The first Wu Tang solo album without an appearance from another member, but no matter: this is an underrated masterpiece, thick with lush, emotive soul samples (Holla is basically the Delfonics’ La La Means I Love You with Ghostface rapping over the whole thing, vocals and all) and abundant on-point rhymes.
“Weak MCs – take me to your leader!” Overshadowed by his better-know bandmates, his debut solo album – thick with freestyle interludes – fully revealed Inspectah Deck as an intricately skilled rapper who blended underworld storytelling with a homespun philosophical bent.
The concept makes no sense and the lyrics of Domestic Violence are indefensible, but its highlights shine very brightly indeed: the slinky Love Jones and My Lovin’ Is Digi, plus the killer NYC Everything, featuring Method Man.
Method Man’s second album is preposterously long, hopelessly uneven and features nine skits (one featuring a guest appearance by – uh-oh – Donald Trump).
Nobody is good enough to maintain your interest for that long – you could live without ODB’s dispiritingly titled Dog Shit – but Wu-Tang Forever is surprisingly focused, socially conscious, cinematic and worth revisiting (time permitting).
