Having a successful critically acclaimed debut album is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, you’re instantly propelled into a world of fame and success. On the other, every waking moment of the rest of your career will be spent trying to recapture that past glory. If you can somehow reproduce the quality initial effort, you’ve managed to stave off your demise in a fickle music industry for several more months. If not, you’re back to, “welcome to McDonalds. May I help you?”

Such is the case of one of Hip Hop’s most famous collectives, The Wu-Tang Clan. Their initial album was almost an instant classic. With seemingly a legion of grimy cats rhyming over Rza’s hard, elemental beats, the group quickly became a force to be reckoned with in the rap industry. A few years after a flood of Wu solo releases that ran the entire gamut of quality, it was time for the Clan to reassemble and put together another group release. The resulting album, Wu Tang Forever delved deeper into the Wu lore and the group’s religious and social beliefs, but was seen by many as a failure. It lacked the universal appeal of their first release.

Earlier this year, the Wu released yet another group effort in The W. This album represented a pendulum swing from their sophomore album, leaning heavily on more commercial appeal than the dark, fiery sound people have come to associate with the group. This shift caused the group to fail again in reclaiming their former glory.

Now with the group’s fourth release, Iron Flag , the Wu made a concerted effort to return to the gritty, intense raps and production that made the Wu-Tang Clan a household name, and it definitely shows. Though not the instant classic of Enter the Wu-Tang, it definitely has the same feel. With this album, the Wu plants their “Iron Flag” securely in Hip Hop’s firmament to let fans know, “we ain’t going nowhere.”

Track Listing
1. In the Hood
2. Rules
3. Chrome Wheels
4. Soul Power
5. Uzi (Pinky Ring)
6. One of these Days
7. Y’all Been Warned
8. Babies
9. Radioactive (Four Assassins)
10. Back in the Game feat. Ron Isley
11. Iron Flag
12. Dashing (Reasons)

The CD starts off with a short vocal and musical introduction from Rza, then immediately blends in the anthem, “In the Hood”. Over some blazing horn samples, apocalyptic sound effects, reggae vocalizations, and pounding drums, Masta Killah and Inspectah Deck, rap about like in their neighborhoods. This song is unmistakably representative of the killer tracks Wu fans have been waiting for. You’ll get neck pains from nodding your head to this one.

“Soul Power” is another great track to listen to. Musically, Rza goes a different direction than he has before, blending some bongos and other “organic” percussion instruments with a jazzy flute loop. It reminds me of the Hip Hop music that was popular just before the “gangsta” era, when the pro-black theme was dominant and rappers were wearing dashikis in their videos ( “this is protected by the red, the black, and the green, with a key you sissieeeeeeeees” - a gold star for the first to name that group in the comments section). At first I was upset that the Clan didn’t let guest star Flavor Flav from Public Enemy kick any verses, but then I remembered some of the stuff he used to spit on the old PE joints. Yes, Flavor Flav is much better as a hype man. Good Call, Rza.

“Uzi (Pinky Ring)” is the first single off Iron Flag and for obvious reasons. It has more of the Wu’s signature sound, from the changeable percussion loops, to the subdued bass elements and well-defined accompaniment, this time provided by trumpets. Lyrically, U-God, Ghost, Deck, Rza, Meth, and Gza take turns dropping more Shaolin rhymes. Gza provides these killer lyrics:

“From dark matter to the Big Crunch /
The vocals came in a bunch, got one punch /
Read glimpse from the, swiftly advanced, proved the unstoppable /
Reputation enhanced since the cause was probable /
To compare and contrast but don't blast /
Dukes scream back with a pen I hold fast /
Watch the block thirst for one, became all /
Shot him with the long forgotten, rainfall /
Delivered in the brutal fashion with simplicity /
The blind couldn't verify the authenticity /
The rhyme came from the pressure of heat /
Then it was laid out on the ground to pave streets /”

The Wu delve a little into social issues on “Babies”. On this piece, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon the Chef, and Gza lyrically illustrate separate stories of detestable police corruption in New York. Rza does an exceptional job with the track, taking a somber old soul string-laced sample and looping it over a minimal drum beat. For the background vocals, he thankfully diverges from his practice of getting marginal female singers like Blue Raspberry and Intrigue and opts instead for a vocalist with an actual presence in Madame D. Her more traveled voice blends very well with the darker mood of the older-sounding music.

I think it was Magnum Force that once lamented the shoddy production work of the Track Masters, and after hearing “Back in the Game” I’m inclined to agree. Here they try to assemble something that sounds like one of Rza’s signature Wu beats, but end up failing miserably. The beat and various keyboard melodies feel erratic and disconnected. Adding Ron “Mr. Big” Isley for the backup vocals on this is like adding a fresh new coat of paint to a rickety old shack. It’s just dressing up something that was flawed to begin with. Deck, Method Man, Gza, Raekwon, and Ghostface rap over the disappointing track, spitting loose freestyles about Wu’s proper place in Hip Hop.

I think the tracks that most epitomize the Wu’s sound are track 7 “Y’all Been Warned” and the title track, “Iron Flag”. Y’all Been Warned” features Method Man, Rza, Deck, Rae, and basically freestyling over a simple but focused beat. “Iron Flag” , is another very brief freestyle session. At first I was upset that this song was so short until another untitled track kicked in immediately following it. This next one features each member of the Wu rapping with an uncomplicated drum beat and guitar bassline laying he musical foundation. Lyrically the group deliver lines describing different dangerous situations where being armed might be helpful. For the chorus the repeat, “good thing we brought the glock.” It’s a simplistic, but unexpectedly enjoyable track.

I think the main reason why I’m feeling this album so much is because it sounds like they actually came together as a group to make it. Some of their earlier efforts on The W and even some on Forever sound like Rza just called up the members saying, “I need your lyrics for track ‘Such and Such.’ Come into the studio and spit 16 bars whenever you have the chance. The rest of the group probably won’t be there, but that’s OK. I’ll just splice the verses together when I have everyone’s contributions.” The Wu-Tang Clan is one of those groups that desperately need to feed off each other’s energy and work to be at their best. Iron Flag absolutely has that synergetic feel.

But also, the Wu sound like they’ve finally stopped trying to sound like everyone else. On some of their individual efforts and throughout The W, the Clan seems like it has been trying to emulate some of the other less popular rap groups. It baffled me why a group of innovators were so desperately trying to sound like imitators and lesser artists. With this album, they’ve quit messing around and re-embraced their unique sound. Rza experiments with soul music and expands his production repertoire a little bit, but he doesn’t go insane like some of his other production work, (i.e. Bobby Digital).

For fans of the Wu Tang Clan, Iron Flag is long overdue. An album this complete should have been the sophomore release, not the one they churn out years later. Regardless, the Clan has done a primo job putting together an album that fans can be proud of. The Clan have finally successfully returned to the 36 Chambers of Death and the Iron Flag waves as proof of the journey. Get this.


Recommended: Yes

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