Mar 24, 2019

Time to rank the members of arguably the GOAT rap group, the Wu Tang Clan.

If for some reason you dont know the members names they are

Ghostface Killah
Raekwon
Method Man
Ol Dirty b------
RZA
GZA
Inspectah Deck
U-God
Masta Killa
Cappadonna

In my order, the list goes

#1 GK (Ghost is the definitive Wu member. Hasen't really dropped a bad project tbh, besides Bulletproof Wallets, which was pretty mediocre, at least the retail version)
#2 Raekwon (nothing really needs to be said)
#3 RZA (GOAT producer, but very polarizing rapper. First two albums were great to me. Has a very offbeat flow and sounds Asian to some people apparently. Being one, i can see that. Please for the love of god, skip Digi Snacks, that s--- is so horrible.)
#4 Method Man (One of the more slept on of the Wu Tang, can make a at project, just the ones in the 2000s were pretty weak imo.)
#5 GZA (The Genius, if it wasnt for Pro Tools, you would've been higher up the list. Not saying it's terrible, just GZA sounds dead at times on it.)
#6 ODB (I couldn't really get into Dirty, his voice is kinda irritating. Then again, he can spit when the time comes. RIP)
#7- Masta Killa (Idk why the h--- it took MK a decade to get his debut out but it was worth it at the end. Thats really all I can say about MK.)
#8 Inspectah Deck (I only like his first album, nothing else really stands out to me. I didnt really think it was classic worthy. And that he dropped some bad albums after that. And then someone thought it was a good idea to take one of his worst albums and slap dubstep beats on it. I'm Dead f---ing Serious.)
#9 U-God (Cant say much about U God, only thing i can say is that he dropped some pretty bad albums)
#10 Cappadonna (Capp used to be so good. His first album is really the only one worthy of the Wu name. Everything else he dropped was f---ing horrible. But I did hear some good things about one of his recent albums.)

How'd you rank the Wu members?

 

Mar 24, 2019

1. Ghostface - This was an easy one, nevermind his near flawless discography, he's just one of the flat-out most creative rappers ever! Dude can tell a story like no other, crystal clear and full of those tiny details that makes each verse so cinematic. Ghost practically kept the Wu flag flying high after they all took a downturn after Wu-Tang Forever, I'll never not get bored of Supreme Clientele.

2. Raekwon - The Chef deserves this spot for cooking up his 2 undeniable classics; Only Built For Cuban Linx I & II. He's got this razor sharp flow & a presence that gives off this Godfather feeling of luxury & exoticism. His chemistry with Ghost is one of the premier duos in rap history, nevermind how Rae was a major proponent in the whole NY Mafia rap scene.

3. Method Man - He's pretty much the perfect rapper you look at his repertoire. On 36 Chambers he looked like a d--- superstar in the midst of all that murky energy and competitiveness, while he might not have made that seminal classic like the Wu members did, he was a highlight in each of those albums while still delivering solid projects in the early part of his career (and Blackout with Redman).

4. RZA - If this was down to importance, he'd be far and away #1, there is no Wu-Tang without RZA. His music has endured cause who the f--- would ever think of combining old Kung-fu flicks with soul samples and dusty breakbeats? He pioneered an entire sound that remains unique and his off-kilter raps are so wildly entertaining.

5. GZA - This dude dropped a nuclear bomb with Liquid Swords and then never could gather that same energy again. Still this MFer had this sage-like presence when he raps and the way he crafts his verses are so laser-focused and dense with clever turn of phrases, Genius earned that name for a reason, just wish he could have dropped another classic with all that talent.

6. ODB - With the boom of all these rappers with raspy voices and rapid flows, you gotta look at ODB as that predecessor that offered a glimpse of all the unhinged energy. It needs to be said, this dude was crazy as h--- and we seriously need a biopic of ODB badly. In the midst of his career he dropped some great solos and was the outspoken vibrant part of Wu-Tangs run in the 90s, "Wu-Tang is for the Children"

7. Inspecktah Deck - Idk how this fool could walk into the Wu albums and obliterate all his features but couldn't do the same for his solos. It's unfulfilled potential but hey it's worth relistening to his opening verse on Triumph over and over again.

8. Masta Killa / U-God / Cappadonna - gonna group them together since they just never did it for me as far as solo albums go. Still they always had some moments to shine on certain features on the respective Wu albums, Cappa had some potential early on.

 

Mar 28, 2019

as promised, the official SXN80 results of Wu-Tang member rankings, based on input from 16 rankings:

1. Ghostface Killah
2. Raekwon
3. Method Man
4. RZA
5. GZA
6. Ol' Dirty b------
7. Inspectah Deck
8. Masta Killah
9. U-God
10. Cappadonna

 

Mar 25, 2019

 

Mar 24, 2019

Great thread @WheresTheMeat ! this is the kind of s--- I love.


1. GFK
Top 5 emcee of all time and I don't think he actually gets the recognition he deserves for the amount of influence he's had. Supreme Clientele is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. Fishscale, Ironman and Pretty Toney Album come in close after that. Work in the 2010s has a little hit or miss for me but generally still solid.

2. RZA
Most important/influential producer of all time? I think so. You can still hear it everywhere today - from Earl Sweatshirt to Travis Scott. Never got into any of his solo work but that production run 93-97 is completely unrivalled.

3. Raekwon
Always had a soft spot for the chef and I've enjoyed almost all of his solo work. 2 all time classics and might just have the best Wu feature list. one of the best feature rappers of all time, now that I think about it. Also, Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang is an underrated GEM.

4. GZA
Consistently brilliant throughout the early-mid 90's and dropped a bonafide classic (and one of my personal favourite albums of all time) in Liquid Swords. Career pretty much ended before the 90's were up and so doesn't stack up to RZA, Rae and Ghost.

5. Ol' Dirty
Return to the 36 Chambers was the first solo Wu album I had and holy s---, what a journey. Who else takes 5 minutes to wail about gonorrhea on the intro track? His second album is another underrated classic. Way ahead of his time and gone too soon.

6. Method Man
Both Tical and Blackout! with Redman are pretty good (never check out the second one). Almost everything else he's dropped has been mid. Despite that he's still managed to remain an important figure in hip hop, just off his voice and presense and charisma alone.

7. Inspectah Deck
Murdered his features on the early Wu albums but his solo career never took off. That flood in RZAs basement will always be one of the greatest tragedies in hip hop. Czarface has been alright I guess. Could never get into them but I need to give them another chance, especially their first S/T album, which was actually great if I remember right.

8. Masta Killa
I feel bad putting MK so far down the list but the competitions steep. His verse on Da Mystery of Chessboxin will always be one of the best on 36 Chambers. No Said Date is a great album, its a pity it took him so long to release it. Havent heard any of his stuff since tbh.

9. U God & Capadonna
ngl, never listened to a U God or Capadonna album. Dont think I'm missing out on much, although I think I do need to listen to The Pillage (Milk This Cow was great).

 

Mar 25, 2019

Masta Killa's No Said Date is definitely worth checking out. Sounds like an updated 00's Wu debut album.

 

Mar 24, 2019

WheresTheMeat is most definitely the best new member

 

Mar 24, 2019

1. Method Man



2-10. Everybody else

 

Mar 24, 2019

1: Ghostface
Ghost fell way off but he was one of the three or four best rappers alive for like 20 years straight. Supreme Clientelle is a top 5 album oat

2: Raekwon
Has kind of a rocky discography but is absolutely unstoppable when he hits. OB4CL is arguably the best rap album ever made and he even managed to drop a worthy follow-up 15 years removed from it

3: Method Man
Tical is probably the most underrated Wu debut. He never quite managed to equal it, but he also never fell off and has been the standout of the last few Wu projects

4: Inspectah Deck
Mostly for his verses on the group albums. Triumph is one of the most celebrated verses of all time for good reason and he still murders features to this day. His verse on Life Changes is probably the most underrated in the Wu catalogue. His solo work is nothing to write home about but his debut and the first Czarface album are both definitely worth a look

5: GZA
There’s nothing I could say about Liquid Swords that hasn’t already been said a thousand times, it’s a masterpiece. His verses on the first couple Wu projects are standouts, too. The reason he’s ranked so low is because of how complacent and frankly lazy he’s been since the late 90’s

6: ODB
Consistently funny and entertaining, was the breakout star in the early days of the group for good reason. His debut is a classic, although I’ve heard GZA wrote most of it. His erratic behaviour and drug issues started to bleed into his music around the end of his life and a lot of his later work sounds like a mess. Was a creative force when he was coherent though

7: U-God
The most underappreciated member of the group, mostly because he’s not really on 36 Chambers and his solo work tends to fly under the radar, but the man is a way better rapper than he gets credit for. His verses on Chessboxin’ is legendary and he out raps his more famous groupmates on tracks like Iron God Chamber and The Ghetto. His solo work has only got better with time, ignore the first two albums, The Keynote Speaker and Venom are two of the best latter day Wu solos

8: RZA
This will probably be the most controversial placement on the list, and I’m not going to take anything away from him as a producer, he was one of the greatest ever and his work on the first wave of Wu projects is unparalleled, but he hasn’t been producing like that for a long time and frankly I just never rated him that highly as a rapper. Obviously he’s capable of some great performances, but I find he often gets too wrapped up in the Bobby Digital gimmick and his own pretentiousness to really live up to his potential. My eyes glaze over whenever he starts rapping about science or religion

9: Masta Killa
I enjoy his appearances and he’s never been outright bad, there’s just nothing particularly memorable about his music. I like his weird semi-spoken word delivery though

10: Cappadonna
Was great once upon a time, but no one remembers when that was. Winter Wars is great

 

Mar 24, 2019

Amazing thread, put smile on my face when I saw this s--- bannered

1. Method Man, because he's my favorite, I listened his discography back to back many times, simple as that

2. RZA, c'mon man, his unique voice and production is groundbreaking

3. Chef Reakwon, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx is one of top10 hip-hop albums, he still can deliver dope project.

4. Ghostface Killa and GZA (lyrics bro)

5. ODB cause I love crazy rappers

6. Cappadonna / Masta Killa / U-God / Inspectah

 

Mar 27, 2019

1. Ghostface (most consistent rapper OAT, his charisma's out of this world, the man is a genius)
2. ODB (both Return and n----- Please are probably in my top 20 albums OAT)
3. RZA (incredible rapper)
4. Method Man (forever underrated)
5. Raekwon/GZA (I can't decide)
6. Masta Killa
7. Inspectah Deck (he once was a great rapper, but masta's probably better overrall)
8. Capp!
9. U-God (only wu member i'm not a fan of, tbh)

 

Mar 26, 2019

That aint an opinion, thats straight facts. Capp never really topped The Pillage, gotten close to it though.

Cappitalize Project is a strange one, due to the beat selection. Sounds like something Ghost would rap over. Its not on Spotify for some reason.

 

Mar 24, 2019

An absolute travesty that his debut was delayed for years coz of the flood destroying RZA's basement. What could have been...

 

Mar 24, 2019

Should be U God tbh

 

Mar 24, 2019

Kinda close to my top 5

1. 36 Chambers
2. Liquid Swords
3. Supreme Clientele
4. Cuban Linx
5. Ironman

(Also thanks for the banner, Sav!)