#ATOZCHALLENGE, Day 23: Wu-Tang Clan

On April 27, 2015March 31, 2015 By Luther M. SilerIn Music1 Comment

Artist: Wu-Tang Clan
Best Album: Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Best Song: C.R.E.A.M.
This Letter Could Have Been About: Watsky, Whodini, Wyclef Jean, Westside Connection

Why I’m Writing About This Artist: This is another one of those “Where do I start?” artists. How about the roster? From memory: The RZA, the GZA, Method Man, Raekwon the Chef, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Ghostface Killah, Masta Killa, Inspectah Deck. The ones I had to hit Wikipedia to remember: Cappadonna and U-God. Understand that each of those guys has multiple solo albums along with the seven albums the Clan released and a few under pseudonyms or “related” acts like the Killa Beez. It would take a dissertation to explain how the Clan’s various works fit together and I’m trying to limit myself to 500 words here. Let’s just say this: by 1993, when Enter the Wu-Tang came out, the golden age of hiphop was drawing to a close. In fact, I’d be comfortable calling Enter the Wu-Tang the final album of that era.

It was… different. For starters, there were like 600 guys in the group. Then there was the constant references to Eastern mysticism and the near-constant sampling of kung-fu flicks. The Clan was a breath of fresh, if insane, air. And they blew the hell up, starting a clothing line and who knows what else. I’m pretty sure you could get Wu-Tang action figures at one point.

Add, at the very least, Enter the Wu-Tang to your record collection immediately if you don’t already own it.

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#ATOZCHALLENGE, Day 15: Ol’ Dirty Bastard

On April 17, 2015March 31, 2015 By Luther M. SilerIn Music2 Comments

Artist: Ol’ Dirty Bastard
Best Album: Return to the 36 Chambers
Best Song: Shimmy Shimmy Ya
This Letter Could Have Been About: No one. Absolutely no one.

Why I’m Writing About This Artist: I don’t know how to write about ODB. The brother was an insane, drug-addicted, criminal hiphop genius. There’s three videos attached to this post– the first for his best solo song, Shimmy Shimmy Ya, the second a few clips from an episode of Yo! MTV Raps where he was famously blasted out of his mind but that kinda shows some of the crazed energy that the man had with him pretty much at all times, and the third is actually a Rhymefest song from well after he died that I still really enjoy listening to from time to time. ODB died of a drug overdose in 2004, just short of his 36th birthday, and spent most of his career getting arrested and locked up for dumb shit. I have no idea what he could have been had he gotten clean, and he may well have been one of those artists who wouldn’t have been able to function if he had ever gotten clean. But … shit, the man was a lunatic genius as it was. Genius. There’s not a single track on Return to the 36 Chambers that isn’t amazing in one way or another, and I’ve written all of this without even mentioning the Wu-Tang Clan. RIP, Big Baby Jesus.

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