Wu-Massacre

Wu-Massacre
Studio album by Method Man, Ghostface Killah and Raekwon
Released	March 30, 2010
Recorded	November 2009–February 2010
Genre	Hip hop
Length	30:05
Label	Def Jam
Producer	Method Man (exec.), Ghostface Killah (exec.), Raekwon (exec.), RZA, Allah Mathematics, Scram Jones, Emile, Ty Fyffe, BT, Digem Tracks
Method Man chronology
Blackout! 2 (2009) Wu-Massacre (2010) The Crystal Meth (2011) Ghostface Killah chronology Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City (2009) Wu-Massacre (2010) The Apollo Kids (2010) Raekwon chronology Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. II (2009) Wu-Massacre (2010) Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang (2011) Wu-Tang Clan solo chronology Inspectah Deck: The Manifesto (2010) Wu-Massacre (2010) Ghostface Killah: The Apollo Kids (2010) Alternative covers Method Man cover Ghostface Killah cover Raekwon cover Singles from Wu-Massacre "Our Dreams" Released: February 20, 2010 "Meth vs. Chef 2" Released: March 09, 2010 "Miranda" Released: March 16, 2010 "Dangerous" Released: March 23, 2010

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
The A.V. Club	(B+)[2]
Entertainment Weekly	(B+)[3]
The Harvard Crimson	[4]
Pitchfork Media	(6.5/10)[5]
Q	[6]
Rolling Stone	[7]
Slant Magazine	[8]
URB	[9]
USA Today	[10]

Wu-Massacre is a collaboration studio album by American rappers and Wu-Tang Clan members Method Man, Ghostface Killah and Raekwon, released March 30, 2010 on Def Jam Recordings. Production for the album was handled by several hip hop producers, including RZA, Allah Mathematics, Scram Jones, Emile, Ty Fyffe, BT and Digem Tracks Productions.

The album debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 37,900 copies in its first week. It charted modestly in international markets and produced four singles. Upon its release, Wu-Massacre received generally positive reviews from music critics. The album has sold 64,000 copies in the United States.

Background

The album was first announced in July 2009, when Method Man mentioned the project to MTV News, stating that he wanted to do an album with several other Wu-Tang members. He described the album as being a "Rae, Ghost and Meth album," with "RZA-produced tracks, as well as some outside producers."^[11] Initially, the album was to be titled Wu-Massacre, and was later renamed Three the Hard Way, however, after the leak of the Wu-Massacre artwork, it was later re-affirmed as the official album title.^[12] Though unsubstantiated rumors began to circulate that the project would be a new group, Method Man refuted these claims in a cover-story interview with The Source, stating: "By no means are we trying to start a group, that's why I was mad as hell that people was jumping the gun and shit, asking us to name our group and all that. What the fuck we look like making a new group?"^[13] Ghostface Killah also touched base on the subject in an interview with Rap Radar, stating "We not a group. We already in Wu-Tang. So it’s not like we trying to start a group. We don’t need that."^[12]

In an interview with MTV, Raekwon described the making of Wu-Massacre, as well as the album's production, stating;

A lot of the production was dealt with through us playing phone tag, Ghost had a lot to do with really binding the album together. It's a great album. I think the people gonna enjoy it. One thing about me that I could say is, lyrically, it's never been a problem for us to deliver. It's great production on the album. RZA is on there. A couple of other soldiers we work with is on there. If you're a ride-or-die Wu-Tang fan, and you know where we coming from, you're gonna enjoy this one.^[14]

—Raekwon

Release and promotion

A three-part video series began to surface on the internet for the album's promotion in fall of 2009.

Singles

On November 25, 2009, Allah Mathematics premiered the song "Mef vs. Chef 2" live on his radio show Math Files. The song features verses from Method Man and Raekwon, and was said to be from Wu-Massacre. On January 25, 2010, Def Jam released the first single, "Our Dreams" on their website, which will be appearing on the Wu-Massacre album.^[15] On February 22, 2010, Def Jam released a free mixtape called, Avenging Eagles by Allah Mathematics featuring various older Raekwon, Ghostface and Method Man material as a warm-up to Wu-Massacre. Aside from "Mef vs. Chef 2," the mixtape also premiered the song "Miranda". On March 2, 2010 the next release from the album was "Criminology 2.5", an original Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. II track but was cut before the final pressing, but revised as it no longer contains Raekwon's verse, contains a re-used Ghostface Killah verse from the song "The Badlands" instead of the original verse planned for Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. II, and a verse from Method Man. "Mef vs. Chef 2" and "Miranda" have now been released as the album's second and third singles. On the release of the video for "Our Dreams" a fourth single was also released called "Dangerous". Another single ("Gunshowers") was released; it was produced by Digem Tracks Productions.

Artwork

All three cover portraits were created by Marvel Comics artist Chris Bachalo & inked by Tim Townsend.^[16] The third and final cover was released on March 15, with the illustration by Chris Bachalo and art direction by Alex Haldi.^[17]

Reception

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard 200 chart with first-week sales of 37,900 copies.^[18] In its second week, it fell 25 spots to number 37, selling an additional 11,000 for a total of 49,000 copies.^[19] The next week it sold 6,600 more copies going over the 50,000 mark selling 56,000.^[20] It also entered at number six on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and at number two on its Rap Albums chart.^[21][22] The album has sold 64,000 copies so far and is at #156 on the Billboard 200.^[23] In Canada, the album debuted at number 29 on the Top 100 and number four on the R&B Top 50 chart.^[24][25] In France, it entered at number 128 on Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique's albums chart.^[26]

Critical response

Upon its release, Wu-Massacre received generally positive reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 76/100 from Metacritic.^[6] Allmusic writer Andy Kellman gave it 3½ out of 5 stars and called it "consistent, duly rugged, and satisfying".^[1] Entertainment Weekly's Simon Vozick-Levinson gave the album a B+ rating and praised the rappers' lyricism, stating "Method Man's acid sarcasm grounds Ghostface Killah's tightly wound exclamations, which in turn nicely balance Raekwon's flinty realism, and the trio's rhymes are well served throughout by big, soulful beats".^[3] Zach Cole of URB gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and wrote favorably of its energetic production and the rappers' lyrical deliveries, calling it "a delight with not a wasted minute".^[9] USA Today's Steve Jones gave it 3½ out of 4 stars and praised its production, calling it "rich, sonic tapestry", while writing that the rappers are "fierce and focused, firing steel-jacketed barbs with abandon on this wallop-packing collection".^[10] The Harvard Crimson's Colm Dubhrosa gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and wrote favorably of its dynamic approach, stating "'Wu-Massacre' manages to condense all that is most vitally raw and dynamic about this hip-hop trio into a snappy 30-minute album that blazes by in a flash of intensity and verve".^[4]

In contrast, Exclaim!'s Del F. Cowie viewed its weaker tracks as those that do not feature all rappers and called the album "a patchy project that given some time and attentive conceptual execution could have been more than the sum of its parts".^[27] RapReviews writer Guido Stern called its production "uneven" and shared a similar sentiment, writing "Mostly it's just frustrating because the whole tape probably only has like six or seven verses from each of the headliners".^[28] Luke John Winkie of No Ripcord gave Wu-Massacre a 6/10 rating and called it "a fun, but mostly forgettable affair", but wrote "Rae, Ghost and Meth’s undeniable flow can make even the slightest record worth a spin".^[29] Pitchfork Media writer Ian Cohen gave the album a 6.5/10 rating and wrote "at the record's core are three MCs willing to spend a little critical capital and just have fun over pitchshifted soul beats".^[5] Evie Nagy of Billboard wrote favorably of the rappers' performances and commended the album's production and cohesion among its tracks.^[30] Giving it an 8.0/10 rating, IGN critic Phil Owen viewed Wu-Massacre as a case of "quality over quantity" and wrote that it "all flows brilliantly".^[31]

The A.V. Club's Nathan Rabin gave it a B+ rating and wrote that it "thrives on the chemistry between Ghostface Killah’s excitable ranting, Raekwon’s smoothness, and Method Man’s combination of raspy humor and middle-aged grumpiness".^[2] Huw Jones of Slant Magazine gave the album 3½ out of 5 stars and perceived its sound as reminiscent of early Wu-Tang Clan work, writing that it "celebrates the same stylistic elements that put Staten Island on the musical map in the '90s".^[8] HipHopDX writer Slava Kuperstein gave it 4 out of 5 stars and wrote "Wu-Massacre stands on its own merit as an assembly of three legendary emcees putting on display what earned them the legendary status in the first place".^[32] Rolling Stone's Jon Dolan viewed it as a return to the rappers' "classic-Wu roots" and commended the album for its "imperious soul samples, waves of purple haze and pointillist pimp fantasies".^[7] Tiny Mix Tapes writer Chris Norton gave the album 3½ out of 5 stars and wrote that it "functions more as a reminder that these soldiers are still deep in the trenches, leaning on the time-tested skills and sounds that put them at the top of the 90s and spurred their revival in this past decade".^[33]

Track listing

#	Title	Performer(s)	Producer	Samples	Time
1	"Criminology 2.5"	Intro/first verse: Ghostface Killah Second verse: Method Man	BT	"I Keep Asking You Questions" by Black Ivory "Why Marry" by The Sweet Inspirations Dialogue from Scarface	1:59
2	"Mef v.s. Chef 2"	Raekwon, Method Man	Mathematics	"Blaze of the Grail" by Secret Chiefs 3 "Title Music" by R.D. Burman	2:04
3	"Ya Moms" (skit)	Method Man, Raekwon			0:36
4	"Smooth Sailing" (Remix)	First verse: Ghostface Killah Second verse: Method Man Third verse: Streetlife Chorus: Solomon Childs	Ty Fyffe	"Tight Fit" by Bunny Sigler	2:59
5	"Our Dreams"	First verse: Ghostface Killah Second verse: Method Man Third verse: Raekwon	RZA	"We're Almost There" by Michael Jackson	3:25
6	"Gunshowers"	First verse/chorus: Method Man Second verse: Ghostface Killah Third verse: Sun God Fourth verse: Inspectah Deck	Digem Tracks Productions	"La La (Means I love You)" by The Escorts	2:59
7	"Dangerous"	First verse: Raekwon Chorus/second verse: Ghostface Killah Third verse: Method Man	Mathematics	"Explain It to Her Mama" by The Temprees	3:55
8	"Pimpin' Chipp"	Ghostface Killah	Emile	"The Heckler" by The Nite Liters	2:32
9	"How to Pay Rent" (skit)	Tracy Morgan, Raekwon			0:38
10	"Miranda"	First verse: Raekwon Second verse: Ghostface Killah Third verse: Method Man	Mathematics	"Let It Be Me" by Linda Jones	3:02
11	"Youngstown Heist"	First verse: Ghostface Killah Second verse: Trife da God Third verse: Sheek Louch, Bully	Scram Jones	"Life, Dreams & Death" by Brothers Unlimited	2:42
12	"It's That Wu Shit"	First/second verse: Ghostface Killah Chorus: Kevin Cossom Third verse: Method Man	Scram Jones	"It's Your Rock" by Fantasy Three "Make the Music with Your Mouth" by Biz Markie	3:11

Personnel

Credits for Wu-Massacre adapted from liner notes.^[34]

Clifford Smith – vocals, executive producer Dennis Coles – vocals, executive producer, artists and repertoire Corey Woods – vocals, executive producer Chris Bachalo – artwork Theodore Bailey – guest vocals Ronald Bean – producer Anthony Caputo – recorder, mixer Mel Carter – producer Mike Caruso – producer Patrick Charles – guest vocals Christina – additional vocals Kevin Cossom – additional vocals Mitchell Diggs – producer Robert Diggs – producer James Ellis – producer Tyrone Fyffe – producer Oli Grant – producer Alex Haldi – art director

Dan Hastie – keyboards Darryl Hill – guest vocals Jason Hunter – guest vocals Sean Jacobs – guest vocals Scram Jones – producer Jamel Scott - producer Jordan Katz – trumpet, trombone James King – saxophone Donnelle Little – guest vocals Josh Lopez – guitars Pete McNeal – drums Tracy Morgan – additional vocals Ethan Phillips – bass Antonio Reid – producer Ron Robinson – producer Lenny Santiago – producer, artists and repertoire Davey Cheg Widden – percussion

Chart history

Chart (2010)	Peak position
Canadian Albums Chart[24]	29
French Albums Chart[26]	128
US Billboard 200[18]	12
US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[21]	6
US Billboard Top Rap Albums[22]	2

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Kellman, Andy. Review: Wu-Massacre. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-03-30.
2. ^ ^{a b} Rabin, Nathan. Review: Wu-Massacre. The A.V. Club. Retrieved on 2010-04-06.
3. ^ ^{a b} Vozick-Levinson, Simon. Review: Wu-Massacre. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2010-03-25.
4. ^ ^{a b} Dubhrosa, Colm. Review: Wu-Massacre. The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved on 2010-04-06.
5. ^ ^{a b} Cohen, Ian. Review: Wu-Massacre. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2010-04-09.
6. ^ ^{a b} Wu-Massacre (2010): Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2010-04-01.
7. ^ ^{a b} Dolan, Jon. Review: Wu-Massacre. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2010-03-30.
8. ^ ^{a b} Jones, Huw. Review: Wu-Massacre. Slant Magazine. Retrieved on 2010-03-30.
9. ^ ^{a b} Cole, Zach. Review: Wu-Massacre. URB. Retrieved on 2010-03-30.
10. ^ ^{a b} Jones, Steve. Review: Wu-Massacre. USA Today. Retrieved on 2010-03-30.
11. ^ Method Man, RZA, Ghostface Killah are planning a joint album. wutang-corp.com. Retrieved on 2010-03-20.
12. ^ ^{a b} GFK Explains Group Name & Album Title. rapradar.com. Retrieved on 2010-03-20.
13. ^ Wu Grandmasters. The Source. retrieved on 2010-03-20.
14. ^ Method Man, Ghostface Killah And Raekwon Hype Up Wu Massacre. MTV. Retrieved on 2010-03-11.
15. ^ Wu-Massacre Singles/Discography. islanddefjam.com. Retrieved on 2010-03-20.
16. ^ Wu Tang Unveil Comic Book Inspired Wu Massacre Cover Art. highbridnation.com. Retrieved on 2010-03-20.
17. ^ Wu Massacre Cover #3. thehiphopupdate.com. retrieved on 2010-03-20.
18. ^ ^{a b} Wu Massacre and E-40 Chart with Albums. Current.com. Retrieved on 2010-04-08.
19. ^ Jacobs, Allen. Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 4/11/2010. HipHopDX. Retrieved on 2010-04-14.
20. ^ http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.11085/title.hip-hop-album-sales-the-week-ending-4-18-2010
21. ^ ^{a b} Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 4/4/2010. HipHopDX. Retrieved on 2010-04-10.
22. ^ ^{a b} Rap Albums: Week of April 17, 2010. Billboard. Retrieved on 2010-04-10.
23. ^ http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.11182/title.hip-hop-album-sales-the-week-ending-5-3-2010
24. ^ ^{a b} "Albums: Top 100 - For the Week Ending 4 April 2010". Jam!. Archived on 2010-04-10.
25. ^ "R&B: Top 50 - For the Week Ending 4 April 2010". Jam!. Archived on 2010-04-10.
26. ^ ^{a b} Charts: Wu-Massacre. acharts. Retrieved on 2010-04-10.
27. ^ Cowie, Del F. Review: Wu-Massacre. Exclaim!. Retrieved on 2010-03-30.
28. ^ Stern, Guido Review: Wu-Massacre. RapReviews. Retrieved on 2010-03-31.
29. ^ Winkie, Luke John. Review: Wu-Massacre. No Ripcord. Retrieved on 2010-04-06.
30. ^ Nagy, Evie. Review: Wu-Massacre. Billboard. Retrieved on 2010-04-10.
31. ^ Owen, Phil. Review: Wu-Massacre. IGN. Retrieved on 2010-03-30.
32. ^ Kuperstein, Slava. Review: Wu-Massacre. HipHopDX. Retrieved on 2010-03-29.
33. ^ Norton, Chris. Review: Wu-Massacre. Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved on 2010-05-09.
34. ^ Track listing and credits as per liner notes for Wu-Massacre album

External links

• Official Page at Def Jam
• Wu-Massacre at Discogs
• Wu-Massacre at Metacritic