In retrospect, was the second round of Wu-Tang solos underrated?

[TheDarceKnight]

Tical 2000 is a dope as fukk when you take the skits off. That album has actually aged very well, and I think it's one of the better Wu solo albums that dropped post-Forever.

I also think Meth stepped up lyrically. I still loved his early Wu material (36 Chambers and Tical), but I think he improved as an overall emcee from Linx, Swords, Forever, and on from there. If you just put the first 3rd of Tical 2000 in order without the skits, it's a pretty crazy sequence.

Spoiler

 

[TheDarceKnight]

Ins and raekwon albums are extremely underrated

Rae's 2nd album has one of my favorite Pete Rock beats. Crazy concept joint too.

 

[tremonthustler1]

So basically your argument is once we lower our expectations, this 2nd wave wasn’t as bad. They don’t get that benefit. They were unquestionably disappointing outside of Supreme Clientele which hurts the perception of those records even if you found them to be ok. OK wasn’t gonna be good enough.

in Rae’s case, he DID have an album that lived up to OB4CL. He just wasn’t able to do it then. Wu-Tang as a crew was able to meet expectations off 36 Chambers with Wu-Tang Forever. When most of them didn’t, all it did was lower expectations for their third wave (and in those instances they were even more disappointing)

 

[BuddahMAC]

The biggest issue for me was they didn't use Rza for the full albums. Which is still to this day one of the dumbest decisions in rap history. You have one of the greatest producers in rap history, in his prime, coming off a historic run....and you don't use him. It's mind boggling.

Fred.

Not only that but they barely utilize 4th Disciple & True Master, so you have the Killarmy, Sunz, La, etc... albums with better production than what the core Wu releasing at the same time. Imagine the core 9 spitting over Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars beats...

 

[boskey]

Judgement Day is a truly great song

 

[Kaydigi]

Would you count Sunz of Man last shall be first as a second LP also? Or is it technically their first since it actually came out?

Killah Priest second LP was also underwhelming. He had heavy bars on there but the anti sampling movement that labels around this era messed with the beats.

Killarmy also dropped a nuke with Dirty Weaponry. That was pure heat.



wu syndicate also dropped their debut and it had the same sound is immobilarity, every track was a banger

 

[BuddahMAC]

Judgement Day is a truly great song

Those who don't get the throwback Planet Rock-ness playing for a last jam at the end of the world are truly missing out.

 

[Asicz]

Y'all remember that U God solo album and single?
I gotta find the BET Live live performance with RZA as DJ

 

[BuddahMAC]

Y'all remember that U God solo album and single?
I gotta find the BET Live live performance with RZA as DJ

 

[Rice N Beans]

If only the original Deck album survived.

 

[erker]

If only the original Deck album survived.

That fukking flood

 

[vdfebduderocks]

the floods ruined Uncontrolled Substance as that album was supposed to come out in 94/95. I think the floods in RZA's basement/studios probably impacted that second wave, though I'd guess that many of these guys (perhaps outside of GZA) wanted to experiment with their own sound.

 

[MrWillyWanker]

i might be the only nikka in the world who thinks Tical 2000 > Tical. If you take out all the skits(theres 9 of them!), the intro and outro, and trim the fat(maybe like 3-4 songs) and you have a really good 14 track album that I think is honestly meth's best body of work

 

[FromBillionsCameOne]

this song isn't GREAT?

 

[Awesome Wells]

Uncontrolled Substance is simply average. Tical 2000 is disappointing, as was Immobilarity. I still cant get into Beneath the Surface, and the less said about Redemption is best.

All truth.

They were dropping subpar projects back to back for a minute there. Definitely by Wu standards.