Enter the Wu‐Tang (36 Chambers)

this was pretty good but not particularly interesting

Yes this album needs to be on here. The samples are completely insane next to the rapping, but they make it work. I dig it. Not something I'd listen to but I 100% understand why they are loved

A rap classic with some bangers and simple but catchy samples.

Favorite Songs: Bring da Ruckus ; Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber ; C.R.E.A.M. ; Method Man

Just the greatest. Raw, hard, poignant, funny, insightful, explosive, uncompromising. 5 stars, no further questions, m'lud.

I've been informed that they are nothing to fuck with

CREAM is an all time classic - look, i like this time period of hip-hop, hell i gave Ice-T OG a 5...but this album just feels like a random mix tape, with little real thought? Idk, maybe im missing something.

Pretty good! Some very high highs. Some stuff don’t quite stick with me.

It genuinely makes no sense how 9 different rappers can come together and record an album that’s this good. You’d think with that many cooks, they’d have spoiled the broth for sure, but somehow it all came together.

I love the minimalist approach, the gritty beats, the kung-fu samples, the pop culture references, and all the different rappers. Everyone brought a different personality to the table and it somehow works without becoming an incoherent mess.

You can really feel this album’s influence on modern hip hop too. I feel like this is the album that so many rappers have been trying to recreate in their own way since they first heard it.

It's pretty good, they could spice up the instrumentals a bit more and the songs could be more unique

I know this album is hugely lauded, but I never really got it. I still think people's love for Wu-Tang is a bit performative, and the whole Kung Fu thing is a bit cringe. I think if I was 10 years older maybe I would feel differently, as I would have been a teenager when this first came out. Some really great songs, especially CREAM, but the skits and immature lyrics drag it down a bit for me.

This may be the best hip-hop album, and one of the best debut albums of all time. I’ve listened to this album so much in my life and it never gets old.

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5.

Just a total flow state for a lot of that. We managed to get every single solo Wu-Tang album here before getting this one, so while it’s a little weird coming at this from a backwards perspective, I honestly think hearing all of their individual styles fleshed out more on their own projects helped this album come across even better, in an Avengers-y sort of way. Since a lot of the references on their solo albums all eventually come back to tracks here, I feel like a lot of this album’s charisma was already prevalent in my brain, but that didn’t stop this from being a super enjoyable experience. It’s hard to really dig into individual tracks for me here (save for “C.R.E.A.M.”, which is just as good as I’ve always hoped it would be), but they were fucking flowing across the board here. I don’t think there’s a single wasted line on this album, and certainly not a wasted verse.

So, why a 4.5 then? A lot of little things; no explicit flaws, just some quirks that build up in a way that just pulls the album down a little. I think the mixing of the album is just a little bit awkward; the instrumentals themselves are great & the movie samples feel classic, but I think the actual members of the Wu-Tang Clan are mixed a little lower here, leading to a quieter, muffled effect. It helps on a few tracks in a way that maintains a sort of vibe, but there are a few tracks where it just sticks out, especially on some of the softer & more simple beats. It’s not bad at all, but it feels less polished. Maybe a remaster would help, I dunno. There’s a few moments where instrumentals and outros go a little long, but those are pretty rare. I think having two solo tracks here is a little strange, but Method Man’s fucking ruled & “Clan in da Front” has some nice energy to it. I think my biggest thing is that the album ends on a remix of “Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber” that does nothing other than change the beat. I knocked Limp Bizkit for it, I knocked George Harrison for it, I knocked Marvin Gaye for it, & damn it, I’ll knock the Wu-Tang Clan for it. Sorry.

Still though, none of those issues pile up in a way that would ever make me consider a 4, and as a whole, it’s a very free-flowing 58 minutes that just kills it across the board. Wu-Tang Clan ain’t nothing to fuck with indeed, & this is as stylish of a debut as there’s ever been in hip-hop. I do think that in terms of the East Coast sound, “Illmatic” might still be the gold standard for production of the era, but this is certainly up there, at least for some of the novelty & tricks RZA pulled here. Every member shines well, and it’s easy to see how they all managed to get solo albums out of this one. If this is the last time we’re getting the Wu-Tang Clan at all, it’s a hell of a way to finish them out. It’s a very easy bump up to a 5.

I'm not much of a hip hop fan, sorry

No "the"?! Welcome to being the 11th member of my list, after Carpenters, Beastie Boys, Pretenders, Pet Shop Boys, Beatles, Talking Heads, Eagles, Pixies, Cocteau Twins, & Fugees!

Anyway, ∅ Wu-Tang Clan are so famous that when there's a Jeopardy question about them, people get it right. But they're a little too early for me to have listened to them, and so the slur count = 98 is a fatal flaw. Also a lot of gun talk (expected) and a lot of poop talk (unexpected). But on the plus side, at least two Voltron mentions! The bleeping decisions in 'Protect Ya Neck' are fascinating.

Highlights: the lyric "Rappinin' is what's happenin'", the concept of a concluding reprise track ('Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber - Part II')

Never really got it

I wasn't expecting to like this record this much!

I've been hearing forever how great Wu-Tang was, but have never been into this kind of stuff enough to check it out. Not something I'd play in a car with open windows because of some of the lyrics and spoken word stuff, but otherwise I really enjoyed it.

Four stars

Nunca me subí a este carro. Tener 20 años en los 90 eran un problema para conseguir toda la música que podía gustarte. Qué bien suena desde el principio!!! Me he guardado: "Bring da Ruckus", "Shame on a Nigga", "Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber" y "Can It Be All So Simple""Intermission". Volveré.

One of the best rap albums ever created. We pulled out the vinyl for a listening party just for the occasion. 5/5

Just an hour long ass kicking where they literally tell you ways they'll torture your ass, rugged and raw is the name of the day and each member gets their chance to shine. Hard to pinpoint individual songs when the whole album is a continuous flow, but big shoutouts to "Bring Da Rukus", "Shame On A Nuh" (censored title) and "Da Mystery Of Chessboxin'" as well as the usual "C.R.E.A.M." and "Protect Ya Neck". I do prefer the more rocking version of "Wu Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing Ta Fuck Wit" featuring Tom Morello of RATM and Chad Smith of RHCP thats on Loud Rocks

I fucking love this again, it never gets old. I could listen again and again and again