Tag Archives: wu-tang clan

#1200: Ol’ Dirty Bastard – Shimmy Shimmy Ya

Leave a reply

All the years seem to blend into one when I think about the time spent getting into Wu-Tang Clan in university. Want to say it took a couple years to fully understand. I have a clear vision of being in my first-year room and listening to 36 Chambers and GZA’s Liquid Swords. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… may have shown up around the time too. But I think it was the earlier part of my second year where I became somewhat enthralled by their whole thing, and on my part was watching interviews, documentary clips and the like. You know what, it was around the time when they announced that they were about to release their new album – their first in a long, long time. A Better Tomorrow, I think it was. That record wasn’t all that great. But the hype building up to it got me all invested in the group, making me seek out the rest of the members’ own solo discographies.

Having covered GZA and Raekwon already, I think their albums had shown up somewhere in the ‘Best Ever Albums’ list on besteveralbums.com – the only reason why I got to listening to them, it was my decision to hear the album by the Wu member who always entertained me the most, be it in both the music and video. This led me to Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, the 1995 debut by the group’s beloved drunken master, the Ol’ Dirty Bastard. Always seemed to remain in the pocket while also possessing the most exaggerated and eccentric delivery out of the Wu’s nine members. He wasn’t afraid to occasionally break out into song during his verses too. Wanted you to know he had soul in him. His presence was a usual highlight throughout 36 Chambers, so what could be better than a whole hour of the guy on his own solo project?

It’s been a while since I’ve properly gone through The Dirty Version. Have to go back to it one of these days. But what I do know is that after its almost-five minute intro, one of the most hilarious and entertaining in any hip-hop album, comes ‘Shimmy Shimmy Ya’, one of if not the signature tune by ODB. It’s a track where he declares that he’s out to take the world by storm in the name of the Wu-Tang and basically goes on to tell us why he’s the best at what he does. There are so many hooks to latch on to, “Ooh, baby, I like it raaaaw, HUH”, “Shimmy shimmy ya, shimmy yam, shimmy yay”, “Jump on stage a-den-a-den deeeeen”. The two-note piano lick that starts it off. So simple yet so effective. And the whole track relies on a second-verse-same-as-the-first-thing going on, so you can’t go wrong once you’ve got the words memorised. That is, at least how it goes on the album version (below). You can tell the second verse was probably overdubbed at a different stage than the first. The extended version, used for the music video, features the original second verse that sounds like it was improvised on the spot. The video also features a snippet of fellow album track, ‘Baby C’mon’, which I’m also very into. Can’t write a post about it now. But that’s another highlight of mine.

#1183: Wu-Tang Clan – Shame on a Nigga

Leave a reply

A representative from one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. Shame – no pun intended – that this will probably be the only track from Enter the Wu Tang that I cover on here. But my appreciation for the LP goes a long way. 2013 was the 20th anniversary of the album’s release, and around the same time was when I first heard the thing in full. It’s a wonder how Wu-Tang is even a thing that continues to this day. You’d think a group of nine strong-minded individuals, all with their respective wants, styles, etc, would come to blows and wouldn’t remain stable for any length of time. But, bonded by family, the borough of Staten Island, an interest in martial arts films, and an obvious appreciation for hip-hop, the Wu gave us their debut and shot to legendary status almost immediately.

You might have already heard this song if you were intrigued by the post I made a couple of days ago. But if not, well, here it is. Before it was covered by System of a Down some years later under the name ‘Shame’, ‘Shame on a Nigga’ was released, appearing as the second song on Wu-Tang Clan’s 1993 debut album. Though if you were offended by the ‘rude’ language, a radio version of the track was also made entitled, ‘Shame on a Nuh’. Over a beat that features samples from Syl Johnson to Thelonius Monk, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Method Man and Raekwon the Chef deliver respective verses in which they more or less tell the listener why people will fail if ever they step up to them, either in an aggressive way or when it comes to rap. When it comes to rap, they’ll lose because of their lack of skill. If things get violent, they’ll get shit. And that’s how it goes. As the song progresses, a new rapper’s brought into the frame just to add their own distinct voice to the mix. Makes the song that more engaging to listen to. And Ol’ Dirty closes the track off with the longest verse in which he again tells us why he isn’t the one to pick a duel with while referencing that old film The Warriors and telling us that he had gonorrhea sometime in the past. It’s a funny verse.

It’s a good, good song. Much different from how System of a Down provided it, for very obvious reasons. And even though that cover was the iteration of the track I heard before hearing the original, I’d say I’ve liked both on an equal level for a while at this point. You may ask why this song will be the only song from 36 Chambers that I’ll write about on here. I said that in the first paragraph. Well, ‘Clan in da Front’ was one I added when I think I’d already all the ‘C’ songs. And the obvious ones like ‘C.R.E.A.M.’ and ‘Method Man’ I got tired of due to my old iPhone seemingly playing those two nearly every day, even when I had all my songs on shuffle. I know those two are classics, but I could go a long while without hearing them again. But I’ll always have a lot of love for Wu-Tang. It’s for the children, as that old saying goes. The group’s music’s one thing. When you bring all the respective members’ solo material into it, it’s a different ballgame altogether. So, you know, if you never knew Wu-Tang before, the time to get to know them is now.

#1182: System of a Down ft. RZA – Shame

Leave a reply

So this may actually be one of the greatest covers of all time. But when I first heard it many moons ago, I didn’t realise it was one. The song was on the old computer somehow. Maybe my sister downloaded it, or it was sent to her by a friend through MSN. I’m not sure. But it was there. Now, I definitely wasn’t expecting the N-word to be repeated as much as it was. The young me knew that it was a word that usually shouldn’t be said because music videos usually censored it out. But there was Serj Tankian rapping it, saying it freely with reckless abandon. It didn’t make sense to me ’cause, you know… he’s white. But then after finding out it was a cover of the original Wu-Tang classic, which – heads up – will be the next song featured on here, everything made a lot more sense.

The track is the first one on the Loud Rocks compilation from 2000, which consists of remixes, covers and collaborations between rock and hip hop music artists. I’ve never heard it myself. I’ve just copied what it says on Wikipedia. But being released in the time when nu-metal was probably at its peak in relevancy, I can imagine this album being somewhat popular at the time. System of a Down at this point only had their self-titled debut to their name. Wu-Tang Clan’s third album was on the way. How this cover and collaboration even came to be, I’m not sure. But I’m glad that it did. And what better way to get a seal of approval than for it to feature an original verse by the RZA, the mastermind behind the Wu, who also helps out with the ad libs throughout.

Thinking about this specific cover too, I think it’s meant to be a tribute to fellow Wu-Tang member Ol’ Dirty Bastard in some way. Sometime in 2000, the rapper was incarcerated for a reason or a few, and with the way System arrange the cover, Serj raps both of Ol’ Dirty’s verses from the original. A few lines from Method Man’s verse are missed out, and Raekwon’s verse is omitted altogether to make way for RZA’s new verse. When Serj isn’t rapping, his singing relies on a melodic scale that I can only assume is influenced by their Armenian heritage, made all the much more heavier when those downtuned guitars come in for the massive choruses. Honestly, when Tankian yells “Let’s get together!” before that first one, makes me wanna cannonball into a swimming pool or something. Just immediate screw-facing and headbanging happens with those choruses.

#748: GZA – Liquid Swords

Leave a reply

I had a bit of a Wu-Tang phase going on in my second year of university. Can’t remember how it started. I think I listened to Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) just a few times, and that opened up a hole which led to me watching masses of interviews (of the group and respective members) and listening to their solo projects.

The story is that when 36 Chambers did its thing and got a lot of success and essentially made Wu-Tang a household name in ’93, the group’s producer and mastermind RZA made a plan for all the members to make their own solo albums before coming back for a full group effort later on. This resulted in what is seen as RZA’s (and Wu-Tang’s really) golden period with a run that gave us Tical; The Dirty Version; Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…; Liquid Swords, and Ironman.

Now, out of all of those Liquid Swords is my go-to choice. All of them have their own styles which a lot of people will prefer more than others. But it’s Liquid Swords that got me when that beat kicked in. After a long introduction taken from the film Shogun Assassin – which, although was good to listen to the first time, now gets a skip when the track plays on shuffle – GZA and RZA come in on the track’s hook in which they make it clear that they want to school the listener to the art of hip-hop. GZA then goes on to do so, in only two verses, with a mass of wordplay, metaphors and other literary devices delivered in a slick and laidback style. There are actually too many lines I could try and dive deep into, but that’s what Genius is for. And for an album that was released 25 years ago, it doesn’t sound as dated as you think it would.

Other things I’ll thrown in here to close this out. The main sample used throughout is taken from OG producer Willie Mitchell’s cover of ‘Groovin” by the Young Rascals. A music video was also made for this track, I’ll put that down below. I also wish I could have written about ‘B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)’ which is also on this album because that track is great too. Got into it way after starting this though.

#573: GZA – I Gotcha Back

Leave a reply

For the majority of my second year in university I was on a real high for the Wu-Tang Clan. I listened to 36 Chambers for I think the second time ever in my life – if you haven’t heard it whilst reading this you probably should because it’s one of the best hip-hop releases of all time, get on it now – appreciated it for what it was, listened to ‘Method Man’ a bunch of times, watched its music video and then proceeded to fall down a rabbit hole that had appeared in the ground.

The nine original members of the Clan all had their own individual styles, something that they very much made clear on 36 Chambers and various interviews they carried out for the album’s promotion. To me it was clear that they all shared a mutual respect for GZA. He’s the oldest in the group, he had released his own solo album before they released their debut, the other members seemed to keep quiet whenever he said his bit in interviews. But there was nowhere else where he showed his wisdom more than in his rapping. He has a flair for incredible uses of metaphor, wordplay and smooth flow in his delivery. He also has a thing for science, the constellations and chess which usually appears in his lyrics too.

So where to begin if you want to get what GZA is all about? Probably Liquid Swords, his second studio album released in 1995. It’s a classic, and part of that run from ’93-’96 where whatever the RZA laid his producing hands upon turned to gold. It’s also the album where today’s track ‘I Gotcha Back’ can be heard as the penultimate song on its tracklisting. GZA – with RZA backing him up throughout – details the violent lifestyle of inner city youth in ’90s Brooklyn, from kids dealing drugs to make some dough to those being killed by stray bullets when trying to make their way home. It’s a grimy production with a strong kick drum and descending minor key piano key that is juxtaposed with air-raid siren-like horns throughout GZA’s verse, creating an anxious and intense atmosphere that very much matches its lyrical content. The track is a warning, sounds like one too. Watch out for what and who’s in front of you; one misstep and you’re in a bad situation.

In terms of the structure of Liquid Swords, ‘I Gotcha Back’ is meant to be the true closer. Whilst showcasing GZA at his strongest in one sole verse, the album is bookended by two tracks with GZA and RZA both sharing vocal duties. However the CD version closes out with ‘B.I.B.L.E (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)‘, a track written and performed by Wu-Tang affiliate Killah Priest. That one’s a lot more hopeful in its outlook.

Below is the video for ‘I Gotcha Back’ which contains less explicit lyrics. Didn’t know this version existed until now. Have to say it doesn’t hit as hard.