It's all about addressing the ills plaguing our cities and generations; it's about celebrating life's highest highs without brandishing Rollies and Cristal. It's all about the beats and the rhymes, and you know it's got soul.
It's all about The W.
Chalking up the title of their third album as a reference to the brand-name recognition easily ascribed to their sound, the Wu-Tang Clan took it back to basics in 2K after releasing the sprawling, ambitious, ahead-of-its-time Wu-Tang Forever in 1997. Under the sonic surveillance of groove guru the RZA, the Wu weathered the absence of Ol' Dirty Bastard (who was in court-ordered rehab in L.A. during the album's recording) to craft a disc comprising the ups (the sinuous party funk of "Gravel Pit") and the deepest downs, embodied by the horrific outcry of "I Can't Go to Sleep" — its loop of Isaac Hayes' version of "Walk On By" could inspire tears on its own, before it was magnified millionfold to a heartfelt and heartbreaking lyrical level.
MTVi News' Rahman Dukes managed to pile the RZA, Raekwon, U-God, Ghostface Killah, Masta Killa, and Inspectah Deck all into the same room on the event of The W's release, just hours before Dirty, who fled rehab nearly a month before, made his surprise appearance onstage with the group. (Method Man was present too, but he chose to enjoy the scene from the sidelines.) From dealing long-distance with O.D.B. to taking pride in the new generation of rap fans — and rap artists — they've inspired, no stones were left unturned.
Check out this gravel pit ...
