Raekwon Details Why He Doesn't Consider 'Wu-Tang Forever' a Classic (Part 13)

[@knd370]

Reunited, double LP, world excited, struck a match to the underground, industry ignited 🤧🔥

[@shareefbrooks9726]

Exactly!!!

[@jarmalat7611]

Tha Genius

[@sinclair1420]

👐Tang Is 4ever !!

[@yoshikitakaya7871]

🔥💪👍💯

[@tmoore8735]

Stays in the playlist

[@dogwu2099]

First heard the album when I was 17, I'm 40 now and 'Triumph' is still on my playlist 👍

[@nadecha5326]

One of the very few good songs on that album

[@adamgordon2572]

Real talk 🔥🔥 the track “ Impossible “ tho ??

[@javonbatiste5984]

@@nadecha5326 You definitely ain't listened too the whole album then. Impossible, Bells of War, Heaterz, It's Yourz, For Heavens Sake, Cash Still Rules, Visionz... That album has several great Tracks..

[@nadecha5326]

Javon Batiste had the cd since ‘97 and that’s my opinion. Not everybody thinks what u think

[@nadecha5326]

Javon Batiste and I didn’t say there weren’t any I said a few especially for a double disc

[@DemonsRow]

Wu forever is a classic. We spent the whole summer as kids debating on who was the best member knowing all the lyrics.

[@artiemulford8445]

Wow, that’s so true … after that album & that summer, it was hard to figure out who was the best

[@herbnerd7]

who the fuck ever said that wu-tang forever was wack...that shit was a classic!!!

[@jraida172]

It's the most underrated album in the history of Hip-Hop. It's amazing.

[@zachary6737]

I think you fw it because you where already a Wu fan. I dont think it comes close to any of the other albums that are considered classic from that family. Alot of that shit on there was super corny.

[@donmega9848]

First time I've heard wu forever spoke bad about LoL. Some peeps put this over Enter! Not allot but they're out there.

[@AQuestionofCharacter]

You have to appreciate how much he seems to have passion for making the best work and having his team be at 100 percent.

[@bruceleeds7988]

that is true

[@maverickgeorge9168]

Yes. Him and Ghost seem to be all in. In all his interviews he says he is a team player and I believe. Even RZA said it was difficult after a while to deal with 9 Generals. Men got rich and powerful and as he said no longer wanted to train. Like AI said, “training? You all talking about training?”

[@rickphilly1975]

The problem is... that's RZA team. He can't accept that

[@Ybthadreadhead]

@@maverickgeorge9168 no nigga AI was talking about Practice and they took what he said out of context. His best friend just had died and the reporters were talking about bs practice

[@jonmichael3280]

Seeing Wu Tang Forever on the shelf at the record store was like dangling food in the face of a hungry crocodile lol. I can't explain how much I desired that album when it came out. I practically begged my parents to buy it for me as a kid! They gave in. For me it was probably the most sought after record from my childhood.

[@stackaholik7000]

Facts

[@renelvital]

I was in college then. I immediately brought that album and had a good time. Poignant for me to see several black men come together for their goals.

[@yezmirsheppard-halika6892]

Same here.

[@limelight9]

Omg you brought back memories with that story. I was 15 I stole it out of a local record shop

[@TheNumbasign2]

I feel you

[@MisterLowrider]

I dig his perspective!! I was surprised of how separated the project seemed but didn't know why it was like that but he made it clear why it was like that!!! That Dog sh song by ODB was my favorite, then triumph, then it's yourz!!!

[@undergroundheatcypher1091]

Duck Season was that shit too fam!!

[@MisterLowrider]

@@undergroundheatcypher1091 yeah it was!! I'm about to play that now!!

[@undergroundheatcypher1091]

@@MisterLowrider That beat and if you listen closely Meth said Tempest Bled sucked his d?ck too lol!!

[@MisterLowrider]

@@undergroundheatcypher1091 😆

[@adamphillip5305]

For Heavens Sake was my shit

[@KOOLCOMEDY]

That "Wu-Tang Forever" album was ahead of it's time. That album could drop today and it would STILL be a dope album that's hella relevant to the times. Wu-Tang should re-release that album for it's 25th Anniversary coming in 2022. IT'S NEEDED RIGHT NOW and the Wu-Tang brand is as relavent as ever nowadays. Re-release for 2022!

[@BoiTrey725]

@Dre King the biggest rappers in the game right now are spitters (Kendrick & Cole). Stop the narrative that kids don’t like lyricism, that’s just some kids.

[@G-Man78]

@@BoiTrey725 it's the majority. The superlyrical phase of hiphop kinda died down. The Kendricks, Cole etc are big, but not like a Lil Baby, Da Baby etc.

[@BoiTrey725]

@@G-Man78 J. Cole’s ‘The Off-Season’ first week sales - 282,000 Lil Baby’s ‘My Turn’ first week sales - 197,000 My point stands

[@G-Man78]

@@BoiTrey725 nah. Thats not the full picture. J cole is an established artist for over a decade. No comparison. Name me 10 other Jay coles. I can name u 10 other "babys"

[@G-Man78]

I respect his opinion. I always thought that album was ok overall but overrated. I also didn't rate ODB's 1st album. Only like 2-3 songs on that album I liked 🤷🏿‍♂️

[@keith1689]

There’s so many profound levels to the Wu Tang Forever album. It still rocks today..a generation later.

[@FSVR54]

For real. Vlad says dumb shit

[@andrewthomas364]

I was Wu's official hypeman for my block. I was too ready for that double LP. Brought my stereo outside bangin it while we hooped on the milk crated tree. Having said that, I couldnt agree more with Rae's 79 rating. I truly only rotated 7-8 (but HEAVY rotation) tracks out of the 20something on both CDs. But I was far too loyal to ever admit it.

[@072583rm]

Forever!!! Legendary

[@yourlastfoe]

Wu-Tang Forever is hands down my favorite out of all of the albums they've made. I don't pick specific songs on the album to play, I just press play. THAT'S the sign of a classic album.

[@MrFaDookie]

It iz a collective mastapeece.....

[@LLsmoothJay]

Salute, my favourite release from wu

[@musaka2022]

GOAT rap album easy

[@91Definite]

Wu Tang Forever is their most greatest album! 36 Chambers grow on you in time though 💯

[@vagabond4113]

So influential. There hasn't really been an album like it since. So powerful

[@hahahayess]

Wu-Tang Forever does get better with each listen but 36 Chambers hits hard on every listen.

[@woodyjunior8681]

Funny😂

[@nadecha5326]

5 good songs max

[@killemall923]

@@nadecha5326 I would respectfully and strongly disagree.

[@nadecha5326]

Jamal I that’s cool

[@JUSREEL1978]

Agreed

[@EnigmaticJay]

For Heaven's Sake, A Better Tomorrow, Dog Sh*t, Obviously Triumph.. Made '97 a memorable year.

[@cal1music65]

@theeternalnow6506 or Heaterz

[@infomatrix7394]

Its absolutely a classic. Still listen to it all the time

[@quadjaysport]

Method Man had the same feeling about this album. “I would come in, lay a verse, and break out, whereas before I would come in, lay a verse, be like, ‘Yo, I got an idea for a hook.’ Somebody else would be like, ‘I got an idea for a hook. Let’s combine our shit and get it popping.’ It wasn’t like that this time. It was the lifestyle. “I stopped going to the block as much as I used to. I was more in Cali and Miami doing all that shit the big dudes do. It was fun-I ain’t gonna lie. In the beginning, we had energy, we was fired up, we was in L.A. for the first week and doing it big. Shit was cool. Then after a while, I lost focus. It was too much of this, too much of that. “Since we were recording in L.A., soon as you step out your door you on camera. It got to a point where I wasn’t comfortable abound everybody, even so-called stars and shit like that

[@hiphopjunkie4life]

I think it was meth he was talking about. No?

[@quadjaysport]

@@hiphopjunkie4life majority of the group felt like this about themselves and as a group. You know the Wu don’t single out one person and fans really can’t neither because that album was missing a lot of Dirty and GZA off the top of my head

[@DIRTYSOUTHSHINOBI]

​@@quadjaysport Dirty was in and out jail around that time which is why he only appears on 4 songs. Gza was featured a good bit on the album though

[@hollywudmuvies3053]

I'm 39. Compared to the previous albums, wu-forever was the finished product of rza and his team of producers upgrading their production to the next level. ironman was ahead of its time production wise. Wu tang forever is the best produced wu album beats wise. The W is by far the most slept on. If you take out the 2 fillers, its a no skip album. Iron flag was too experimental but again had some joints. I love 36 because that's my entry into the Wu but I catch myself listening to more Forever tracks than the other albums

[@bruceleeds7988]

I'm the same age as you, I agree with EVERYTHING you said. maybe its a "39th Chamber" thing

[@DeadThumbGamer]

What are the “… filler tracks”, Respectfully 🤔 Wu-Tang is a Super Classic! Iron Flag & 8 Diagrams are 🤦🏿‍♂️

[@hollywudmuvies3053]

@@bruceleeds7988 might be for real lol

[@hollywudmuvies3053]

@@DeadThumbGamer conditioner and monument.

[@DeadThumbGamer]

@@hollywudmuvies3053 I’ll give u those as filler. Unfortunately those are from The W not Wu-Tang Forever.

[@wexmoney8017]

Ghostface was rapping in another stratosphere on Forever. Scary Hours, Projects, etc. It was a great album.

[@sergioarellano3995]

He still rapping on scary hours to this day🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@vladtv]

Watch the full interview now as a VladTV KZbin Member: kzbin.info/door/g7lal8IC-xPyKfgH4rdUcAjoin

[@UptownKash]

I respectfully disagree..Wu Tang Forever is a masterpiece in my opinion..my fav Wu project

[@LITMOVIESCENES]

easily their best

[@bruceleeds7988]

mine too

[@cesarguerra8102]

📠📠📠

[@The808Mixmaster]

Ur opinion is trash first album is a classic not that forever shit

[@JamBurglar]

Makes sense. That first round of albums had that magic that's hard to re-create. It comes through in the feel of the music. Not to knock the later records, but those first ones had all the stars aligning.

[@KuRse1992]

100 percent

[@Osirus116]

I gotta respect his opinion but damn, Wu Forever is one of the greatest musical masterpieces to ever be conceived in any genre. I listened to it every day for 7 years no lie. If that album is a 79/100, I'd like to know what Rae ranks his own non-RZA produced albums at

[@KuRse1992]

It’s not even close to 36 chambers

[@mikerizzyraw]

Most Rae solo work is like a 3/10.. and his beat selection was terrible

[@Osirus116]

@@mikerizzyraw yeah, Rae’s poor beat selection makes his opinion on WuForever make sense to be honest lol

[@BoneDoggMusic]

@@Osirus116 @mikerizzy my niggas , The Table , 100 Rounds , Live From NY , Friday , Yae Yo , Casablanca Was Hard Solo Joints ‼️

[@radianttruth2248]

I love wutang but RAE has always been a hater against the Rza. He talks that talk but puts out sub par solo albulms.

[@matubaM]

Some of the best Wu Tang verses come from that album in my opinion: Deck on Triumph, Ghostface on Impossible, GZA on As high as Wu Tang gets to name a few!

[@gweah7821]

Hell yeah, those, and then a lot more. Everybody was on fire lyrically. Ghostface is a monster on Forever, he was the one who improved the most on there if you ask me.

[@geraldpuse7823]

@@gweah7821 definitely, that was even more apparent when Ghostface carried Wu-Tang on his back during the 2000s when people were thinking the Wu had fallen off. Supreme Clientele, the Pretty Toney Album and Fishscale are classics.

[@vincentklijn3446]

Wutang forever is not only a classic but one of the best albums ever with the most impact on hiphop culture in my opinion. Rza is a genius

[@scopemaverick8733]

Just imagine what it could have been then, because that album is amazing, as is. Their best collective work, in my opinion.

[@hermanosfernandez1537]

Nah I gotta disagree, Wu-Tang Forever is definitely one of the most iconic hip-hop albums of the 90s

[@mistahmst]

Maybe compared to a lot of the albums that come out now, but it massively pales in comparison to 36 Chambers and the early Wu solo albums. Along with a bunch of other superior hip-hop albums in that era.

[@hermanosfernandez1537]

@@mistahmst Nah if we’re talking about impact, it’s definitely one of the greatest of that decade, album introduced so many people to Hip-Hop

[@mistahmst]

@@hermanosfernandez1537 it might have introduced people to hip-hop due to it being more polished and commercial sounding, but if you were already familiar with the genre, it doesn’t stack up to albums like Liquid Swords or Cuban Linx.

[@hermanosfernandez1537]

@@mistahmst I agree that those albums sound better, but I’m talking about impact here, what’s more Iconic doesn’t have much to do with our subjective opinions on the quality for project.

[@hermanosfernandez1537]

@@mistahmst Also not every rap album from the 90s was on the same level as Cuban Linx or Liquid Swords, those two were some of the best the decade had to offer

[@bensmith6229]

Who didn't like that album? That's a straight Wu Tang classic... everybody was on their A game. The W album was maybe a little questionable. I don't know one person who didn't think Wu Tang Forever wasn't the shit

[@SpeedinBulletPodcast]

Yeah I’m lost it was a few questionable tracks but it was a classic

[@boutstaxx]

Honestly after that they literally fell off if Im not mistaken personally cant remember when they dropped before or after I only banged Supreme Clientele Bobby Digital in Stereo and The KillaArmy Dirty weaponry and silent weapons but im from the south round then Cash Money was starting to take off and No limit had already been going strong and rest is history

[@annabanana2623]

Dope album. It was their lost good album in my opinion.

[@bruceleeds7988]

@@boutstaxx that makes a lot of sense

[@j04370859]

The album was missing Ole Dirty Bastard, he was barely on it.

[@jifffy999]

Wu Tang forever is a classic to me and I'm a true Wu-head. I used to even buy the affiliate albums. Forever is the reason I became a Wu fan. I was in the 10th grade and my boy let me hear it at P.E. I was hooked and I'm born and raised in South Los Angeles. The sound was so different to what I was used to growing up.

[@jjohnson3203]

I agree w/ Rae's take on Wu-Tang. I was in college at the time and all my dudes and I was crazy Wu heads. When the album came out we banged it, but we weren't completely blown away like when Cuban Links, Liquid Swords and Ironman came out.

[@jjohnson3203]

*meant to say "Rae's take on Wu-Tang Forever album."

[@datniggaeazye.5968]

what songs or moments would you say didn't live up to your expectations

[@afriqueivoire171]

The Best wu tang album for me from a real wu head. Don't agree with you and raekwon sorry!!!

[@killemall923]

In my opinion Enter the Wu Tang was better as far as organic wise but the production on Wu tang Forever was exceptional.

[@jjohnson3203]

@@datniggaeazye.5968 some of the production wasn’t as crisp, raw or organic like early albums. The album didn’t really seem to flow from song to song like previous albums. Felt like cats were just rhyming to beats at points spots. Again I’m not trashing it, just something was missing to the point we didn’t have that same feeling like after Cuban, Ironman liquid swords etc. But there were definitely bangers like triump, cash still rules and many others.

[@dap0]

Wu-tang forever is the best Wu-tang clan album of all time.

[@OrondeBranch]

WuTang Forever is an easy 10/10. The Production was elevated and the bars were elevated. 🔥🔥🔥

[@bruceleeds7988]

The fundamental difference between the first and second album is this: When you hear the clan talk about the first album, the general consensus is that each member of the clan had Ideas for songs that they had for themselves AS SOLO ARTISTS!! Cream was originally a Rae song called "Lifestyles of the mega rich" that was expanded on. Clan in The Front was already made. Tearz was Originally a Rza and Ghost song called "After The Laughter", and the list goes on. So now its time for the second album, and this time, there are NO SHORTCUTS!! The Clan are now, for the first time, really seeing how each other works, who writes verses the fastest, who comes up with choruses the fastest, who can stay on topic with verses, who are willing to change their verses, how Rza picks beats and verses, why he didn't insist on himself and U God changing their bars to fit the topic and intensity that Ghost was delivering on the song "Impossible", things of that nature. so it will feel different to them based on the experience. Personally, I feel that Wu Tang Forever is the BEST ALBUM THEY EVER DID!! it was the apex of the Wu, they were fresh, cocky, confident, competitive, the budget was large but their principles were solid still. a great time and moment for Hip-Hop. it doesn't matter what the album means to the clan, because WU TANG IS FOR THE CHILDREN!!

[@DeadThumbGamer]

I understand your POV but Rae’s truth definitely diminishes the impact of Wu 4 ever for me. Not in the sense of me loosing reverence for the work. Rather, How I’ll listen too & critic it from here on out. Wu-Forever will likely be a Classic (to me) 4Eva but “… Brings Rain, hail, snow & Earthquakes”. So Rae’s opinion is detrimental, regardless 🤦🏿‍♂️

[@6ick6ick6ity5]

Facts..!!! Also lets be honest...after that flood rza beats changed

[@bruceleeds7988]

@@6ick6ick6ity5 I'd more say after BOBBY DIGITAL. I just wished The Cure album had come out

[@barryleitch2411]

@@bruceleeds7988 what was the cure album?

[@unsegregatedsouls3574]

Sorry Chef, Wu-Tang's Forever is an absolute CLASSIC!! It's still my personal favorite Wu project.

[@satishrobertson8771]

Ditto

[@SavitTheGoalie]

36 is the best wu album because everyone shines on that joint

[@joescwayze8876]

Just hearing the Wu members talk about The Wu past, present and future is just dope AF to me, man. Haha. I grew up on this shit, dude!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@scoobytwenty327]

Need another U-God interview.

[@joescwayze8876]

@@scoobytwenty327 The more Wu, the better, bruh.

[@diesel101raw]

My 2 Problems with Wu-Tang Forever: #1 It wudda been a Classic if it was just a 12 Track 1 Disc album and #2 Rza decided to a Double Album it shudda been worked on Longer(6- Months to a Year tbh). Ghostface Ironman dropped in October 29th 1996 Wu-Tang Forever dropped June 3rd 1997. 8 Months for to Focus on a Double Album with 10 Rappers isn't long enough

[@nadecha5326]

Seems like alot of rappers were tryin to do double albums and it’s overkill. Like biggie, Bones Thugs and some no limit stuf

[@andrewmoore7927]

Heaterz is the best track, and on disc 2.

[@aidyn7758]

@@nadecha5326 Biggie’s double lp was super classic tho and given his early passing was pretty fortunate for fans

[@dassolosyndikat5113]

@@aidyn7758 biggie took his time for that album he had 3 years to make it a classic

[@diesel101raw]

@@nadecha5326 Facts. Tbh I didn't like Bonez Double Album

[@the_lonely_winner2956]

Raekwon had the most verses on the album. He delivered on every track he featured, no bar wasted. So I can understand why he feels like he does. Definitely could’ve done without a few songs (U-God & ODB solos) but overall it’s a great project. I’d give it a 87% on the test lol gotta love Rae’s slang.

[@datked]

ODB solo on that goes the hardest!!! U bugging!

[@KoTM25681]

@@datked FACTS Dog Sh't was that joint.

[@the_lonely_winner2956]

@@datked I didn’t say it was trash or anything I’m just saying they could’ve left it off the album. There’s no “trash” songs on the album but there’s definitely a few they could’ve left off.

[@datked]

@@the_lonely_winner2956 yeah the U solo Black Shampoo was super wack sauce...besides that, rest of the album is dope!

[@thetuffament]

Dog Shit Was Needed without it ODB was on like 4 songs so the solo made up for his absence and Gza was only on 6 songs out of 20 something songs

[@reignmanss]

I'll echo what many have said, Wu-Tang Forever IMO is their greatest album and one of the (IMO) greatest albums of all time.

[@christophermcgrady6962]

The whole album is a classic people must have been lost if they thought any part of the album was trash

[@rigobryant8050]

Rza's verse on impossible was soooo 🔥🔥🔥. It was a bangin album imo, Method Man spit some nice bars on there too

[@jzw55]

Wu Forever was a classic!! The music on it is beautiful. The production was clean. Not dirty like the first but I like both. FOREVER absolutely is my favorite collective album. The W was the most slept on album. 8 Diagrams was dope but u couldn’t skip over the skits which I hated cause they were long. The music and production was stellar IMO. Iron Flag was dope too.

[@afriqueivoire171]

Better than the 36 chamber album

[@TheSupremeDunk]

If you wasnt around when 36 Chambers actually dropped you will NEVER understand how dope that album is....it was really a moment in history where you had to be there and be apart of the hiphop culture! It was like an album dropped from the Gods to earth like here! That album and Illmatic really saved us from a weird era of hiphop that went on from 91 to early 94! Wu Forever was the shit too....but it didn't have that nuclear impact of 36 Chambers

[@dassolosyndikat5113]

@@TheSupremeDunk i heard 36 chambers for the first in 2002 and i was blown away my favorite rap album of all time til this day.

[@makavelimusolini1036]

36 is the only classic. And some of their solo projects.

[@tears2040]

@@TheSupremeDunk WuTang Forever is 100% a better album than 36 Chambers. I was around for both, Forever came out that summer and everyone in New York was playing it. Of course the 1st has timeless classics, but when Rza said your kids don’t even need to go to school and just pickup this double cd is CLASSIC. Also Sonically Wu~Tang Forever is beautiful , so clean and pristine where as 36 Chambers sounds like it was recorded in a closet.

[@coolnesss16]

It's just hard when your debut is 36 Chambers the energy and synergy on that album...can't be duplicated. From the beats to the rhymes.

[@MarcusDailyMedia]

@One Hitter Quitter But if someone had to put it was written above illmatic, I wouldn't argue with them. Both albums are classics.

[@Themaskedtalker]

@@MarcusDailyMedia i can never definitevly decide which is better

[@coolnesss16]

@@Themaskedtalker I personally have illmatic as better but It was written is classic in it a own right, so I can understand that

[@jonnystorm3127]

Esepcially when 5 of the members done dropped Gold/Platinum status solo classics after that.

[@dap0]

I really, really want to sit with Raekwon and play Wu-tang forever in its entirety, and hear which songs he wished RZA "freaked" better. That Album gets a 100% on a test for me. I'm from Canada. That was the album that broke me into hip-hop, when I was 10 years old.

[@coolzhowful]

Jay Boogie hold this L u prob from the country toronto has more black people than ur garbage ass city

[@coolzhowful]

Jay Boogie or maybe u from NY where toronto niggas have more guns than y’all😂😂

[@KtotheG]

I'd give it an 84.

[@talesfromthehoodtv503]

That second CD was trash,the first CD was a classic

[@jking3684]

@Jay Boogie most ignorant comment you could write , I hope your not from the states just making everyone look ignorant

[@CFG1849]

I've said it from the jump. The first album they were broke hood niggas in the struggle together. The second album most of them had paper, were venturing out & it showed. Rae just spoke on it.

[@Dutch3k5]

Double cds are gifts and curses. Should’ve broke it down to one banger

[@LITMOVIESCENES]

lol every tracks fire the double albums the best album they ever did

[@skah80]

I feel the same way. It was too long. I always thought that they should’ve split that album half and released each back to back years.

[@Dutch3k5]

@@LITMOVIESCENES to each is own. I love wu but like rae said it wasn’t really cohesive. Some songs didn’t hit me the way 36 chambers did.

[@LITMOVIESCENES]

@@Dutch3k5 idk i cant find a weak joint on it and sonically it seems light yrs ahead of 36 chambers..36 chambers is kind of boring

[@LITMOVIESCENES]

@@skah80 nah theres not one skippable moment on the whole thing..even Black Shampoo bangs

[@FreshyFilmz]

When I’m bored I talk like Rza from the Wu Tang series 😂

[@GHOST91141]

😂

[@elijahblack7167]

Perpendicular to the square

[@hiroooooooo4656]

I read that in his voice

[@E5forLife]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Saveyourbs]

😂😂😂💯

[@billiondollarambition]

I was 8 years old when I got the Wutang forever album, definitely my introduction to authentic hip hop

[@bluu_ice6554]

Wow really? When I was 8 years old I was watching cartoons. Now 8 year Olds are going to Travis Scott concerts and buying wu tang albums. Times dun changed

[@6thbr871]

@@bluu_ice6554 when I was 8 I was a member of gunit

[@dontbother4536]

Word I was 8 too when my dad took me to the record store. He let me pick one thing. We're Dominican so he didn't know English at the time. But that changed my life. I didn't understand much but as the years passed I understood more and more. Understood meaning of the bars. It was amazing because it was the same tape but as my mental grew so did my understanding of the lyrics.

[@anthonyarcanumsanctumregnu9551]

I was also 8 when I got my first Rap albums on Tape for Xmas stocking stuffers it was 86, Big Daddy Kane, Dj jazzy Jeff and the fresh prince and The fat boys.

[@nadecha5326]

If u want authentic hip hop go jam Mobb Deep

[@rmcklen7091]

That double LP is definitely a classic ! The quality is there ! And the raw sound is there !

[@cfernandez120]

I can understand where Rae is coming from but WuTang Forever is an undisputed classic. The lack cohesiveness came from including tracks meant for solo member's albums but it doesn't detract from it's greatness.

[@seancagney1369]

It is a CLASSIC album.. I love that damn album and as said it was ahead of it's time no doubt.

[@robeyre6064]

One of the best albums ever. Even after 25 years I can still listen to it front to back

[@dexterroberts631]

Not better than boogie down production second album, by all means necessary "

[@jevonlloyd3058]

Factsssss. This album was it

[@yorkshire3939]

This was definitely a classic album! I mean I get that all the individual albums were classics before this but this one was definitely a classic.

[@nadecha5326]

Nah

[@afriqueivoire171]

@@nadecha5326 Yes it's the Best of all time !!!

[@nadecha5326]

Afrique ivoire u probably like backstreet boys

[@trekelley5183]

Nah 36 chambers better wu only have one classic. Wu tang is better individually than together music wise from what we got

[@artiemulford8445]

Wu Tang Forever is like a fine 🍷 wine, it gets better with age. But to me, it’s a certified classic at the end of the day.

[@mcallistercollins7425]

June 3, 1997 - A day that will forever live in Infamy. We bumped this the ENTIRE summer driving up and down Lake Shore Drive at night, 87th, 79th, Stony Island, Madison and Roosevelt when I went back out west. JUST graduated from high school, summertime Chi, and Wu-Tang Forever. No doubt, the best summer of my life by far...

[@maverickgeorge9168]

In Rae’s mind it could be better. I feel that. In the minds of us fans, it was nuclear. It’s on my playlist today and it is one of the best put together rap album of all time. It’s difficult coordinating 9 individuals. Someone had to make the decisions and everyone would not be 100%. RZA the visionary had to see the end picture and make those decisions for the end product. It was dope. Wu Tang, you were and are special. We appreciate you. You must appreciate yourself.

[@MrIcemonster]

Wu tang forever is the best work they ever put out. They was literally battling on every track! On some swordsman , samurai shit! Shit was wild tho!!!

[@intrakitproductions]

To me personally Forever was the best album Lyrically and production wise 🙌

[@Saveyourbs]

Iron Flag

[@DIRTYSOUTHSHINOBI]

​@@Saveyourbs fuck no bruh

[@TheSentinel091482]

"Took two drags off the blunts, and started breaking down the flag: The blue is for the Crips, the red is for the Bloods, The whites for the cops, and the stars come from the clubs Or the slugs that ignite, through the night, By the dawn early light, why is sons fighting for the stripe?" - RZA

[@mentlinc]

WuTang Forever was incredible. It took me years to really digest the whole project. At first I might have agreed with Rae but after years of listening that shit was a 8/10

[@Cashmere.Kufi_88]

Rae said they weren't cohesive...but still skilled enough as mcs and producers dropped a real nice double CD...Cream 2 scary hours Visions, Triumph, Older Gods, Its Yours, Reunited, MGM, Bells of War these tracks alone would make any other mc/ rapper wanting these for their own album

[@bruceleeds7988]

exactly, you didn't even say A Better Tommorow and Impossible

[@Cashmere.Kufi_88]

@@bruceleeds7988 right..and another point I forgot to mention was if they had different opinions of the direction of the CD they were professional enough to get through it

[@bransonbenson9520]

I swear I can cry when it comes on..so many memories and emotions are connected to that album

[@mikegillins4992]

Hip hop got three great double albums in 97 life after death, art of War and wu tang forever boy I miss the nineties!!!

[@Saveyourbs]

I miss the nineties too man. Seemed like that was when hip hop was at its apex.

[@mikegillins4992]

@@Saveyourbs no doubt competition was at its finest would so many different identities and styles from solo acts to rap groups wish they could teach a musical course on nineties hip hop to youngins so they could see what they were missing

[@bruceleeds7988]

Art Of War? who was that?

[@mikegillins4992]

@@bruceleeds7988 bones thugz harmony

[@mikegillins4992]

@@Agentunderfire I like 36 chambers still as wu tang best project but I will take there double album as there second best

[@BIGMrighthere]

Lmao "I thought you waa gonna freak it better?"😂

[@SixtyEightnOyouOne]

I understand The Chef’s feelings on the subject, he’s officially qualified to feel that way but just as a fan of Hip Hop going back to the Boogie Down, LL Cool J, Eric B n Rakim on up to the Too $hort, East Bay Gangsta to The 2 Live Crew, Ghetto Boys, ATLiens, NWA, etc., man that Wu Tang Forever is 💯 dope and a classic. That’s just how I feel

[@babychue]

Classic album I still go back to it to this day

[@Hueiblack]

Sorry Rae. ☺️ With all due respect…Forever is the greatest hip hop album I have ever heard.. 😌✊🏾

[@darielg6588]

Then you need to listen to more music

[@TheUncannyOne]

@@darielg6588 that’s HIS opinion fam

[@Vision_3030]

My favorite hip hop of all time

[@dassolosyndikat5113]

36 chambers is the greatest hip hop album

[@Saveyourbs]

@@dassolosyndikat5113 He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper is the greatest album. I think I can beat Mike Tyson is the greatest hip hop song ever. Period.

[@NickBarbieriandfriends]

1:57 "Not a game. Not a game. Not a game. We talkin' bout practice?!" -Allen Iverson

[@Praisepeace2020]

I thought the same thing

[@daveharttify]

Wu tang forever was the first album I shoplifted, and first hip hop album I had that wasn't a dub cassette. I was 11. 36 chambers is THE wu album, but forever had a lot of dope shit.

[@dre8463]

I'm sure Raekwon and The Wu really appreciates you shoplifting it 😂😂😂😂

[@level_ken5231]

I had disc 2 in my junior year of high school (99). It was one of a few things that got me through a bout with pneumonia. I bumped that disc 2 for years until I "discovered" disc 1 lol. It was a classic to me.

[@bossman408]

Raekwon is trippen on this one, Wu4ever is a classic. He doesn’t determine that - the people do.

[@nadecha5326]

Most people say it sux

[@adamgordon2572]

@@nadecha5326 : I don’t know why set people think that, “ A better tomorrow “ is probably the worst Wu album.

[@demerrishart1144]

Same way with Ghostface on Ironman, great album real shit but he feel like he was rush and can't get it done like he wanna, that's why he always said 2nd album to me was his best work.

[@Barney-ii1no]

One of the best interviews ever allready

[@eliwol3789]

Raekwon would be where Jay-Z is if he would have had a guy like dame dash and not a guy like Rza. Rae missed his window for commercial success, and now he reminds me of that guy who could play better than Michael Jordan in the hood, but never got sign. Only a few people know his greatness. He wrote some of the hardest lyrics ever.

[@chis5050]

I mean, a guy like raekwon is not going to have the same widespread commercial appeal of jay, that's just not him. Also without rza, rae doesn't have ob4cl, and I'd be hard pressed to name a better producer for raes style in that time

[@bruceleeds7988]

There are a few rappers that we can assume that they may have been Super Duper famous if they had been with this person or that person. but to be honest we don't really know. AZ, Big L on the Roc, Capone of CNN if Biggie would have signed him, Coremega if the Def Jam deal went right, Kool G Rap if Rawkus was still alive. Busta has had a great career, but what might have happened if he joined A Tribe Called Quest like he always wanted? might have gone different.

[@STAyTHIRSTyMyFRNDS]

Man I still find gems in this ALBUM TILL THIS DAY!!

[@SUPREMEgoldchain_REAKTZ]

I love the album!!🔥🔥🔥 Still play most of the songs from it!!! Classic!!!

[@wikionthisfreestyle]

This is the man that spat, ” You wanna pull a heist? Draw guns & robberies? You wanna rock, rep? Step in yellow wallabees?!”

[@deebeautiful84]

Rae was difficult as shit in the show 😂😂😂 I believe it's an actual factual depiction.

[@Philysupahgangstah]

I bought Wu Forever in elementary. Still have it, certified classic

[@RIF241]

WuTang forever is a bona-fide Masterpeice. Its crazy to hear this. That album is nuts lyrically and production wise. Every member was snapping. Even Masta Killa and U God was dropping classic verses

[@Basketballboi21]

Him just talkin sounds like hit record😂

[@trevorjames4619]

Being from the northeast, and then being stationed down in the deep south a year after I graduated high school, this album pretty much saved my sanity. Being around too much no limit, too much cash money, the way people talked, they people walked, the style of clothes ,the hot azz caddy’s they was driving, the women, sh!t was driving me nuts. I found out this album dropped and copped it, some timbs and fatigues with the fvcking quickness. So with all due respect Mr. chef, this album gets a 100 on the test, and gets extra credit for saving from all that southern sh!t

[@ghostt488]

Yea well I’m from Georgia and I feel the same way about y’all boring dusty ass tims that y’all been wearing for centuries with the ugly du rags and everyday bubble up plastic jackets. Women sounding like men.Rats the size of extra large racoons used as house pets lmfao 🤣 but other than that, WU forever was WU-Tang’s best album and considered a classic no question 👊🏽 I wrote this whilst listening to Reunited- Wu-Tang Muthafuka… ☕️

[@adwhite22]

@@ghostt488 😆🤣😭

[@corecrit3007]

@@ghostt488 STFU, New York is the fashion capital you sound real damn foolish

[@corecrit3007]

@UCWmQrZFEOJlmRzucIthmEkg Also NY invented the 💩 find your own 💩 loser

[@trevorjames4619]

@@ghostt488 son, it wasn’t meant as any disrespect. I understood it was a different culture, a different way of life, a different type of thinking. But damn, could y’all’s had made something that would foster any thought. Something that would make me want to pick up a book and educate myself. Something to teach me about my peoples, about Yusuf Hawkins, about huey p Newton, about Marcus Garvey. We saw ourselves as godz, kings, sons, y’all’s saw y’all’s as pimps, playas, macs. OutKast, goodie mob is where I kept it. Everything else the south had fvxkin’ trash.

[@ProseCombats]

An album doesn’t have to be 10/10 to be considered a classic. A classic can be made in the context of the times and the cultural impact it had, regardless of the songs compare.

[@BoneDoggMusic]

"The God Whylin Rn Heaterz Alone Is Fvkin Classic!! Cash Still Rules! , Vizionz , The MGM , Older Gods , Its Yourz!!!!! Impossible , A Better Tomorrow !! But I Feel Him"

[@terrellhubbard]

Impossible(Ghost spit the greatest verses of wu-tang), Triumph, Wu Revolution, Reunited, etc, etc

[@robertantonetti]

Just because I seen this comment and you brought up “Heaterz” I had to go listen to it again

[@BoneDoggMusic]

@@robertantonetti yeah some ppl really don’t know or ever really bumped heaterz ‼️ shyt is magical full blast speakers or headphones

[@robertantonetti]

@@BoneDoggMusic yea I had to go listen to it again. That’s definitely one of my favorites

[@bcole1637]

I can respect that!!! There's always those ups and downs! With anything at that

[@micbizzle]

Boy trippin on his own album?!? Classic masterpiece hands down!! Came out the week I graduated high school, will forever be apart of my life.

[@ncruz1070]

Wu-tang forever got me back into hip hop when it came out. Both cds are dope. Classic in my book.

[@bruceleeds7988]

The album is a Classic!! only thing I didn't really like about the album was the way it ends after "Heaterz". Shampoo and the tekthita joint is not how you end an album as epic as this. however, if you were to ask me which beats Rae thought Rza would "freak" better, I couldn't tell ya!! I love Rae, but after Wu Forever he made Immobilarity, and there are a couple of questionable beats on there, beats he could have called Rza to replace but obviously he was feeling some type of way.

[@cesarguerra8102]

You speaking 📠📠📠

[@iAintSayDat]

Artists never hear there own work the way the public does

[@Saveyourbs]

Definitely agree but Wu Tang Forever is a 79

[@iAintSayDat]

@@Saveyourbs I totally agree

[@TheUncannyOne]

I love WU Forever! Still bump it to this day! Yeah some things should’ve been left off like disc one intro but everything else is a classic 🔥

[@Saveyourbs]

The album was passionate.

[@bruceleeds7988]

I even love the intro, the random guy singing and come on, Poppa Wu is just as important as the clan itself

[@gilbertnicholas1582]

These guys lyrics were IMPECCABLE on Wu Forever It's a great album my favorite is Duck Seazon

[@ReyHugoTelevision614]

Black Shampoo had zero business on this album

[@Justice098]

I remember Wutang Forever was one of the first albums ever to drop at Midnight. It was pandemonium

[@hugostaks7489]

I felt this way about all the Wu Tang albums after Wu Tang Forever. It was definitely a classic I disagree with Rae on this one. Now Iron Flag, The W , 8 Diagram were all trash on the production side except a few tracks but nowhere near classic.

[@Ghostaredead]

That album was not a Classic! Good to see an artist keeping it real

[@pablodados]

I'm with Rae on this. Second album had some decent material but was way too long and unfocused. Compared to earlier Wu-bangers like 36 Chambers, Cuban Linx, Liquid Swords, and Ironman, Wu-Tang Forever was a disappointment. It sounded to me like people were saving their best stuff for their own solo joints. Also, the thing about the UK being "introduced" to Hip Hop by Wu-Tang Forever is laughable. The UK has been into Hip Hop (and Electro) from the breakdance days. I saw the Akala interview where he said that Wu-Tang Forever was the album that he and his friends were into rather than 36 Chambers. But you have to understand he was only about 13 when WTF came out, which means he was about 9 when 36C came out. I'm willing to concede that 9-year-olds weren't into 36 Chambers but that's not representative of the country as a whole. For old heads like me who were actually outside when Wu-Tang came out, it was an instant classic.

[@jrich8319]

Thank you Paul D, depending how old you were reflected on what you liked but as a UK Hip Hop fan I had listened to so many great & better albums before WuTang Forever, what Vlad said made no sense and was wrong.

[@bruceleeds7988]

so to clear the UK thing up: Akala made a statement on his Vlad interview that Wu Tang was the first album that truly made him focus more in English class. he bought his own dictionary and Thesaurus and would look up every word Wu Tang said that was brand new to him, so he could fully understand what they were saying. he also proceeded to claim that while there were many fans of Wu before, Wu Forever impacted the UK massively on a spiritual scale, there are many people that place Forever over the first here. It was a very compelling interview, that Vlad has chosen to dilute down to such a shallow blanket statement as "Wu forever introduced the UK to Hip Hop" smh

[@jrich8319]

@@bruceleeds7988 Thanks for the clarification

[@pablodados]

@@bruceleeds7988 I agree that Vlad mangled Akala's original point (if that's what he was referring to). But I also think that Akala's recollection is just the anecdotal experience of him and his mates and not some big nationwide thing. Two things I think are true. 1. WTF sold really well really quickly and crossed over to audiences that previous Wu albums had not. They basically started doing stadium tours with rock bands after this. I'm sure plenty of people got into the Wu (and maybe even rap music in general) via that album. 2. Music hits different when you're 13/14. I was listening to Public Enemy at that age and that sh*t changed my life. What I don't buy is that there was anything special or unique about WTF in the UK. More people may have bought it than 36C but that's true the world over. I was in hip hop clubs and listening to hip hop radio at the time and, with the possible exception of "Triumph", they weren't banging WTF like they did 36C or OB4CL.

[@jjay6764]

The TV show was right. Raekwon didn’t like RZA’s new sound where he used live instruments instead of just samples.

[@Greatest203]

Wu Tang Forever is GOD-TIER! even if they werent on the same page it came out perfect ..

[@Saveyourbs]

It was close to being a classic.

[@dassolosyndikat5113]

many solo wu albums are better than forever even some wu-affiliates albums are better

[@Saveyourbs]

@@dassolosyndikat5113 gotta agree. It doesn’t measure up to Cuban Links or Supreme Clientele

[@marlymarz]

it’s a certified classic, still bang bells of war weekly, beat is crazy

[@anthonyanderson9303]

I understand where he's coming from, you gotta understand this was around the time Wu-Tang wasn't a cohesive unit anymore. This was kinda the beginning of the end for Wu-Tang. Not saying they still didn't make great music after this, but the magic of that initial run was gone. I compare to a boxer who's got millions in the bank. Marvin Hagler once said "it's hard to wake up at 5am and go run 10 miles, when you sleeping on satin sheets". That hunger wasn't there anymore. Plus dudes got tired of each other. Think about how you are with family members. After awhile you get tired of being around each other wanna move on. Dudes already had solo success and solo career money, now you gotta go back to splitting the pie 9 ways? If you remember ODB was barely even on the album. Really if you break down how much each rapper was on it, Rae, Ghost, Deck, and Meth are the ones that got the most shine. Everyone else was barely even on it and you can tell they weren't all in the studio together lamping like they were on the first album. And it only went downhill from there cuz each Wu Tang album after that felt less and less cohesive. I still love the album, I remember where I was when it came out cuz it was like the 2nd to last day of school my 9th grade year when I got it if I recall cuz I came to school with my walkman CD player bumping it in class while we forced to sit there even tho exams were done. But I get his point.

[@MegaKhalid121]

Idk it didn’t feel like Deck was on there enough especially on the second half of the double LP

[@Asia_90290]

I remember my brother listening to the album a lot . We’re 3 years apart. I Still have it on my playlist

[@Tirrell25]

His opinion makes sense as an artist but for the people as a whole as fans they ultimately decide whats a classic and whats not. Yeah you will have some fans who will agree with him but the but the majority opinion usually decides whats classic. But individually fans decide whats classic and what not not the majority. So it just a matter of an opinion.

[@danybalagula72]

ABSOLUTELY CLASSIC!!! IS U KIDDING ME OR IS U SHITTING ME? I was JUST NOW, listening to it’s yours! I bought that album in 97 when it came out…STRAIGHT FIRE!!!🔥🔥🔥👍🏽

[@b.e.5194]

Wu tang forever has the greatest lyricism in the whole genre, coulda been a lil shorter. It has atleast 90 minutes of fire on it.

[@Loveyourself1st__]

Introduction to hip hop in 1997 in London? Not me or the people I knew. I grew up on BDK, Rakim, Slick Rick etc in the 80's.

[@chuckscott4661]

Exactly. Vlad must be referring to the millennial generation being introduced to hphp in 97. Cheers to London from NY 🍻

[@TDOG857]

It was Masterpiece too me 👐🏾4Ever