Defsounds

The downfall of all great relationships is usually the point in which the communication stops. When one doesn’t know what the other is doing, it leaves openings for miscommunications, misunderstandings and separate agendas. What was once considered a dynasty, can then turn into nothing but argument sessions and shouting matches. From there, the relationship slowly deteriorates until there is nothing left but fond memories and bitter grudges. The members of Wu Tang have not yet made it to the point of no return. But with their new album and the war of words that have occurred over its release, it makes you wonder if this is Wu of old or just a compilation of disagreements.

Lyrics 9- If this album review was based solely on lyrics, this Staten Island crew would have a near perfect album. The lyrics are clearly the strongest part of this album. If you are capable of blocking out the sporadic beats and just focus on the actual words then this album has the ability to take any listener back to the 90’s when Wu Tang ruled and everybody knew about The Killer Bees.

Production 4 - To say the production was bad would be too cruel. However, to say that the production was boring, repetitive, confusing, and a bit cluttered would be down right true. Some of the beats were so off that it felt more like spoken word than a song. Casual listeners will more than likely make it through 3 tracks before they toss this cd from their musical rotation. To add to the futility of the beats, most of the hooks are either non existent or just down right annoying, leaving several songs with horrible transitions. On the ODB tribute the beat totally switches towards the end of the song. This will leave many listeners scratching their heads, and wanting to smack the producer.

Songs 7- After going through two mainstream concept albums this past year, 8 diagrams is a breath of fresh air in this category. It offers no concept, no main topic...just strong words, somber stories and blunt declarations from an elite Hip Hop group. The Beatles sampled “Heart Gently Weeps” is a great example of the Wu’s story telling abilities and with the mellow beat, it offers listeners a chance to be introspective and doze off into their own thoughts.

Conclusion 7 - If everyone on your team is against going left, what direction will you choose to go? Although this album wasn’t a complete disaster, it is a far cry from what it could have been. 8 Diagrams has its moments, but even a casual hip-hop fan who has never even heard of Wu-Tang can tell that no one was on the same page when this album was in the works. So for the Wu-Tang fans that were waiting for their triumphant comeback, you’ll have to wait a little bit longer. This album won’t be a complete disaster, but like Jay-Z’s “Kingdome Come” it will be labeled as the album that just didn’t cut it.