A Week With Wu-Tang Clan's "8 Diagrams": Day 3
26 March 2008
tell your friends...
Words by Todd Olmstead // Illustration by Sean Duggan
As if it weren’t obvious enough, I’ve been listening to a lot of Wu as I write this piece. And probably the most applicable statement on the record is the centerpiece track “Unpredictable,” on which nothing fits into any typical rap rubric. The song is all Psycho-style slashing and features the Inspectah Deck absolutely destroying the track as he splits it with RZA, who is frequently considered the weakest of the Wu lyricists. As such he takes the track and makes it his own in the way only he can, rapping for nearly two minutes without taking a breather. When he finally does, he’s relieved by a chorus by one Dexter Wiggle, an individual whom I know nothing about, but who conspicuously sounds like Tunde Adebimpe. Alas, we can dream – but seriously, everything about this track is funneled through the title. There is nothing conventional about the track, from the insane beat to the minimal but extended use of Wu members, to the warped vocals. Rap tracks usually feature R&B vocals; this sounds like some deep electronica shit. If that weren’t enough, the next track is the much talked about Beatles interpolation – the furthest thing from “Unpredictable” on the disc.
Featuring Erykah Badu on a variation of the chorus of the Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “The Heart Gently Weeps” sees Raekwon, Ghostface, and Meth doing their closest thing to true storytelling on this record, and actually features some pretty serious rapping. It’s at least a minute too long, and features unnecessary guitar noodling from John Frusciante, but overall it’s a beautiful idea: taking George Harrison’s (arguably) biggest success as a songwriter and turning his lament of Eric Clapton stealing his girl into a tale of hood desperation. Not to mention that all the verses are on fire. RZA raised at least a few eyebrows (mine, to name a few) when he declared in an interview that Ghostface’s verse on this track is as good as his 1997 Rap of the Year verse on “Impossible,” but it’s not in the same league. It’s good, features Ghost at his silliest, but combining that with an equally serious take on a corner store brawl. But it’s really Method Man that belies what “The Heart Gently Weeps” is all about – it’s a desperate world where life isn’t fair, and this conveys that precisely. But again, it’s far too long, and the extra minute of instrumentals is immediately skipable when paired with the strength of the rapping. This is a new wrinkle in the Wu fabric – rarely before has there been music (not including lengthy introductions – see Forever Disc Two) that could be passed over. But this is where we are on 8 Diagrams, which again works as an artistic work but not always as straight-bangin’ rap music.
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