Wu-Tang Forever

Infobox Album |
Name = Wu-Tang Forever
Type = Album
Artist = Wu-Tang Clan


Released = June 3, 1997
Recorded = 1994–1997
Genre = East Coast hip hop, Hardcore hip hop
Length = 118:43 (North America)
130:11 (international)
Label = Loud/RCA/BMG Records
07863-66905 (North America)
74321-45768 (international)
Producer = RZA
Inspectah Deck
4th Disciple
True Master
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:qjuj6j8871q0~T1 link]
*"Entertainment Weekly" (A) [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,288215,00.html link]
*"Rolling Stone" Rating|3.5|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/wutangclan/albums/album/226828/review/6067808/wutang_forever link] |
Last album = "Enter the Wu-Tang"
(1993)
This album = "Wu-Tang Forever"
(1997)
Next album = "The W"
(2000)

"Wu-Tang Forever" was the long-awaited follow-up to the Wu-Tang Clan's first album "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)". It was released on June 3, 1997 as a double album and, despite limited radio and TV airplay, the album debuted at #1 in the U.S. with 650,000 copies sold in its first week. It also debuted at #1 in the UK and Canada. The album has sold over 8,000,000 copies worldwide to date.

The album was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 1998 Grammy Awards, but lost to Puff Daddy's No Way Out. In an infamous moment, after losing, Wu-Tang Clan member Ol' Dirty Bastard interrupted Shawn Colvin's Song of the Year acceptance speech to protest the loss in the Best Rap Album category, saying that he spent a lot of money on an expensive suit with expectations of winning, and proclaiming "Wu-Tang is for the children". [http://youtube.com/watch?v=Wy8zlq4y6cU]

Overview

The sound of the album is built significantly on the sounds of the previous three solo albums, with RZA using more keyboards and string samples, as well as assigning some of the album's production to his protégés True Master and 4th Disciple. The group's lyrics differed significantly from those of "36 Chambers", with many verses written in a dense stream-of-consciousness form heavily influenced by the teachings of the Five Percent Nation.

"Wu-Tang Forever" also marked the end of The RZA's "five year plan". After "Forever"'s success, The RZA ceased to oversee all aspects of Wu-Tang product as he had done previously, delegating much of his existing role to associates such as Oli "Power" Grant and his brother Mitchell "Divine" Diggs. This move was designed to expand Wu-Tang's reach in hip-hop and take advantage of financial opportunities for the group. In keeping with this move, a large amount of Wu-Tang product (both musical and otherwise; example Wu-Wear) was to be released over the next two years.

Critical reaction

Due to the success of the group's debut and subsequent solo albums, expectations of both fans and critics were high for this album's release. Stephen Thomas Erlewine - writing for Allmusic - stated: cquote|Where contemporaries like 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G. issued double-discs cluttered with filler, "Wu-Tang Forever" is purposeful and surprisingly lean, illustrating the immense depth of producer RZA and the entire nine-piece crew... The result is an intoxicating display of musical and lyrical virtuosity, one that reveals how bereft of imagination the Wu-Tang's contemporaries are.

Track listing

Disc one

Album singles

Personnel

*Ney Pimentel - Artwork, Art Direction, Design, Layout Design
*Sherin Baday - Photography, A&R
*Bob Berg - Photography
*Carlos Bess - Mixing, Mixing Engineer
*Cappadonna - Performer
*Dennis Coles - Executive Producer
*Tom Coyne - Mastering
*Mitchell Diggs - Executive Producer
*Robert Diggs - Executive Producer
*Divine - Production Coordination
*Fourth Disciple - Producer, Engineer, Mixing
*Arlene Godfrey - A&R
*Oli Grant - Executive Producer
*Scott Harding - Mixing, Mixing Engineer
*Che Harris - A&R
*Inspectah Deck - Producer, Mixing
*Laurie Marks - A&R
*Philippe McClelland - Photography
*Shawn Mortenson - Photography
*Eugene Nastasi - Editing
*P.O.W.E.R. - Production Coordination
*Michael "Wolf" Reaves - Mixing
*RZA - Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Assistant Producer
*Troy Staton - Mixing
*True Master - Producer, Engineer, Mixing