Who this guide is for: newcomers to the Wu-Tang who want to get into their very best, and most consistent work. If you follow this guide you'll have a very firm handle on the Wu.
Background information: If you're here, you probably know who the Wu-Tang Clan are. If you don't, you should probably look at Wikipedia, or refer to a search engine of your choice. However, these are the nine members of Wu-Tang Clan:
RZA - Group producer and rapper, everything during the Golden Age was part of his 5-year plan
GZA
Ol' Dirty Bastard
Inspectah Deck - The planned 1995 album was lost during a flood of RZA's studio
Raekwon - "The Chef"
U-God
Ghostface Killah
Masta Killa
Method Man - Biggest star of Wu-Tang during the "Golden Age"
The "Golden Age" albums:
Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Tical
Return to the 36 Chambers: the Dirty Version
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...
Liquid Swords
Ironman
Wu-Tang Forever
The Guide (Part 1: Album Overviews):
Artist: Wu-Tang Clan
Release Date: November 9, 1993
Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) was a raw, rugged and highly energetic debut that stood in stark contrast with many of the current trends in hip hop. The West Coast had been firmly in the spotlight since 1992, with the release of Dr. Dre's The Chronic, and 1993 showed no sign of changing that, with high profile releases by Snoop Doggy Dogg, Eazy-E, Ice Cube and 2Pac. While Wu-Tang Clan did not singlehandedly shift focus back to the East Coast, it set up the industry for that shift. This is the only acceptable place to start with Wu-Tang cannon.
Artist: Method Man
Release Date: November 15, 1994
Tical was the second Wu-Tang release, and showcased their biggest star coming out of the first album. Tical has a dark, toned down sound that fits the lyrical atmosphere Method Man creates. RZA's production is also on point, and this marks the first transition to a more polished aesthetic that will become important to the Wu-Tang sound. This album is often overlooked for other "Golden Age" releases, but it is an album that rewards the listener who gives it their undivided attention in a way that few other albums do.
Artist: Ol' Dirty Bastard
Release Date: March 28, 1995
ODB is an anomaly. He spent a lot more time in jail and in courthouses than any other Wu-Tang member. There is a strong possibility that he suffered from any number of psychological disorders (for those of you who are interested, a likely possibility is drug-induced psychosis, which often develops into schizophrenia, which would be a pre-existing condition), as well as having a serious hard drug habit which would eventually contribute significantly to his cause of death. Return to the 36 Chambers: the Dirty Version is Dirty's showcase of his crazy, mentally unstable contributions to the Wu-Tang sound. Case and point, his welfare card is the cover of his album, and he admits to having burnt multiple times by gonorrhea. Often hilarious, it's probably safe to say that half the tracks on the album are not serious songs (Dirty himself admitted to having no memory of recording the album due to how drunk he was at the time). RZA meanwhile continues to outshine every other Wu member by expanding his sonic palette and being the guiding force behind each classic album.
Artist: Raekwon
Release Date: August 1, 1995
Released the same year as Return, OB4CL is often considered the best Wu solo album, and a serious contender for the best Wu album, period. Raekwon is aided here by Ghostface Killah, who appears on nearly every track. This album is notable for bringing to prominence the Mafioso subgenre of New York hip hop, as well as crafting a story and characters often compared to that of a film script. While Raekwon and Ghostface are the obvious stars here, it's RZA who constantly steals the show, with a cinematic score-like soundtrack to offset the workings and the rhymes of the cast. (If you don't believe me yet then just check "North Star." Those strings. Those lyrics.)
Artist: GZA
Release Date: November 7, 1995
Liquid Swords is the creepiest Wu-Tang album. GZA raps in a stoic, overly calm manner, while the RZA provides the darkest production since Tical, this time interlaced with creepy audio samples from the film Shogun Assassin. Liquid Swords also holds the honour of being the most mysterious album. That is to say, it presents topics of gangsta rap in more religious, mystical terms. While this may not resonate with those who prefer more down to earth topics in their raps, there is a reason that many fans consider this album to be as good as OB4CL, with many claiming it to be the best Wu solo album, and even best Wu album in general.
Artist: Ghostface Killah
Release Date: October 29, 1996
After three Wu-Tang releases in 1995, and five since 1993, Ironman, on the surface, appears to almost have been an afterthought. Ghostface Killah here gets to demonstrated his stream-of-consciousness rapping in full effect, even though only a few tracks have him without guests. As it were, Ironman is actually one of the most slept-on Wu-Tang albums. While enjoying a fair amount of critical acclaim, it is often overlooked for later Ghostface albums such as Supreme Clientele. That is a very big mistake, since this is one of the most fascinating Wu-Tang documents. Instead of the usual kung fu film samples, there is an excess of blaxpoitation material, which signals a serious stylistic shift in the Wu-Tang style. On top of this, the production focuses on large amounts of 70s soul samples, and shows RZA diversifying in ways he hadn't previously.
Artist: Wu-Tang Clan
Release Date: June 3, 1997
Wu-Tang Forever is the culmination of RZA's five year plan. From 1993 onwards RZA had been a driving force behind all the Wu-Tang albums. Across the six albums leading up to Wu-Tang Forever there had only been a small handful of tracks not produced by RZA, and even those abided by the same stylistic standards he established. On top of this, the production remained within Clan affiliates and members. Wu-Tang Forever is a double disc album that shows Wu-Tang Clan at their most ambitious. The scope and vision of their project has been expanded substantially from their first album. The production is no longer a ruckus, but a string-laden sonic tapestry. Each Wu member expands their repertoire, their rapping technique has matured, as has the subject matter. Topics previously unexplored like the future, blaxpoitation, explicit sex raps, and love songs all surface and flourish. Wu-Tang Forever is more divisive than Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), some feeling that Wu-Tang Clan had moved forward in every way, and others feeling slightly disappointed. For every fan who felt that this was when the Wu didn't fulfill their ambitions, there is another fan who feels that this is the best work Wu-Tang Clan has ever done. This album is not as easy to understand as their debut, nor should it be, but when approached properly, it is every bit as rewarding. For the best possible Wu-Tang experience, listen to each album in order of release, ending with this one.
