So why is Wu-Tang Clan’s Iron Flag on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
With the help of the Internet and early peer-to-peer services like Napster, I began to fully explore my musical interests in the early 2000s in a way that I had not really been able to beforehand*.
* It’s a little hard to explain to the young ‘uns how different things were in the digital media Before Times!
I was aware of and really dug the Wu-Tang Clan by then, but I had a relatively limited knowledge of their catalog – let alone the vast array of solo material that had already been produced by members of the legendary hip-hop collective by that point.
I have a specific memory of listening to “Iron Flag,” the title track on Iron Flag, for the first time and having my mind blown a little bit. It was that feeling of I’m listening to one of my instant favorite rap songs right now for the first time… and how many more masterworks by this same group have I not even heard yet??
I then had several additional rounds of that same feeling in the same timeframe – each similarly melting my brain. Other examples include “Reunited” and “Bells of War,” both off of Wu-Tang Forever, from 1997.
When the Wu-Tang Clan is on its game, no one can touch them. Lyrics like these here, especially deployed with the skill and finesse of RZA, GZA, Method Man, et al, are both sizzling and exquisite.
The hour of detonation, pure untampered or mixed in any form
In any form mixed untampered it’s pure
Dissect each line in the rhyme
Find my ingredients and nutrients
Teach patience and obedience before movement
Killer bee student enrollment
“Rules” is a rousing response to 9/11 by this New York City crew. It doesn’t quite hit that peak emotional level for me as “An Open Letter to NYC,” by the Beastie Boys, gets to but it’s an outstanding track in its own right.
Who the fuck knocked our buildings down?
Who the man behind the World Trade massacres, step up now
Where the four planes at huh is you insane b—-?
Fly that shit over my hood and get blown to bits!
“Uzi (Pinky Ring)” is arguably one of the best-known Wu-Tang tracks, and for good reason – its use of horn samples alone makes it an all-timer. And you have to love U-God at the top saying, “Don’t erase none of that good shit in the beginning.”
It speaks to the quality of Iron Flag that I’ve gotten this deep into the piece and have not yet mentioned “Ya’ll Been Warned,” which alone is better than 99% and change of all the hip-hop songs that have ever been laid down. The production work – led by True Master in this case – is well… masterful.
“Dashing,” the album’s closer featuring Inspectah Deck and GZA, is another super strong one with its insanely hard funk beat.
Some stats & info about Wu-Tang Clan – Iron Flag
- 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 – 4 out of 5 stars
- When was Iron Flag released? 2001
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #145 out of 1,000
Wu-Tang Clan’s Iron Flag on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Wu-Tang Clan’s Iron Flag that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
Superbad, who am I? Dolemite classic.
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.