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Robert Diggs, Gary Grice, Russell Jones, Clifford Smith, Corey Woods, Dennis Coles, Lamont Hawkins and Elgin Turner revolutionised the rap world back in 1993. Their names weren't very good, they decided to change them.
Enter the Wu Tang Clan - the RZA, Raekwon, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, GhostFace Killah, Genius (GZA), U-God, Master Killa & Inspectah Deck. Notorious for turning up incomplete, these two dates at Hammersmith Apollo are the first time the UK has had the chance to hear the hip hop behemoth united live on stage.
Wu ? Tang ? Wu ? Tang. The chants of the crowd finally paid off, and suddenly they were on: ten Shaoilin knights attacking all at once, armed with the twisted logic, menace and buffoonery that makes up the Wu world. A couple of choice early singles, everywhere you look another star MC, and you wonder whether there's anything to compare with them in terms of sheer power on stage - Wu Tang Clan really ain't nuttin' to fuck with.
We then moved onto a barrage of tracks from eleven years under the RZA's jurisdiction. ODB stalked the stage - "Who's the craziest nigga in the Wu?" Yeah, I reckon it probably is you ODB. Ghost Face Killah, sporting a powder blue tracksuit and bling enough to compete with BA Baracas, was phenomenal.
With so many solo and collective albums under their belts, the Wu tended to play halves and snippets of songs - this is probably fair enough as they have so many egos to balance on stage. However, it would have been nice to hear some of them whole. One half of 'Can It All Be So Simple' was astonishing, but was soon curtailed.
Unfortunately, the last third of the concert was lazy. The group invited some of the ladies from the crowd to take to the stage; and within a few minutes the members of the Wu and the thread of their finale got lost in about three hundred miniskirted 16 year olds from Bromley. At one point £1000 was being offered for the girl with the 'biggest titties' to show them off. Umm...
RZA finished up promising another Wu Tang album in 2005. What a distinctive and powerful force the Wu Tang can be when they're on form, but what a shambles they can also be. With so many members, the Wu tend to be either amazing or lazy - let's hope this next album is amazing.
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