4.2 - Currently, I'd consider myself a casual hip hop fan at best, gravitating more towards the pantheon of great rap records ("Ready to Die", "Illmatic"...). Having spun this record more than twice this week, I still think my ears are too green to appreciate the full extent of what Wu Tang have lay down. Superficially, I can say the aesthetic is unique and pretty incredible. First, I love that they describe themselves as "Voltron assembling" with each rapper bringing his own trademark superpower. Second, the samples from old kung fu movies add so much depth to the formula. Third, the skits, though super-violent, are effective at conveying this record's time and place. All in all, it's just a great record with some interesting cross-genre samples and brilliant MC'ing. I especially love ODB and Ghostface's contributions. I suspect I'll look back at this review as an underrate. Hopefully my hip-hop sensibilities will grow and evolve so I can more fully appreciate what I may be missing.