This day in hip-hop throws back to a certain Wu-Tang Clan album on the day it struck platinum status, certified by the RIAA—merely two months following its initial debut.
Released under Loud Records on the 21st of November, 2000, the Wu-Tang Clan's third album, The W, featured guest appearances from Isaac Hayes, Redman, Nas, Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, and Junior Reid—signifying an impressive arsenal of artists rallying alongside the supersonic rap group.
Following a three-year gap since their previous album, Wu-Tang Forever, their third record, The W embodied a memorable comeback for the original crew with several members already releasing solo projects of their own. But that's where it gets interesting: the album donned an edgy, grit and steel vibe, discarding the familiar Wu-Tang shoeshine sounds dominant during their golden days.
That being said, the clan simply shunned the concept of innovation, which in turn took to magnifying each clan member's strength and cranking them up to ridiculously unwarranted feats, such as RZA's supercharged string beats, and magnum opus production from GZA—not to mention each emcee tossing around rhymes as if they were engaged in a game of hot potato.
It's antics like these that led to a myriad of accolades and positive remarks, such a very memorable quote from Dave Heaton of PopMatters, “The Wu-Tang Clan of today is not the same as the Clan of 1993. And for this, we are blessed. Every Wu-Tang Clan member is growing as an MC as the years go by. Put them all together again now, after they've each done their own things separately, and you get an entirely new dynamic, a mix of the dark and the bright.”
The album debuted at number five on Billboard 200, as well as number one on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums, selling over 300,000 copies in its first week, which only skyrocketed to over one million two months after.
By Jods Arboleda for RAPStation.com
