2B - Thursday, September 20, 2007 T i a l ha y The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Oi WU-TANG CLAN'S 'FOREVER' (1997) 'Forever' WU By CHRIS GAERIG Daily MusicEditor They were right when they named it. It's strange that when the Wu-Tang Clan is remembered, few mention the follow-up to the critically hailed and fanatically loved Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). True, the group will always be remembered for its 1993 debut masterpiece, but few bands become legendary on just one disc. Tossed aside as beginner's luck, artists like The Dismem- berment Plan and The Strokes will forever harbor the stigma of being in the right place at the right time, a perfect storm of musical aspirations and catchy melodies. But Wu- Tang is no one-album wonder. Its collective sophomore release Wu-Tang Forever is the real disc that solidified its iconic status. A communal reputation bolstered by the solo releases of its nine MCs, Wu-Tang is a group that seems always to be in the mix. With four years between the release of 36 Chambers and Forever, the band's lyricist began to forge different careers, releasing solo works with surprising aptitude. With- out constantassistance of fellow Clan mem- bers - excluding the production of the RZA on many solo discs as well as random guest verses - the separate Wu members proved they didn't just travel in packs. Wu-Tang's individually elevated game provided the reason to collaborate once again and record the behemoth two-disc Forever. And it seems that Wu-Tang knew what it was creating. The late Ol' Dirty Bastard screams on the epic "Triumph," "Wu-Tang is here forever, motherfuckers." This confi- dence and swagger is a product of the MCs. knowing how great this album would be. You would guess the band couldn't get anyy cockier than on 36 Chambers - but it did,s and with reason. It's even self-referential, copping its smash hit "C.R.E.A.M." on the chorus of "Cash Still Rules/Scary Hours (Still Don't Nothing Move But the Money." Wu-Tang knows where it's been. It knowsx it's great. And it won't let you forget it. But Forever isn't just boastful cries. The band has skills to back it up. RZA's produc- tion never sounded better. His brooding A tour de force of Wu. beats are more collected and focused, soul samples more interesting, snares and hi- than you can shake a stick at: "Yo I roll like hats tighter. There are hints of Wu-Tang a bat outta hell / Evil acappella's fly spitting production in nearly every modern hip-hop out of my grill / Before I hit the sky with album, what with Kanye West admitting springtime colors/Juicy as Sunkist, certain he stole his style from RZA, while the key- broads double-dutch this." boards on "It's Yourz" and strings on "The But it's not until the second disc opens City" are strangely reminiscent of countless with the searing "Triumph" that the great- top-40 hits - much of it stemming from ness of Forever is clear. As all nine members Forever's sprawling range. get their own verse, the track plays like the RZA isn't the only member of the Wu epitome of Wu-Tang: Each eclectic mem- that substantially upped his skills for this ber gets his time and 16 bars over RZA's release. After droppingthe genius Ironman, protruding bass line and strings. Even the Ghostface Killah - easily the most prolific group's lesser lyricists turn their mics to Wu-Tang MC - is absolute fire on both 11 before tearing through the track (note discs. He opens "Older Gods" with a rapid- Inspectah Deck's first quatrain, "I bomb fire quatrain with more internal rhyme atomically, Socrates's philosophies / And hypotheses can't define how I be dropping these / Mockeries, lyrically perform armed robbery / Flee with the lottery, possibly they spotted me"). After Forever, the Wu-Tang Clan more or less fell off as a whole. Solo careers skyrock- eted while the group gained notoriety as individuals garnered praise. The Wu-Tang Clan became almost mythical, a super group rather than a springboard for its members. Forever plays as the materialization of that myth. Hidden in the shadow of its prede- cessor 36 Chambers, most forget this troupe actually did get back together and delivered on every level. They were right when they named it. CALENDAR The Daily Arts guide to the best upcoming events Today 9.20.07 Ellen Lupton, presented by the UM School of Art and Design distinguished visitors series 5 p.m. Free At the Michigan Theater Shmorze Fest 5768: Shmooz Club Camp Fire 8 p.m. Free At the 517 Elm St. The Bad Plus 8 .m $20/$25 At The Ark Tomorrow 9.21.07 Ryan Adams and The Cardinals 7:30 p.m $11 At the Michigan Theater Saturday 9.22.07 Stearns Lecture: The Sound of the Cornetto - Kiri Tollaksen 2p.m. Free At the E.V. Moore Building Sunday 9.23.07 Stearns Lecture: Chinese Drums and Gongs - Dr. Pu Hengqiang 4:30 pm Free At the Ann Arbor District Library Fred Eaglesmith 7;30 p.m. $20/$25 At The Ark Please send all event information to The B-side at artspage@michigandaily.com. 0 0 THE ESSENTIALS: WEEKEND MUSTS O AT THE RECORD STORE Animal Collective 'Strawberry Jam' Strawberry Jam is the prod- uct of beautiful evolution. 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