WU-TANG CLAN

After its slow and innovative inception and progression in New York through the seventies and eighties hip hop was seized upon by the LA gangsta rappers and the genre was commercialised to the extent that has now seen it become the most profitable genre in the whole of contemporary music. NWA's Straight Outta Compton and Dr. Dre's The Chronic set the template but it was back in the hands of New Yorkers that one of the most influential albums was to originate - the Wu-Tang Clan's 1993 debut. Regardless of its quality it is this album that set out the linear progression (used in the loose sense) that can be traced all the way to today's multi-selling montrosities like 50 Cent (who is a rapper in the same sense that Britney Spears is a soul singer). The Clan is apparently more a collective than a self-contained band including a whole roster of similar-sounding rappers, including Method Man, GZA, RZA, the wonderfully named Ol' Dirty Bastard and, I think, Krazee-Eyez Killa. The obvious star is RZA who is in effect the band leader (a twisted Duke Ellington perhaps) who shoulders most of the creative responsibility and it is his taut, sparse production that has proved so influential since. As a whole, the MCing is disappointing. Only Ol' Dirty Bastard stands out, with his wheezing, drunken slur, and the tracks that feature numerous contributions still seem to run together and are obviously inferior to the individual cohesion of N.W.A.'s "Parental Discretion Iz Advised" (one of the most magnificent rap ensemble pieces I've had the pleasure to hear). The lyrics, too, are unmemorable. Devoid of Chuck D or Ice Cube's political raging the concept is essentially a self-aggrandising one, with a repetitive obsession with cartoon violence, but without the articulate wit and brio of the best MCs during hip hop's peak in the late eighties. What is perhaps more influential (and truly a negative one) is the insertion of spoken word skits and dialogue from kung fu films between songs. Any novelty soon wears off and it is incredibly frustrating to have to sit through these irritating interludes when the actual flow of the music, despite the lack of real classics, proves to be actually quite impressive. This non-musical posturing of the group is obviously massively influential, though, with such violent imagery, based on classic gangster films, being unavoidably prevalent these days. Indeed, it is arguable that 'Goodfellas' and 'Scarface' have come to be more influential on the genre of hip hop than, say, the relentless rhyming of Rakim or Afrika Bambaataa's beats which, regardless of the superior quality of the films, is no way for any genre to develop. But, even though the legacy of this album is a poisonous one, few classic albums achieve their status without containing some excellent music. Whilst in the pure sense the Clan's efforts are inferior to their New York masters and LA peers they are still enjoyable enough, with a demonic menace best achieved on the likes of the stripped-down rabble-rousing opener "Bring Da Ruckus", the infectious chanting of "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthin Ta F'Wit" and "C.R.E.A.M."; all aided by RZA's economical and atmospheric DJing and production. The only real classic, though, is Ol' Dirty Bastard's "Shame on a Nigga" with its loose horns perfectly complimenting his humorous drawl. That said, none of the actual songs are anything less than good and it is a shame the album is spoilt to such an extent by the non-musical contributions. Despite the monster that this release helped to create there is just about enough artistic authenticity for it to be somewhat pardoned from the critical bile the commercial face of the genre now attracts.

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