749. Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)

Track Listing

1. Bring Da Ruckus
2. Shame on a nigga
3. Clan in da front
4. Wu Tang : 7th Chamber
5. Can it be all so simple
6. Da mystery of chessboxin'
7. Wu Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing Ta F' Wit
8. C.R.E.A.M.
9. Method Man
10. Protect ya neck
11. Tearz
12. Wu Tang : 7th Chamber - Part II
13. Method Man (Skunk mix)
14. Conclusion

Review

Something I really like about hip-hop groups is when they introduce any little element that will completely put them apart from any of their peers. Nowadays so many bands are nearly indistinguishable in terms of style, West Coast gangsta crap. Fortunately the Wu-Tang are different.

Composed of 9 pretty amazing hip-hoppers they mix low-fi production with soul and martial arts samples to make a very distinctive sound. The mix of old school and pop-culture references make this something very fun to listen to.

From "Warriors, come out to play" or references of Voltron these guys are basically the geekiest hip-hoppers out there while still looking tough. That's cool with me. Unfortunately they very frequently resort to boasty themes which are a bit cliché in the world of hip-hop. Still, I like it a lot.

Track Highlights

1. Can It Be All So Simple
2. Tearz
3. Bring Da Ruckus
4. Shame on a Nigga

Final Grade

9/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

The true meaning of the album's title is not well known or understood. According to a Five Percent philosophy, known as the Supreme Mathematics, the number 9 means “to bring into existence,” and this meant everything to the group’s debut album. The group being made of 9 members, each having 4 chambers of the heart, which are 2 atria, and 2 ventricles. All of this is the root for "36 Chambers", being that 9 x 4 = 36.

In reference to the 1978 kung fu film The 36th Chamber of Shaolin that the group enjoyed watching, the Clan considered themselves as lyrical masters of the 36 chambers, and arrived onto the rap scene while appearing to be ahead, and more advanced over others with "knowledge of 36 chambers of hip hop music when everyone else in hip hop was striving to attain the knowledge of 35 lessons." Also, while the human body has 108 pressure points (1 + 0 + 8 = 9), only the Wu-Tang martial artists learned and understood that 36 of those pressure points are deadly (9 + 36 = 45) (4 + 5 = 9) The lyrics and rhymes of the 9 members are to be considered as 36 deadly lyrical techniques for pressure points. All of this is the basis for the album title, Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, being that 9 members x 4 chambers = 36.

Can It Be All So Simple: