Prepare for re-entry
The Staten Island rap dynasty travel back in time on a grand scale. By George Garner.
“W E TRAVELLED across the Atlantic to rock with you motherfuckers,” says Wu-Tang Clan abbot RZA by way of introduction tonight, sizing up a sold-out crowd sprouting innumerable ‘W’ hand signs. An appearance from Staten Island’s finest is not so rare on UK soil, but it is when situated within Wembley’s cavernous SSE Arena. That’s precisely what this, the inaugural Gods Of Rap tour, was conceived to do: elevate influential acts to the stages their stature deserves. De La Soul and Public Enemy are also on the bill – plus DJ Premier of Gang Starr – but it is headliners Wu-Tang’s belated celebration of their classic debut’s 25th anniversary that constitutes the night’s main draw.
With the group’s ranks so often destabilised by personal and business conflicts, first comes the ritual game of Guess Wu Is Actually Going To Turn Up. Following RZA onto the stage is Ghostface Killah, who kick-starts a non-sequential, abridged run through Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) with the thundering Bring Da Ruckus. Verse by verse, others saunter into view, including Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s son – inventively christened Young Dirty Bastard – to energetically deliver his late father’s foaming-at-the-mouth bars. Everyone is present except, for reasons both unaddressed and disappointing, Method Man. If this high-profile absence constitutes one hurdle for them tonight, it should also be noted that their debut’s claustrophobic, static-pocked beats are not exactly arena-friendly fodder. Though the sound sometimes struggles to capture the mesmeric nuances of individual verses, a polished live take on 36 Chambers would violate the very spirit that defines it. This is music best served raw. Tonight, C.R.E.A.M. and Tearz are extremely raw.
With their debut dispatched (sans Method Man’s eponymous track), the night switches focus to the Clan’s various solo outings. In and of itself, this is no bad thing. There is an argument to be made that the greatest Wu-brand release is Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…, from which Glaciers Of Ice and Ice Cream are aired in all their gritty glory. Similarly, the night’s most intense reaction is reserved for 4th Chamber from GZA’s Liquid Swords – its haywire intro galvanising a formidable mosh pit. Throughout the evening, RZA repeatedly decrees “the energy you give us, we’ll give back” – something Young Dirty Bastard honours by jumping into the crowd during ODB’s Shimmy Shimmy Ya.
What ultimately transpires is a thrilling history lesson, albeit one with blindspots. Excellent cuts from 1997’s Wu-Tang Forever arrive – including Inspectah Deck’s phenomenal knotted verse on Triumph – yet closer Gravel Pit is the only group song aired from this century. Here, the weight of nostalgia and the strength of the group’s solo material rather overwhelms their present – a shame considering 2017’s The Saga Continues marked a genuine renaissance. Such drawbacks are, however, tempered by some of the most technically astounding verses in hip-hop’s canon. “Wu-Tang Clan ain’t nothing ta fuck with,” chants the crowd tonight in booming voice. It’s a point that bears repeating.
“The energy you give us, we’ll give you back.” RZA