Respecta.is - The Ultimate Hip Hop Portal

Album: Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Genre: East Coast hip hop, hardcore hip hop, gangsta rap
Release Date: November 9, 1993
Label: Loud/RCA/BMG Records
Producer: Prince Rakeem , Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard, 4th Disciple
Size: 299 MB
Duration: 58:28

Info:

Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) is the debut album of American East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, released November 9, 1993 on Loud Records and distributed through RCA Records. Recording sessions for the album took place at Firehouse Studio in New York City from 1992 to 1993, while it was mastered at The Hit Factory. The group's leader RZA, also known as Prince Rakeem, produced the album entirely with heavy, eerie beats, largely based on martial-arts movie clips and soul music samples. The album title originates from the martial arts film The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978).

The distinctive sound of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) created a blueprint for hardcore hip hop in the mid-1990s and helped return New York City hip hop to national prominence. The unique sound of the album also became hugely influential in modern hip hop production and inspired several subsequent producers. The album also marked the first appearances of a number of rappers, including Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Ghostface Killah, and Raekwon, who have collectively sold millions of solo records after the album's release. The lyrics of Enter the Wu-Tang are explicit, humorous, and free-associative, and served as a template for many subsequent hip hop records. The Wu-Tang Clan's debut album is notable for serving as a landmark record in the era of hip hop music known as the East Coast Renaissance.

Enter the Wu-Tang had surprising chart success, despite its raw, underground sound. It album peaked at number 41 on the Billboard 200 chart, with help from its highest-charting single "C.R.E.A.M.". By 1995, the album was certified platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album's style and success became influential as it helped lead the way for several other East Coast hip hop artists, including Nas, The Notorious B.I.G., Mobb Deep, and Jay-Z. Although it initially received some mixed criticism, several music writers have since considered Enter the Wu-Tang as one of the most significant albums of the 1990s, as well as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all-time. In 2003, the album was ranked number 386 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Professional reviews

# Allmusic 5/5 stars
# Robert Christgau (A-)
# Entertainment Weekly (A)
# PopMatters (favorable)
# Rolling Stone 4/5
# Rolling Stone 5/5
# The Source 4.5/5
# Sputnikmusic 4.5/5
# XXL 5/5 stars
# Yahoo! Music (favorable)

Album: Wu-Tang Forever
Genre: Hip hop
Release Date: June 3, 1997
Label: Loud/RCA/BMG Records
Producer: RZA, Inspectah Deck, 4th Disciple, True Master
Size: 291 + 439 MB
Duration: 118:43

Info:

Wu-Tang Forever was the long-awaited follow-up to the Wu-Tang Clan's first album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). It was released on June 3, 1997 as a double album and, despite limited radio and TV airplay, the album debuted at #1 in the U.S. with 650,000 copies sold in its first week. It also debuted at #1 in the UK and Canada. The album has sold over 8,000,000 copies worldwide to date.

The album was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 1998 Grammy Awards, but lost to Puff Daddy's No Way Out. In an infamous moment, after losing, Wu-Tang Clan member Ol' Dirty Bastard interrupted Shawn Colvin's Song of the Year acceptance speech to protest the loss in the Best Rap Album category, saying that he spent a lot of money on an expensive suit with expectations of winning, and proclaiming "Wu-Tang is for the children".

Professional reviews

# Allmusic 4/5 stars
# Entertainment Weekly (A)
# Melody Maker (favorable)
# Q 3/5 stars
# Rhapsody (favorable)
# Rolling Stone 3.5/5 stars 1997
# Spin (7/10)

Album: The W
Genre: Hip hop
Release Date: November 21, 2000
Label: Loud/Columbia/SME Records
Producer: RZA, Mathematics
Size: 348 MB
Duration: 59:04

Info:

The W is the third album by the American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released on November 21, 2000. Singles from this album included Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off), Gravel Pit, I Can't Go To Sleep, and the banned-from-TV Careful (Click, Click). The album was certified Platinum in U.S. and Canada.

Professional reviews

# Allmusic 4.5/5 stars
# The A.V. Club (mixed)
# Robert Christgau (A-)
# Entertainment Weekly (A)
# PopMatters (favorable)
# Q 4/5 stars
# Rolling Stone 4/5 stars 2000
# The Source 3.5/5 stars
# Village Voice (favorable)

Album: Iron Flag
Genre: Hip hop
Release Date: December 18, 2001
Label: Loud/Columbia/SME Records
Producer: RZA, True Master, Mathematics, Nick Fury, Trackmasters
Size: 383 MB
Duration: 59:06

Info:

Iron Flag is the fourth studio album by American East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, released December 18, 2001 on Loud Records. The album was certified gold in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America. Iron Flag served as the group's second lowest-selling album (687,000 copies), as their record label, Loud, was on the verge of shutting down at the time.

Professional reviews

# Allmusic 4/5 stars
# The A.V. Club (favorable)
# Blender 4/5 stars
# Entertainment Weekly (B+)
# LA Weekly (favorable)
# Pitchfork Media (7.5/10)
# Rolling Stone 3.5/5 stars 2002
# Rolling Stone 4/5 stars 2004
# Stylus (A-)
# Yahoo! Music 9/10 stars

Album: 8 Diagrams
Genre: East Coast hip hop
Release Date: December 11, 2007
Label: SRC/Universal Motown Records
Producer: RZA, Easy Mo Bee, George Drakoulias, Mathematics
Size: 402 MB
Duration: 71:05

Info:

8 Diagrams is the fifth studio album by New York hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released through Street Records Corporation on December 11, 2007.

Professional reviews

# About.com 4/5 stars
# Allmusic 4/5 stars
# Billboard (favorable)
# Blender 4/5 stars
# New York Times (mixed)
# Pitchfork Media (8.0/10)
# PopMatters 8/10 stars
# RapReviews 8/10 stars
# Rolling Stone 3.5/5 stars
# The Times 4/5 stars