The Wu-Tang Clan have been through more than share of ups and downs over the years, but there’s no denying that they brought back a much needed grit to rap music when they hit the scene in in 1992 with their self-released ‘Protect Ya Neck’/’After The Laughter Comes Tears’ single. RZA’s master plan to get everyone separate solo deals on different record labels was inspired, although it clearly worked out a lot for better for some. Fast forward to 2015, and all of the original squad (with the exception of the late, great Ol’ Dirty Bastard) are still releasing music in some shape or form. What I’m interested to gauge is who you consider to have done the best job at keeping themselves lyrically sharp? Who are you still hyped to hear a guest verse or a new track from? Are you tired of hearing Ghostface rapping with bands? Has Raekwon become over-exposed? Has GZA become a an angry old wino who’s best days are behind him? Will Method Man ever make an album worthy of his talents?
[poll id=”89″]
+ Hell Razah and Killah Priest.
@PAS: They aren’t considered core members though.
Czarface puts Deck back at the top….
Ghost, Meth, and Deck…. Rae seems uninterested these days…
Yeah, I know. I feel Killah Priest being closer to a core member than Cappadonna though, I dunno why. Shabazz the disciple never fell off either.
Meth can bring it when he want’s to, he just doesn’t put out a lot of music anymore and a few years ago I would have voted Ghost but everything he’s dropped recently has been wack.
Gza has the sharpest darts he creates lyrical milestones think of one wack or sub par rhyme i dare you……..didn’t think so
that’s a hard question, I’ve loved every Raekwon feature of the last couple years, Pinata especially.
CZARFACE got Deck back in the convo, sounding great.
GZA’s albums never been as good as Liquid Swords but I’ve never heard him sound wack.
Ghost lost spots for all these live albums, though he can still bring it.
Masta Killa doesn’t have a wack album…
This would be easier to say who’s fallen off, I think. Amazingly.
Voted Chef. feel like Ghost has been phoning it in for a while now. Rae killed some of the freestyles he dropped recently and his verse on the Freddie Gibbs/Madlib LP was great. Meth sounded good on his recent 88 Coupes freestyle but I’ll be amazed if the new album is a solid effort.
Between Rae and Ghost it was hard for me to chose between them. I don’t about the others tho….
Deck and Meth, then Rae & Ghost. GZA’s joint over “The Mexican” was dope and Capp and U-God’s recent joints weren’t bad either. Hmm, Wu still has gas in the tank. Except for that last LP. No sir.
Ghost hands down. even though I understand why people ain’t feelin’ Ghost latest joints with live bands, Ghost can still lyrically back up all his projects. he’s still the most creative and consistent member of WU. I feel Rae has fallen off trying to fit in with the new generation. Rae’s new joint FILA is a disgrace of an Lp.
GZA lyrically sharpest without a doubt. INS, the sleeper who’s always been ridiculous but not thought of. Meth, definitely better than he is popular and that’s saying some ish because he is mad popular. Ghost has incredible staying power but you Ghost fans just like Ghost, you can’t honestly say Ghost is lyrical. C’mon son! Lyrical? What is lyrical to you? Is Jay, Nas, Biggie, Kane, Rakim, Kool G. Rap lyrical? Yes, so in that case say Ghost is good and is the most relevant still but lyrical? Hang that up.
I voted for Deck but Meth, on the low, has gotten better over the years, especially when he’s with Redman. Ghost is hangin’ out with those bands a little too much but he still has his spark. Rae??…Eh, I can take him or leave him. The flow is ridiculous but I don’t know WTF Holmes is talkin’ about half the time. I think GZA still has it too, just needs consistently good production…
Ever since I saw gza put on one of the worst live shows I’ve ever seen in my life I can’t take him serious ,
GFK
rza could still be sharp as an mc but he’s more focused on films
rae and ghost have kinda been on cruise control for a few years
meth’s delivery lost some edge for trying to be TOO lyrical
gza on his own is almost painful to listen to
mk, cap and u god haven’t necessarily LOST anything but no one expects them to deliver the next liquid swords.
i’d vote for INS, just because of all the untapped potential he still has. i just feel like that guy hasn’t delivered his “cuban linx” yet.
if only they could get their shit together as a group tho
Honestly I haven’t been feeling Wu-Tang for a long time now. Yeah Ghost has dropped good material, I enjoy almost every Meth or Rae guest spot, I respect Deck keeping it sharp on Czarface and GZA’s still got dope verses but when it comes to solo projects none of the members have been able to keep it to OB4CL or even Iron Man level. I am still hopeful for a Meth true gutter sounding album though. Am I the only one who thinks that even Tical was kind of rushed and sub-par?
This was actually pretty hard went Rae because even though he just throws a string of words together he always sounds good and brings an incredible flow. Ghost had the the longest run with actually releasing good albums but since Apollo kids this band shit is not playing to his strengths.
How do I vote for the white guy in that picture? Nah, in all seriousness, Deck did just drop a banger of an album so I’m leaning his way but I also feel like GZA would be able to drop something excellent at any given moment. Pro Tools kinda came out the blue and I loved it. I can’t imagine he’s fallen off since then. Rae, Ghost and Meth can still bring it but its been a while since I’ve really been blown away by their material. The flows and cadence are still in tact but the subject matter hasn’t been as interesting. I’d have to listen to the Meth Lab to say that wit confidence tho. And I completely ignored the last Wu album.
GZA writes like he’s constipated, takes years to get one shit off. And sometimes he can be too arcane or stretch a theme out too long, but he’s the sharpest. Ghost is my favorite, but his quality control has gone way down. If he would crystalize and get a good editor he would win this. The surprising this is how many of them are still so solid, Rae, Deck, Meth, Ghost, Genius, and even RZA can hold their own with anyone. Only Masta Killa and U-God are iffy, but then they were always iffy…come to think of it Golden Arms had a couple of good verses I heard the other day…?
@rahrahrah U God had a nice verse on the Cannibal Ox album..
I voted Meth. His rhymes have ALWAYS consisted of double & triple entendres, & clever wordplay. Plus he still seems the most passionate about every music project he’s involved in. Like he’s out to prove himself, circa 1992.
Hell, they ALL are still lyrically sharp. The problem is they can’t seem to deliver a cohesive album solo, or as a unit.
In a perfect world, “A Better Tomorrow” would’ve consisted of RZA dusting off the ASR-10, digging in the crates, going through his kung-fu movie library for some untouched snippets, & the entire Clan committing to a 6 month lock down at the Wu mansion (every other weekend off). No distractions, individual managers/lawyers, random affiliates, hanger-ons, etc.
^^^ The key phrase being “in a perfect world.”If that were to happen, they’d probably drop the album of the decade…
U-God’s last two albums were really good (“Dopium” and “Keynote Speaker”)…he’s actually gotten better over the years…The two Czarface albums are pure hip-hop unkut…actually the stuff these two have done together over the past five years is mostly underrated (“Sound the Horns” f/ Sadat X, “Mt. Everest” f/ Elzhi and “Kill Too Hard” f/ Masta Ace, come to mind)…I haven’t bought a GZA album since “Beneath the Surface” (1999), a RZA album since “Digital Bullet” (2001), never copped the Meth/Red albums, in fact every single Meth album I own was a gift to me from one of my brothers. The only Rae albums I own are the 2 “Cuban Linx” CD’s. Haven’t liked Ghost since “Bulletproof Wallets”…I think he’s the most over-rated and over-saturated meber out the Clan…I could never stand how he’d jack beats from other Wu-Tang members albums, always had fucked up tracklistings that didn’t match the actual CD, or how he’d rap over classic soul songs…not samples but the entire songs. Damn, this was depressing…it’s almost like admitting that they fell off…but something inside of me will never stop believing “Wu-Tang Forever”.