The Greatest Wu Solo Albums

The Wu-Tang Clan is probably one of the greatest hip-hop groups of all-time and when they entered the hip-hop scene in 1993, the nine man collective changed the face of hip-hop.  The group released their debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, in November 1993 on Loud Records and at the time, the group’s contract with Loud Records was considered unique because it allowed the individual group members sign solo deals with other record labels.  As a result, a year after the release of their debut album, Method Man would be the first of the individual members to release his solo album Tical, and multiple members would follow.  What follows is my list of the top 5 Wu solo albums.  Remember this is my list, not your list, so if you disagree, give me your top 5.

#5 Method Man – Tical

 I know a few people that didn’t like this album.  One of my boys hated the album so much that he was going to return it to Camelot Music and he said if they didn’t take, he was going to throw it at them and tell them to keep it.  Another one of my boys said he was never buying another Wu solo album, even though he changed his mind when Ol’ Dirty dropped his album next.  Call me sentimental though because the album holds a special place in my heart as being the first Wu solo album.  I also thought it epitomized the griminess that Wu-Tang represented at that time with the dark, hard beats of songs such as Bring The Pain, P.L.O. Style and Mr. Sandman.

#4 Ghostface Killah – Ironman

Most Wu fans should know this, but the original pressing of this album included a joint called The Soul Controller, but due to sample issues, the song was removed from later pressings.  I actually had the original pressing, but the CD got scratched and then I lucked up and found it in a used CD shop for dirt cheap. 

#3 GZA – Liquid Swords

I believe this was the fourth solo album from the Wu and it came out in November 1995.  It was my freshman year of college and I didn’t have a car, so my boy Shun who was at Michigan State, copped it for me and sent it to me.  I remember the back cover telling a story with the song titles, but nowhere in the CD were the song titles in order, so you had to guess the title of the songs.  In my opinion, GZA is probably the dopest lyricist in the Wu and while I think most people appreciate the album, I don’t think it gets its proper respect.  On some days, I could probably put this album at #2 on the list.

#2 Ghostface Killah – Supreme Clientele

Out of the sophomore solo albums from the Wu, this is easily the dopest one.  It came out in January of 2000 and I remember it spent the entire semester in my Walkman.  I can still put this album on today and play it straight through.  I love this album.  If it were a woman, I’d probably waive my “only marry Oprah” rule.  I think Ghost probably has the best solo catalog among the Wu and this album is the crown jewel.  This album is one of my favorites of all-time and if you call yourself a Wu fan and don’t have this album in your top 5, you might want to reconsider giving yourself the title of a Wu fan.

#1 Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… 

The purple tape.  This album came out August 1, 1995.  Up to this point, we had gotten solo albums from Meth and Ol’ Dirty which were both dope, but this album, it changed hip-hop.  I consider it the apex of Mafioso rap.  I still remember when I got this album.  I rode down to the mall with my mom to cop the album from Camelot Music and then I went to the laundry mat with her.  In the ride over, I remember ripping off the packaging and reading the tracklisting on the back of the CD.  The Wu members had given themselves Wu-Gambino names and I was studying the back of the album cover trying to learn their Wu-Gambino names.  While this was Rae’s solo album, it was billed as Raekwon the Chef guest starring Ghostface Killah, so it was almost like a group album.  This album also featured one of Nas’ best verses on Verbal Intercourse and it also featured the interlude Shark N****s where Rae and Ghost took shots at Biggie by accusing him of biting Nas’ album cover.  A couple of Christmases ago, I began giving my acknowledged nieces and nephews a classic album and I love this album so much that this was the album that I gave them last year. 

***Picture of album covers from www.amazon.com***