**New MUSIC Tuesday** Spotlight on the Wu-Tang Clan

Album: Wu-Massacre

First Single: Our Dreams (Ghostface Killa, Method Man, Raekwon ft. Alicia Keys)

When it comes to music I love it all. Anybody that knows me can vouch for my love of music. I can probably recite the lyrics to any song that comes on the radio regardless of genre. However, even though I love and enjoy all types of music my heart has always been and always will be in hip-hop.

For me, hip-hop much like any other art form has evolved and grown with the times. Much like country and the blues, hip-hop is the younger generation’s outlet to voice their everyday struggles, pains, successes, and triumphs. It is the genre I grew up listening to and the one that I can most relate to. Growing up I listened to Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, Roxanne Shante, Salt n Pepa, Queen Latifah, Moni Love, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, NWA, Bone Thugs & Harmony, the Notorious BIG, Nas, Jay-Z and the list goes on and on and on. But one of my favorite hip-hop groups of all time came straight out of the “slums of Shaolin”.

In 1993 the Wu-Tang Clan entered the hip-hop game with the release of their first album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). The album was both critically acclaimed and commercially successful although its financial success wasn’t immediate. It wasn’t until the release of C.R.E.A.M. in 1994 that the industry really took notice. The single put them over the top and won them a devoted following, myself included. This album was and still is one of my favorites. Some of the members went on to build successful careers and now 17 years later since their first release three of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan’s most dynamic emcees step out together to create a supergroup with a distinctly shaolin sound.

Method Man, Ghostface Killah and Raekwon have teamed up on their new album, Wu Massacre. Joined by fellow Wu-Tang alums Inspectah Deck and Cappadona on several tracks, and featuring production by RZA and Mathematics. Meth, Ghost and Rae’s Wu Massacre is guaranteed to satisfy the legions of devoted Wu fans. From the soulful street single “Our Dreams,” to the thunderous lead-off track “Criminology 2.5,” Wu Massacre finds the three hip-hop legends in razor-sharp form. The album release date is set for March 30^th.  

Meth recently revealed that the recording process wasn’t quite what he expected and told MTV News that “Def Jam put a rush on it. We didn’t have a lot of time to work on it. We recorded with no budget. It is what it is. We did this for the fans. It felt good to get in the studio with Rae and Ghost. The future looks bright.”

Mr. Tical further explained that the purpose of the album was not to slight the other members of the Wu but rather an effort to put out something for the fans. “This album could have been done by Deck, U-God and GZA. Either/or, it’s still Wu-Tang. The bottom line with this LP, it was something fans always requested. It’s like, what else was we doing? It was a given. Hopefully, we can all get back in the studio and get enough time to really work on an LP.”

The first single, Our Dreams”, CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD is already playing on the radio and it features none other than Ms. Alicia Keys singing the hook. The song is an ode to going after your dreams and never giving up on them no matter what. FYI Meth rips his verse and if this is a preview of what the album will be like then I can’t wait to hear the rest. This is definitely what the game needs right now. Enough of this Barbie doll and sesame street raps and let’s get back to the essence of hip-hop. Check out the first single and let me know your thoughts.