Wu Tang Mix Box

Alright. Everyone knows "Enter the 36 chambers", "Liquid Swords", "Only Built for Cuban Linx", and "Tical". They are the required listening for anyone into Wu tang, but in addition to these gems, there are quite a few albums from the clan members and affiliates that are very interesting and funky.

What i have here is a Wu tang Mix of sorts...a compliation of Wu tang songs or songs by other artists featuring wu members and affiliates. 10 Wu Tang tracks that are often overlooked.

1.Biochemical Equation-Rza & MF DOOM(Think Differently Music: Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture/Babygrande Records)

The Villian's association with the clan has recently become more noticeable with him producing large parts of Ghostface's Fishscale, and his propensity for Kung-Fu/General nerdiness really shines on this song. The toned down production really lets both MC's shine--the beat dosent really come in untill about 2 and a half minutes into the song.The slow pace makes this song feel like it could be the soundtrack to a slow march up a mountain to fight a long epic battle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uxhFnEVRWU

2.Old Man-Masta Killa feat. RZA and ODB (No Said Date/Nature Sounds Records)

This song is seriously funky, with a Sanford and Son guitar sample that might be some of the grooviest guitar ive ever heard. Masta Killa is a very underrated and solid MC from the Clan with an old school style of rapping that is more reminiscent of Rakim and Big Daddy Kane than the GZA or Ghostface which is a nice contrast between him and the RZA on this track. ODB makes an extremely comical appearance on this track which alone makes it worth listening to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaXEGLRAWbQ

3.The Shoot out-Killarmy(Dirty Weaponry/Priority Records)

Killarmy is one of the more interesting Wu affiliates. Where standard clan recordings tend to use Kung Fu samples, Killarmy recordings tend to use samples of radio war broadcasts, giving their music a notably darker tone. The beauty of this track lies in delivery--5 relatively unknown MC's absolutely shred the mic over an extremely gritty orchestral sample that evokes Liquid Swords and Apocalypse Now at the same time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg3vh52bGJE

4.Cross my Heart-Killa Priest (Heavy Mental/Geffen Records)

This tune is so raw and powerful that it would be at home on Enter the 36. Priest, GZA and Inspectah Deck deliver classic Wu Tang raps over an extremely raunchy and notably lo-fi beat that sounds suspiciously like early RZA production but is the work of Wu Dj, True Master. Killa Preist is known for his tendency to draw parallels between the condition of Black people in the United States to that of the Jewish people during Exodus, and this cut is no exception. The anger and power with which these verses are delivered set it apart from other Clan recordings in which, the energy is high but the content is just not up to the mark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nN7CT61K4Y

5.Angels- Ghostface and MFDOOM(Nature Sounds Presents...Natural Selection /Nature Sounds)

This is an unbelievably interesting and funny song. It pits Ghostface and Doom against each other and each of them have their own version of Charlies angels. With Ghost playing the hero and doom playing the villian (obviously), the song tells the story of their respective operations. The sheer creativity of the lyrics makes this a song to pay attention to..with brilliant lines like:

" Staggerin' except for the socks and mask naked
Grabbed up the boxers, fussin', pissed and
checkin' for the keys, stacked
A robbery expected, yet nothing obvious is missing"

.....which upon reading it, does not look like it rhymes...at all...but rest assured it does...beautifully. This song is an anomaly in that it has no references to Kung Fu or street life, and the lyrical prowess of the 2 MC's involved makes that change extremely enjoyable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NroRvYrJ2lQ

6.Cameo Afro-RZA feat Big Daddy Kane, GZA, Suga Bang (Afro Samurai OST/Koch)

Big Daddy Kane is heard here doing something rarely heard from him--slow rapping. This song is a horn and string heavy sample with extremely old school clan rapping. GZA is as vicious here as he was on liquid swords and though RZA does not rap on this track, his presence is deeply felt through the haunting, ominous beat. This song has a strong visual component...it is slow and brooding and for me creates images of martial art battles on war torn fields .

Listening to this song in a car makes you drive fast...very fast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkJNB2MMG8g

7.El Michels Affair-Criminology(Enter the 37th Chamber/ Truth and Soul Records)

This is a treat--A live band doing Wu tang covers. Their original material is awesome, but their versions of Wu songs are so brilliantly done that they are often better than the original instrumentals. Their version of Criminology is so crisp, its no wonder the clan recruited them as a backing band for live performances. Not much more to be said except that this band was a great find and i expect to hear big things from them in the future.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjPV8HaZREQ


8. 9 Milli Bros-Ghostface Killa feat. the Clan(Fishscale/Def Jam)

This MFDOOM produced track pushes the Clan into a place they hadnt been in a long time and it is a beautiful thing.The minimalist production forces the clan back to their roots--Raw, rapidfire verses that leave the listener wanting more from each respective MC. There certainly are some verses that shine more than others but overall, this is an extremely satisfying track will please any old school wu tang fan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jck_UGElBY

9. Kill Too Hard-Inspectah Deck, U God, & Masta Ace ( Chamber Music/E1 Records)

This is one of my favourite Wu Tang songs period. It has everything that i want from a Wu Tang song: A seriously funky beat, awesome lyrics, great delivery, and kung fu samples. With live instrumentation from Brooklyn soul band, The Revelations, this song(and album for that matter) stands out as a hard hitting, pseudo Blaxploitation, soul/hiphop experiment( think Curtis Mayfeild meets M.O.P), and it works brilliantly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4nxp8Rw_d8

10. Live from the PJ's- X-Ecutioners feat. Ghostface Killah, Trife da God and Black Thought(Revolutions/Sony Records)

Ok..so this one is mostly because of Black thought, who is one of my favorite MC's ever, but still....Ghostface and Trife do a great job on this X-ecutioners track. The beat has an 80's flavour to it, but it is extremely danceable and the lyrics are great from start to finish at first painting a picture of an urban barbecue and then segueing into Black thought simply destroying the mic. Ghost is great here and this is the type of collaboration i would like to see more often.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1bhovBlCQ4

And there you have it....wu tang songs that are less than well known but are absolutely spectacular. Enjoy