where hardcore rappers are extinct because they don’t need hardcore rappers. They’re trying to ban all of that. They’re trying to ban the truth. They’re trying to ban all the reality and all the harshness. They’re trying to get everybody to fantasize about this life that isn’t there like Bentley’s and mansions and Rolex’s. But that ain’t there. Only one in a million gets that.

How do you feel when artists who make that kind of music cite Wu-Tang as one of their influences?

I give the real dudes love. I give the ‘90s generation, no matter where you was from, East, West, South, Midwest, West, it don’t matter because everybody was cracking at one time. I’m not hating on the rap generation. I’m talking about these clown overnight-sensation shit that dominates the radio and dominates the video and they’re selling ringtones all day. It’s like, ‘Yo, man, this shit is ridiculously done.’ It’s blaxploitation in a different way.

Soulja Boy is an example of someone who posted a song online, quickly got a record deal and an album in stores and is now a Grammy-nominated artist. Are you surprised at how quickly artists can obtain success today?

Come on, man. That’s what I’m talking about. And it ain’t knocking son’s hustle, because he might be a legitimate dude who came from where we came from and worked his way up. It’s not to knock his hustle, but it’s looking at the industry and the fans and we have to look at each other, like ‘How does this shit happen, yo?’ How does a nigga come out of nowhere and get it to pop off where a nigga can be putting in work for years and has been getting respect and has been getting love and is not wack, how does he not achieve those numbers within the years that he’s put in when compared to the overnight wonder?

It’s like, that’s the problem right there. The problem is the fans. It’s the motherfuckers walking in the stores and spending that $10, $20. It’s not the rapper no more. You can make whatever kind of music you want to make, man. It’s whatever out there, but it’s the consumer. Hip-hop is outselling country right now. It’s like, ‘Damn, man, hip-hop is powerful!’ That’s why everybody from the government to the churches are trying to get their hands on hip-hop. Everybody’s trying to get their hands on hip-hop.

I’m always going to have a job doing what I do, but they’re not interested in the Wu-Tang’s of the world because we’re the ones that have the true message and we’re the ones that are trying to wake the people up. We’ll party and dance with you but the moral of the story with us is to wake up your mind, man, and they don’t need revolutionary groups anymore. They don’t want you to be somebody that stands for something anymore. It’s like, ‘Fuck that, you’re wearing this because we paid for this wardrobe and we paid for this stylist and that’s it. You do whatever the fuck we tell you to. We’re spending this money on you.’ They’re recouping and they’re giving you advances to keep you blinded.

We’re in the middle of all that right now and we’re dropping an album in the midst of all of that. This is just the first floor of a 100-story building. We’re dropping in the midst of all this chaos and we’re still trying to maintain our integrity to the ones that got us there. This shit is real to me. I got kids. I have to feed my family off of this shit because I’m not getting a 9-5.

With the changing industry, how does Inspectah Deck and Wu-Tang move forward?

What I did with the Resident Patient that I have on Traffic Entertainment, I went straight to the internet and Part 2 will be available on the internet. That might be sent straight from my house. I might be licking the envelopes. That might be my job for a year. You can order that shit from me. That’s how that goes. I’ll put it up on MySpace and all those friend sites and do it like that. If you sell 50,000, you’re still making half a mill. I’ll go straight to the fans and eliminate the middle man, straight American Gangster style! (laughs) You know what I mean?

How’s Resident Patient Part 2 coming?

Resident Patient 2 is coming nice, man. I got outside production. I got different people coming in, not to mention that I’m doing production myself. It’s all ground-level entertainment. It’s Urban Icon Records. I’m doing what I’m doing. I have a few groups in the making right now, but they’re not ready. They’re in training, so in the future you’ll hear that. After Resident Patient 2, you’ll hear The Rebellion, which is still going to be my final album. It’s still going to be RZA-produced. It’s still going to have the Wu-Tang elements. What I’m dealing with is from my level of it. RZA will tell you all day, some brothers are more famous than others, but when it comes to the Clan as a whole, we’re all looked at as a whole. So I’m not just saying it for me and looking out for me, to the die-hard fans, I care about y’all and it makes me wonder, ‘Damn, are we taking care of them and are we taking care of the ones who we know are going to spend their $10 for the CD and once they buy it are they just going to put it on the shelf next to the other 12 that they got? Will they even listen to it?’ They might leave it in the wrapper and shit. I’m thinking about y’all. I’m thinking about this generation that’s coming up, who’s buying these young dudes. It’s like, ‘Yo, man, you’re not going to have nothing.’

Some of the songs that were made 10 years ago, it hits you now like how corny it is. If you pull out any Wu-Tang shit, it’s going to hit you in a different way. It doesn’t sound like nothing else. Just the awkwardness of it is going to hit your. I’m concerned with that. I could be paranoid. I smoke a lot. I might be paranoid. I might be thinking, ‘It’s all a dream.’ I put my faith in son to do that. It was never a question of faith. It was more or less, ‘What are you going to do, man? I hear you talking, but what are you going to do?’ It’s always like that. ‘I’m with you 100%, but what’s popping though?’

Will The Rebellion really be your last album?

Yeah. The Rebellion is going to be my last album, man. The Resident Patient was more of a mix album. The Movement was on Koch. That was an underrated album that didn’t get promoted, but it still sold. I feel okay, man. I can still keep my lights on and do what I need to do, so it’s all going to be good with me. I just hope that this one is the album that niggas want. After five years in the game and after hearing a whole bunch of redundant shit over and over, is this the album that they want to hear? Me being the Inspectah, I’m just skeptical, man.

You mentioned you had some groups in the works. A few years ago, there was talk of you, GZA and Masta Killa forming a group. How come that never happened?

We were going to do an album together, but we can’t do it without the rest of the crew like that. It’s not like we could just branch off and do that. I would rather do it with three people I don’t know, because when it comes to us, our power comes when we all align. And we know that, so we were like, ‘Fuck it, man, I ain’t gonna do that.’ We all came to the decision like, ‘You know what? You do your album and I’ll jump on that.’ We all jumped on each other’s albums instead and we did what we needed to do. I think if we would have put that three out, I think it would have sold. I think people would have wanted another joint with Meth on it or they would have been calling for a Meth, Ghost and Rae album. We brought that all to the table at one time. At different times, people were with it. Mentally, it just died off and we all did our thing anyway.

Is your group House Gang still together?

Yeah, House Gang is still a group. They branched off and they have another group under them called Loose Linx. I’m still into that and I’m still doing production with Urban Icon Records. Everything is grinding out and it’s moving slow, but it’s moving. That’s the whole thing. You can look forward to that shit in the new year. I guarantee you’re going to hear The Rebellion and Resident Patient Part 2 and I might throw in a bonus mixtape with 30 freestyles. You can definitely look forward to that shit on the internet only. I don’t know if you’ll even be able to buy my next shit in stores. That’s how I’m going to do it.

You’ve proven you have skill in producing. Will you be dropping more beats in the future?

Yeah. I just got me a whole little rig now, so I’m set up to do a lot more production than I’ve ever done. Just being on the run and trying to do the album together and being an MC, it’s hard to do both at one time. I was never highly skilled at it. I used to watch RZA, 4th Disciple and Tru Master and I got better at it. I’m definitely doing another album with my own production on it. You’ll be hearing from me soon. I never really had a whole lot of tracks to give away to a whole lot of people. I kept it in the family.

Getting back to 8 Diagrams, “My Heart Gently Weeps” was publicized like crazy. Was “My Heart Gently Weeps” the wrong single to promote?

To me, as a b-boy, hip-hop, early ‘90s, born and raised, I think it’s the wrong move. It’s feeding the people what they want and remembering who you are. But other than that, I understand it from a business standpoint. If I’m the one spending hundreds of thousands of dollars and major money is on this, then I can see where you’re trying to make a direct impact, like you can put this song out and it’s going to strike enough new people where we can possibly have outstanding first-week sales. I understand what that translates to.

But those outstanding first-week sales are not the real fans, man. You know? Those are the new fans we got based on doing a song with the Beatles. After that song, what do you do then? You have to take care of the core. I always say that, man. That’s why kings get thrown off the fucking thrones, man, because of the people revolting, man. I guess that’s why I’m the Rebel, man. I always feel a certain way.

“Life Changes” is an emotional tribute song to Ol’ Dirty Bastard. Was that a hard song for you to record?

For me, it was because I was looking at it like, ‘Man, this shit can be me.’ Dirty is me. Dirty passing is me passing in a way. Part of this whole crew died. The persona, the mystique behind Wu-Tang, a lot of shit died with Dirty. I’m Inspectah. I see that. I see that mentally, way off in the distance, off the fucking planet somewhere. I can’t explain it to you, man. That’s how it is. It’s like, the whole downfall that we’ve been having since then has been happening because there was no unity between us, no communication and there was a lot going on. Everybody just got separated and went out and did their own thing. The devil took one of us.

I thought that that would bring us together and make everything tighter, which it has. It’s brought us together, but it’s like, I look at it like, ‘Why wait to have a party on a fucking birthday?’ We have to always be like that because it can happen to any one of us again and I don’t want it to be me and I don’t want it to be no one else. So I’m just like, ‘Yo, we need to get our shit together and if we’re going to record an album, let’s do it for real because the people are depending on this shit more than we think.’ And I will continue to say that, man.

The people need what we have to say. They need to hear it because they’re tired of the other shit. There are only so many cars you can buy, and mansions and guns. There’s only so much. There’s only so much. There’s only so many people you can kill in one rhyme. Some people are killing four people a verse. It’s getting redundant, man. (laughs) It’s real. That’s why I laugh, because I know that the people want the shit that Wu-Tang comes with, like the “Rainy Dayz”, the “Incarcerated Scarface”’s, the “Better Tomorrow”’s, the “Ice Cream”s and the “Ice Water”. They want Cappadonna’s “The Pillage” and “Rec Room”. They want the “Triumph”’s. I can go on for days. They want “Shame On A Nigga”. They want that. They don’t want to hear the motherfucker who just got his deal yesterday and in his first video, he has the Bentley and the jewelry. I don’t want to see that no more.

How do you think 8 Diagrams would be different if Dirty had a say in it?

It would just have some life to it because I know Dirty would feel the same way I’m feeling. This shit is boring! This shit is putting me to sleep. Dirt Dog never bit his tongue. That’s one thing about me. I won’t bite my tongue, but a lot of times, I might not say nothing. This isn’t moving me like that. I just don’t like it. That’s all that means. It doesn’t mean it can’t be successful. So the fans understand directly what I’m saying, I have faith in RZA to do what he do, so I come in and play my part as an MC. But as far as my personal opinion, which relates to me and only me, I don’t feel that this is our greatest shit or the shit that niggas want to hear at this stage in the game from us. I feel like we have to give them a newer, better album such as the new Ghost album. I’m not saying that’s the truth either. I’m just saying that his album sounds like what a Wu-Tang album should sound like, but it’s him by himself. So he’s going to do well because he kept with the formula. That’s what I’m saying. I don’t hear no Beatles shit on there. He’s signed to one of the biggest machines out there. If they have faith in that sound, I’m pretty sure that the fans would have faith in that sound as well.

In your verse on “Life Changes”, you say you should have helped ODB when he was in trouble but that you were selfish. That’s an extremely heavy burden to bear.

That’s why you hear me talking the way I’m talking right now because this rap shit really doesn’t mean nothing to me like that, man. Life means more. And I’m like, ‘Damn, man, maybe if we could have really reached out more’ because I knew what he was doing and he knew what I was doing. I smoke. I smoke a lot of weed. Sometimes you need that person to come to you and as much as you may hate it, like, ‘Get away from me, stop telling me that,’ sometimes you need that person to get on your nerves like, ‘Put that shit down. You don’t need that.’

I feel like we need to be there for each other despite the fact that we’re grown men and we have different lives. But the lives that we have now, we built our lives on each other. The life I have now with my two kids and my cars, I built that on the backs of my brothers as well as myself. That’s my life. We need to be more in-tune like that and I think that’s what shows on the album, man. That’s just my opinion. I’m not trying to discourage nobody from going to get it. Go get it and support a nigga and help a nigga keep his lights on. I don’t have no hits on the chart. I keep it funky. I keep it funky with y’all all the time.

Wu-Tang is my biggest success story and if they fail, I fail. And I can’t tolerate failure at this stage of my life. I’ll ride with you, man, but I’m so skeptical that I have three eyes open on everything. I’m not getting caught up by little write-ups in Rolling Stone or DJs that say this is the greatest. Nah. I’ll see what it translates to when we compare the numbers to the other artists who the fans say they’re tired of. If you’re turned of all that commercial, Bentley-talking bullshit and you have an alternative now and you don’t support that, then you’re full of shit. You don’t want nothing new. You’re satisfied and you’re content with that stupidity. So don’t come at me sideways when you see me in the street and ask me why I don’t do that because I don’t shuck and jive. I don’t do the Hollywood Shuffle. If you’re looking for a motherfucker to have his shirt off in the video with his chest wet, you’re looking at the wrong dude, man.

There are only a handful, if that many, of artists today with that kind of perspective on music.

You know what it is for me, man? It made my career. It kept my career at a certain level. Me being the Rebel that I am, I could have sold millions. I could have done the shit that you see everybody else doing, but I just never allowed myself to be outside of myself. I grew up listening to the Curtis Mayfield’s, the Marvin Gaye’s and the Willie Hutchinson’s. Listening to that music kept me in a certain mindframe. I watched a lot of blaxploitation movies like Hell up in Harlem. You can name it. The style that I developed came from the ‘709s. You had to be cool. That’s what I do for dudes. I’ll take you on a walk to the corner store. Let’s go for a walk to the corner store and from the house to the store, somebody done got shot, the fire truck and ambulance came, there’s a car crash, somebody got robbed, a baby was born and somebody graduated, all within the hour. That’s what I bring to the table and anybody that knows about Uncontrolled Substance, The Movement, Resident Patient and even Part 2, that’s what you’re going to get from me. You mighty get a couple of dance tracks and club joints and some female joints because you have to mix it up, but for the most part, I give you tales from the ‘hood for real.

A lot of fans say you consistently outshine other Clan members on songs. How does it feel hearing that?

That sucks. That sucks, man. That sucks to hear everyday that you’re the illest and that you’re the fucking illest and it doesn’t translate to record sales or the numbers. It don’t translate to that. So what is it? I don’t make songs? I figured it out. I don’t have the right kind of promotion or the right push. I don’t have the right people. So when I do this next solo album, man, I’m doing it straight to the fucking internet. You buy it right from me and you can feel good knowing that Deck mailed it to you. Yeah, Deck has your credit card information and I mailed it to you personally. It feels good knowing that. I’m going to autograph each and every one of those shits. I’m going to do stuff that heads don’t do nowadays. I’m going to show you that I’m on your level and that I’m not no superstar. It feels good doing that. Fuck a label and a marketing team. You don’t need that shit. There’s 10 billion people on the internet daily. If you can get 1% of that, you can feed your family for years.

Are you more accessible to fans today through MySpace and other online outlets?

Yeah. Now I understand the business part of it. I’ve been working on my businesses and doing what I do on the low. I don’t have any hits on the low and you haven’t seen any Deck albums out there. I have a lot of things going on. But for the most part, it’s hard to live with hearing that you have so much potential and that you’re the illest and it never translates. You know what I’m going to do? I’m going to put my shit into a book. A poetry book with all my rhymes of shit that you haven’t heard. I have rhyme books that my mom done found in her old crib. I have mad poetry and I’m going to put it in a book so people can really see what I’m talking about.

I’m going to call it something controversial too. Motherfuckers are running with this “Greatest Lyricist of All-Time” and I want to challenge that. Being the Greatest Lyricist of All-Time doesn’t mean the one who sold the most records. It’s the one whose lyrics are just that outstanding. I think I would qualify for something like that. The best lyricist of all time, you can definitely put me and GZA in that category and a lot of people I know in that category.

Does not getting recognition from the industry and major labels ever discourage you?

It’s discouraging at times but I do what I do. You know what it is? They want me to take my shirt off and wet my chest and pour honey on myself and do other stupid shit for the camera. If I turned into an image of another artist, maybe they would move a different way. Maybe I should get a bunch of girls around me and act like I’m a pimp. I’m going to be me. In a video, the other guys are my actual homies. It’s big business and it’s bigger than that. I’m just talking about Inspectah Deck on the ground level. On a bigger level and with big business, for me to have a successful album, and I know that I can go platinum at any time, I would have to go relocate. I could get with any team moving and any label situation and go function, man. I know I can. Would I do it? I probably wouldn’t because that’s betrayal to everything that I stand for.

Inspectah Deck on G-Unit, the fans wouldn’t respect that. It would probably be a good move on my part because G-Unit has a good percentage of the units being moved in hip-hop right now, but if Wu-Tang got with G-Unit, the fans would be like, ‘Fuck that!’ A good situation for me would be to have an ill RZA-produced album with all the Clan members as well as outside members as well as production from outside producers. That would fucking be a hit for Inspectah Deck with some push to it. It would sell like it was supposed to sell, not what we’re hoping it could sell.

Looking at some songs, like “9 Milli Brothers”, sometimes your voice doesn’t sound like it normally does. Is that from recording with a cold or is it a more serious problem?

It’s happened a few times; recording a verse with a cold. On this album, I recorded “Stick Me For My Riches” with a cold. I had a cold and I wanted to come back. I just said, “You know what? Leave the verse and I’ll come back.” I went overseas and went over there and we fucked around and the deadline came and I never got to change my verse. So the verse with the cold is on the fucking album and I’m insulted by it. Other people are telling me that it doesn’t sound that bad, but to me, it distinctively doesn’t sound like me and it makes my rhyme sound kind of wack. I take pride in my shit and I can say when I’m not feeling it. To me, I know it’s a tight verse. The next thing you know, that’s how it is on the album though. People can hear it and be like, ‘Who’s that?’ ‘Oh, that’s Inspectah Deck.’ ‘Oh, that’s the song he was talking about!’

Raekwon is working on a new album, Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang. Will you be a part of that project?

I am part of that, man. Word. That’s going to save my ass. I’m definitely a part of that. I would love to do an album like a chaser. This is an album that the artists wanted to do as opposed to, ‘Okay, this is an album that the producer wanted to do.’ I think that would be good for hip-hop and I don’t think that would be any disrespect towards RZA. It would be like the artists put out their own album because that’s what they wanted to do. Now let the fans choose. The only difference is that it might cost them $20. But controversy sells and I think the fans would love that.

If you consider Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang a chaser to 8 Diagrams, would the album drop fairly soon?

It could come as early as next year, man. It could come as early as January or February. To me, it depends on who’s really riding with it. It depends on who’s really riding with it. I’m about it. I’m about whatever is going to take my career further. I’m not here on no personal feelings shit. I’m with whatever is going to take my career further. I’m going to keep doing what I do successfully and I’m with that. Why not put out an album like Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang? That was one of the most famous movies that we got a lot of our skits from and a lot of our personas from. Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang, that’s where Wu-Tang was born. The artist versus the producer makes it good for rap.

Do you think everybody in the Clan will be on board?

I think so. I think so. I think when they listen to this album and they see where RZA was coming from and then they listen to Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang and we get the Havoc’s and the Q-Tip’s and all the ill producers out there, I think the fans would love to hear that. I think the fans would love to hear Meth, Rae and Ghost killing it off an Alchemist track. Hell yeah! (laughs) You know what I mean!

Over the years, have a lot of big-name producers expressed an interest in wanting to work with Wu-Tang?

Of course, man. Of course. There’s a long line of people who want to get involved in that.

Before you have to leave, can you take us through your writing process and how your verses come together?

I guess life, man. There’s no real structured formula to it. I might think of a phrase in my head. For example, I was thinking of a rhyme and I just caught the phrase, “Martin got shot in the face on the balcony in front of Jesse, they were probably smokin’ weed.” To me, that sounds like a line that Ghost would open up with, so I wrote it down. From there on, the next time I see the paper and I come back, or even right now when I’m talking, I might hang up the phone with you and come with the other part. That’s a dart. Most of the time for me, it starts with a line. The whole line sets off what you’re going to talk about.

Where do you do your best writing?

Shit, I do my shit everywhere, man. I used to keep the notebook on me. I used to roll around with the notebook on me, but now I got one of the voice recorders on the phone, so every now and then I stop and I say some stupid shit. I’ll write some shit in my house at 4 in the morning, smoking a blunt, watching YouTube and fucking around. The next thing you know, I’m coming with some shit when the house is quiet and the kids are asleep.

What do you want to say to all the Wu-Tang fans out there?

Don’t let this interview persuade you with the album. But I can’t sit here and say the album is outstanding and that it is going to blow your mind. I’m not with the fraudulent shit. Expect me to be real, whether you like it or not. That’s all I can say to y’all.

GZA channeling Dirty

2007-12-11T22:09:00.000-08:00

Enjoy the above clip of the GZA speaking drunkenly & derisively of 50 & Soulja Boy, at several points falling into a zone highly reminiscent of Ol' Dirty Bastard himself. In the meantime, realize that today marks an occurance happening for only the 5th time in human history--the debut of an album from Wu-Tang Clan.

Also, a fairly decent review of 8 Diagrams from Pitchfork. On Wu's myspace there is some commentary on the meaning behind the 8 Diagrams, which includes charts, youtube vids, gif files & a discussion of Early Heaven & Later Heaven.

On the Eve of...

2007-12-10T20:17:00.000-08:00

...either the Wu-apocalypse or the arrival of 8 Diagrams. While the big day is about to be here (actually is here for most international fans) there is some more of he-said-this, he-said-that from Raekwon, who continues to insist that he will spearhead a new RZAless Wu album called Shaolin vs Wu-Tang. But even with all of Chef's naysaying, he does retain the good sense of endorsing the album & he recommends that fans go cop it tomorrow. Then, Meth also drops in for a spell, & his tone & statements seem to not quite coincide with what was reported in the "VH1" piece from the other day, pointing once again to the probable fakeness of that report. Still, Meth is both candid & in the end, much more loyal toward the RZA than either Ghost & Rae have been in the leadup to 8 Diagrams.

The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground

Raekwon the Chef recommends that you go buy the Wu-Tang Clan's 8 Diagrams LP when it comes out Tuesday, but he can't honestly say it's the Clan's best work.

"I'm supporting it," he said backstage at the recent J.A.M. Awards, which took place at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom. "Go get it. I'm on it. I laid down the dressing on that. But like I said, it could've been stronger! I know the capabilities that we all have when we all sit in the room together. And then, at the end of the day, it was leaning towards RZA's world. I told RZA, 'This is a Wu-Tang Clan album. This ain't RZA's album.' If we say, 'We need this to proceed,' respect what we need to proceed.

"You dealing with a whole crew collectively, and [our] collective thoughts," Rae added. "You gotta keep that a part of the protocol. That wasn't a part of the protocol — we still try to give this man as much props as he deserves, 'cause he did so much. It's like listening to [Michael] Jordan, saying, 'Follow my hand.' But at the same time, Jordan ain't been around for a while. So now it's gotta be about the team. Ain't no I's in team. When Jordan's head gets too big, you gotta tell Jordan that's what it ain't about. It's team."

The Clan's dirty laundry has been aired out in recent weeks, with Rae and Ghostface Killah alleging creative and financial neglect by the RZA. The pair say they've basically been speaking for the rest of the group.

"It's a lot going on, and like I said, this is not no publicity stunt," Rae maintained. "This is more or less about men understanding men and men respecting men. At the end of the day, I got a family to feed, kid. ... I got children that's going to school that I'm paying for shit for them to make it, and I refuse to sit here and act like another n---a is gonna tell me how I need to do what I gotta do. If it ain't how it used to be, then something's the matter. So, at the end of the day, it's just a nigga's water broke. Like a bitch being pregnant, she can't take it no more, her shit go blow!"

The Chef told us he explained his discontent to the RZA a while ago.

"I let nigga know about his wicked ways before I [came] out and [addressed] this [in public]," he said. "So nigga never say, 'Oh, Chef did it out the blue on some ...' Nigga, you know how I feel. ... It's tough love, but you gonna respect me. ... I can [opine] on how I feel, and if I feel it ain't right ... like I told RZA, 'Yo, I don't get nothing outta trying to shoot at you. I hope you don't get nothing out of shooting at me.' But respect that we supposed to be like this. The ill shit is, it's 10 years later, 15 years later. You mean to tell me you don't look at me like a general? You got a problem."

Method Man, who was under the impression that the album was being pushed back until next year, is also not pleased with how the project turned out and even more disappointed that the dissention has been made public.

"When niggas went in to do the album, it was little discrepancies here and there," he admitted. "Everybody talking and shit. Everybody talking at RZA and not to him. Him being who he is and where he came from, of course he's goanna poke his chest out. And it's gonna be a standoff. [8 Diagrams] is the results of it right here. I don't think anybody is listening to anybody. What I did as a constant, I spit on what I was required to spit on. I'm not trying to throw no monkey wrench in anything. I strived to make the album sound like an album."

Meanwhile, the author of 1995's classic Only Built 4 Cuban Linx ... album says he's spearheading an LP called Shaolin vs. the Wu-Tang and that it will feature basically the entire Clan, except for the RZA.

"That's how I feel right now," Rae barked. "It's coming and it's gonna be a lesson learned. That's a lesson to bust the Abbott's ass and let him know what we do. At the end of the day, if nobody don't do nothing, Chef's gonna show and prove. You [can only] hold in but so much, my dude."

While Meth feels that the LP could have been better, the RZA remains his brother.

"I love the shit out of RZA; that's my muthafucking nigga, right there," Tical said. "Thick and thin and back again. However nigas feel about the god, that's how they feel. But they can't speak for everybody. So if my name pops up in anything and you ain't hear it from the horse's mouth, don't believe what you heard.

"Hell yeah, on my behalf," Meth continued about whether the fences can be mended. "I speak for myself: Shit can be salvaged. Yep. Hell yeah, and the gods know how, too. I ain't at liberty to say with you, but niggas know how they can fix it with me."

In the meantime, remember to go get a copy of the 8 Diagrams album sometime tomorrow.

Potentially Fake Method Man Article

2007-12-07T22:40:00.000-08:00

The following is currently making the rounds of the internet to great fanfare. It is billed as being from VH1 but as of now no verification of authenticity has surfaced. But the piece sure sounds like Meth & it would be great if this turned out to be authentic.

From VH1

Less than a week away from the U.S. release of Wu-tang Clan's newest release, and tensions between group members and producer RZA seem to be abnormally high. Ghostface and Raekwon have both accused the founder and leader of the group of deviating from the traditional sound of the collective, while refusing to be swayed by their input into the musical direction of 8 Diagrams. Ghost has been particularly vocal about his displeasure with "The Abbot", especially when it comes to money matters. But not all in the group share these sentiments. We caught up with group superstar Method Man in NYC, and the lovable jokester of the group sees things differently.

"Them niggas got they opinion, but shit's peace between me and RZA, no question. Ghost & Rae don't never like nothing anyway...never," Method Man states with a dismissive tone. "Them dudes be looking at they mom's turkey on Thanksgiving like 'The fuck is this bullshit??' (laughs) 'Man this macaroni is some ol buuulllshit! Megan Good's titties is some bullshit! Rihanna's forehead, that's some bullshit!"

Meth says he's happy with the Clan's latest LP, and as impressed as ever at RZA's production.

"That's music right there man, I don't know what them dudes is listening to. They must have heard it from some clock radio speakers or something, and Rae, that nigga was probably just mad 'cuz he ain't had his lunch yet at the time. I like what RZA doing right now, the way he's able to go outside the box as well as go to the typical Wu bangers ya'll critical ass motherfuckers is used too. I already got some joints from him on my next album, more heat. In fact we was just in the studio a few days ago, and Nas came through. He hopped on a beat and we did the hook and everything that night. He talking about he wanna put it on his Jiggaboo album (a joke reference to Nas' upcoming album, The N Word), but I think I'ma hold on to that one. We might hook up again for another song. I was actually supposed to be on It Was Written back in the day, but it just never happened."

Ghostface on Hot 97 w/ Angie Martinez, U-God @ Durham College

2007-12-07T22:14:00.000-08:00

Check out video of U-God speaking at Durham College. Also, Ghost speaking with Angie Martinez, below:

Village Voice: More, More, More + Kotori

2007-12-04T19:11:00.000-08:00

The Village Voice keeps bringing the heat in terms of the recent assortment of Ghost/RZA/Wu shit that's sprung up in the leadup to 8 Diagrams & Big Doe Rehab. This time Rob Harvilla reports from a recent chat with the Ghost. I think readers & fans understand what Ghostface is trying to get at here--certainly those turned off by the sound of the new album--but Harvilla is right to point out the potential hypocrisy of Ironman's stances. It's not that I consider RZA infallible or even really innocent of never being shady--but then we get into talking about Divine & a bunch of business things nobody really knows about. Regardless, Harvilla's article takes the standard line of commencing with the just-arrived Big Doe Rehab before leading into the reason everyone really wants to talk to Ghost all of a sudden: his status with the Wu-Tang Clan. Earlier in the article Ghost discusses how he identified with Jay-Z's Kingdom Come album, how Jay attempted a more mature record, only to be lambasted by the populace. Ghost said, "The people want you to stay a certain way for the rest of your life...People don't want change, man. But you're becoming a grown man. You can't be 45 years old talking about how many bricks, how many kilos you turned over, how many you sold, at 45. People have to start talkin' grown-man shit. I respected Jay-Z on that shit, you know what I mean?" The excerpt below picks up with a recap of the history of the rift between Ghost & RZA:

First came a public spat over scheduling—briefly, both records were set to come out the same day until Ghost balked and Wu mastermind RZA politely (and publicly, and somewhat grumpily) agreed to push Diagrams back a week. But in addition to loudly complaining of financial mismanagement, Ghostface is also joining Raekwon (on record, at least, his closest Wu ally) in attacking Diagrams itself.
"RZA is fumbling the ball," Ghost says. "You know what I mean? Fumblin' the ball. He wanna do what he do, when we trying to tell him, like, 'Yo, man, do this or do that.' His music wasn't sounding like how it was when we first came in. And it's hurting us. People want that old Wu-Tang shit, but you tryin' to make new shit—tryin' to play live instruments, instead of just goin' to the crates and just do what you do best. You still a master at what you do, but right now you ain't lookin' like that master, 'cause you tryin' to do other stuff. We were just upset with the way things was comin' out."
To be fair, Diagrams is a dense, abstract, deliberately nauseating, deeply disturbing piece of work—you'd think extensively biting "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" would make a song more accessible, not dramatically less—unlikely to halt the Wu's slide in the public consciousness, losing ground to fresher entities (Southern rap, primarily), a calamity that Ghostface's recent success has valiantly battled against. But it's unfair that the main thing we know about this record, a week before its official release, is that two of its biggest rappers seem to hate it. And even if after five listens you find it repulsive, that's still five hours or so of deep, bewildered fascination. Diagrams deserves better than I fear it's going to get.
And furthermore, isn't RZA just trying to do what Jay-Z tried to do, what Ghostface says you must do: evolve? Grow and develop and experiment, even at the risk of pissing off your fans? "We just need to go back to what we been doin'," Ghostface insists. "If we not gonna go back to what the people—if you tryin' to get somethin' new, then do it right . . . Not just a beat with a bunch of rhymes goin' different types of ways, and the beat's not even all that, but you want everyone to sing on it."
Diagrams could undoubtedly benefit from some warmth, some familiarity, some semblance of sanity. But a drop or two of its wide-eyed, half-crazed eccentricity wouldn't have killed The Big Doe Rehab, either. As the tiff gets uglier and more public, interviewers lately have inundated Ghostface with Wu questions, to his understandable frustration: "I don't care if you ask me about it, but let's not just sit there and go for 40 minutes on it," he says. But a reconciliation is crucial here: It could reinvigorate what remains one of East Coast rap's most beloved franchises, and boost to new heights Ghostface, its star attraction, highly evolved relative to his competition but battling a whiff of staleness within his own outstanding catalog. But is it possible to make peace? "I'm not sure," Ghost says. "I can't tell you that, because it's serious with Wu-Tang Clan right now. It's serious. So I don't know." What would have to happen for everyone to reconcile? "I can't even tell you. I can't even tell you. I can't even tell you."

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INS, U-God, Ghostface Killah

A much needed change of pace is now available in video form from KotoriMag.com. We've seen pieces of this long video interview before (specifically where RZA, sitting in a red booth, discusses The Heart Gently Weeps) but this more substantial cut is definitely worth your time. Unfortunately, only three members end up in front of the camera, but the good news is that two of these, U-God & Inspectah Deck, are fresh faces to the 8 Diagrams hype game. After 12 rounds of Ghost said this, RZA said that, hearing an extended, wholly positive description of the album along with some new faces is quite refreshing.

& The Winner Is...

2007-12-03T21:19:00.000-08:00

Voila more Ghostspeak, this follow up clip to a previous Ghost interview from the other day, specifically addressing his absence on the Life Changes track. Ironman insists the true fault lies with the RZA--didn't see that one coming--saying that the beat was never delivered to him. One could go on & on trying to hash out what all this means or who is telling the truth & who is not--I lack the energy to keep breaking it down. & in the end it has become too painful as the back & forth has sped up instead of dissipating. One thing that comes to mind is that the way Ghost goes on & on about how something wasn't delivered to him & all of the other shitty little reasons why he isn't on the song, it makes you wonder why he never asked about the track, as he'd known about it for two years & after all they were playing it at several shows along the Rock the Bells tour. Oh yeah, Ghost didn't show for most of those dates...

The initial intention of this blog project was to celebrate the arrival of the album, not chronicle the demise of the Clan. Come on guys, can you stop going to the media as your middle-persons, & call each other!

Rawkus & RZA

2007-12-03T10:15:00.000-08:00

The somewhat reinvigorated Rawkus has put up a new, lengthy interview with the RZA. Virtually the entire interview applies to the very-nearly-here 8 Diagrams, so pardon the long excerpts. Even with GZA's contribution the other day, the times of group press conferences in anticipation of a new Wu album are sorely missed--emphasis on group. Pardoning the Ghost/Rae thing for a moment, why can't we hear more from Ins, U-God, Masta Killa, or Method Man? Nevertheless, some of RZA's responses here are the closest we've been allowed within the mechanics of the group as they recorded 8 Diagrams. The read is undoubtedly worth it. Notice that when RZA is first asked about Raekwon, he doesn't even directly address the situation. Not that he's avoiding anything, but it's yet another example of RZA handling himself very well in the public spotlight, as opposed to some others. At this point it's fair to say that the comments from Ghost & Rae have given fuel to those listeners put off by 8 Diagrams upon first listen--how much damage will their outbursts do against this album & the long term status of Wu-Tang? After all, RZA has directly stated that the reception of this album may dictate whether it's the last or not. If Ghost & Rae have taken future Wu music away from us, well, that's not great, to say the least.

FL: Is there a guiding theme for the new LP?

RZA: Yes, in my opinion. The first song on the album is called ‘Campfire’ and that sets the tone for the guiding theme. It’s called ‘8 Diagrams’ and straight away you hear the 8 precepts that he’s saying. What the intro is saying is what I feel we need in the world for men. It’s saying, ‘how can I be a good man?’

FL: Is it difficult to bring that into the Wu, with there being so many different competing elements?

RZA: It is kinda difficult sometimes. But as the producer of the group, and The Abbot – I didn’t make myself The Abbot, this was a title that was given to me by the other Wu-Tang members. So you gave me the title, you gave me the power, I’ll use it. But I’ll use it not just for my personal benefit, not just for their personal benefit, but for the benefit of what the Wu-Tang stands for. Wu-Tang is not just about us, it’s about the world. Somebody asked me the other day, ‘when you make solo albums and soundtracks and the Wu-Tang album, what’s the difference?’ On my solo album, it’s my duty to make sure I convey the solo artist’s feelings to the world. Doing movie scores or a soundtrack, I have to take that film and the director’s vision and make sure I satisfy their vision. But on a Wu-Tang album, that belongs to the world. That’s something I’ve learned myself and I didn’t learn that until 1998 and that’s when I went and did an album called ‘The World According to RZA’. In 1993, if you’d have asked me about hip-hop, it belonged to me. I didn’t care about anybody else – ‘Bring Da Ruckus’, ‘Wu Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthin’ to Fuck With’, ‘Protect Ya Neck’ – I wasn’t playing! But as I grew up, and I’m seeing black kids, white kids, Mexican kids, Indian kids, I’m seeing a rainbow coalition and realising it’s bigger than me. Some kids came up to me recently and they weren’t even around in 1997 for ‘Wu-Tang Forever’ but they got it and the guy was like, ‘Yo, I learned so much knowledge from that record. Just the references you make, that I cross-referenced.’ It helped enhance his own spirit and knowledge. That’s what it’s all about – Wu-Tang has become a source of information and not just about our ghetto and our roughness and our toughness and our personal entities, but a source of information for people to get their own thing and move on. So when I do Wu-Tang I don’t it for myself, I do it for the world.

FL: So do you think someone like Raekwon needs to remember that he’s only 1/8^th of the group?

RZA: I just read a little book of interviews that the GZA did in Germany, and when I read it, he just says so many things that make sense. He says that when he does his own projects, he gets to go into his own world, but when he’s with the Wu, he’s 1 piece, and that’s better because no 1 member is stronger than the whole group. I was happy to hear that not just come from me.

FL: Are those tensions harder to control now, given that all the members have their own fanbases and degrees of stardom?

RZA: In a way it does but, really, Wu-Tang started with tension. Some of the guys were not as close to each other as they have become. Ghostface and Raekwon are considered to be Batman and Robin, but they were enemies in the neighbourhood. Ghost was my man and Rae was my man. There’s another guy, Oli ‘Power’ Grant who runs Wu-Wear, him and Rae were partners, and Ghost was the enemy. I’m talking about mortal enemies. But they were always real tight with me. My house was neutral – people would always put their guns on the table, to use a metaphor. And when they left, there’s no telling what would happen. Now recently Power was telling me I had to do something, as he was pretty upset about the Ghost comment. Me, I don’t like to get into it like that, but he said that it wasn’t time for the Uncle shit I’d been doing through the years, it’s time to say something and it’s important for people to know what’s been going on and where I stand at. And he told me, ‘14 years ago when you told me to swallow all that beef with me and Rae and Ghostface, I swallowed it, but the day you arranged a meeting between us, I had my gun’. He was ready not to swallow it until he saw me. I didn’t even know it was that close. Mind you, Ghost is a superhero – you’re not gonna catch Ghost. Ghost will beat 5 or 6 niggas by himself, I’ve seen him do it. He ain’t scared of nobody, never has been, never will be. The point I’m making is, it’s not like we started out without tension. People don’t know that U-God and Method Man had hand-to-hand fights until we had to throw them off the bus. You know, there was a lot of shit. Me and Ol’ Dirty fighting because he wanted to go to Def Jam but I’d done the deal with Elektra. I had the plan for what I saw was right.

FL: Well, in the early years, Wu-Tang was described as a dictatorship with a five year plan. After that, you took your hands off the reins. Do you regret doing that?

RZA: Well, I won’t say I regret it, because you can’t regret life, but I do see the difference. Right now I guess I’m putting the reins back on by having the final word on the Wu, and now I’ve got to face what Raekwon’s saying about not getting to voice an opinion. Well, you did have a chance to voice your opinion, you just had a time limit to voice your opinion. I’ll listen to what people have to say, but after a certain time the vote is in.

FL: What did you make of Raekwon calling you a ‘hip-hop hippie’?

RZA: Now I don’t like the word hippie. When he said it, I thought, ‘Hippie? I’m the most Hip-Hoppest nigger in the world!’ I stay hip-hop, I never even changed over to the other side of hip-hop, the bling side. I kept it hoodie and a pair of boots – you always see me like this, and I could throw on the best of the best. It offended me a little but, at the same time, Raekwon’s the slang master, so I ain’t taking it like he meant to shit on me because I know he’s so rich with his words.
FL: Does the glare of the internet, where there’s always a camera pointed at you and a way of disseminating it, make it harder to keep the Clan together?

RZA: It’s harder, I would say, because you can say something on film, and then change your mind 20 minutes later. That’s why you’ve got to be careful. Me and Raekwon had a conversation about the record – he gave me his opinion, gave me his vote. He didn’t give me a bad vote, he gave me a 7. I’ll take a 7 from Rae, because his 7 might mean the fans give me an 8 or 9, but I’ll go back and try to get an 8 from you. So I went back and I changed a few things. I put the song ‘Unpredictable’ back on there. I’d taken it off as it was a bit Bobby Digital and I didn’t think we needed a Wu song with me talking about my dick. So I had to go back in and make it more amicable. So I sent that version out and people said they liked it more. GZA gave it an 8. When I first asked him, I knew he was being kinda sarcastic, but he said, ‘I give it a 5 and a half’. I was like, ‘Whoa’, but I never argue with him ‘cause he’s my teacher. So I had to humble myself to that. I tried to tell everyone, ‘Don’t take one day on this shit, take two weeks. Listen to it, this is not a quick fix. This is not a hamburger, this is vegetables. I know you don’t like to eat your vegetables, but you’ve got to, to get the nutrients.’ So then he came back to me with an 8 after I re-did things.

FL: Do you feel the pressure of a ‘comeback’ album?

RZA: It’s a continuation. The Wu-Tang saga continues. It’s not a comeback because we’ve all been active in all forms of entertainment. Also, we did tours without records being out, and I’ve seen bigger crowds the last two years than I’ve seen in my life. When we toured with Rage Against the Machine this year – and they haven’t had an album out – you’re seeing 70,000 kids each night in New York. In San Francisco, it got so crazy the police had to come. We’re bigger than ever, with no record out. That shows how important we are, how it’s about more than us telling our drug stories, our life stories, our turmoils. It’s about us adding a little wisdom, a little spirituality, a little consciousness, a little brotherhood. We’ve always had brotherhood, with all our other crews. And sometimes the Clan members are mad about that, maybe it’s because of having 8 famous guys, you’ve got 100 famous guys. But one thing I explain to them is that we saved our neighbourhood. More than that. We saved our neighbourhood in Staten Island, we saved parts of Brooklyn where Dirty, Prodigal Sun and Killah Priest lived, we saved Ohio with Killarmy, we saved a lot of families. It all comes back down to that one kid who walked around Staten Island for months – and people thought I was crazy because I used to walk and think and talk. I always say walk. Jesus walked across the Middle East teaching people. You get so much inspiration and knowledge from walking and thinking. So I walked around Staten Island until I got an epiphany. It took me a while to get it, but once I got it, I had it. I knew what I wanted to do. I went to Ghost first and said ‘Wu-Tang Clan’. Then it started to spread and other neighbourhoods were hearing about us. Some people were acting like they weren’t with it, because they didn’t like the Chinese shit. Guys like Pop the Brown Hornet wanted to make it GP Wu, because they were the Gladiator Posse from Stapleton and Park Hill was called DED Posse – Dick ‘Em Down. I combined ‘em both to Wu-Tang but those two neighbourhoods stay at war, although I had ‘em at peace. There were some guys who were on that ghetto shit and weren’t fucking with the Wu. And then when we blew up, they were like, ‘Yeah, we’re Wu’. And they were, I was bringing everybody. But they went separate. Even Shyhiem. Shyhiem was my student, but he went with GP, and GP wasn’t pure in the heart like that so they disintegrated. Had they been pure, and realised I had a vision, they would have got further. That’s what I was trying to tell the Clan on this album – trust me. Right after the ‘American Gangster’ premiere, we had this meeting, and I think it’s the meeting that triggered Raekwon’s comments. This meeting felt pretty deep for me. I invited everybody to the premiere, the only ones that showed up were Method Man and Inspektah Deck. That hurt me. They gave me 20 tickets – they didn’t gave anybody else 20 tickets – because I wanted to bring the Wu. I felt disappointed because I felt it would be a real good look for all of us to come together. So we had a meeting, and everybody starts voicing their opinions. And I wanted their opinions, because I wanted to see if I could satisfy the crew. I said, ‘If y’all ain’t satisfied, it’s gonna fuck me up.’ Harsh words were going back and forth. I had to come hard. I said, ‘Y’all have been making records without me for 6 years, and the shit ain’t go nowhere. The shit didn’t sell nothing.’ And then they’re saying, ‘Your shit has been weak’. My shit has been weak? ‘Kill Bill’? I’ve been involved in a lot of good things. But I wasn’t gonna front, I said, ‘Without connecting with you, my stuff has never had the high standard that it’s been with Wu-Tang.’ But it’s not that they’re not dope MC’s, and I’m not a dope producer. When we’re apart, it’s cool, but when we’re together it’s great. We don’t know why it’s great. Who knows why peanut butter and jelly taste so good together? They weren’t made for each other, but put them together and kids go crazy. We have a special chemistry that we don’t even know, but the people accept it for what it is. I was telling Meth, come back and rock with the Wu. I checked out his solo shows, 2000 people here, 1500 people there. Raekwon show, 700 people, maybe a1000 there. I know they don’t need me and I don’t need them, but wouldn’t they rather be seeing 10,000 motherfuckers in front of them when they’re rapping? After all these years, you want to rap in front of 500 motherfuckers? When you do Wu, you get the opportunity to rap to the world. You might only get 5 lyrics out, but they’ll be remembered by the whole world. All of the solo albums we’ve got out, nobody knows the lyrics like that. I don’t even know their lyrics. This new album got me listening to their lyrics again, and I realise how dope they all are. I was trying to explain to them, sometimes we don’t realise what it is we’ve got, but we’ve got it and we should never, ever doubt it. But Raekwon walked out not convinced, I guess.

FL: How was it recording without ODB? Did you miss his spirit?

RZA: Oh, we definitely missed his spirit. I saw Meth got asked the same question in an interview, and he was like – I only ever saw him in the studio one time anyway. It was hard for me. When Dirty first came home from jail, after all the shit he’d been through, and I was working on the Masta Killa album, ‘No Said Date’, making a few beats, he heard that album and said, ‘Out of everybody in the crew, Masta Killa is the only one that’s still Wu-Tang’. He wasn’t tainted. And I told Masta Killa. He got his name because Masta Killa is the guy who wasn’t part of Shaolin, he came to Shaolin and went through all the training in 36 Chambers, and became the Masta Killa. He saw us as his teachers. So I said to him that he’d become the best student. And then Raekwon’s mouth was healing, and right about the time he did ‘State of Grace’, he was back. If you ask me, Rae’s the illest MC. To my ears, Rae is fucking up any rapper out there, but he went through a transitional phase because his voice had gone. Having Genius on a track like ‘Starters’, talking about women – he doesn’t usually do that – he got a little ODB in him.

FL: There must have been a lot of emotion in the studio recording ‘Life Changes’.

RZA: Oh yeah. A lot. Meth was the first to do his verse. But I never got a verse from Ghost, which I think would have been deep because he knew Dirty for years. Me, Dirty and Ghost was running around from 1989 to 1993. That was the team…

Yet More From the RZA

2007-12-01T19:41:00.000-08:00

Pyro Radio recently reported a new interview between the RZA & SK Vibemakers. The entire thing can be downloaded in mp3 format here, though the file is huge. As usual I will excerpt the pertinent pieces of information below.

S: So why now with this album because many of us thought that there would never be another Wu Tang album?

R: First of all it was on me really I felt like it should be done, I felt like I needed to come back and do something about the situation, I`m doing well with things, with films, scores and life is looking better for me I ain’t gonna front but I walked away from Hip Hop but I walked away without closing the book and with Wu Tang it was the same, even if guys put there solo albums out every year, life Ghostface puts an album out, Method Man but you still don`t get that collaborative spirit and I knew I had to come back and do it one more time for the people because we ain’t making a lot of money from this, there`s money there don`t get me twisted but it`s not like the sort of money with what I`m doing already but this a sacrifice, a worthwhile sacrifice because I`m doing it for my crew and for the fans that want another dose of this

S: A couple weeks back we spoke to Steve Rifkind and obviously your first 4 albums were released through Loud Records and Loud was shut in 2001, but now your back with him again opening up Loud records for just one record, what`s it like being back with Steve Rifkind?

R: I think Steve Rifkind is the only Record Executive that would be able to put out a Wu Tang Album, because most executives are just putting the what I call cookie cutter type of hip hop, just throwing it out there and not even caring about the purity of the sound or the purity of the people, I`m not saying the 8 Diagrams album is the same as the 36 Chambers, but the purity of us makes like it regardless so even with `My Heart Gently Weeps` which is well produced you got John Frusciante from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Dhani Harrsion the son of George Harrsion playing acoustic guitar, you got Erykah Badu singing the hook this sounds like a BIG song but once Ghostface and Raekwon start rapping the pop of it leaves, it`s not only the spirit of the music, it`s the spirit of the mc`s there voices. But with Steve Rifkind I think that he is the only executive that can deliver with his job, the reason I say that is that most executives want to tell you what to do, he`s the type of executive that trusts his artists, he came to me like yo I want to do it how we done it in 93, in 1993 you asked me what you wanted and I said yes and that`s how we gonna do it tell me what you want from this campaign

S: My Heart Gently Weeps is that the first single

R: Yeah that`s the first official single, you know Wu Tang always got an underground single then we got an official single, the underground single was at first `Watch Your Mouth` but we had a little sample problem with that and if you got that song already you got lucky (laughs) you know Sk Vibemakers got it though, but the rough single now is `Take It Back` for any that wants to hear us air it out with no remorse and `My Guitar Gently Weeps` is a Song that you can hear us air it out but in a song format, the videos are being filmed in a weeks time I`m co directing it with Malik Sayeed.

S: Are there any external features on the 8 Diagram album?

R: Not really any mc`s, Streetlife is the only other mc on there that`s not signed on as a legal member and for the fans that ever wondered if Cappadonna is an official member, he is now officially and legally signed on as a member of Wu Tang we sorted that out this year, George Clinton’s on there, most people think he`s from the west coast but he`s from the East Coast his house is actually only a few miles from my house and George Clinton and ODB were really tight, they spent a lot of personal time together and cos ODB`s spirit is not here physically on this record you remember on Iron Flag when I had Flava Flav who`s just as wild, but to me George Clinton gave me some of that ODB flavour that you wouldn’t be able to get.

S: Are there any ODB vocals on the album?

R: I think there’s one or two vocals on there’s, there’s one which is a performance ODB did back in 1992, before any of the albums, it was a demo we had in my crib, the 16th chamber and that`s the bonus track.

S: I`m hearing about all the internal conflicts with Wu Tang, after all the delays the album is meant to come 4th of December and Ghostface was gonna bring out his album the same day, and then were hearing that he was upset that there both coming out on the same day and he tried to get it pushed back, what`s the story with that?

R: That’s a true story, what happened was that the Wu Tang album was scheduled to be released in September, but we went on tour so it took longer to finish the record, then we thought October but there was more touring (laughs), the time I put aside for the record wasn`t enough time for everyone to do what they gotta do, so the record kept getting pushed, then the record was meant to get pushed and was meant to be released November, but there were sample issues, making a record is different from the old days, nowadays they got the producer to sign 50 pieces of paper, which I don`t even understand yo, but you gotta go through with this but then we finally got to December the 4th nobody was aware, well I wasn’t aware, Steve Rifkind wasn`t aware I think half of the Wu Tang Clan were aware that Ghostface was doing a new album, he just put out an album .

S: We would of thought there was such a cohesion in the crew

R: Na, na it`s like everybody`s solo life, is there solo life, we all keep our solo life to our selves, sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally, if you asked Ghostface why most of Wu Tang never knew he wasn’t bringing out an album he wouldn`t give you a good reason cos he`d be like I thought they knew, because that`s how Ghost is, if you call him a hundred times you aint gonna get to talk to him, he even says how Ol Dirty Bastard became Ol Dirty Bastard because of his name he feels like he became Ghost, his moms can`t find him sometimes you know what I mean (laughs). But to cut a long story short the dates did collide and at one point Steve Rifkind as executive was like yo I`m moving it , Ghost has to move his date because he felt that the solo members is never as important as the group.

S: So there`s no arguments over money or anything?

R: Na let me finish I aint gonna air it out cos I`m doing a special interview with Funkmaster Flex to air it out but I`ll give you something you can work with, so when Steve Rifkind got involved it got the point were the people in the building were making it a tug of war whether to move Ghostfaces record because the Wu Tang is a bigger campaign, so Ghost really got twist off about that, I mean really twist off to the point he went out and verbally expressed himself, so once he done that I didn`t think it was a big deal we`ll come December it aint a big deal we don`t want it to be a problem, cos it`s not a problem for us, the wise thing to do is that Ghost should have held his record till next year because he put out an album last year and it didn`t really have the same kind of success it usually does so therefore you need to take a chill pill and get your stocks back up, get this Guitar Gently Weeps video which is a big big thing for you and come back like yo it`s Ghost

S: Is there any conflicts with direction of sound though?

R: Right now it`s hard to put the finger on the conflict, right now I think it`s delusion going on, have you guys got the album?

S: Na we just got it, we aint had a chance to listen to it though.

R: Go and listen to it and let me know how you feel cos like I was telling Raekwon, it really aint about how we feeling about the album we put out albums every year, like Raekwon put an album out August 28th right called `Ice Water`, it was put out on Babygrande, he put that record out with full control of the sound, full control of what he wanted to do and he put it out, have you heard it, have you heard about it, did it make a dent to this hip hop world no, there`s many records that come out from the crew, but now it`s time for us to do this, it`s time to let the Rza be the Rza too, don`t let me not be who I am, because I let you be who you are, it`s time for everyone to play there part, but I think right now everyone’s used to playing there own part, even myself I`m used to waking up everyday and not having to do interviews and come to the UK but for the cause I`m here and if you look at it from a stand point why is only Rza here, I should be the last person here cos i already put my work in, but this is how much dedication I’ve got to Wu Tang Clan and the cause, so as far as all them rumours your hearing were gonna clear that up with a live interview cos i know what`s being said i`ve seen the youtube shit and all that(laughs). I can curse?

S: Yeah you can curse man (laughs)

R: (laughs) I didn`t know that shit motherfucker, shit motherfucker, shit(laughs)

RZA goes on to discuss the forthcoming 3rd volume from Bobby Digital, called DigiSnacks, happily featuring Baretta 9 & Reverend William Burk. The interview is lengthy & typo-laden but worth the effort. It's a couple days old--it was actually released a few days before Ghost's latest round of insanity (at this point, what could it be but publicity?). But then again it's hard to get ahold of where everyone is, if things are getting resolved or not, if the video for Heart Gently Weeps will actually get done or not, given that Rae & Ghost are two of the three major participants on that track. It's a strange time to be following the Wu this closely.

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On Wutang-corp.com there is a hopeful rumor for fans of the original version of Wolves, as previewed recently on The Wake Up Show--that the original version is the one included on US copies of 8 Diagrams. It would be something of a consolation to the 2 European bonus tracks ("Tar Pit" & "16th Chamber") which we will not be able to enjoy on our copies.

* * *

There are now some YouTube links available of another interview with the RZA, this one performed by DJ Semtex. The feature is split into three parts, with the 2nd pertaining most to the 8 Diagrams. The other portions are available from YouTube. RZA directly addresses both Ghost & Rae, interestingly mentioning that Ghost initially chose 10 beats from 8 Diagrams to record on. & then given the sheer number of Raekwon performances on the album--how could the final product be a denouncable surprise to them? The saga continues...

The GZA

2007-12-01T19:00:00.000-08:00

A new interview with the Genius has been released by SixShot. He has a forthcoming solo album as well, that was ironically slated for Dec 4th at one time, called ProTools. In the interview he clarifies that the album is really more of a compilation album than a straight GZA solo, but that he & the RZA plan to record a full GZA album as their next project. But as far as 8 Diagrams is concerned, & given all the tension within the Clan, the Genius gave us his take:

Jon Michael: The Wu-Tang album drops in a couple of days, you excited about that?

GZA: Ummm, I’m aight, I’m kinda excited. I never really got all hyped about album releases. It feels good though. I’m happy to get back on the road.

Are you happy with how the album turned out?

I like it, yea, I like it. It’s growing on me more and more. The more I hear it, the more I like it.

When Raekwon spoke out and said he wasn’t really feeling the album, was he speaking on behalf of everyone in Wu-Tang?

Nah, he was speaking for himself. I mean, that was Rae speaking. There's always room for improvement. Personally, I feel I could have done better on the album but you have to consider the time it took to put it together.
Raekwon also mentioned that he may have had some issues with money. Did you ever experience that?

I’m not even gonna get into all that. Raekwon was speaking for himself. That’s my brother just like RZA is my brother and I won't go against that. Raekwon does represent us as a group also. Maybe he had more concerns among other thing that the other members or his beef went to a different extent.

I’m not gonna go against that. I don’t air out problems, when it comes to my family. If I have money problems I deal with it. There are always problems with a group or family but that’s with everybody.

Don't Speak Much...Deluxe Plus Imagination

2007-11-29T21:19:00.001-08:00

Ghostface has a new response for the RZA. The Rhapsody interviewed Ghost recently in advance of his approaching solo album Big Doe Rehab. The report begins with the standard prealbum fare, but soon becomes interesting as Ghost addresses/denounces both Tony Yayo & prior collaborrator Lord Superb [Lord "If you don't bring me some motherfuckin' cognac I'll kill you" Superb]. Then Ghost turns to 8 Diagrams & the RZA.

Shifting to the upcoming Wu album, how would you say the music on 8 Diagrams measures up to classics like "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'"?

Could never match up. You crazy?!

Raekwon recently had voiced his displeasure with 8 Diagrams’ musical direction. Are you happy with how the album came out?

That shit is wack. I heard RZA was changing some of the beats around the last minute. I didn’t hear that. I don’t know what y’all listening to out there. I never heard it. I’m with Raekwon.

Both you and Rae had spoken about being owed money by the Wu hierarchy. RZA stated in an interview with Tim Westwood that he doesn’t owe anyone money.

I just won my court case from them niggas. The suit been in there for three years. So put that out there. They just lost their fuckin’ case. So who don’t owe who money? Let’s get it straight, RZA. That’s all I’m sayin’, baby. It was a loss, they lost. L-O-S-T. That’s really it.

How you and RZA’s relationship now?

I don’t see RZA, man. That nigga’s real sneaky. I love him, though. Ain’t no bad blood. Ain’t nobody doing no bad to him. It’s just that you can’t get money with a nigga.

Meanwhile, Big Dough Rehab drops Dec 4th, a week before 8 Diagrams. Like the Rhapsody writer mentions in his/her intro: there used to be a time when the world would be excited to get a new solo one week & a new Clan album the next. Perhaps the time to return to that sort of mindstate has arrived.

* * *

& now SOHH has their own interview with Ghostface, where he continues his separation tactic. But Kanye & Pharell? Ghost & Rae might have more credence if they didn't continually have bad ideas & questionable projects.

"RZA ain't listening," Ghost revealed. "He wanted to make [8 Diagrams] how he wanted it and it ain't come out right. He wanna always do the whole thing himself, produce the whole album. We're like, let's bring in some other producers too. Bring in Kanye, bring in Pharell. You ain't gotta do the whole thing yourself. He wanna make his own instruments and shit and it sounded real horrible."

"So now it's like when fans come up to me like, 'Ghost, why you let them put that out,' it's like nah, we ain't taking the blame for that," Ghost continued. "That's what Rae was saying. We ain't co-signing that. It's like, the game is different. It's not how it was 10 years ago. We're trying to tell him, you can't just put a Wu-Tang album out and just think it's gonna sell just because. We been gone for what, six years? It's hard to win new niggas. A lot of the fans now was in fucking diapers when we first started doing this. That's why a nigga like me drop every year. I stay relevant."

* * *

& now even more from Ghost, this one from MTV, in which he calls the album "bullshit" over & over... is anyone else starting to get tired of all of this?

Someone Finally Gets How Good The Beats Are

2007-11-28T16:18:00.000-08:00

That someone is Tom Breihan writing for the Village Voice, in an article called "8 Diagrams: RZA's Drug-rap Masterwork." After beginning with an apt point in regards to the vocal sample that precedes Campfire, Breihan soon arrives at

The fact that 8 Diagrams even exists is some kind of miracle, and it's even more amazing when you consider that not one song on the entire album has the faintest chance of becoming a crossover hit. 8 Diagrams is a deeply weird album, a total immersion in weed-fried mythology and willfully obscure tangled-up black psychedelia. It's clearly the album that RZA wanted to make, and recent developments show that he may have burned up all his goodwill with the rest of the group in the process.

The one thing here that I might disagree with is his sense that nothing on the album could blow up--either version of Wolves, given the right treatment, could be huge, ditto Stick Me For My Riches, perhaps even Starter. Another questionable Breihan take is his statement against the RZA as a rapper, saying that while he enjoys him on Sunshine, "I've never much liked RZA as a rapper because he always sounded totally content to ignore his own beats." This is an oft repeated opinion--at least distaste for RZA on the mic, if not for that precise reason--that continually makes no sense to me. Bobby Digital is one thing, but RZA's mid-nineties performances on tracks such as 4th Chamber, Assassination Day, After the Smoke Is Clear, Windpipe, '96 Recreation, Mr Sandman, Diesel & Wu-Gambinos are as forcefully interesting as anything in Wu history. But then Breihan does correctly note Method Man's incredible performance on the album, & then continues to praise the record as a whole:

The things that Raekwon doesn't like about 8 Diagrams are the things that make it something like a masterpiece. At least during the recording of the album, all the Wu guys seemed to realize how great they sound over RZA's bent orchestral beats, and they stepped it up accordingly. And even if RZA never manages to get these guys back under his spell, the end result may be worth it. It's going to take a long, long time to untangle 8 Diagrams, but even a few days after it leaked, it's pretty evident that we won't be hearing another rap record this bent and fascinating anytime soon.

Video of RZA on Tim Westwood

2007-11-28T14:58:00.000-08:00

Check out the above video featuring RZA's recent conversation with Tim Westwood on UK Radio. The interview proves very insightful into the Abbot's current mindstate in regards to the impending 8 Diagrams, & he directly responds to Raekwon's recent negative comments. The quotables from the RZA are too numerous & he becomes quite animated a few minutes in, finishing with a flourish in which he forcefully insists that he neither owes nor has owed money to anyone. Interesting bits are all over the video, one of the most interesting being the fact that it took GZA a few weeks to really appreciate the album, but he now loves it. RZA's comment about how his Wu-Tang presence differs from his Bobby Digital persona (vis a vis his original Thug World verse) is noteworthy as well. When RZA begins naming himself "a master producer" (especially now that the album has leaked) you can't help but want to agree, perhaps begrudgingly for some. The production on the album is, if nothing else, extravagant & forceful.

Meanwhile, an overall look at the Wu's discord heading into the release of the album can be found on MTV's website. The article is pretty thorough & has some good insights into all aspects of the construction of the album, from the tension within the Clan to RZA's production techniques to some reviews of tracks. Pretty much the best overall article on the state of all things 8 Diagrams that can be found in a single friendly dose. The following section is particularly interesting:

"When you read on the Internet that Ghostface is upset that his album is coming out the same day as the Wu-Tang's album, that's because after the tour, Ghost was gone for two or three months into his own world [and] we went back into our own world," RZA added. "So nobody was in synergy of what's really happening and that's what makes the problem. You've got to build every day. ... I can honestly say, though, we did come together to do this record, and it was recorded without money. Nobody got any money in the beginning to do this record — we worked the deal out later — but to sit down and do it, we were still negotiating, but every MC came to the table. Method Man came to that studio, his lawyer called him up [and said], 'Meth, don't go to the studio.' But he came. I think Method Man gave one of his most vicious, most hungriest performances in years on this album. U-God was the first one to come to the studio and said to me, 'You know brothers are trying to say that your production is on left. Let me hear what you got, brother.' I start playing the music and he was like, 'Man, we're going to be on fire. This is beautiful.' When he said that he loved the music I was producing, I knew I was on the right track, because he's the one that that really will say, 'Fuck you.' I took it on face value that we all came because this is what we believe in. Now I think it's a little different, because all this flak is popping up, and it's like, 'Wow, I thought we were all on the same page.' "

Also, if you listened closely to 16th Chamber, the last track from the album leak, perhaps you picked up on the detail RZA reveals about the former Wu names.

That unified sentiment was the inspiration for the album's title, 8 Diagrams. RZA was watching a kung-fu movie almost 15 years ago, and the light bulb turned on. "There was a movie called 'Eight Diagram Pole Fighter,' which features a group of brothers all fighting for their country," he explained. "Their loyalty to their country and their loyalty to each other really struck a nerve to me, and when we first formed Wu-Tang Clan, we actually was called Brother Number One, Two ... Brother Number Five — that's originally how we did it. As time went on, we just took different names and abandoned that idea. For me, it's time to bring that idea back in effect, and that's what the 8 Diagrams is helping to do."

But perhaps the biggest thing to question from this video/article update is do you believe RZA when he says the differences between he & Rae have been resolved?

8 Diagrams has leaked!

2007-11-24T14:35:00.000-08:00

What is presumably the Euro version--since by all reports the US tracklist numbers 14, the UK 16--has leaked to the internet. I wish I could put a link up here, but I don't want to step on any toes, & anyway the album shouldn't be too hard to find. I will drop my impressions after the album has had time to sink in, but one thing is clear, that the RZA delivered in a major way. Some further changes have been made to some of the leaked tracks--perhaps most notably to Wolves, so it will be interesting to catalog & keep track of these. Track it down everyone, & enjoy.

Windmill HQ + RZA Speaks on UK Radio

2007-11-23T19:20:00.000-08:00

Though definitely not CDQ, this is the best version of Windmill yet to be released. The track is from a RZA interview on the Choice FM radio station in the UK--what follows is a loose recap of what the RZA spoke about during the conversation. If we are lucky perhaps the full feature was recorded & it will make its way 'round the internet soon...

"No platinum Wu-Tang records have come out since they stopped coming to me. Meth is a 2x plat artist guaranteed, until he stopped messing with me. ONLY ONE GOLD WU TANG RECORD CAME AFTER 2001"

"[in 1994] Busta Rhymes was the only artist who kept it real with me, other rappers wouldnt tell me how much they were making off a platinum album when 36 chambers went platinum and i wanted to know how much people are getting for selling a million"

"I got $4 million just to hand in Wu Tang Forever [not counting royalties]"

"I signed away all of their contracts with me in 2001, $23 million for free, as long as I kept the Wu Tang name"

"I paid for Wu Tang's solo managers at $70,000 a year, for each of them"

"I was at the club dancin to Soulja Boy with the ladies, but I'm not buying his album, I dont want to own it..."

"I pretty much left hip hop in 2003, I was pretty much retired, I went hollywood"

"I used to think.. yo Ghost and Meth are on Def Jam? Rae is on Universal? everything is good, I could leave..."

"The only rap albums I've bought are Jay Z (Kingdom Come and American Gangster)"

on 8 Diagrams...

"Ghostface is the only one who didn't rap on the ODB Life Changes tribute song... I was really disappointed he wouldnt give me a verse for it... aside from Gza, Ghost used to be closest to Dirty.... me and Ghost and Dirty were running partners in the streets from 89 to 92...maybe he'll do one on his album"

"U-God and Inspectah Deck said they would do it if the music is good, they didnt mention money. I was impressed by their responses compared to some of the other ones."

"Our 2007 European tour and Rock The Bells tour are some of our most successful ever"

"If you ad up Meth's 5 million sold, Wu-Tang's 10 million sold, Ghost's millions sold, Rae's million sold, Dirty's millions sold, add it up and it's easily over $300 million off raw hip hop, it only takes maybe $1 million to make a Wu-Tang member album.."

"My agents hate it when I make hip hop again, because Cali is making us rich"

Starter, Rushing Elephants, Unpredictable, More on BBC Radio

2007-11-21T02:47:00.000-08:00

The BBC Radio show 1Xtra played 5 Wu-Tang songs on last Sunday's show, including Take It Back, Rushing Elephants, Unpredictable, Starter, & Windmill. You can listen to the entire show here, but as of now the tracks are unavailable individually. But this is only a matter of time--with the final version of 8 Diagrams in so many different people's hands at the moment, a full retail leak cannot be too far off. For now, enjoy the new tracks.

Starter reuses the main sample from Certified Samurai off of the Afro Samurai soundtrack, & does feature some unnecessary singing between INS, GZA, U-God, & Streetlife's leadoff. Nonetheless, the song is full of wit & the beat is on par with the excellent work we've heard so far from the RZA.

Windmill is longer here than we've heard before, featuring Meth & Cappadonna verses, & it remains a great track. Rushing Elephants has a light, almost cartoony sample, but that is not a bad thing. Yet again Rae appears on the track. For all the vetoes he handed out against the RZA, perhaps the Abbot should've returned the favor, as Rae seems like he's on every song. GZA follows Rae, & then RZA has a verse. Finally comes Masta Killa. The best thing about these tracks is that there are plenty of members per song.

Unpredictable, formerly Thug World, ends the broadcast. The quality of the broadcast seems to fade in & out, yet the track seems more interesting mastered, with some added elements in the beat, & a fairly weird hook. The beat switches up for the RZA's verse, then the horn stabs come back in--there is plenty guitar added to the track, but in an aggressive way.

* * *

Update!

Starter

Rushing Elephants

Unpredictable

Windmill

Reviews: HHC, Spin

2007-11-20T12:04:00.000-08:00

Some reviews are starting to find their way to the net. HHC reveals a new final tracklist along with clarifying a few other details.

1 Campfire
2 Take It Back
3 Get Em Out Tha Way Pa
4 Rushing Elephants
5 Unpredictable
6 The Heart Gently Weeps
7 Wolves
8 Gun Will Go
9 Sunlight
10 Stick Me For My Riches
11 Starter
12 Windmill
13 Weak Spot
14 Life Changes
15 Tar Pits
16 16th Chamber ODB Special

Their review follows:

‘CAMPFIRE’
Meth opens the album, spitting steady over a heavy warped plodding beat that definitely cocks a nod towards the ’36 Chambers’ days. Ghost declares “We gon’ have a ball – might as well pick a testicle.” We hope he’s talking to the ladies.

‘TAKE IT BACK’
Subtle flip of a classic break with the Wu lining up to rhyme over it – these days there’s a good argument that you don’t really need your older rap gods to do anything more than that. Rae sounds fresh, and Ghost spits hard.

‘GET ‘EM OUT THE WAY PA’
Big beastly electric bass tones underpin this, and it’s a reinvigorated Meth who takes the spoils again while Ghost and Rae tag-team on the chorus.

‘RUSHING ELEPHANTS’
Rae’s talking about “Excalibur swords, T-Rexes”, GZA’s explaining “energy that shifts in colours”, and RZA’s mush-mouthing about, er, the Lord Of The Rings. This is the Wu getting their nerd on.

‘UNPREDICTABLE’
Ramping up the tempo, this rattles along a fair treat with all sorts of percussion mixing with some punchy horn stabs. Deck destroys it with his verse (though “Wu-Tang – keep it fresh like Tupperware” might not be his most assured punchline) and RZA references Meth’s recent crowd surfing tendencies. A Wu-Tang toe-tapper and not a million miles away from U-God’s overlooked ‘Wildstyle Suppafreak’ or Masta Killa’s ‘Digi Warfare’.

‘THE HEART GENTLY WEEPS’
AKA the one that’s meant to get indie rock kids to buy the album. Not as unhinged and exciting as Ghost’s original solo take, it admittedly sounds much better in the middle of the album than on its own, and Meth’s great on it, basically rapping as if he were his character Cheese from The Wire. It was blatantly meant to be titled ‘My Gun Gently Weeps’ though.

‘WOLVES’
There’s some animal predatory nonsense going on in the chorus while the beat’s again got that mystical vibe to it. Not one of the essential album moments.

‘GUN WILL GO’
Some late night dark alley business, Rae opens rapping in that hush-hush style he’s been rocking on and off for a while now, then Meth builds on it talking about “Poverty Island”. Two-thirds of the way through RZA throws in some almost dubby echo effects, but this would be a billion times more brilliantly menacing if they ditched the singing on the chorus.

‘SUNLIGHT’
Basically a skewed Wu-Tang funeral march, with RZA holding down all duties on the mic. Not too far removed from ‘Jah World’ on ‘The W’, and a suitable mid-point for the set.

‘STICK ME FOR MY RICHES’
Unless it’s sampled from an old soul record, you really don’t want to hear a modern Wu-Tang Clan track open with a whole minute of singing, as happens here. The bounce style hi-hats seem out of place too. Possibly the ‘Ugh!’ moment of the album.

‘STARTER’
The Wu talk about girls, in their own inimitable way: “She acting all shy but she likes handcuffs”. Again, there’s a lot going on in the background with the beat, but the singing in the chorus could go. What happened to rowdy chanting?

‘WINDMILL’
RZA in soundtrack mode, this is an atmospheric slow-burner with a low key vibe to it. At the risk of getting repetitious, it’s a pleasant surprise how motivated Meth
sounds across the project, spitting self-referential boasts like “In living proof I’m the wittiest unpredictable/Most talented rap motherfucker you ever listened to.”

‘WEAK SPOT’
Classic breakbeat with the Clan in straight braggadocio mode: “You can never find Zig’ weakspot – stop looking,” throws down RZA. There’s a small ODB interview snippet at the end of it to boot, which segues into…

‘LIFE CHANGES’
Seven minutes of ODB tribute, with short laments from the Clan split up with a simple chorus. Deck gets the most introspective (“And I share the blame ‘cos you was calling for help kid/Shoulda coulda woulda had the time – I was selfish,”) while RZA’s tribute is the most comprehensive, revisiting Dirt Dog highlights. Not a verse or word from Ghost though, which doesn’t look good…

‘TAR PIT’
Too much mentalist ranting at the end scuppers this. One to skip.

‘16th CHAMBER ODB SPECIAL’
Bonus ODB from the vault business, suitably dusty sound quality and all, but it would have been nice if it followed straight on from ‘Life Changes’.

THE VERDICT
RZA’s definitely on something different with the production here, but it’s definitely in the lineage of the original ’36 Chambers’ style – the off-key and warped moments just sound sonically clearer these days. (It wouldn’t be too out there to suggest that during the recording the Abbott was listening to a lot of vintage Bjork and Timbaland while taking breaks out from the board to watch the Lord Of The Rings trilogy.)

Meth’s all over the album – and generally sounding really up for it – and on the basis of this you imagine locking him and RZA in a studio together would produce something very tasty.

Edit out the few too many tracks with sing-songy choruses, trim a little of the flab (‘Tar Pit’, ‘Wolves’), and you’ve got a set to please the Clan’s faithful fan base if not something to endear them to a whole new generation. Which was probably their intention at the start of the project anyway. Job done.

Spin follows with their own take, though their tracklist cuts off after track 14, Life Changes. The question arises, will the UK version have the two final tracks, & if so, why?

Spin's take:

Much controversy has circulated on Wu-Tang's forthcoming album 8 Diagrams, the group's first set since 2001's Iron Flag; from losing their indefatigable spirit ODB, a.k.a. Ol' Dirty Bastard, in 2004 to the recent licensing deal for the Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" to rescheduling the record's original release date to accommodate Ghostface Killah's forthcoming LP, 8 Diagrams has been somewhat of a feat. De facto frontman RZA has also earned the wrath of both Raekwon and Ghostface for his alleged micromanaging and recent guitar-playing trysts.
Produced by RZA, the 14-track 8 Diagrams -- out Dec. 11 via SRC/Universal -- harbors the usual martial arts-inspired themes like on "Weak Spot" and "Rushing Elephants." Still procuring mostly antique beats and drab sounds, Diagrams is as much a revival as it is a throwback. Check out our notes from last Friday's listening session. RODNEY DUGUE

1. "Campfire" -- Sampling Curtis Mayfield's "Gypsy Woman," 8 Diagrams begins with an old kung-fu master preaching about kindness and justice, evidence of their long standing fixation with martial arts. Method Man's voice emerges rapping: "cruising on the interstate follow me while I innovate." He later adds: "I don't eat berries" except Halle [Berry]. Impossibly accurate it would seem.
2. "Take It Back" -- "Before you had a name / You were screaming Wu-Tang" is a great indication of what Wu-Tang means to Wu-Tang as a united group despite the recent divisiveness. Co-produced by Easy Mo Bee, the dusty sparse chills are pure nostalgia. The title doesn't disappoint, appropriately taking it back to antiquity.
3. "Get Them Out Ya Way Pa" -- Ghostface provides the chorus, "If he drunk and he runs his mouth then we stomping him out" and then the refrain ("Get them out Ya Pa"). The tough guy ethos feels a bit out of place, but fits well with the grungy brassy beat.
4. "Rushing Elephants" -- GZA talks about his "big booty cousin nasty Nadine" -- and then double-teaming her. Incest notwithstanding, it's a great track.
5. "Unpredictable" ft. Dexter Wiggle -- Inspectah Deck and Raekwon split the lyrical duties manhandling this spooky off-key instrumental. Lines like "we keep it fresh like tuberware" only rival "bitches ride like the scream machine." Complete chaos reigns on one of the best tracks on album.
6. "The Heart Gently Weeps" ft. Erykah Badu, Dhani Harrison, and John Frusciante -- Falsely billed as the first successful Beatles-sampling record of modern day, Ghostface makes most of the hype. Ghostface talks about taking his "bitch to Pathmark" then lamenting about getting his shoes dirty before realizing he's out of bullets. The sort of inscrutable oddball genius Ghost is famous for.
7. "Wolves" ft. George Clinton -- George Clinton paints some weird yet effective imagery of running in the forest a la Little Red Riding Hood. With a distinct western whistle in the background, U- God cements the song with his running verse and pertinent drink choice -- "the apple martini of course is stirred." Our early favorite.
8. "Gun Will Go" ft. Sunny Valentine -- Over these really articulate strings, Atlanta-based rapper Sunny Valentine sings an irresistibly charming hook about gun violence, remarkably. Raekwon spits an immeasurably deft verse, cautioning: "Y'all n**** be making shapes / Ours is art / Yours is trace."
9. "Sunlight" -- Executive producer RZA makes one of two rapping cameos, performing a paean to Allah on a stormy, indiscreet track. "Allah is the most gracious / He made the earth so spacious," he raps stoically.
10. "Stick Me for my Riches" ft. Gerald Alston -- The appropriate backlash for the rags-to-riches stories that dominates hip-hop these days. The hollow chute pistons ingratiate the track really well in spite of the tried theme.
11. "Starter" ft. Sunny Valentine and Tash Mahogany -- A nasty sports/porn allegory persists where the female in question is the "number one draft pick." Don't forget about the "human highlight," either. A really wet misogynistic track, naturally.
12. "Windmill" -- There's no formal chorus on here, just a disorganized lyrical exercise built on a guitar trapeze. "Nobody can't fuck with me I'm too nice / Smack a kid / On his head every time I'm right" stands the test of memory.
13. "Weak Spot" -- Inspired by a kung-fu theme, this stuffy track, courtesy of the chafe bass line, is a chest-pounding, good time harkening back to some of the Wu's older material.
14. "Life Changes" -- The heartfelt and emotionally sharp ODB eulogy that everyone chimes in on, accordingly. Raekwon pays his final respects, "My son gonna remember you / Rubbing a statue on his lap / That resemble you." An appropriate tribute? Yes, definitely.

Though the Spin piece makes a few obvious errors ("Executive producer RZA makes one of two rapping cameos"--obviously there are more) interesting information can still be gleaned. For one, they get Wolves right, while HHC mentions it as a throwaway, which is basically retarded. Also, the track known as Thug World throughout the pre-album festivities has been renamed Unpredictable. The 2nd track from yesterday's Wake Up Show leak is Windmill. It is also interesting to note the similarity of some of these track titles to older Wu tracks, Windmill vs Windpipe, Sunlight vs Sunshower. RZA does indeed have a verse on Life Changes, though Ghost is lamentably absent. How great is it that there's a track named Rushing Elephants?

Meanwhile, MTV is still pushing the dissension angle: Meth refusing to really comment, followed by more self-centered stuff from Ghostface:

"Wu-Tang will survive." God, we hope so. Wu-Tang Clan fans everywhere have been shaking their heads lately — not so much in disbelief (they've had public squabbles before), but in disappointment at the Clan's recent round of airing dirty laundry. Ghostface Killah, Raekwon and RZA have all spoken their piece on the subject, but what about the most visible member of the triumphant hip-hop unit? Method Man is keeping his mouth shut for now.
.
"There's a reason why I ain't spoke yet," said Meth, standing next to the RZA recently in New York. "When the album drops, we can talk.""We're here though," RZA added. "We're spreading the culture."Ghostface Killah, who was the first Wu member to go public with the group's dissension, talked to us on Friday, just a couple of hours before he went onstage at the Hip Hop Live tour with Rakim. He let it be known that he doesn't stand firmly behind the new Clan album, 8 Diagrams.
.
"I love the Clan and all that, but we got certain problems right now," Ghost said. "Am I supporting the album? What's going on in the air right now and all that ... I'm supporting what I gotta do for right now for Ghostface. No disrespect to the album, I haven't really listened to the [project] like that, but I heard the responses and I kinda had an idea it was gonna turn out however it turned out. ... No telling how [the group situation] is gonna be tomorrow — a nice conversation or something to make your heart feel good. But as of right now, it's two weeks before my album The Big Doe Rehab comes out on December 4; I'mma do what I gotta do for Tony Starks. I can't worry about all this other stuff that's trying to take me out my game.
.
"Everybody is grown men on that side," he added about Wu-Tang. "There's no way in the world we shouldn't make the best album. You got me on your team, you got Rae, you got Meth, you got a dream team. The people been waiting for us for years, and to try and bake something that's not all the way baked and ready and rushing, I don't agree to that. So I'm not signing off on that. Don't put my name on that. I don't want people looking at me like, 'Ghost, what did you do?' I didn't do nothing. Nobody wanted to listen. Yeah, I came in [during] the ninth inning because I been played with the past couple of years, so I wasn't really going in on the Wu album. I was like, 'Forget that, I'm not doing that. N---as owe me money.' What I look like?"

Wake Up Show: New Tracks!

2007-11-18T23:31:00.000-08:00

Check out this mp3 of yesterday's Wake Up Show debuts from the forthcoming 8 Diagrams. This is a single 12 minute 30 second file containing all 3 tracks. The first is a longer version of Stick Me For My Riches--containing a verse from INS (tho he doesn't sound entirely like himself) after Meth's now-familiar leadoff. 2nd comes an amazing track--probably the best produced song we've yet heard--that starts with Rae, follows with the GZA, Masta Killa & INS. There are elements of everything in this, western sounds, guitars, even a few Gravediggaz throwback touches, beautifully rhythmic drums--it is an utter hit.

The 3rd track has me about to take back what I just said about the previous song, because this is insane. Presumably this is Wolves, as it features U-God leading off & the production is utter beauty drenched in funk. Meth follows U-ey, then the beat changes up for Masta Killa's verse--the track is nothing short of wonderful.

New Version of Life Changes

2007-11-13T11:28:00.000-08:00

A longer version of Life Changes has just been leaked, with a new ODB intro & outro & a U-God verse. With hope, this is not the final product, as we still lack RZA & Ghost verses--certainly RZA wouldn't fail to appear on Dirty's tribute song. Today marks the 3rd anniversary of Dirty's death.

Also, MissInfo had another interesting tidbit today:

NOTE: one interesting thing….in a Wu Tang press statement, it says:

“The [8 Diagrams] tracklisting that was floating out there isn’t necessarily the FINAL version…there has been changes to the album in a few ways since Ghost and Rae spoke.”

Word? What kind of changes? I’ll let you know if/when I find out.

Though I obviously side with the RZA over Ghost & Rae, & continually don't think it was a good look for them to go public with their opinions, I suppose as long as the record comes out on time, that is the most important thing for Wu fans at this point.

Ghostface: Disgustin' + New Track "Campfire"

2007-11-12T11:57:00.000-08:00

* * *

Ghost recently participated in a radio interview with Peter Parker, where he continued his recent campaign against the RZA. Ghost reiterated that he originally didn't plan to be on the album, he cosigned Rae's recent comments against the production on the album, & the word is that some beats may be replaced causing a delay in the release of 8 Diagrams. Until we hear this from RZA or Rifkind I wouldn't take this as gospel or even close to being true--but overall Ghost's ego seems overblown. His upcoming album Big Doe Rehab does seem promising in the fledgling stages, as it will heavily feautre Raekwon, though the single is the standard Ghost first single fare, a halfhearted stab at a radio-friendly track that is somewhat enjoyable. It will be interesting to see if the two release dates hold firm--Ghost's on Dec 4, 8 Diagrams on the 11th--without a doubt the two albums will be heavily compared both sales & quality-wise, which may give a bit of finality to the dispute between Ghost & Rae vs RZA.

* * *

Billboard recently published an article on Raekwon's recent denounciations, with a short comment from RZA at the end:

Although he declined to address specific gripes, RZA talked to Billboard yesterday about the inherent difficulties of blending his sensibilities with those of his group mates.

"My idea with this album was to have an hour of your day be different -- you go into this other world of beats, hardcore lyrics and imagery of hip-hop," he said. "I wanted the listener to be stimulated by the music. I don't know if everybody agreed with it. Everybody has their own opinion. This is in my vision at the end of the day."

* * *

* * *

RZA very recently appeared on The Wake Up Show, & debuted a portion of Campfire, which is, in short, incredible upon first listen. It features Meth & Ghost preceded by a long, quintessential sample from an old kung fu flick, the contents of which are pretty ironic given the current tension within the Clan. Meth can't resist referencing Justin Timberlake along with other stars, & his verse ends, then Ghost's begins, referencing their loyalty to the RZA. If we were to simply judge from the music alone, hype for 8 Diagrams would be reaching peak status--all of the tracks sound great, the chemistry within the Clan seems decent enough on record--but of course we all know better. RZA's interview on the Wake Up Show is excellent, recapping the history of the Clan, from the demo eras, to 36 Chambers, Forever, & beyond. He has a finished copy of 8 Diagrams in hand, & plays part of the first track, Campfire, which is linked by itself above. Then, Take it Back is played &, interestingly, is referred to as the first single. RZA goes on to answer some random questions about current events & general hip hop--& he even goes on to say that Ghostface is the illest current MC.

Definitely looks like Ghost & Rae's hope for some beats to be replaced is pretty futile, since The Abbot had a copy of the finished product in hand.

At the very end of the Wake Up Show interview, they go to play Stick Me For My Riches, & though the track gets cut off for lack of editing, RZA mentions that the full track features Meth, INS, RZA & GZA--which is unequivocally great news.

Diagrams Details

2007-11-08T10:38:00.000-08:00

After the longish, more exciting news of the past couple days, some small details from an interview between BET & the RZA are revealed.

Initial reports said the Wu-Tang album had more outside production than usual…

The original album, we had a song from Marley, a song from DJ Scratch, a beat that was produced by Q-Tip, Easy Moe Bee. At the end of the day though, we only ended up with the Easy Moe Bee track, a Mathematics produced track and that’s it, mostly because of samples. Marley’s track, the sample wasn’t gon' clear in time. DJ Scratch, who had a crazy ill fucking song, he had a couple of songs he brought in. But the one that we finally got lyrics on, we couldn’t clear the sample. So the sample clearances kinda threw off my rhythm of plannin’ the album. At the end of the day too, the Clan didn’t verbally attack every song. Even the Q-Tip song, which I thought is a unique production, we collaborated on. We kinda wanted Ghost to spit on it, but he didn’t really set it off and shit, so we kinda put it to the side.

What’s going on with your solo joint, The Cure?

To be honest with you, I wrote The Cure. The way this world is, it kinda discouraged me. Even on the new Wu album, I tried to give you a little taste of what my heart be at as far as lyrically. And I’ve had to take some of those songs off, because sometimes the brothers just feel that sometimes the God is going in too deep. The world ain’t with the deep shit. To me, this whole album 8 Diagrams, is vegetable, son. It ain’t hamburger, it ain’t french fries either. You can’t get it at Mickey D’s. You gotta go to the health food store to get this shit. That’s what we need. It’s time for that balance. Even us as an artist, it’s hard to accept balance in my life. I know I love some ghetto, Cuban Linx shit. That’s the epitome of the Wu. At the same time, we got enough niggas, I’ll still kill and all this other shit. Who gives a fuck if you killed, how much money you got and all this other shit, yo? It’s about the heart and the mind.

It's pretty amusing that people are still asking about The Cure at all. Furthermore, I could kick whoever it is (probably Raekwon, judging from past reports) giving the veto to some of RZA's more metaphysical stylizations. After all, his lyrical prime, in some ways, was in '97, with his performances on Forever and the second Gravediggaz album, The Pick, The Sickle & The Shovel. A plethora of RZA verses would do nothing but benefit 8 Diagrams.

These tidbits are also interesting because it shows that RZA is not entirely obstinate in the making of this album, as Rae seemed to indicate in his most recent video interview. Watch Your Mouth will be missed, & I think everyone really wanted to hear the Q-Tip collab. This perhaps indicates that Thug World is also gone, which would be unfortunate.

* * *

The following appears in a new MTV article about the Ghost & Rae situations. For the most part, the article recaps the growing fued between the participants. It ends thus:

In a 2003 reader-generated interview with Blender magazine, Method Man designated RZA's business partner, Divine, as the #1 person on his "shit list" when presented with the question. Meth claimed the Wu-Tang Management associate "took something major from me that he had no intention of giving back."

A representative for the RZA, when reached by MTV News, said the RZA's only comment in regards to the financial dispute Ghostface and Raekwon are claiming was that, "It's all his fault, and he'll take the responsibility."

So RZA continues to play the role of peacemaker while Ghost & Rae rely on complaining publicly. Regardless of the facts of the situation at hand, RZA remains the only participant acting appropriately. If only this were simply for the publicity...

The Ghostface Situation...

2007-11-08T07:12:00.000-08:00

...has just become (fittingly) the Ghostface & Raekwon situation.

I've been meaning to recap all of the difficulties Ghost has created for the Clan & 8 Diagrams since before this blog began. Today, Raekwon added himself to the mix with these two youtube interviews with Miss Info.

When Ghost first voiced his problems, the biggest concern for the Wu fan was that the disharmony might hamper Clan chemistry, & cause the album to suck. The fact that they weren't exactly getting along wasn't especially troublesome, because to all long-time fans of the Wu they are known as one of the most discordant collectives in all of music (which is saying a lot). The word they've always used is family, & this applies nicely, as they've had their many quarrels but always managed to come back together.

But Ghost's recent denunciation of (presumably) RZA & Divine was the most public Clan beef perhaps ever, & rightfully caused nervousness in the fanbase. While at this point it seems that the album surely won't suck, it's important to recap & examine the details of the developing dissent within the Clan. Also, when it was only Ghost who was denouncing the RZA publicly, that could be chalked up to his growing distance from the group combined with his growing ego, & somewhat easily cast aside. With Rae adding himself to the mix, this becomes somewhat more difficult.

Word of Ghost's issues with RZA coincided with the announcement of 8 Diagrams. The first reports of the fledgling project featured RZA talking about the reunited Clan minus one glaring member--Ghostface. Surely, no one should be excluded, but Ghost has been perhaps the most (musically) visible member in the past few years, & has risen from a mid-level if underappreciated member to a media & fan favorite.

The cited reason over Ghost's absense was a disagreement over money, specifically payment for the Rock the Bells tour. Incidentally, at the New York show I attended, Ghost was MIA. All of this lead to a fair amount of dubious attention & apprehension from the media & fan sectors over the 8 Diagrams project as a whole. Anxiety was soon quelled, however, as announcement came that Ghost was finally on board, & then as the first three songs leaked, wham, Ghostface was on each of them. End of story.

But of course that would be too easy, & as the 8 Diagrams release date slid back through October, through November (briefly landing on November 13th, which will be the 3rd anniversary of Dirty's death), onto December 4th, the Ghostface situation reappeared, this time much more serious. This report came from MTV's Mixtape Monday:

You'd think all would be well in the land of the Wu-Tang Clan right now. The Shaolin set finally settled on a date for their long-delayed The 8 Diagrams comeback. But if you ask Ghostface Killah, things actually aren't that sweet with the Wu. Ghost is fuming that the group's album is set to drop on the same date as his next solo album, The Big Dough Rehab. According to him, he had that date already secured, but setbacks with the Wu project planted The 8 Diagrams on the same day. And now he's not budging, he said. At all.

"I had December 4 for the longest," he explained. "But the Wu album, brothers was kinda late on doing whatever they were doing and pushed it back ... on my date. You can put this in there, I'm not [mad at] all the members. It's not based on the members, but the hierarchy at Wu-Tang Clan is on some bullshit. They trying to fuck around and make me push my album back and doing all this. But niggas ain't fucking around or give us money when we did them Wu-Tang tours. The first one, they paid us after a while, but this last one, niggas is holding onto a lot of money. And [they're] upset based on that. It's a battle right now." Ghost did not specify exactly which Wu members are the "hierarchy."

"The Big Dough Rehab is my album," he continued. "8 Diagrams is their album. But it ain't got nothing to do with the regular members. 'Cause I love Raekwon, Masta Killa, U-God, Genius, all them. But it's on right now."

Ghost said he's frustrated because his album would have been finished by now had he not chosen to be loyal and go on tour with the Clan over the summer as part of the Rock the Bells ticket with Rage Against the Machine. He even claimed Steve Rifkin, who signed the group to Loud and is releasing their latest album, put calls in to execs in hopes of stopping Ghost's album from seeing the light of day. (Inquiries made to Rifkin's office had not been returned as of press time.) In the meantime, Ghost is moving ahead with his album. The first single, "Celebrate" — featuring Kid Capri and produced by Sean C. — should be leaking soon, he said. Others set to contribute to The Big Dough Rehab are Scram Jones, Raekwon and Method Man.

Ghost is also set to drop a book, "The World According to Pretty Toney," on December 4. The book — based on skits from MTV2 — will feature Ghost dishing out his particular brand of advice on a number of topics, from gambling to education. As far as Ghost's participation on The 8 Diagrams, though, so far he's only jumped on a handful of tracks.

"I got on some of them," he said. "A few of them. ... Niggas better pay my fucking money. Matter of fact, they can keep the money — just get me out of their life right now. They can keep that money, it's all good now. I don't even wanna talk about it no more."

Such a report was public & serious enough to trouble any serious Wu fan. At this time, also, we'd only heard a few tracks, & the fate of the album was surely in doubt. This report was quickly followed by a response from RZA, also on Mixtape Monday, which revealed the current 8 Diagrams release date, December 11th, video of which follows.

The hope among Wu fans was that with the release date duel settled, Ghost might calm down again. But after a few quiet weeks, yesterday we received this report, from a show on NYC radio station Hot97:

Cipher Sounds just played Take It Back.. But before that he was talking about the drama with Ghostface & Wu... He said Ghost left him a voicemail saying, "Yo play my new record [Celebrate] ... make sure it's MY shit... not that WU-TANG shit."

Then Cipher Sounds was just saying how this hurts him, because he grew up listening to Wu, etc...

& then, almost as if it is too much at once, we get the Raekwon interviews which further elucidate the rift between RZA & the Clan.

But several facts go against Raekwon's points in these videos. He argues for quality control, saying the entire Clan is not on board with what RZA is doing musically, while the latest project Rae has helmed, the Ice Water record, is barely worth listening to. Furthermore, while Ghost's two 2006 albums had plenty of quality material on them, there were some serious mistakes, especially with personnel. I mean, how are you going to put Shawn Wiggs on a track with Redman? Also, Rae's performance on the tracks we've heard from 8 Diagrams is decidedly understated--occasionally just lazy. There are times in this interview when he acts more animated than during his verses on the album. & all of this coming from someone who can't even get a label to release the supposedly-classic followup, Cuban Linx II, to 1995's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. & how have Raekwon's RZA-less projects been in the intervening years? Ice Cream pt 2, anyone? & what about the fact that the music we've heard so far from 8 Diagrams is pretty much undeniably dope? I could go on.

Raekwon does bring up a very interesting concept--a Clan album without the RZA. Of course, the chances of a project such as this actually happening are pretty slim at this point, given the fact that for one, most projects announced by the Wu never materialize and two, RZA is the organizer of the Clan. Without him, they wouldn't be anywhere. It seems that Raekwon remains aware of this fact, at least moreso than Ghostface, but given some of the utter shit that has appeared on Rae's recent projects, it is certainly his ears that are broken, not the RZA's. His report is troubling, but if Rae becomes the new leader of the Clan, then I am truly concerned for the welfare of the group.

Yes, the Wu-Hierarchy, especially Divine, has been notoriously shady about money owed, but such are internal issues. The music is external, & right now the music is good.

Ready on the Firing Line

2007-11-06T17:24:00.000-08:00

After the deluge of today's new tracks, Weak Spot, Thug World, Stick Me For My Riches, & Life Changes--I thought I'd make a survey of what we've got so far.

There were 8 tracks previewed to journalists awhile back--& to date we've now heard 7 of them. The only one waiting to leak is Wolves, which has received much hype as a U-God showcase featuring gritty production. Per Ghost, an interesting note comes with the fact that while he appeared on the first three leaked songs, he's yet to show up on any of the other tracks.

It seems safe to assume that Watch Your Mouth will probably not appear on the album, as no recent tracklists feature this song. The word is that sample clearance will keep this track from appearing. Which is a shame, because it's a more-than-solid track, featuring all the remaining members. It seems like most other songs feature about 3 or so members, but this sense could be stemming from the fact that in some cases we are dealing with partial tracks.

The other track that is in doubt given the most recent tracklist is Thug World. This track was previewed at Wu-Tang shows throughout the world, with rough audio versions showing up online several months ago. Today we finally received at least a portion of that song, featuring INS in good form & a classic semi-sensible RZA performance. All I can say is that RZA is at his most appealing when operating in this mode & this track will be missed if it doesn't in fact appear on the final product. Perhaps it will be renamed, as it really feels too good to exclude. The production is from RZA & DJ King Tech.

Take It Back & Weak Spot are similar tracks to Thug World--all dark, excellent productions. I've written about Take It Back in other posts. It is definitely one of the best new tracks we've heard. Weak Spot is just as good--RZA truly shines on this track, on both the beat & the microphone. The beat stabs, though perhaps somewhat less than on Thug World. Raekwon has yet another appearance, yet he has enough energy to augment the track. The best part of this song is the slight beat changes throughout the GZA's verse, which can be enjoyed while the beat slightly adds & drops elements. This will undoubtedly be a highlight of the album.

Stick Me For My Riches is a structurally unorthodox track. Meth is the only rapper on the track so far, per the version we have & all descriptions from the media & the RZA. The song is co-produced with Mathematics. Both the drums & the singing are initially strange choices, but it is of high enough quality, & the production is interesting enough to more than retain the attention of the listener. Meth & the singer play off each other well as the track progresses. It sounds like there will be more track, hopefully featuring rapping, beyond what we have heard to this point. Whether more Meth or another member, either way, this track is also a winner, though fans wanting only straightforward music from the Wu (a strange request) might be put off. Thankfully, the RZA is making music for Wu-Tang, & not reverting to formula.

The Heart Gently Weeps is the unexpected winner of the leaks so far. It works in a way that no other Wu track ever has. Along with Life Changes, the Rainy Days, I Can't Go To Sleep, Tearz type track is doubly covered, but The Heart Gently Weeps is unlike any of the aforementioned songs, even the just as fresh Life Changes, the ODB tribute song which will hopefully feature verses from all members in final form. Perhaps it is the production technique that truly separates The Heart Gently Weeps from the rest of the pack--whatever it is, now that we have a greater sense of the album, hearing roughly half of the tracks that will be on the final product, not much can be said beyond the fact that things are shaping up very nicely for this album. If the product is as consistently good as we've been hearing so far, it's going to be the type of album that sequencing can either really augment or really hinder. Since the RZA is in full control & also in top form, I can't really fathom that the album will be structured poorly.

I Was Born On The Same Day As Dr Seuss

2007-11-06T12:15:00.000-08:00

Here is a quick update:

Thug World

http://www.zshare.net/audio/4717260a722743/

Weak Spot

http://www.zshare.net/audio/471738403854d6/

Life Changes (which is also streaming here)

http://www.zshare.net/audio/47174763ad9e5d/

Stick Me For My Riches

http://www.zshare.net/audio/472078123b3529/

Loud has just released a mixtape featuring portions of several 8 Diagrams tracks along with other recent Wu activity, including the most recent Meth album, the most recent Masta Killa album & tracks from several of Mathematics projects, along with some Ghost & ODB tracks. The tracklisting for the mixtape is as follows:

Tracklisting:

01 - Intro (Featuring Method Man)
02 - Watch Your Mouf (Wu-Tang Exclusive)
03 - State of Grace (Raekwon Exclusive)
04 - Break that Break (Unreleased)
05 - Wu Banga 101 Remix (Unreleased)
06 - My Corner (Raekwon Exclusive)
07 - Stick Me 4 My Riches (Wu-Tang Exclusive)
08 - Thug World (Wu-Tang Exclusive)
09 - Maxine Remix (Unreleased)
10 - King Toast Queen (Unreleased)
11 - Strawberries & Cream Remix
12 - Weak Spot (Wu-Tang Exclusive)
13 - Intoxicated (Featuring Macy Gray) (ODB Exclusive)
14 - Crooklyn Dodgers (Ghostface Exclusive)
15 - The W Remix (Unreleased)
16 - Real Nillaz
17 - Ghost Is Back
18 - Don't Go Breaking My Heart (ODB Featuring Macy Gray)
19 - Violent Skit
20 - Life Changes (Wu-Tang Exclusive)
21 - Treez (Unreleased)
22 - The Abduction
23 - John 3:16
24 - Good
25 - Da Destroyer (Raekwon Freestyle)
26 - Iron God Chamber
27 - 4:20
28 - Wise (Unreleased)
29 - Presidential MC

The entire mixtape can be directly downloaded here or here, or streamed here.

Weak Spot is probably the best of the new tracks. Stick Me For My Riches will polarize fans, as the track features a ton of singing & only one verse from Meth. For what it's worth I think it's pretty good, but each song released so far could probably use another verse or two, besides the obvious posse cuts. Wu's strength lies in numbers & they shouldn't forget to use this to their advantage. The thing to remember is that these don't seem like full versions of the songs; pretty much every track that's leaked so far has first been in a rough, incomplete version followed by a much better sounding final take. The mixtape on the whole is pretty great.

* * *

Also, a potential tracklist for 8 Diagrams surfaced on Amazon.co.uk a few days ago:

1. Campfire

2. Take It Back

3. Get Them Out Ya Way Pa

4. Face The Problems

5. The Heart Gently Weeps

6. Wolves

7. Gun Will Go

8. Sunlight

9. Stick Me For My Riches

10. Windmill

11. Starter

12. Weak Spot

13. Life Changes

14. Tar Pit feat George Clinton

15. 16th Chamber (ODB Special)

The interesting thing to note here is that there is no "Watch Your Mouth" as was rumored a while back. Then again, RZA had recently mentioned that a vintage ODB appearance was probably not going to happen, but the last song on the album seems to indicate otherwise. Also, is the just-leaked "Thug World" not included or simply renamed? Where is the other track featuring John Frusciante, "You Can't Stop Me Now"? Time will tell, but in the meantime, enjoy the new tracks.

* * *

And finally, another 8 Diagrams cover has been revealed:

8 Diagrams Preorder

2007-10-29T10:59:00.000-07:00

This preorder has just appeared on the UK Amazon site. A few other sites, primarily Japanese, have been listing the preorder in recent days--interestingly with an added bonus track (though there are still no final tracklistings) & also with a (presumably outdated) November release date. The difference here is that a cover image has been included, pictured above. There are similarities to the cover of The GZA's 1999 album Beneath the Surface. Also, the December 10th date, which is one day sooner than the States will receive it, on December 11th.

A tracklisting will hopefully soon follow. Wikipedia has listed upwards of twenty-some tracks over the past weeks, compiling every track that had been mentioned since the announcement of the album. Very recently, however, the wikipedia tracklist has been trimmed down to 16 tracks--perhaps this will resemble the final vesion.

Bobby Got the Juice Now

2007-10-25T11:15:00.000-07:00

There is a long, insightful RZA interview now available from Juice Magazine. The rag is German but a translation has been put up at The Wu-Tang Mountain blog. RZA comments a lot on the making of 8 Diagrams along with varieties of Wu-Tang history, including past disagreements with fellow Clansmen & his plan for ODB when he was released from jail. It is probably the most candid RZA has been perhaps ever, but at least for the 8 Diagrams media push.

Q: How could you persuade the other members to record another Wu album?

A: In january I called all of them and asked if they were ready to do another album. They all said yes, but of course that didn’t mean that they were really doing it. But maybe the others were waiting for me to be ready to do another album. Anyway, when I was ready I did make the calls, and there was no resistance. Ghost was the last. I couldn’t find him untill I heard he’s doing a show in New York. I was in the studio, because I had already started without him. I went to the show, surprised him on stage and we did a song together. Backstage I asked him: “I’m already in the studio. are you in or not?”, and he answered: “Yo, I’ll be in the studio tomorrow”. So like that we were reunited again.

Q: How did you get through the starting phase? There were rumors about money and ego’s, the usual stuff.

A: To be honest: nobody has seen a dollar, there was no advance. Of course we had to take care of our business too, and that really cause me headaches. But we had already recorded quite a bit when it came to that. Since 36 Chambers we never did an album without advance money. For Wu Forever everybody got 200,000$, just to get them in the studio. For 8 Diagrams nobody got one cent in advance, instead we talked about it later. I’m very proud that it went down that way, because our managers and lawyers had warned us not to do it. Nevertheless everybody came to the studio and support the project - against the managers’ advice. If somebody complained it was at least not about money. All they cared about was the music. And that was the right way.

Q: How did it feel to work together after all these years? How would you describe the atmosphere?

A: In the beginning it was like a big birthday party. But soon it came to a point where it was impossible to ignore the tension. There are many open wounds, many things that were never discussed openly. Especially the rumors that we had heard about each other, e.g. things that one member has had supposedly said about another one. This tension could be felt in the studio, that is undeniable. So sometimes we got into arguments that didnt have anything to do with music. But then someone always said: “Fuck that shit, put the beat back on”.

Q: One of the many positive surprises on the album is U-God - the General you have had the biggest personal conflicts with…

A: U-God has surprised me as well. He had agreed on doing the album, when I called him. But during the first two weeks he didnt show up in the studio. I tried to call him to see what’s up. when he finally came… Okay, I gotta go back a little bit to explain that. The brothers had heard my beats during the last couple of years, and the kind of beats that I am doing nowadays. Some liked them whereas others didnt. As is usually the case within the Wu, people were talking shit. Some liked my beats, but others said “Fuck RZA, he’s on some hollywood orchestra shit”. Ok, back to U-God… I hadn’t seen him in a while, and the last time we had had a very loud argument. So he comes in the door, we hug each other half-heartedly and he’s asking me right away “What do you got for me?”. I told him to relax and roll up a blunt first. Then I dropped the beats and watched his reaction. After a while I started to realize that he was excited about my shit: “You’re on fire, nigga! the others said you’re doin’ something else now, but thats not true. this shit is dope!” And this from the guy that hardly ever speaks to me. He’s really the last guy to kiss my ass. U-God is the kind of guy who tells me and you straight to your face: “Go and fuck your mother”. So when he said that to me I realize: It’s a wrap!

Q: Also his work on the album is remarkable!

A: True! His voice, his flow, everything has improved. Many of us have probably had their best days or at least been up to full potential, but U-God is still getting a lot better. His rhymes are not complex, but simple and straight to the point. In combination with his voice this is just the right thing for now. During the recording I noticed that he told others to relax and not be so stiff in the booth. As they were discussing these things, I realized that we are on the right way. U-God really woke up during the last two years. He has recognized his mistakes and understands all that now.

Q: There were two things that struck me when I heard the new tracks. For one it’s the raw sound that is highly reminiscent of 36 Chambers. The other thing is the intensity of the raps. It seems like everybody is really hungry again. How did you make sure that - after all these years - they are still taking it that serious?

A: I’m really happy that you feel that way. I think it’s the result of a combination of reasons. We had to understand who we are and what we can do best. Wu-Tang has made many millions over the years, all of us have earned a lot of money, and this comes with a different lifestyle. The problems I have had as an adolescent have vanished. But the fact that I have made a lot of money, doesn’t mean I’m not hungry anymore. This year we have all earned a lot less than we did in our prime time. And right here is where hunger comes in again. The talent was always there, but now this hunger is back in effect.

Q: But I do have the impression that there is more to it than justmoney…

A: True indeed. There are other rappers who live off the stuff that we created. Listen to the radio: Pop songs are termed hip hop. You look at these rappers that look like clowns. They are not even part of this culture and try to tell me what’s right or wrong for hip hop? Fuck them, we got to step up. And this is exactly what we did.

Q: How do you notice this? You mentioned U-God has motivated others in the booth by his critical remarks…

A: Exactly, people are arguing again. Don’t say this, don’t say that, change that line - the communication is working much better. That didnt happen on the last few albums. On the first two albums I had full control. I told them what to change, what could be improved, because I oversaw everything. Then something happened that I can’t really understand to this day: The Wu-Tang clan turned into some kind of democracy. We didn’t criticize or insult each other again. Everybody was so soft and sensitive that nobody opened his mouth anymore. Luckily, that was different with 8 Diagrams.

Q: Method Man is another example. He seems to be having fun on the mic again!

A: Look at him! Meth is rhymin’ again. Why didn’t he do that on his album? To really understand Meth you should have seen him back in the days. He was a 100 kg giant, and he made people wet their pants: Everybody was afraid of him! When we were still hustling, it was him who had the biggest gun that I had ever seen in my life. We were doing our thing on the block, grindin’, you know how it goes. Everybody had their little gun, and sometimes would draw the gun, show it around thinking we are cool. So Meth is pulling his gat out, and the thing was seriously half a meter long. Man, this guy was crazy. Those are the kind of people you have to love. He was a hard dude, always in fights because nobody could push him around. Back then they were afraid of him. Now, he’s loved by everybody. Fuck that. On the album Meth is like he’s best: his voice, his flow, his delivery - everything sounds very intimidating.

Q: Is Cappadonna now an official member of The Clan?

A: Yes, Cappadonna is now an integral part of The Clan. He’s with us for many years now, but he has missed the beginning of The Clan because he was in jail. So he never signed a contract that would have made him an official member of The Clan. So back when I was still running Razor Sharp Records, I gave him a contract to give him a home. However, he never saw Wu-Tang Clan royalties. Now he’s an official member, even in legal terms. But for our fans he was part of the clan for the longest time anyway.

Q: What do the others think about another member joining The Clan at this stage?

A: I don’t know. I really don’t know. I do not have to ask the others for their opinion, because it was a business decision that did not affect their income. So we have never talked about it. Maybe this is a good thing, because it would have seriously hurt me if somebody had said no to him. I don’t want to hear if somebody does not love somebody that I love. What would anybody have against him anyways? He’s close to us for a long time, and he never said a bad word about any of the others.

Q: Apart from you. He blamed it on you that he had to drive a cab in baltimore for half a year because he allegedly never got his royalties.

A: Yes, he did do that. But even though this bullshit has been between us, he has apologized by now and admitted that it had been a lie. He was talking out of anger and that was wrong. Because he had never disrespected me like that before, I have accepted his apology. I could have decided otherwise, but an instinct told me to turn the other cheek. And this was the right decision.

Q: This kind of confirms my impression that you are still controlling The Clan, after you had drawn back more and more after from the careers of the individual members after the first wave of solo albums.

A: True. In the early days, the business was completely in my hand. I woned everything, even the names of the different mc’s. But it was the right way like that. I made sure everybody became a millionaire, that everybody can eat and has a good start into his solo career. Exactly like it was planned from the beginning. Then, in 2000, I did something that many people didn’t understand. Nevertheless it was still a right decision as well. I gave all the members their names and contracts back. They were allowed to use the Wu logo, and got back their publishing rights. The only thing that has remained under my control is the Wu-Tang Clan (brand). This will be forever mine, because it’s my baby, my idea. After that Meth signed a 500,000 dollar contract without me, and I didn’t go there and ask for my 25 percent. Ghost signed to Def Jam, Masta Killa did his thing, all the members have continued their solo careers. I haven’t seen any money, and that was my conscious decision. I am an honorable man.

Q: How much were you hurt by the allegations during the last couple of years? Apart from U-God and Cappadonna there were a few more coming from the extended Wu family. Moreover, the disputes are often publicly discussed, instead of keeping them internal. Even though in previous interviews all members have claimed that this is a usual thing happening in families, that it is normal to quarrel and that this is not a big problem, does it still hurt?

A: It still hurts me a lot. People from your family are the only ones that can really hurt you. But still they can say whatever they want, because that doesn’t mean its automatically true. How do you think it feels if your wife and children ask you “Did you hear what U-God said about you? What’s up with Reakwon? Does he really mean this or that?” I cannot really understand it. I mean, you visit me at home, hold my child in your arms, and then you hear a shitty rumor and you turn your back on me immediately, instead of just calling me? Stuff like this is always so unnecessary.

Q: And what do you think about the things that ODB’s mum said about you? That you don’t care for her, that she can’t reach neither you nor GZA and that both of you never call back? That ODB never really got his money from you? Due to the family relation this must hurt a lot!

A: I was very angry, but at the same time devastated, when she said that. I don’t understand why she is saying this. From all the people in the clan I was the one she could rely on the most, even more than her own son. It was me who created ODB in the first place. When I hear her talking like that, it really disappoints me a lot. You know, his mom raised me too. ODB’s family was the only family I knew in which both mum and dad were at home. I have learned from ODB’s dad what it means to be a father. His parents made breakfast for their children every morning and then send them to school. At my home there was only my mother and ten brothers and sisters. That’s why it hurts me a lot to hear her talk like that. But I still believe that she’s got love for me. I think when you got money problems you always need someone to blame it on. My brother Divine and me control our business, and we just can’t comply with every financial request if it’s completely out of proportions/unrelated to our business (…this is a bit unclear in the interview). I don’t wanna drag Cherry in the mud, so please dont get me wrong. But Dirty was Dirty. He told me specifically: “Don’t give my mother any money.”

Q: This seems to be really touching you. But I can’t change the topic right now, because I want to continue talking about ODB…

A: Of course this touches me. But we don’t have to change the topic, because nobody is asking me stuff like this. So since were at it, let me tell you what really went down there. We had a plan for Dirty. A plan to bring him back to his old shape and form after his release from jail. Nobody knows how close me and dirty really were. I have visited him a few times, a couple fo times actually, once Meth was with me too. And that was very hard. The journey to upstate new york takes eight hours, then you go to the procedure, make your visit, and then you go back for another eight hours - constanly thinking about what you just saw. That was always very heart-wrenching. It really is not a thing that you want to do in life. But I did it nevertheless, repeatedly. There was this one day where it hurt me so much that I decided to get ODB out of jail - at any cost. This may sound silly, but I was dead serious. I went there with my homies and a few cars and I was determines to risk my family, my life and my carrer to free ODB.

Q: What did the plan look like that you had for Dirty?

A: When Dirty got released from jail, I was in europe. The plan was to send him to my crib in Manhattan right from jail. It was a big apartment, with a studio, and I even got him weights and stuff like that, so that he could work out and recover. He should have stayed 60 to 100 days in the apartment, without talking to anybody and definitely not do any tracks until he’s back in full effect. He promised me to stick to that plan. So I come back from europe and what do I see? Press conference: ODB just signed to Roc-A-Fella. come on, man. I was so mad. His family and friends were happy, but I was hurt. I had looked out for him for the last couple of years, and then this? He knew he would have gotten everything he needs. For his second album he should have gotten an advance of 500,000$, but I had negotiated again, and got 500,000 for him, 500,000 for me and another 500,000 for the album. This should make clear that when I promised him to look out for him, this does include his family as well. Just call his widow and ask her who from The Clan looks out for her the most? My name is gonna be the first. I took his son to the Rock The Bells tour. He had his fun, got a lot of pussy, and money that he could bring back home.

Q: You told me a few months back that you would love to have ODB on the album. Did that work out?

A: No, that didn’t work out. I had thought it would be a great idea. However, I’m still working on his career as an artist. there are still a few things coming.

Q: How much did you miss Dirty during the recordings? Even though he hasn’t really been present during the recording of the last two albums, this time it probably felt quite different.

A: For me it was probably the worst. When we have studio time for 100 days, Meth is gonna be there around 40 days. Raekwon 60 and Ghost maybe 30. But i got all 100. Dirty came and went anyways, whatever he felt like. So I guess for the others it’s a little bit different than for me. But Dirty is only missing physically. His spirit is so strong that it will be captured on the album.

Q: During the last 13 years you have gone through a remarkable change as a producer: From the raw 36 Chambers sound to the first wave of solo albums, from your experimental Bobby Digital projects to soundtracks to movies like Ghost Dog, Blade Trinity and Kill Bill.

A: I have really changed a lot. In my early days I was more of a dj than a producer. I didn’t really have a clue what I was doing. I didn’t have any idea of music theory. In 1996, I went to an equipment store to buy a new device. The clerk didn’t like me a lot. He told me I’m not a musician but only a electronic producer. I told him that is nonsense because a sampler or turntables are instruments too. But I could have said whatever I wanted, this guy wouldn’t have taken me serious and looked down on me. So I left the store angry and made it my goal to prove it to this guy. That I want to learn to understand and write music, so that eventually I can be called a real musician. And this is exaclty what has happened. Today I play piano and the guitar. I can write songs. Nowadays I’m more than a producer, I am a real musician.

Q: Did you translate this motivation already for Wu Forever?

A: Yes, because I didn’t want to wait with it. On Mystery Of Chessboxin’ I play the keys. But if you ask me, why I played it like that and not any other way, then I can’t asnwer you. Then I was approaching music intuitively, because I lacked the formal knowledge. But if you listen to songs like Triumph or It’s Yourz, I produced those songs exactly like a musician would. So even then I was progressing.

Q: How did moving to L.A. influence you in this aspect?

A: I came to L.A. in 2000 and soon got introduced to a lot of composers, like Hans Zimmer and Danny Elfman, and went with them to the studio. Through the scoring, I got the chance to work with orchestras. This helped me a lot to comprehend what I am doing, and completed my transformation from producer to musician. There is producers that don’t even know their own music. Some say Diddy is a great producer, but Diddy is not the one who is pressing buttons in the studio. He produces with his ear. Nowadays I can work with every software, every keyboard and every sampler. I’m an electronic genius (laughs).

Q: How much did these experiences help you to reinvent the old Wu sound? After all these years and experiences that you have made outside of the world of hip hop, how hard is it to create something that is raw enough for the fans and mc’s yet still musically complex enough to be a personal challenge?

A: There have been a lot of problems actually. Sometimes a rapper would say that’s “hollywood shit”, while another rapper just thought it was just right. If this happens you got a problem of course. But I got hip hop in my blood, so 8 Diagrams won’t be overproduced! It will be raw, but will still make sense musically. This project is about the consolidation of our musical experiences, our personal experiences, as well as our good and bat times. In combination all this will be symbolized by the Wu-Tang Clan, come together in the form of 8 Diagrams and blow up.

Q: How much artisitcal freedom do you have for this project, from SRC/Universal and Steve Rifkind personally?

A: Steve is perfect for this. I cannot imagine to have done this album with anyone else. He is a friend, but also the right person for this record. He has Akon, one of the top artists right now. But when we met to discuss the album, he only said “Keep it raw”. Hip hop needs more execs like Steve, who allow the music to breathe and let the artists really be artists. Only this way music can grow. Take the song Money by Pink Floyd. It was a single but here has never been a video. It wasn’t played on the radio either, and I think it was weak in the charts. Nevertheless, over the years it became a cult song. Everyone knows it, but it was never a hit. Just like our song Bring Da Ruckus, which became very popular over the years but was never played on the radio. Without an exec like Steve that song would never have been possible. On Loud he did not have us, but also Mobb Deep, Xzibit, Three 6 Mafia, Project Pat… Steve believed in all these acts and kept it real. Big Pun was the first Latino who would platinum with his debut. He was not easy to market, but you just couldnt ignore his lyrics. And Steve pushed him.

Q: Btw, lyrics. What happened? Especially with respect to The Clan, that is not only raw but lyrically outstanding….

A: The people stopped listening. The clubs have taken over the radio. There has been a time where everything was (more or less) strictly separated. Nowadays many artitst have club singles that are also played on the radio. (Sings) “To The Window, To The Wall…” When hip hop became more popular, around 88/89, the mc was deemed “cooler” than the dj. Before that you didn’t have the Furious Five, but Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five. The dj was the most important element. In the early 90’s something happened that changed everything: now there was a dat player. Suddenly the mc only needed a mic, and the dj was superfluous. But at the end of the 90’s dj’s took over again. They were controlling the clubs and radio stations. Now you had albums by Kay Slay, Funkmaster Flex or Dj Khaled. Nowadays its the dj who gets the record deal. This is bad for lyricists, because they are now in the background. But the Wu-Tang Clan brought back lyrics once before, in the early 90’s. And the people still want to hear lyrics.

Q: In the long run, are you planning to stay in Hollywood or come back to the east coast?

A: I didn’t come to L.A. because of the scoring, but to study movies in general. And Hollywood is the Mecca for that. I became a student of Quentin Tarantino, and with the movie Grindhouse I think my studies are completed. I have worked with Hollywoods elite, and in a few years I want to make a hip hop movie. 8 Mile was already pretty good, but personally I was missing a bit more pure hip hop. I want to bring the culture to the big screen. But my time in L.A. is really over now. I think that I will come back to the east coast already next year. When I have finished the movies, I can also imagine to spend some time in Europe.

Q: Why would you want to go to Europe and where would you go?

A: I would continue my medical studies, and therefore go to Geneva, Switzerland. But before it comes to that, I would like to earn my recognition in the chess world. I’m planning to become a grandmaster. It takes years and many people think it’s just a Wu-Tang gimmick. But for me it’s no gimmick. Based on my current standings it will not take more than two years to get this title. A few weeks ago I have played a real grandmaster in a tournament in Hawaii. I lost, but something is telling me that it was set up (laughs). But I will do it anyways. Then I would be a grandmaster in chess, a master of music and an educated man, who has travelled the world. And I am proud to be able to say that as a black man. I want tO prove that all people are equal and can achieve everything they want. All I want to be is a good man.

The Heart Gently Weeps -- The Dirty Version

2007-10-24T10:52:00.001-07:00

Now we have the distinct pleasure of enjoying the announced first single in all it's unedited glory--this is, for all intents & purposes, probably most likely the final version.

The track, while many other things, absolutely bodes well for the level of musicality that the album will contain. RZA talks a lot about equipment & his myriad production techniques in the current Remix magazine.

RZA is also featured in WIRED magazine, in an audio interview covering the history of the use of Kung-fu movie samples on Wu-Tang albums--from the first Wu song on the first Wu album, "Bring da Ruckus," to the yet-to-be-heard "Wolves," scheduled to be included on 8 Diagrams.

The complete single of "The Heart Gently Weeps" is now available here--featuring clean, dirty, & instrumental versions.

Take it Back

2007-10-23T11:06:00.000-07:00

Take it Back [right click, save as]

Produced by Easy Mo Bee & RZA. This is the best of the leaked songs so far.

Rae sounds more animated than he has elsewhere, though he yet again leads off the track. He's certainly not the most lively of all the members of late, so it's still curious that he's leading things off. I really wish they'd go back to having INS leadoff the posse cuts. Even U-God on "Pinky Ring" was a better choice.

The fact that Ghost is also on this track is interesting. So far he's surfaced on all three songs. From the early-album conjecture that he wasn't even going to be on the project, then to him being fully on board, followed by his recent fury against RZA & denunciation of the "Wu-Hierarchy"--well all this hasn't kept him from rhyming on every track that's leaked so far. Whole albums go by & you'll barely hear that many GZA or Masta Killa verses.

Another Easy Mo Bee appearance with the Wu is welcome, as their affiliation actually predates the formation of the Clan. He produced RZA's first ever single, "Ooh We Love You Rakeem," from when RZA was known as Prince Rakeem, along with a large portion of GZA's first album Words from the Genius, from when GZA was known only as The Genius. Other pairings with the Wu & Mo can be found on the first Wu-Chronicles album, on the Method Man/Notorious BIG track "The What" & also on the Ras Kass/RZA track "The End." Outside of working with the Wu, Mo Bee has been around, producing most famously for Big Daddy Kane & Biggie, but also putting in work with people from Craig Mack to Alicia Keys.

The Heart Gently Weeps

2007-10-21T15:05:00.000-07:00

This track, which features an interpolation of the famous Beatles/George Harrison song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," has the most complicated history of any of the 8 Diagrams tracks to leak thus far.

There was a report in XXL in early October that cited the delay of the release of 8 Diagrams from November 13 to December 4th. Of course, an entire Ghost-related fiasco would follow from this, but at the time, the delay was attributed to the fact that the Wu had to clear the first Beatles sample in history, & well, that takes time. It turns out this wasn't entirely true, though it was reported on MTV as well as other places, & in the end they just got the rights to interpolate the song.

So, on Wu's Myspace, an announcement comes that the Wu's version of the song will soon be featured on Loud's website. But the version that they put up doesn't seem to match the descriptions that the RZA has been giving about the track--that it features George's son Dhani Harrison playing acoustic guitar (a gift from Russel Crowe for wrapping American Gangster), John Frusciante on electric & Erykah Badu on the hook. The instrumental for this track seemed to simply be a straight sample of Jimmy Ponder's cover of the song--the same version that, incidentally, Ghostface had used on a particularly captivating unreleased track from somewhere around the Pretty Toney era.

Video of RZA speaking about the track:

About a week or so passes, in mass confusion, & then the actual version of the song surfaces. It's a dynamic & powerful track, & probably lives up to all the hype that surrounded it. It's so good that it's worth all the confusion that surrounded it. Yes, it would have probably been better if Meth's verse was longer, but there's very little to complain about on the whole. Ghost rekindles the spirit of his outlandish solo version from a few years ago, & Raekwon continues with his authoritative, subdued style. But the question remains, why release that dummy, demo version?

Watch Your Motherfuckin Mouth

2007-10-20T11:29:00.000-07:00

"Watch Your Mouth" was the first song to leak from the album, & is a traditional posse cut in the vein of Protect Ya Neck, Triumph, Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off), & Uzi (Pinky Ring), the lead tracks to each of the previous Clan albums.

The track is produced by DJ Scratch & RZA.

All eight surviving members make an appearance, with Raekwon leading the way. Rae's performance is subdued but tough, almost arrogantly calm. Masta Killa, who has truly shined in the past few years when backed by Wu production, is excellent here, & should've been considered for the lead-off position. Meth & Ghost follow & both deliver animated, enjoyable performances. Inspectah Deck is next, sounding much better than he has of late on his mixtape projects. Here's to hoping he returns to the Wu-Tang fold instead of churning out more half-hearted, "accessible" styles.

U-God, who RZA recently described as particularly shining on the album, comes next with his verse, followed by RZA & GZA who finishes the track. Each verse is relatively short & highly enjoyable, though the beat is a little more subdued than what a lot of people might have expected from a lead-off Wu track.

The sample is similar to a track on a recent De La Soul project, & features elements from a Mission:Impossible track. There has been recent conjecture that this track might be cut from the album due to sample clearance issues, but there's no confirmed information in that regard. It is a bit underwhelming as a leadoff single, but I think it will work especially well in the context of an album. Also, the leaked version I've heard is apparantly unmixed. There has been a better sounding version playing on XM radio that sounded great. But the fact that they've gone in a grimey, unflashy direction for the first song instead of the radio-friendliness of the first singles from The W is especially heartening & bodes well for the overall scope of the project.

Also, the initial reports from the listening sessions, where journalists got to hear parts of 8 songs, indicate that this is the least interesting of all the tracks that were previewed. So, if this is the least dynamic track on the project, that is a good indication that 8 Diagrams may turn out to be a great album after all.

There is a slightly different, better-mixed version of the track on Wu-Tang's Myspace page. This version has a Cappadonna intro & omits the RZA & U-God verses. With hope, this isn't an indication of what the final version of the track might be like--those verses need to be on the song. If I remember correctly, both verses were on the XM version.