Enter the Wu-Tang:
36 Chambers
Wu-Tang Clan
RCA, 1993
Reviewed by
Dave Vrabel
Most notable rap debuts create a minor buzz about the artist. But Wu-Tang
Clan’s first album, Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers dropped with the impact
of an atom bomb, shattering rap conventions and demonstrating how hip-hop is really done.
The nine-member outfit from Staten Island, NY, maintains what few rap groups are fortunate
enough to possess: Nine of the most innovative, inimitable, and lyrically commanding MCs
in the game. In addition, they boast The RZA (a.k.a. Robert Diggs), the musical and
spiritual mastermind behind the group, a producer whose ability and creativity are
incomparable. Collectively, the Wu-Tang Clan represents an immovable force in hip-hop; a
mainstay in an ever-changing genre of music.
The RZA’s production consists of raw, hard-hitting boom-bap beats of old. All nine
MCs - The RZA, GZA/Genius, Method Man, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah,
U-God, Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa - bring nearly inhuman microphone skills to the table.
The rhymes are all the more impressive on tracks like “Shame On A Nigga” and
“Protect Ya Neck,” where the nine-way-verbal assault attacks from all sides.
“Wu Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing To Fuck Wit” could possibly be hip-hop in its
grittiest form. The chorus/boast is a battle cry of sorts, demanding that all MCs who wish
to challenge the Clan step forward and face certain annihilation. An eerie wail resonates
behind the slamming beat, while the RZA’s undisputed braggadocio manifests itself
verbally, “I be tossin’ and flossin’, my style’s awesome / I'm causin’ more family feuds than Richard Dawson.”
Equally impressive are the introspective reflections on the band’s inner-city
upbringing. “Can It All Be So Simple” utilizes a sample from Gladys Knight &
The Pips “The Way We Were” as the backbone of a lyrically graphic yet optimistic
account of growing up in the Park Hill Projects of Staten Island. Ghostface ponders life
before and after stardom, stating, “Yo, I can’t cope with the pressure /
Settlin’ for lesser / The God left lessons on my dresser / So I can bloom and
blossom, find a new way.”
“C.R.E.A.M,” the most successful single off the album, follows the same
blueprint in terms of subject matter, but transcends the rest of the album. It is the
work’s centerpiece, thanks in part to RZA’s use of a mellifluous piano loop and
low-key, mid-tempo beat. The morose, desperate lyrics flow: “Leave it to me while I
be living proof/ To kick the truth to the young black youth/ But shorty’s running
wild, smoking cess, drinking beer/ And ain’t trying to hear what I’m kicking in
his ear.”
Few and far between are albums that make the entire music industry sit up and take notice,
but Wu-Tang Clan had wack MCs running for cover with Enter The Wu-Tang. And
rightfully so: The album was only the beginning of the Wu-Tang saga, a tale of nine elite
MCs - each with his own distinct style - seemingly unstoppable when united.
