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album: Enter the Wu-Tang : 36 Chambers
artist: Wu-Tang Clan
label: RCA / 1993
score: 94
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by Joel Mathiesen
The album that started it all . . . 36 Chambers. Kung Fu samples, raw beats and bass,
and the occasional creative sampling by the RZA. Sound a little boring, maybe a little
too simple? No, not at all, The Wu-Tang and their 36 Chambers were so much more complex than that.
When they first formed the Wu-Tang the goal was to bring a new sound and to not copy any other group
or emcee in the rap game. To be truly original is one of the hardest tasks in the music industry but,
RZA and the gang pulled it off. The simple beats of the 36 Chambers were so catchy. That's what RZA
was always good at, picking the perfect three or four notes to create the most catchy and likeable beat.
He would also place the bass at the right parts of each measure, keeping it hard and raw like the streets
of Staten Island.
Another great part of 36 Chambers was that there were eight, even nine emcees (U-God was added as a ninth
member late in to the recording of the album) rhyming over RZA's beats. This created such diversity
and difference so its really easy to listen to. You can never get bored of the Wu-Tang because they all
bring different styles to the table.
Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers was an amazing hip-hop album but my favorite part about it was how they were so successful
at doing their own thing and influencing hundreds and thousands of musicians in years to come.
- June 2007
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