So why is Wu-Tang Clan’s Wu-Tang Collective on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
If you’re into the “Wu-Tang Clan sound,” the great thing about it is that there are so many permutations of it to explore, from Wu-Tang Clan albums “proper,” to the large quantity of solo work, to various collaborative efforts that involve a combination of Wu-Tang alums (from circles both outer and inner) and guest stars.
Which of course presented me with the “good problem” of figuring out what to do with all of this material within the already massive and audacious prospect of compiling the “best 1,000 albums ever,” let alone in ranked order!
This brings us to Wu-Tang Collective, an album that falls under the “various collaborative efforts” category, though it is ostensibly labeled as a “Wu-Tang Clan” album proper (as opposed to Wu-Tang Killa Bees or Wu Music Group – Wu-Tang World gets complex, people!).
And that being said, some of Wu-Tang Collective’s best tracks are ostensibly Wu-Tang Clan “proper” songs. For example, “97 Mentality,” a collab between Cappadonna and Ghostface Killah, with RZA masterminding (out of his mind) production, goes a long way toward why this album cracked the Top 200 on the best 1,000 albums ever.
This is groovy, mellow, soulful hip hop perfection, and shows off how great both Cappadonna and Ghostface are at their rap game at this point in their respective careers.
RZA also handles producer duties on the spooky, cinematic “And Justice For All” – featuring Killarmy (a strong Wu-verse ally), Bobby Digital* (a.k.a. the RZA himself), and Method Man – and the weirdo excellence of “Execute Them,” featuring Wu-Tang Clan icons Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, and Masta Killa.
* Periodic reminder that one of my favorite things is the very precise and very unique way that RZA will announce himself as Bobby Digital on Bobby D tracks.
But my two favorite songs on Wu-Tang Collective don’t feature any Wu-Tang (proper) members behind the mic: the chill yet exciting “On the Strength,” featuring The Beggarz, and the nearly hypnotic, head bobbing “Furious Anger,” featuring Shyheim and Big L.
Some stats & info about Wu-Tang Clan – Wu-Tang Collective
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Hip Hop, Rap, East Coast Rap, Underground Rap, Hardcore Rap
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 3 out of 5 stars
- When was Wu-Tang Collective released? 2003
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #194 out of 1,000
Wu-Tang Clan’s Wu-Tang Collective on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Wu-Tang Clan’s Wu-Tang Collective that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
What is there to talk about? You was just frontin’, now it ain’t nothin’, ain’t that somethin’?
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.