RZA describes that he would start “sampling one note and playing it on different notes of the keyboard chopping things down to notes and chords, not knowing which chords they were but knowing them as sounds” ( Manual 197). Much of the sonic improvisation on 36 Chambers is the result of phonetic dialogism between sounds that mesh surprisingly well. The caustic and bizarre humour, theatrical personalities, cerebral storytelling, and the variety of lyrical technicians contribute to crafting an album that is full of play: martial arts metaphors, an unlimited supply of pop culture references, and a hyperbolic approach to lyrical violence are negotiated as different emcees trade off verses. Its idiosyncratic sound also became hugely influential in modern Hip Hop production, while the group members’ explicit, humorous, free-associative lyrics have served as a template for many Hip Hop artists. The distinctive sound of Enter the Wu-Tang ( 36 Chambers) created a blueprint for hardcore Hip Hop during the 1990s. Heck, there was even a whole mythos around the group and their incorporation of the Shaolin Kung fu theme.
At the time I was listening to a lot of alternative and punk music, and Wu-Tang synthesized the hard anti-assimilative sound of punk and alternative I admired, and fused it with incredibly verbose, funny, and cerebral lyrics. That album, and even more so, 36 Chambers, forever changed the way I listened to music and got me back into Hip Hop. It was right around the time the Clan dropped their second classic album, Wu-Tang Forever.
My grade nine girlfriend (who I’ll call Mable after the Goldfinger song we both listened to) introduced me to the Wu-Tang Clan. The RZA, the GZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Inspectah Deck, Raekwon the Chef, U-God, Ghostface Killer and the Method Man.
My original copy of Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers.įrom the slums of Shaolin, Wu-Tang Clan strikes again
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