So why is Wu-Tang Clan’s Wu-Tang Forever on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
If Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) is Wu-Tang’s raw debut masterpiece (and it is), Wu-Tang Forever is the hip-hop collective’s melodic underground rap masterpiece.
Before we hit the streets of Shaolin and dig in on what makes it great, a quick further defense of this double album that some might peg as being “sprawling” or “messy” even if they’d admit that it has brilliant high points.
The freedom of this here best 1,000 albums ever project is that I can detach myself from “the rules” that serious music critics might bound themselves with. So I’ll fully admit that not every one of Wu-Tang Forever’s 27 tracks would rate in the Rap Tracks Hall of Fame (a thing I just made up, catchy right?), but the high points are so frequent and blazingly clear in my view that it elevates this 1997 release to not just one of the best rap albums of all time, but worthy of sitting right on the cusp of the Top 25 best albums ever.
Now, let’s turn our attention back to the melodic underground rap magnificence. Exhibit A is “Triumph,” which may well be the best single track that the Wu-Tang Clan has produced to date.
As is the case throughout Wu-Tang Forever, RZA’s production is a combination of hypnotic, pulsing, relentless. Dreamlike, immersive, with a dusting of menace that keeps your head on a swivel.
Wu-Tang Forever also marks RZA’s evolution from the lo-fi, sample-heavy grit of 36 Chambers to a widescreen sonic architect, orchestrating layered strings and piano lines into a cinematic space that’s equal parts kung fu flicks, spaghetti Westerns, and symphonic tales from the city.
As Wikipedia notes, “Triumph” is the only “official” Wu-Tang Clan track to feature all members of the collective,* including new inductee Cappadonna.
* The same large crowd also appears on Ghostface Killah’s “9 Milli Bros.” I’m a huge fan of that one as well, and it helps elevate Fishscale to #122 of best 1,000 albums ever.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the entire collective’s participation drives this nearly six-minute-long track into the most elite of territories. As each rapper hands off a verse to the next, we get a showcase of not just Shogun-level practitioners of the rap arts, but we also get a crystal clear vantage point of the different and exceptional styles on display.
It’s important to note too that the underground vibes – the feeling of freestyling, raw rap skills sitting on top of RZA’s hypnotic soundscape – are another critical factor as to why “Triumph” works so well.
And right from the jump, Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s trademark loopy genius-meets-possibly certifiable intro hands off to Inspectah Deck, who immediately drops one of the greatest rap verses of all time.
I bomb atomically, Socrates’ philosophies and hypotheses
Can’t define how I be droppin’ these mockeries
Lyrically perform armed robbery
Flee with the lottery, possibly they spotted me
I hope it’s obvious, but I’ll note here that lyrically Wu-Tang at peak levels is untouchable by all comers, combining mythology and street lore, sophomoric boasts and philosophy, hilarious jokes and dark imagery.
By the time RZA himself steps in front of the mic in the middle of the track, the battle has been won: Wu-Tang is triumphant. Wu-Tang forever.
Perpendicular to the square, we stand bold like Flare
Escape from your dragon’s lair
In particular, my beats travel like a vortex
Through your spine to the top of your cerebral cortex
Make you feel like you bust a nut from raw sex
When I look at the sequence of rappers taking solo slots on “Triumph,” it’s not lost on me how much space this group earns on the best 1,000 albums ever project, and indeed the likes of ODB, Inspectah Deck, Method Man, Cappadonna, U-God, RZA, GZA, and Ghostface Killah all have at least one solo album spotlighted.
I’ll also note that the only artists not on the best 1k project are Masta Killa and Raekwon. While I revere Raekwon’s contributions to the Wu-Tang collective, I’m not as big a fan of his solo work. I totally get that not paying homage to Only Built 4 Cuban Linx will be heresy for some, but something about it doesn’t totally work for me.
As great a… triumph as “Triumph” is, there are several other tracks that are very close to its level for similar reasons. The slightly more sinister “Reunited” is chief among these. Again, this is another five-minute-plus number that earns every second of your time.
The slow burning bass and staccato string arrangement are sensational on this one, and the handoff from a scorching ODB to a sizzling RZA is magic here.
“Triumph” and “Reunited” particularly have “lived” in various mixtapes and digital playlists of mine for a quarter century. They’ve been mainstays of countless workouts, and they even got heavy rotation when I traveled and hiked all over New Zealand in 2007.
Here’s a slightly embarrassing admission: while listening to music on hikes such as the Routeburn Track, a designated Great Walk, I’d pound Wu-Tang into my ears while taking in the Tolkien-esque splendor, and use the hip-hop beat to motivate me into a (half-assed, I’m sure) military-ish walking cadence.
“Bells of War” leans into melodicism even further, with muted, bell-like chime tones woven through the mix. And then “Duck Season” takes that super mellow mood and flips it in a way that feels pot hazed yet dangerous at the same time.
“As High as Wu-Tang Get” unleashes ODB in a way that entirely works, with the track overall getting funky and loose, Wu-Tang-style.
I love how minimal the production feels on tracks like “It’s Yourz” – it’s a great example of what I mean by “underground” rap. But it’s also important to note that I used the word “feels” intentionally: RZA is meticulous on every inch of this album’s output.
In a similar vein, “Older Gods” layers in piano chords in an otherwise super-stripped-down but highly effective rap track.
“Heaterz” is both epic and cinematic in scope, making it feel like it should have been the lead soundtrack single for a specific standout movie from the era (Above the Rim? Donnie Brasco? Rounders?).
And “The M.G.M.” is classic Wu-Tang, with its spooky grooves, strings, and hip-hop backbeat sitting under Ghostface and Raekwon trading off verses.
Some stats & info about Wu-Tang Clan – Wu-Tang Forever
- 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 Wu-Tang Forever released? 1997
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #27 out of 1,000
Wu-Tang Clan’s Wu-Tang Forever on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Wu-Tang Clan’s Wu-Tang Forever that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
I bomb atomically, Socrates’ philosophies and hypotheses can’t define how I be droppin’ these mockeries.
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.