Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Bring the motherfucking ruckus 🙌🏻

I was starting to get worried they weren’t gonna have any black ppl on this list.

In 300 years, when future civilizations sift through the wreckage of our society, this album will be treated as one of the foundational building blocks of a global culture. People will analyze the lyrics of the GZA like Shakespeare and the production of the RZA like Mozart, they'll probably even think ODB was a genius! The fact that a group of teenagers from the worst areas of New York were able to combine a few snippets from soul records from the 70s, culture and dialog from martial arts movies from Hong Kong and Japan, and a kick and snare to make something that will still be banging in car stereos and block parties 300 years from now is what music is all about. Wu Tang forever!!!

Does it count as a listen when you skip every track within the first 30 seconds?

WU WU WU WU WU! These guys are fantastic! 9 skilled rapper taking turns, each with your own personality, a unique style and rhyme you can't resist getting attached to. Theme continues hardcore gangsta hip hop but marks the East Coast Renaissance. Sound is much more minimalistic than we're used to, placing more of an emphasis on what the rappers can show us. The raps are really smart, like insanely smart. These are model raps I look to for inspiration how to rhyme. I love how the samples evolve as the members swap, making each track feel longer and more rewarding. Samples are minimalistic, feels inspired by the jazz rap but low key and fun. Nice kung fu clips. I'm usually not a fan of skits, especially when so often they glue in with the track themselves and last two minutes. But these were fun with all the different characters. Nothing like Biggie and his friend taking on all their roles. GZA the poet and philosopher. Ol Dirty Bastard with the ol loco wubudub voice that sounds like he came from the dentist. Ghostface Killah with his high, loud, and crazy voice, reminds me of Flavor Flav. U-God with that rough almost Jamaican voice that rolls off the tongue. Masta Killa the guy who only showed up for a minute and called it a day. Inspectah Deck the energetic one with the accessible voice. Raekwon the young, slick voice with the heartbreaking stories. Method Man the mature, collective one who really sings in some of his verses. RZA the strong and aggressive leader who incites the audience. There's a strong momentum with "Da Mystery of Chessboxing" that carries to the rest of the album. The songs before them are amazing too, but the long skits more than often serve as a distraction. "Bring Da Ruckus" and "Shame on a Nigga" set up the mood for the album. "Clan in Da Front" is a display of GZA's poetry and highlights his character, also reinforcing RZA's status. "7th Chamber Part I" gives us an overview over the majority of the clan members and their unique styles. "Can It Be All So Simple" is where I start paying attention to the samples, love the stories built. "Da Mystery of Chessboxing" really kicks the album into gear, with "Wu Tang Ain't Nuthin ta F' Wit" carrying that momentum and energy. "C.R.E.A.M." is a natural hit with an often misinterpreted message. "Method Man" highlights the titular character's talent with some awesome samples. I love the way he sings... he changes his tone so much, sometimes you want to sing along. "Protect Ya Neck" has some of my favorite lines, especially GZA's. "Tearz" has my favorite samples, a highlight of RZA and his intense emotional storytelling. Wear protection kids. "7th Chamber Part II" is a fitting closer. Nice mixing and samples.

Best hip hop album of all time? Easily top 10. 5 Stars.

I appreciate the influence this album had on music but do I need to listen to it again? No, I do not. If I want to hear that much swearing I'll go to a Trump rally about vaccine mandates.

I know that Wu-Tang is like, rap royalty. They're boom-bap kings. But ... I kinda hate 'em. The lyrics are trash. Content and delivery. All pointless. The beats are repetitive and unimaginative. The whole kung-fu flavor just comes off goofy as hell. Every single member of Wu-Tang went on to make music that was SO MUCH BETTER THAN WU-TANG. Two stars for cultural importance only.

It’s for the children

This might be the Platonic ideal of hip hop.

Not only is 36 Chambers the best Wu-Tang album, but it’s one of the best hip-hop albums ever. Can’t think of a better ensemble album. Original sound, good flow, dope rhymes and a variety of themes. Started multiple legendary careers. A couple sounds tell a great story/have a good msg. This album has been in my regular rotation for years fir a reason. Easy 5.

Nah. Some tunes were ok, but not my bag baby!

I get why this was a huge album. But I just don’t care for it.

Very few hip hop groups, very few musicians, in fact, very few artists of any persuasion manage to create their own universe and invite their fans to live in it as Wu Tang did here. Kung-fu fighting, Five Percenter quoting, chess playing, street thuggin', hardcore hip-hop straight outta Shaolin (a.k.a. Staten Island). The 36 Chambers is a fantasy universe cut through with the grim reality of the violent street lives most of the Clan were living in the early '90s. RZA's red raw beats and nine unique voices, each with a story to tell, came together "like Voltron" to create something that still sounds utterly vital nearly 30 years later.

This is an undisputed classic of hip-hop. I'm amazed when I read about how this album was recorded that it even came together the way that it did. Usually too many cooks spoil the meal but with this it just worked and MAN did it work. I would say that this is one of the most influential albums of the 90s.

My familiarity with the Wu-Tang Clan is limited exclusively to their appearances and association with prestige HBO programming. First they appeared on "The Larry Sanders Show", where a befuddled Hank Kingsley (played to perfection by Jeffrey Tambor) tells the band his favorite song is "Shame On A Nigga". The second moment came on an episode of "The Leftovers" where Nora Durst (in a star-making performance by Carrie Coon) covered up the names of her departed children she had tattooed on her arm with the Wu-Tang Clan logo. Only she referred to them as "the Wu-Tang Band". That episode also made me familiar with the Wu-Tang name generator, which reminds me that I should really start Romanticist Visual as my pen name. If that doesn't scream "Middle Aged White Male", I don't know what does. And this middle aged white male known forever as Romanticist Visual quite enjoyed this album by the Wu-Tang Band. Lower your expectations. It's a fine mess. The Wu got somethin'.

A vulgar lo-fi kung-fu album with moments of brilliance.

From the slums of Shaolin, Wu-Tang Clan's back again. The RZA, the GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Inspectah Deck, Raekwon the Chef, U-God, Ghostface Killah and the Method Man.... a seismic shift occurred in hip-hop when the Killa Bees were on the swarm. We've seen solo rappers, duos, trios and quartets but never a ennead. Nine hungry dudes, some of whom were burned by the industry beforehand, storming through with innovative soul samples, endless nods to kung-fu movies of the 70s and a keen eye out for the the bigger picture. One of the most consequential, influential and greatest albums ever.

Aiming at once for total unity and individual identity, everyone and everything is vying for space. Two skits introduce ‘Method Man’, for heaven's sake. But even when they’re bickering (“Is he dead? What the fuck do you mean ‘Is he dead?’”) they hold each other up. Meth’s introduction of each member is lovingly done, and it speaks to the respect they have for each other’s skills that they leave the compèring to him. When someone interrupts his flow, they ask permission, before letting him back in for the punchline: “We form like Voltron and the GZA just happen to be the head.” Maybe on another album the skits would be de trop, but because RZA chops and slices the beat, samples and sequencing in equal measure, it just about fits together. Just about. The slightly jagged, off-kilter part of "just about" is where the magic happens. It’s often unclear if a skit is part of a song or a song part of a skit, whether they’re talking or rapping, if a song’s ended or started. It’s seductively menacing, especially as RZA’s fascination with the esoteric means his production is littered with whatsits—piano tinkles, talk of chess, sweet soul samples. They boing off the Clan’s collective rap style of eschewing smoothness and attacking the beat. In between the mysticism, torture fantasies, samurai flicks, street tales, and bravado, you get sight of the horrifying poverty they came from (listen to Ghostface’s ‘All That I Got Is You’ a few years later if you want a good cry) and understand why the Clan was essential for their survival.

This album seemed repetitive and boring. I admit that most hip-hop is just not my thing with only a few exceptions, and this one didn't cut it. I found the skits annoying and for me, where is the actual "music"? Just a boring beat. 2

Do like me some hip-hop, but many of the tracks here have either aged like milk or were puerile to start with, and it's another culprit for pre and post-fixing tracks with skits which add little or just detract completely. Probably went down better in a cow-hide Chrysler Fifth Avenue, discussing your gang issues, at the time of release.

Rap so dope, even Congress said this is a must listen.

An iconic album for hip hop. It's fresh, grimy, hard hitting, and fun. The production is amazing, I love the jazz and so samples. All the members come through with great verses and the variety of voices this provides keeps every song exciting. A bonafide classic.

This is a classical album that deserves 5 stars for the influence. Any modern hip-hop could not be the same without this album and, also, it sounds so new even today. Classical is classical for one reason!

Absolute classic that defines a great group of artists. Explains to you as you're listening the power of hip-hop and the connections to Eastern cinema make it a great blending of cultures and ideas into something new

So good. Surprisingly so. Was never into them when this album came out, and they’ve sort of passed me by a bit, whilst also enjoying most of what I did know of them. But I was always into bands like J5, Pharcyde and The Roots over Wu Tang. Really enjoyed hopping along to this album. Also way less aggy than I assumed it would be.

Confrontational and catchy.

Bright and tight. Still not the kind of album I’d just put on for fun.

Nothing like getting into the hard swearing right off the bat. It’s getting better as it gets further into the record. There was definitely a point where there was just so much swearing that I wasn’t sure I wanted to listen to the rest of it. I like the sound, and some of the content is appealing to me. Other parts of it, I don’t like as much, but…it might be a cultural thing?

I was pretty determined to give this a high rating given its a seminal album in hip hop and music in general, but I feel that would be overly performative. I do like some wu-tang.. particularly protect ya neck but this really doesnt do it for me overall.

62 minutes might be three songs too long, but 36 Chambers was near-religion in my crevice of Cheshire in the mid-90s. I preferred some of the records that followed, but the scrappy, too-loud, raw and heavy qualities that the collective left behind with this stand out, along with the profanity, the sampler’s ear for minimalist earworms, and the violent surrealism of the lyrics delivered by some of my favourite voices in the genre. The songs are distinct, the album sequenced to bring out clashes, quite unlike the relatively polite wash of samey hip-hop this list mostly celebrates: the first half of the album flips mood, tempo and voice between every track. Even the skits feel more considered in their placement. This is a bleak, loud and oblique masterpiece, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, often brutal. It’s better than I remembered, and

I don't listen to The Wu-Tang Clan very often, but it's always a good time when I do. Gritty, serious but also lots of fun, with quality structure and delivery. Love it (periodically!) esp. ODB's contributions PSA: despite their claims to the contrary, Wu-Tang is not for the children. I had to turn it off 30 seconds into the daily school run

"Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)" is the debut album by American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. Wu-Tang Clan was composed of a collective of rappers (nine on this album). This album was produced by member and de facto leader RZA. Due to a small budget, the studio was small, members had to fight for rap time and the cheap production outcome was a gritty sound all resulting in a landmark album. Harcore hip hop. East Coast hip hop. Alternative hip hop. Yep. The music was a collage of soul samples and clips from martial art films and lyrical themes included urban life, martial arts movies, comic books, drug use, violence and rap battles. The album was a critical and commercial success despite no pop radio or MTV play and was very influential for the renaissance of East Coast hip hop. It was put into the National Recording Registry in 2022 by the Library of Congress for its excellence and importance. The album begins with "Bring da Ruckus" and back and forth and in your face rapping by multiple rappers. A laid back groove. Various kung fu movie samples. An aggressive start. "Can It Be All Simple" samples Gladys Pipp. The hardships of growing up and wanting to live the life. Talking about all the Clan members. "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'" is worth the listen if just for its subject matter, chessboxin' which is playing chess, then boxing and back to chess. The competition continues until a knockout or a checkmate. Well, maybe back in the day that would have peaked my interest. "C.R.E.A.M." was the second single and uses great sampling from the Chamels "As Long as I Got You." The struggle of poverty and the desire to earn money. The first single "Protect Ya Neck" highlights their use of free associative rapping in essentially a battle rap. Another great soul sample in The J.B.'s "Grunt." "Tearz" has two stories going on. RZA describes his brother getting shot and Ghost Face Killah tells of a guy getting HIV. The melody is from Wendy Rene's "After Laughter (Comes Tears)." This album was loud, in your face and aggressive. The combination of all the rappers showcases their different personalities and styles. Many of these guys would have very successful solo careers. The sound is definitely gritty and I really liked the use of some pretty obscure soul songs in their sampling. A hip hop classic.

My cousin Matt showed me Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) when I was way-too-young, and the opening aggression on Bring Da Ruckus has not left my mind yet. The beats are low key, the martial arts references (literally in sampled movie dialogue and figuratively in lyrical references) are plentiful, and the nine-man assault weapon of rapping and rhyming is some of the best of all time. This album is #27 on the RS Top 500. I enjoyed this paragraph from the Pitchfork review: "36 Chambers directly paved the way for harder-edged New York rap and provided a hardcore hip-hop blueprint that’s been followed by rap purists and collectives for nearly three decades. It began the Tao of Wu, bonding nine Staten Island dreamers (RZA, GZA, U-God, Ghostface Killa, Method Mad, Inspectah Deck, Old Dirty Bastard, Raekwon and Masta Killa) by philosophies of the mind and the scents of the fried food wafting past Brooklyn’s Palmetto Playground. But more than anything, it’s a testament to pop culture’s power to create and forge brotherhood. In 2004’s Wu-Tang Manual, just over 10 years after the album’s release, RZA broke down the significance of its title as only he could: “You have the thirty-six chambers, and there's nine members of the Wu-Tang Clan. Each member of Wu-Tang has four chambers of the heart. And what's nine times four?”

It's 29 years ago that my brother, who curated the hip-hop part of our teenage years, walked into my room with his new discovery I had to listen to. Re-listening this now, all these years later, I notice that none of the raw, unvarnished grit has worn away from this album. It has fully stood the test of time with its minimalistic samples, spooky piano riffs and most of all the incredible quality of all 9 MC's. A stone cold classic in its genre. And my first 5* for a hiphop album on this list

Can't beat that review that said this "might be the Platonic ideal of hip hop". That reviewer is right on so many counts. If only because this album sounds as if it was recorded in a cave dug in the middle of projects, and yet is never ashamed of what it is, even developing a whole mystique around its lo-fi beats and minimalistic piano loops, or around its soul samples and rough rapping about destitute parts of New York. Shadows and light create a mesmerizing spectacle on the walls of this dark, dark cave. Each rapper in the collective effectively displays a specific personality or an idiosyncratic style (nicely expanded in each one's first solo forays) and RZA has a flair for catchy hooks drawing on a very *idealized* vision of eastern culture--mostly through kung-fu movie samples, but also through its ascetic ethos and borderline-zen aesthetics. The end result is as pure as it gets. Distinctively from its day and age and yet timeless--which is where you recognize a true masterpiece, whether it is in rap, rock or any other style of music. Even the overlong skits are bringing something that's actually relevant to the table--being part of what makes this record a quintessential one in the whole hip hop genre. A Platonic ideal indeed. Word. Number of albums left to review: 751 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 124 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 62 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 64

Speaking as someone who once breastfed a flamingo to good health, I feel that I have the authority to make the ultimate judgement on this magnificent record. Wu-Tang Clan deliver a sumptuous, sexy, deadly fucknugget, that really makes me want to bend over and devour a watermelon with the lips of my anus. It's not often I say that. Such high praise indeed. What a brilliant man I am. Wu-Tang are very good, but not a patch on me. I'm so successful and awesome, that I make lesser men want to die. I am solely responsible for the rise in suicide rates amongst young males and it's entirely down to their jealousy of my incredible life. Catch me on the flipside, bitches, I'm off into town to capture myself a bride and some chicken wings. Ooooooh.

One of the greatest albums of all time. A top 10 in Hip hop a blueprint for current rap. 10/10

I’m not gonna sit here and act like I haven’t listened to this album since I was 13. This album is easily in my top 25 of all time. Every track is a hit for me. Couldn’t have gotten a better album on this day. Wutang is for the children

Man what a treat. This is one of those classic, Mount Rushmore kind of hip hop albums, right up there in contention with Illmatic and others as the greatest of all time. It's one I've listened to before, but at a time that I definitely didn't appreciate it. Hearing it now, it's incredible. The beats are so sinister, the raps are dark and heavy, and the little interludes of dialogue say a lot about the burgeoning future for Wu-Tang, storied as it would eventually become. It's crazy that this came out not only in the same year but on the same day as Midnight Marauders by A Tribe Called Quest, my favorite hip hop album ever. And honestly, this one is really high up there too. Obviously I need to spend more time with it to call it a favorite at any level, but listening through it this time is enough for me to know it deserves five stars. Perfectly dusty, spooky beats, gritty kung-fu samples, and hungry lyrical performances from everyone involved. The East Coast really did have something to say. Favorite tracks: 7th Chambers pt. 1 and 2, CREAM, Protect Ya Neck, Bring Da Ruckus, Da Mystery of Chessboxin. Album art: Honestly, this may have been what held me back from relistening to this or truly appreciating it. I can't say that it's a bad album cover, and it's obviously very recognizable, but it also just seems blurry and indistinct. Looking at it closely now, it's definitely cool, all the masked faces. But it still doesn't really catch my attention the way a lot of others do, including from solo Wu Tang member projects. Perfectly spooky though, so it fits. 5/5

Oh my days, best news ever! This is going to get five stars. I'm digging out the LP now, and I'm excited to listen to it again, even though I listened to Protect Ya Neck last Friday. Listened to it. It's still like the difference between Batman and Robin (the Joel Schumacher film) and Avengers Endgame. It was a leap forward, and features a group where every part improves the whole (even U-God). So many bars on this are just pure poetry. And that's before you even consider RZA's inspired 'dark soul' production and the Kung Fu symbolism. If you don't love it, I can't even help you, soz.

Wu-Tang is for the kids! This album is lightning in a bottle, never captured before or since. While other hip-hop groups have brought their A-game (Sugarhill Gang, N.W.A., Brockhampton, etc.), only the Wu-Tang Clan have delivered an album so hardcore, so tight, and so impressive. Not a second is wasted with every member giving their all, from RZA's beats to every MC featured. Also worth noting that this album would launch successful solo careers for several members, including GZA, Ghostface Killah, and of course Ol' Dirty Bastard who passed too soon. There's not a bad song on here. People who bought this cassette back in the 90's got 100% of their money's worth this one. I can't say enough thing about Wu-Tang's untouchable debut. Enter the 36 chambers....

Okay, a fantastic album by one of the most talented acts of the 90s. I have previously said that the dominance of gangsta rap help back hip-hop, yet here we have the greatest gangsta rap of them all. Now, it's interesting to compare this to Tupac's All Eyez on me. With that, there was the constant sense of a punch being pulled, of someone playing at being a thug, and playing at being a poet, and fallaciously assuming that the logic would make him a thug poet. With Enter the Wu-Tang, we have proper thug poets. We have such uncompromising music and such uncompromising lyricism, and both beguile. One will love the dark laughter. If people tolerated gangsta rap as it gave the promise of an eventual wonderful act, this is that promise being fulfilled. The mysticism is piffle, but that's in no way a dealbreaker: it's nice to have an east-coast hardcore rap outfit culturally appropriating kung-fu movie lore.

Yo my name is Wu-Tang and I’m rizzety-rappin’ The Armenian genocide didn’t happen

No idea how such sweary, angry, mysoginistic, self aggrandising can feel so mellow and welcoming. Well done.

Rousing debut, shock the world, revolutionary

It's always fun to listen to something that you've already heard many things influenced by.

About two-thirds of the way through this debut that changed the whole game, there's a skit which sees the Wu-Tang Clan try to one-up each other with methods of torture, involving bedposts, spiked bats, hot pokers, rusty screwdrivers, and more. On a first listen, it's crass, shocking, horrific. By the tenth listen, I was laughing along, shouting "Go on, Method Man! Sew his mother-fucking ass closed!" Such is the immersive world of "36 Chambers": the repartee of the Wu-Tang Clan, the "don't-look-away" sense of vitality and urgency pumping through this record. Thirty years after its release, "Enter the Wu-Tang" is an undisputed classic of its genre, its tense and gritty sound embodying 90's East Coast hip-hop. It's unpolished, rough around the edges, like a live open mic session in a basement as the Clan spar off each other. On first listen I was underwhelmed, but I've come to really appreciate the "liveness" of it. The Wu-Tang world is a harsh, brutal place bristling with violence, injustice and brotherhood. I had to get used to the lyrical content: there's not really any narrative or journey here, but a cycle of braggadocios and grim landscapes of inner-city New York. The songs focus on what the Wu-Tang Clan know about life: hustling, looting and shooting to survive in an endless cycle. This is partly expressed in hard-edged, aggressive tracks and partly through more lush, introspective numbers ("C.R.E.A.M" ought to give a lot of pause to any white listener bemoaning violence in hip-hop). Even the skits, distracting and annoying in most hip-hop albums, only serve to bind the group together and give us context on who they are. One of the main joys of getting to know "Enter the Wu-Tang" has been gradually piecing together who is contributing what, how the group fit together and where each member excels. The Clan trade verses on the mic throughout each song, their features being won against each other through a series of rap battles in a small cramped studio. To my ears, the most distinctive voices are Ol' Dirty Bastard (whose gravelly, gritty intonation carries tracks like "Shame on a N*gga") and Ghostface (theatrical, higher-pitched, yelping urgency- his best verses for me come at the very start of the album, and then in "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'"). And RZA is the mastermind, producing the majority of tracks and splicing together the kung-fu samples which give the record such a distinct flavour. (Other production stand-outs include the sample of "After Laughter" in "Tearz"; bringing in superhero theme "Underdog" to provide the "woo's" in "Wu Tang Clan Ain't Nuthin to F' Wit"; the snare being hit at the bottom of a stairwell in opener "Bring da Ruckus". That's some Led Zeppelin shit.) But it's Method Man I'd reserve the biggest praise for on this record: he's the only member to carry a whole track (fittingly enough, named "Method Man") and it's packed with razor-sharp wordplay and dense allusions. His vocals are smooth and measured throughout, effortlessly spitting out humour and horror in equal measure. His solo track is the high point of the record.

Love this album, when Ghostface starts on ‘Bring Da Ruckus’ you’re in for a wild ride. The group helped make New York Hip Hop and this album is some of the best. It shows with tracks like ‘Method Man’, C.R.E.A.M. and ‘Da Mystery of Chessboxing’, these should be in any Hip-Hop Playlist. Method Man and Raekwon are especially good in this album along with Ghostface and GZA which are always consistent. The only issue I have found with this album over time is that I normally skip some tracks for example ‘Can It Be All So Simple’ seems out and place, it by far the weakest track/skit. It leads to the album feeling especially long with the skits before or after some tracks. Overall, this album will always be one of the best Hip Hop albums along with Wu-Tang as they have a unique style.

An amazing debut with at least three indisputable all-time hip hop classic tracks on it (more if you're a fan). I remember some friends going bonkers over this record when it initially came out (and I wasn't into it). Later, I warmed to it, but I've always sort of held Wu-Tang Clan at arms length.

It was good. Rap isn’t really my thing, although I am starting to like it more. This is definitely better than the stuff that’s out today, that’s for sure. I really like that C.R.E.A.M song.

It's another rap album for me today. I can't say I was looking forward to it, but I was at the very least intrigued to hear what it sounded like after briefly reading up on it. Apparently there's 9 different rappers featured. Some I like, some I don't. I'm not sure who's who but one sounded like he was struggling to get words out because he's cheeks were too puffy or he'd been sat in a dentist's chair having work done. One of them who raps first on the opener 'Bring Da Ruckus' I liked a lot though. He rapped with anger and venom in his words and I kind of wish the whole album featured him more. Whoever did the first verse on 'Da Mystery Of Chessboxin'' was also very enjoyable. I'd enjoy the tracks separately I think. Like if I chose a few to listen to and then moved on to something else. But as it is, it's nearly an hour and it's too much of the same for me. Also please stop with the overly long skits.

I always find this a strange listen. It's ok but never fully grabs me but everyone else loves it. 28 years old? I guess I was still going through my grunge phase? Tell you what I did love at this time - The Disposable Heroes of Hypocrisy. 1992's 'Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury' still sounds more vital than this. Shame Franti decided he wanted to be reborn as the new Bob Marley.

There are some good beats on this album which helped me make it through the album. The lyrics and content --> this album is not for me.

Not work appropriate!

-Just not the biggest fan of most of the flows/styles -there were bits of good flow in "Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber," "Mystery of Cheeseboxin'," and "Protect Ya Neck" -I did like Method Man's style, all of his stuff was nice

I tried - but it’s not really my thing

Not available for streaming

Not much of a lyrics person, but a certain usually-unflappable wife just called what she heard ‘grotesque’. These guys have gnawn a cult following over the years, but haven’t gotten into them.

It's pretty good as far as hip hop goes, but at the end of the day I just don't enjoy this genre much. Although Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta F'Wit is stuck in my head I have to admit. 2 stars.

Absolute and complete shite

I've heard this described as one of, if not THE, greatest hip-hop album of all time. Well, if this is the definitive, then I'm prepared to write off the genre as a whole at this point. I'm sorry to say that I hated this. I went in with an open mind and listened to the full album, watched a review of the album that provided a lot of context, but I just simply did not enjoy this. I won't be listening to this again. Sorry to all Wu-Tang Clan fans out there, it's just not for me. At least I can say that with confidence now having given it a real chance.

I really disliked this album. One of the songs - C.R.E.A.M. made me so uncontrollably angry because of the same repetitive screech sound I couldn’t bare it. Nothing good came from this album.

J-Roc is my favorite Wu Tang Clan member.

5/5 The Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band of Hip Hop. If you have any interest at all in Hip Hop this is an essential album. Clan in da Front!

Bring the motherfucking ruckus! This is a classic for a reason, the beats still hit hard and cut like 1000 blades. There is an edge to the production. As a group they would never top this, but individually they have come real close a few times

30/1001 - Energy is super high and fun. I like how the high octane rapping contrasts with the relaxed jazz and soul samples. This has some good variety due to the many different rappers contributing to this album. A few interludes seemed a bit unnecessary but they were luckily short.

The Staten island slaughters. A stone cold classic. That midsection of the record is just one of the greatest hip hop songs of all time just back to back to back ect. It's wild. The production is so great. Every beat is the quintessential ny 90s sound. It's insane. Then just a handful of the best to ever do it just laying bar after bar down like it ain't nothing. I just can't believe it.

very solid, lotsa bangers

As a certified rap hater I'll try to be open minded... I love Wu Tang. Constant bangers. Different styles to mix it up. Fun music. That's a 10

Rap at its most raw, gritty, and lyrical. A landmark in hip hop history, and a template for numerous rap albums to follow. This album is waaaaay better than I remember. Dark, hardcore new york style. Protect ya neck and Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber - Part II hit so unbelievably hard.

This is #day186 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... believe it or not, I’ve never heard either Wu-Tang Clan or this album before—though I’ve certainly seen it regarded as seminal. That said, the instrumentals on “Shame on a Nigga” ring a bell! This is the kind of hip-hop I’m after—the beats, the samples, the productions. It’s menacing, gritty, lean… All out 90s. The experimental edge stands out, and it’s not just due to the raw sound but also the cinematic quality—part of which is delivered through the martial clips. Listening to this album feels like being in the middle of a rap battle. It sounds live. Reading through the negative reviews here reminded me of that Eminem line from Renaissance: "You nerdy pricks would find somethin’ wrong with 36 Chambers." Well, I didn’t. This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day187.

Not a genre I listen to normally. Enjoyed it, but I don’t really have the context to judge it. No rating

Perfect no notes

Wu Tang again? Yes, again and again! Depending on the day, this is my number one (or number 2) hip hop album of all time. The beats are so grimy and dusty and dialed in. The samples are so perfect. Kung Fu and hip hop? Yes Please. RZA's production on this will never be matched. The rhymes are insane. These guys just got in the booth for hours and looked for ways to one up each other. The skits are actually worth listening to. We get some of the most memorable hooks in all of hip hop. And just some of the best rappers who ever played the game. GZA, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Method Man! Are you kidding me?! We're introduced to ODB, raps insane dirty uncle who lays down some of the funniest bars. I have listened to this album countless times, and I still hear new things. 10/10. It's a perfect album

I mean shit. Wu-Tang forever

What can you say? If you don’t like this record, you don’t like 90s hip hop. This record is a masterpiece of grimy beats, violent scenery, crew-based battle raps, dark humor, and massive ego. The skits are tiresome after the first time, but they contribute to the feeling that this is a whole world you are stepping into. RZA’s world. Where every street corner has its own dope slinger, all the b-boys are strapped, Land Rovers stalk like predators, and….kung-fu. It’s pretty cool that 32 years later this music is still shockingly weird and immediate and fresh. RZA’s production style is like no one else, except for all the people who came after and wanted to be RZA. The MC talent is so ridiculously deep here that they already sounded like a supergroup on the first album. Anyway, if this isn’t a 5-star rap album, then there isn’t a 5-star rap album.

Ok it’s good

Few hip hop albums get better than this.

A museum worthy masterpiece.

One of the best rap debut album ever. This was a game changer and still relevant to this day. Probably their best album and I really love triumph in enter the wu like a lot. This was groundbreaking and still is. One of the best rap albums ever

Bangs

Heard a song from this because of Joe Rogen Pod

Peak, I don't usually listen to songs with much swears but its peak.

I was feeling pretty terrible today but this album got me off the ground and back into the fight. 4 stars for the ruckus, and 1 extra for the Chappelle's Show skits.

5/5

A classic.

Bursting with personality and creativity, there’s no other rap group quite like Wu-Tang Clan.

If what you say is true, the Shaolin & the Wu-Tang could be dangerous.

Great flows and great samples. These guys were cool when no one knew what cool was. A true testament to creativity and smart ideas. 9.5/10

A classic. One of the best hip hop albums of all time.

Wu-Tang clan ain't nuthin to fuck with. You wanna talk about a masterpiece of an album look no further than this one. Banger after banger the clan does not disappoint.

Amazing, have listen a million times.

Le gen da ry.

Great production and great rhymes. One of the most influential hip hop records ever.

I have pretty much nothing to add, no unique angle to take. Enter the Wu-Tang is one of the most discussed albums of all time, and it's not hard to see why. this Clan really did signal a new era of New York hip hop! the RZA's use of not just jazz samples, but soul samples, was a landmark innovation which created a seismic shift in the sound of the genre which we can still feel to this day. I'm honestly surprised this album became such a major success given its incredibly lo-fi production quality, but it was the starting point in a long line of grimy hip hop acts from the East Coast and, eventually, all over the country. that's not to even mention the larger-than-life personas created by the half-dozen rappers that handle the bulk of this record's material; Method Man, GZA (A.K.A. The Genius), Inspectah Deck, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, and especially Ol' Dirty Bastard. (I don't want to take anything away from U-God and Masta Killa; they're just hardly featured here!) what would otherwise be your average violent, sexual rap braggadocio gets elevated to an almost cartoonish extent by the veneer of martial arts references applied to the whole thing. you get a really full spectrum of rapping styles that combine to create a powerful sense of momentum. I do wish the skits were their own separate tracks, though, so they could be skipped easier. decent 9/10.

Probably one of the easiest 5's for me. RIP ODB.

Крутой олдскульный альбом. Музыка не устарела, очень кайфово и атмосферно звучит. Нравится читка.

For this review, I will not include the bonus version tracks tacked onto the expanded edition. Today, I listened to Wu-Tang Clan proper after hearing the various members show up for their brother Raekwon's debut. It took me multiple listens, but I can accept that the hype for their debut Enter the Wu-Tang is real. This album is already highly regarded as a classic for its impact in bringing the focus of hip-hop back to the East Coast in the 1990s. The success of Enter the Wu-Tang paved the way for the likes of Nas's Illmatic and The Notorious B.I.G.'s Ready to Die, both of which I've already covered. Of the three though, I'd say the Wu did it best. The first props I'm going to give here is RZA's production. I know his early production style didn't click for me on Raekwon's Only 4 Cuban Linx. But then I checked this out and heard how well-integrated the various soul-jazz samples and quotes from martial arts films were here, creating a thematic vibe that elicits power and intellectual thought. This leads me to my next prop going to the lyrics. I already knew these guys spat fire from Raekwon's debut, but all of them having roughly equal time to complement one another and share in their kinetic energy just popped off so well. A lot of the wordplay and cultural references meshed neatly into the dark comedy vibes they had stemming from the harsh streets of New York City adapted into their Shaolin theming from the film quotes they pulled. Finally, I've come to appreciate the skits across various songs, which add to the violent comedic nature of this album. It's possible that some of what they talked about is loosely based on past experience, but for the most part, I just went along with it because the overall vibe makes it feel like it's for entertainment and shock value. I could buy into the idea of Method Man and Raekwon coming up with various torture methods near the start of the top bearing the former's name, or the crew going out to avenge their fallen brother near the start of "Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber". Plus, they do take the time to hype each other out and show their support for one another such as during the intermission after "Can It Be All So Simple" and the "Conclusion". All these elements coalesce into a debut album that is such a strong showcase for the Wu-Tang Clan, where every track was a banger and the landscape of hip-hop was changed in part because of this.

One of the best of the 90's and in contention for the top Hip Hop album ever