Wu's the boss

After the delays, the friction between Clan members and the six years since Iron Flag, the Wu-Tang Clan has at last completed its re-emergence.\nPerhaps the most striking aspect of the album is that it's truly a team effort. For all the tensions, you might expect the album to be a disappointment or an incoherent nightmare. But somehow, all the members' professionalism shines through on the album, with even the most vocal complainers such as Raekwon rapping like men possessed, on top of the RZA's woozy, layered beats.\nThose beats make 8 Diagrams sound like a throwback in an age of Soulja Boy and hyphy, with an honest-to-God darkness pervading the album from its kung-fu opening in "Campfire" to the ODB's rhymes from beyond the grave in "16th Chamber." Menace lurks behind the scratchy rendition of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by guest Erykah Badu on the Beatles "interpolation" titled "The Heart Gently Weeps" and the brass samples on "Rushing Elephants." The RZA has outdone himself here, producing every track and cooking up the thick, gothic beats for which he's renowned.\nThis menace echoes in the rhymes, as each member sounds explosive while unwinding these druggy crime-drama yarns. Sure, Ghostface puts in his requisite excellent musings, but the other members more than hold their own. The Inspectah Deck chomps through his verse on "Unpredictable" with ferocity, and Masta Killa, who hasn't sounded this good in years, lends his laid-back threats to the threatening "Get Em Out Ya Way Pa." As Masta Killa states, when in trouble, every member can feel free to simply luxuriate in the beats for a while ("Take cover over RZA instrumental / I'm damn near invincible").\nOne member, however, stands apart on this album, unwilling to simply sleepwalk through his verses: Method Man. When his gravelly voice grabs your ears on "Wolves" or the ODB tribute "Life Changes," it waves a gun in your face, daring you to stop listening, reminding everyone of how he held together the first Wu-Tang album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).\nMaybe the album is refreshing simply because the Wu can do what the rest of hip-hop has long forgotten: tell a story, cut the fat off an album and make original beats. The Wu-Tang Clan has always been an enigma in the world of hip-hop, with its literary aspirations and dorky kung-fu obsessions. This album further sets it apart from the pack by refusing to compromise musical originality for a few extra bucks. \nThese guys may be dinosaurs, but they can still roar.