"Wu Tang Iron Flag" Review The day has finally come! The day I've been anticipating for the last 2 weeks, or last 2 years+ in a roundabout way. The day that Wu Tang Clan released another album. After "The W" slightly disappointed me last year, I was really hoping for a smoking gun to show that the Wu was still the greatest group in hip hop, as I've always claimed they were. I woke up at 10:30 am, after going to sleep around 6 am. Without a shower, I hopped into yesterday's marijuana-scented clothes, drank one cup of coffee, and got on the first thing smoking enroute to the mall. Standing in line at the FYE, Wu Tang Iron Flag in-hand, I overheard a whitegirl in front of me talking to an employee she obviously knew. "Oh yeah, let me get that new Ruff Ryders CD" she said to her male friend. "How about that new Wu Tang?" he suggested. Then she said it, I had to do a double-take. "No way, I dont like Wu Tang." I wanted to say "what the hell do you mean shorty?!?". Then I remembered her selection, Ruff Ryders. So it was forgotten with a shake of the head as I went back to Mental Happy Land. Waiting for the bus to take me home was driving me nuts. I had faith that the Wu would deliver the ice cold water to quench my extreme thirst, but the doubts were coming on strong. I counted 12 songs and frowned, remembering "The W" had 13 songs and didn't fullfill my needs, now Iron Flag only has 12!? I worried that RZA wouldnt shine enough, I worried that niggaz like Masta Killa and Inspectah Deck would take tha back-seat to Ghost and Raekwon. Before I could get too doubtful, I was home. Stepping into my room, I was "hype" as Williams. Before I could get my coat off, I inserted the tape, lit the two-nick joint I rolled the night before in anticipation of this very moment, and hit play. I exhaled once and then I heard what I was desperately hoping for...the voice of an Oriental man from a martial arts movie. I have been saying for a long time now, that these kung-fu skits, that the Wu is known for, are what has been missing. Then my favorite MC, The RZA flowin over a smooth beat. I felt it coming, a swift rush of adrenaline. Combined with the marijuana effect, I ascended into Hip Hop Heaven. Here's my song-by-song Review of what I will tell you now is the best album I've heard in an unbeleivably long period of time. Track 1: In Da Hood After the tight intro rhyme by the RZA, this fast-paced, heart pounding, fierce beat comes on. Horns, fire truck sirens, gunshots, glass breaking, and fireworks add to the feeling of intensity. My 2nd favorite MC, Masta Killa, starts the song. I'm like "WORD!". As usual he rips it in his own unique choppy style. Then my next favorite MC, Inspectah Deck grabs the mic! I'm lovin this shyt! This song got me feeling frantic. Street Life blesses the track after the first 2 bangin verses. This song is off the heezy. Track 2: Rules A real upbeat, party soundin, bangin ass beat by Mathematics. This beat got me noddin my head to it. Ghost flips a verse talking about the 9/11 attack, where he tells Bush to sit down cuz "we're in charge of the war". That gets a chuckle from me, then it's INS rippin shyt as usual. Meth asks in the hook, "how da fuck did we get so cool?". This is a good song! Got me breakin my neck. Masta Killa, Street Life, Raekwon, and Meth each take turns blazin the mic. Tight song. Track 3: Chrome Wheels "Woke up this morning, smoked some sticky green to get me started", sings the woman in the hook as my face developes a grin. Tight RZA beat, sounds a little like Montel Jordan's "This Is How We Do It" mixed with a west coast Dr. Dre G-Funk beat. RZA also lays down a hot verse as well as supplying the beat. A couple young-buck Wu rappers get to shine on this track, and they hold it down too. Three tight tracks in a row, battin 1.000 so far. Track 4: Soul Power (Black Jungle) Featuring Flavor Flav Featuring Flavor Flav!? When I read that, I said "DATS WZUP!". But, unlike the last album, the Wu doesnt have many outside artists featured on this album. Which is great, the appearance of outsiders was my main complaint for the last album. Anyways, another tight RZA beat, mainly consisting of drums, and a little bit of what I think is a flute or oboe. Sounds real ethnic, African style, a real banger. Rae, Masta Killa, Ghost, and U-God all shine on this track. Flavor Flav only does the hook, which is cool, and a lil convo with Meth at the end of the song. Good song. Track 5: Uzi (Pinky Ring) Within 15 seconds of this song, I had to let out a "WHEEEWWWWWWWWWWW!!". This beat is a BANGER!!!!! RZA splashes the track perfectly with horns. U-God opens with a ill verse, Rae rips it, then Ghost, then RZA, then Meth, then Deck, then Masta Killa, then finally THE GZA makes his first appearance on the album. I cant say how phat this song is. Nor can I say how many times I had to just grab my head to stop it from exploding from excitement during this song. "I got my uzi back, yawl dudes is wack/ face it, the Wu is back!" Definitely the best song so far, and that's saying alot. Damn this song is hot! Track 6: One Of These Days When I seen that this track was produced by the unknown (to me) Nick "Fury" Loftin, I was critical. If I had my way, every beat would be produced by RZA. But then I heard the beat. ILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL beat, that's all I said. Deck opens up with a real dope verse, he is definitely the unsung hero of the Wu. Then Rae, followed by a tight verse by another one of my favorites, U-God. I take the hook as having special meaning, as a womans voice sings "one of these days...and it wont be long". I think it's reffering to when the Wu is finally gonna get their much due props and recognition as the REAL Kings of Hip Hop. Another bangin track, 6 for 6, all hot. This is the end of the first side, and my thirst is already quenched. I gleefully take a break to re-light the joint that I threw into the ashtray during Track 4, knowing that I still have a WHOLE 6 songs to listen to still. I'm in Wu Heaven as I flip the tape. Track 7: Ya'll Been Warned While pulling on the super-fat joint, I hear what is possibly the ILLEST beat I ever heard, courtesy of Tru Master, and Meth saying "Wu Tang nigga, dats wzup!". I uncontrollably pump my fist and shout "DATS WZUP!". The tape is getting better and better as I go! Meth rips the first verse, then RZA's voice bursts onto the scene. Well, I have a new favorite track, this is too hot. Then Deck with another poisonous dart, then Rae ends the track. WOW is all I can come up with to say at this point and I rewind for the first time to enjoy this Wu Banger once again. Track 8: Babies The RZA finally slows it down, with a slow, serious type beat. Ghost, the great story teller, enters and begins telling the story of the neighborhood crooked cop, Detective Slick Morris Gibbons. A bad, bad paleface cop. How bad? Kids call him Freddy Kruger. Tight verse from Tony Starks. And who better to pair up with Ghost on the story telling track? None other than The Chef, Raekwon drops an equally ill continuation of Ghost's verse. Then, a brilliant move to really set this song off, the GZA enters to finalize the banger with another one of his lethal lyrical doses that earned him the name "The Genius". He ends with one of the illest lines on the tape: "...thats why I keep my rhymes just as fly as the shot/ that won the championship with just 0 on the clock" Track 9: Radioactive (Four Assasins) This is one of those songs that just by the name, you can tell it's gonna be hot. It begins with an excerpt from a kung fu movie, "you will be punished, for all your evil deeds". The beat, produced by RZA, reminds me a little of Public Enemy, and paints the picture of a galactic battlefield of a great cosmic war of some sort. The Genius opens up, great representative for the "4 Assasins". 2nd is Raekwon who, although I'd rather hear Deck on this track, holds his ground and shines. 3rd is Meth, who is definitely deserving of the spot in the song and rips it like always. Who is the 4th Assasin? Just who I was wishing it would be! Masta Killa, finally he's getting his props, and he shows he deserves them with this verse. Another hot song, will there be any wack songs on this album?? Track 10: Back In The Game featuring Ron Isley Wu heads will love the classic kung fu exerpt in the begining of this song. "If what you say is true, the Shaolin and the Wu Tang could be dangerous". Classic. Deck opens up and sets the whole mood over the smooth RZA beat. "The employees of the year here, we back at work/ we took some time off, while other rappers got jerked/ shyt's bout change now, it's a shame how/ things aint da same, but I'm back in da game now/ and as we step in da door, we cause panic/ yup, the usual suspects, we at it" That's some spine tingling shyt right there! Wu is back muthafuckaz! Meth blesses the track with his usual tight flow. Then, once again, here comes The GZA to put the fatality on the song. Listen how he describe the Wu comeback as if it were a card game. GZA is surely the best MC out there, fuck what ya heard. Then when you think the song is over, Rae jumps on to add on to the verbal destruction. And to further the damage even more, Ghost rips it up as well. At the end, he pretty much sums it up as he says "Wu Tang Clan, bring so much heat that we're givin yawl tans". All this, along with a tight chorus by Ron Isely makes this track definitely stand out as a great. Track 11: Iron Flag Another Kung Fu sample sets this track off. Then another unbeleivably ill beat by The RZA. Slow, deliberate, emotional, raw, and inspirational are words that I would use to describe this beat. Raekwon opens up and spits fire like a flamethrower on this track, much props to The Chef on this verse. Then Masta Killa applies his complex word play and masterful rhyme scheme to the track. "Devastating shockwaves striking the nation/ newsflash, warn the people, assasination/ the hour of detonation, pure, untampered or mixed in any form/ in any form mixed, untampered it's pure" That's deep. Then Deck steps up to put the finishing touch on this Wu Masterpeice. "Crabs wanna play me close and grab/ I cant beleive you on da canvas, I'm just throwin jabs/ where da powers you supposed to have?, hand in your soldier rag/ youre posin bad, show your ass, son you wont last/ wit heavyweights dat elevate da whole mass/ compose da smash rollin grass at Ghost's lab" Tight. Track 12: Good Thing We Brought The Glock This track isnt listed on the album, so I dont know who did the beat. It's not too complicated of a beat, and the Clan members take turns rhyming one line situations before all saying "Good thing we brought the Glock". "you like what you see? my shiny ass rocks...good thing we brought the Glock!" "I'm at da ATM, niggaz lookin sneaky in a gray BM...good thing we brought the Glock!" "we in da spot where da money's marked, Narcs just jumped through da window yo...good thing we brought the Glock!" It's kinda short, but it's a tight track. Good message, so i'll add my own line: "im on my way to da job see, and niggaz tried to rob me...good thing i brought the Glock!" lol Track 13: Dashing (Reasoning) "Dashing through the hood, 18's on da whip, all gray/ leavin skid marks on 5-0, smokin all da way!" This is a fun type track, a good way to end the album. Produced by RZA, the beat is blessed by Deck and GZA. No suprise GZA is given the last word, he's the Genius. Good song, Great album. Then, after one last kung fu movie exerpt, the tape ends. The ride is over, the thirst is fully quenched and all confidence is restored in the Wu. What a Christmas present from the Wu! Thanks yawl!