Wu-Tang Clan; Wu-Tang Forever 2-CD Box Set [FLAC+MP3](Big Papi)

By Eric
Double rap albums are usually long-winded self-indulgent affairs. But then again, the Wu-Tang aren't your usual rap group. We're talking about the Wu-Tang Clan, a conglomeration of some of the best MCs to ever grace the microphone helmed by a producer of ingenious proportions - the RZA.

Remember that irrefutable masterpiece Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) that came roaring out like of the underground, slashing and biting? It hit hard and quick - BAM, BAM, BAM! Like the grace and viciousness of martial art fighting, Wu-Tang Clan combined the mystique of sparse minimalist beats with savage lyricism. But while, Enter the Wu-Tang was characterized by guerilla style attacks, Wu-Tang Forever is the group's manifesto drawn out to epic scope, unfolding slowly like a sepia-toned cinematic tale of inner city life.

In this, the group sacrifices impact for the overall effect. If it's one thing that Wu-Tang Forever suffers from, its over ambition. But you can hardly blame a group for such a fault. Criticize a rap artist for turning out a cheap cash-in, criticize a rap artist for stuffing a double album up to its neck in filler - but Wu-Tang Forever is neither. Wu-Tang Forever takes artistic chances with RZA fleshing out some of the most captivating soundscapes ever heard in the rap world.

Look at the song "Reunited" - where violins wail gypsy-style changing tempo and building up into a climactic frenzy. It's classic Wu at its best. Lyrically, the entire album crackles with the same passionate furious energy of their debut album. Over the spread of four years, the group members have developed distinct personas and defined their rapping style. On Wu-Tang Forever, each member really comes into their own, exchanging rapid gunfire worldplay with experience and ease, playing off each others strengths and weaknesses. All rules and logic argue that with such large individual egos in play, it would tear the group apart but rather it tightens it into a sleeker method of attack.

The song "Triumph" is the best example of this with all the group members passing the mics as torrents of lyricism follow each other with relentless power. The Wu-Tang Clan is such a tightly knit combination of talent it seems difficult to ever take them down. Even when RZA's beats and productions don't hit the mark, the MCs carry the song through. And vice versa.

There are a few times when both counterparts fail such as Black Shampoo and Maria. But these are minor complaints because even the throwaways work beautifully within the context of Wu-Tang Forever. Check out "For Heaven's Sake" with a trademark stomping militant chorus come-on and its quirky nasal female flourishes. "Visionz" features eerie piano chords tip-toeing along dark alleys and ducking within shadows. Speaking of vision, there's plenty of it on Wu-Tang Forever with the group contributing to the anti-mainstream rap cause and calling for social reform. And while a few times, the group's vision errs (i.e. the condemnation of evolution), nonetheless it remains refreshing and interesting compared to their middle-of-the-road peers.

Take Wu-Tang Forever piece by piece, listening to the entire album in one sitting is a feat I myself have not even accomplished. The album is meant to be enjoyed in measured listenings but the overall effect at the end is more rewarding than any hip-hop album I have heard yet.