U-God: RZA's Production Was Wack After 'Wu-Tang Forever' (Part 7)

Piff Perkins

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Just reality :yeshrug:

RZA had the greatest production run in hip hop history IMO. It was inevitable that he'd fall off. Every Wu album after Forever had a couple beats that were crazy...but overall it was like a hose when you turn the water off. There's still gonna be some water in there but eventually it dries up.

I cried more when I saw that vid of RZA making a beat at Guitar Center than I did at my grandma's funeral. shyt was disgusting. I'm not even posting the link, fukk that.
:mjcry:
 

Peak

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RZA fell off a cliff post 97. Uey is right. He showed sparks of brilliance but overall trash.
 

blankstairz

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U is right, but RZA don't care. And he doesn't really have to care.

It is the ultimate checkmate.

They need him, or they believe they need him to be the most effective.

RZA be f*cking with them dudes, on some:

"yeah it's f*ck Bobby, but ya'll still need Bobby though, bong!" :troll:


Raekwon did a great job with the Shaolin vs Wu-Tang album. Need to keep taking that kind of initiative. :manny:


RZA can make the dirty/gritty tracks in his sleep. In 2000, that wasn't going to get you on the radio. The was the drawback to Forever. Triumph had no chorus/hook. The landscape had changed by 97. They went back to more hooks and structure on The W, using the Enter the 36 format. Plus, they added outside features to help push it (Snoop, Redman, Busta, Nas, etc.).

I think RZA just ain't happy working with them because it takes a lot of work to produce and manage all those personalities. His first love is emceeing. I think he really enjoyed those Bobby Digital albums. He didn't have to stress perfecting every beat for 9-10 cats who have an opinion on everything. He could just make any beat he wanted (abstract or just basic), and spit lyrics all day. Those lower-tier artists he was working with probably respected him a heck of a lot more because of his status in the game by that point. As opposed to the original Wu members who would tell him "f*ck you" with a quickness.

Plus, he got to work in Hollywood: score,act, and direct.
 

Zero

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nikkas really, really sleep on 8 Diagrams. RZA beats on there were stellar.
On the lowest of keys, the first half of that album goes hard production-wise. Then it falls THE fukk apart on the second half.

Tried to revisit this a few months ago and thought I was too hard on it...then it just got terrible.
 

3rdWorld

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People are slavers still expecting RZA to work like a slave non stop at the same rate and quality for close to 30 years!!!

People get older, get tired and start families and now have to deal with wives, kids, mortgages and shyt..give the genius a break, please!
 

Ziploc

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RZA's decline was due to greed,sample clearances hurting his pockets,ego cause he thought that preset keyboard nonsense was hitting when it wasn't and him learning music theory got him out of his "feel" cause he wanted to be the 5th Beatle..Math and Tru have been making better Rza esque beats than RZA for over a decade now and dont get me started on the rhyming..that new EP is just:what::snoop::huhldup::mindblown::camby:whenever RZA starts rapping..why RZA can not seem to count a 2 bar loop anymore is beyond me:lupe:
 

wtfyomom

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i liked the w and iron flag :manny: iron flag a bit less though, i thought the w was dope and still bang joints from that album.

the issue is, neither of those albums created songs that could touch the mainstream and carry the albums which creates the energy and uniqueness of what wu tang was able to accomplish, because although they were gritty mcs with a back pack sound, they were still successful at making smash records that could hit the radio like protect your neck, cream, triumph, its yours, etc. and i think that is what everyone, even the wu themselves were waiting for. those smash records. all they songs sounded like they only could accomplish being great on the album.
i feel like it may have been a function of the times. I cant imagine songs like Protect ya neck, cream, triumph etc getting radio play today, now it was a LITTLE different when The W came out but the tide was starting to turn. even dudes like BCC would not get radio play and be poppin today in the mainstream
 

En Sabah Nur

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That was RZA talking about Meth not liking the Uzi/Pinky Ring beat:

mbrgnm.jpg


Of course U-God's posing on the page...
Ah Ok,I knew it was something like that I remembered reading. Crazy this was 18 years ago
 

Billy Ocean

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On the lowest of keys, the first half of that album goes hard production-wise. Then it falls THE fukk apart on the second half.

Tried to revisit this a few months ago and thought I was too hard on it...then it just got terrible.

Terrible? Second half has some of the best beats on the album. Wolves, Windmill, Weakspot...all dope as fukk.

8 Diagrams is severely underrated. One of the Clan's best albums.
 
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