Of Mics And Men EP - Wu-Tang Clan: Review
Wu-Tang Clan
is a legendary New York hip hop collective that truly needs no introduction. The group released one of the most acclaimed and influential hip hop albums of all time in the early 90s and the individual members have a laundry list or critical and commercial successes in their back catalogs. A handful of the remaining members of Wu-Tang got together to release a brief 20 minute EP of new material inspired by the upcoming Showtime documentary series about the group.
Review By Lavender:
Since the moment in 1993 when Wu-Tang dropped one of my favorite albums of all time Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) we have had a near constant stream of good to amazing content from the various members. Liquid Swords, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Supreme Clientele and Return To The 36 Chambers proved that the various members had a lot left in the tank, but as far as collective Wu-Tang project they haven't really released much else that is essential. Due to the complex and intricate history of the group and their varying members it would be impossible to get across all the nuance of expectation that is levied to each individual member and their potential collaborations with each other, but what I will say is that Of Mics And Men is about what you would expect from the boys at this point in their career.
The first song here On That Sht Again is a Ghostface Killah and GZA track that certainly pulls heavy from the old school Wu-Tang style but the track is a touch slow for its own good. The lyrics may take themselves a touch too seriously but for the most part this is a good but far from essential old head rap song. Seen A Lot Of Things is the next track here and it feature Ghostface Killah and Raekwon on the verses and a guest hook from Harley. The beat is a little bit more fresh and interesting and Ghost is sharp right from the start. Raekwon does his thing and is solid but nothing that special and the Harley hook is pretty smooth and even though it doesn't do a whole lot it is a Wu-Tang song after all so it doesn't really have to.
Do The Same As My Brother Do sees RZA stepping up all alone and the producer of the group delivers one of the sharpest tracks here. His performance is of course lowkey and very lyrical but the beat is perfect for the track. This song alone seriously excites me for the prospect of a new GZA album because he clearly has something left in the tank and the creativity displayed here makes it my favorite song of the bunch. Finally Of Mics And Men features another excellent verse from RZA who continues to bring it over a sharp drum beat and some great introspective and reflective lyrics. Cappadonna gives a verse that has some trouble staying on beat and isn't one of my favorites here but Masta Killa recovers the track with a pretty sharp verse the close the song out. The only complaint I have with the verse is that it completely fades out at a seemingly random time right at the end that leads to the song whimpering out.
The first song here On That Sht Again is a Ghostface Killah and GZA track that certainly pulls heavy from the old school Wu-Tang style but the track is a touch slow for its own good. The lyrics may take themselves a touch too seriously but for the most part this is a good but far from essential old head rap song. Seen A Lot Of Things is the next track here and it feature Ghostface Killah and Raekwon on the verses and a guest hook from Harley. The beat is a little bit more fresh and interesting and Ghost is sharp right from the start. Raekwon does his thing and is solid but nothing that special and the Harley hook is pretty smooth and even though it doesn't do a whole lot it is a Wu-Tang song after all so it doesn't really have to.
Do The Same As My Brother Do sees RZA stepping up all alone and the producer of the group delivers one of the sharpest tracks here. His performance is of course lowkey and very lyrical but the beat is perfect for the track. This song alone seriously excites me for the prospect of a new GZA album because he clearly has something left in the tank and the creativity displayed here makes it my favorite song of the bunch. Finally Of Mics And Men features another excellent verse from RZA who continues to bring it over a sharp drum beat and some great introspective and reflective lyrics. Cappadonna gives a verse that has some trouble staying on beat and isn't one of my favorites here but Masta Killa recovers the track with a pretty sharp verse the close the song out. The only complaint I have with the verse is that it completely fades out at a seemingly random time right at the end that leads to the song whimpering out.
While the first two skits on the EP are effectively the clan jerking off to a picture of themselves narrated by Nas and Cheo Coker the third skit and the one that closes off the project was an interesting emotional moment for me. It features Masta Killah narrating his experience with life before Wu-Tang in its very early days, then hearing an early version of Protect Ya Neck and dropping everything to be a part of the group, obviously a good choice. He also talks about being inexperienced with rapping and practicing his verse that famously closes off Da Mystery Of Chessboxin' and it is very compelling and interesting hearing a veteran rapper discuss being an amateur in his early days so openly.
Ultimately Of Mics And Men is by no means essential Wu-Tang material given that the group dropped a solid album just two years ago and Ghostface Killah and Raekwon have been active in the last few years. But it does provide some original material alongside a monumental moment for the legendary act that provides some serious fan service in its lyrical themes and skits. If you're a Wu-Tang fan this thing is well worth a quick listen and you'll probably find a track or two you like and be interested by some of the stories and if you somehow aren't a fan yet this isn't the project that will sway you. 5/10
Best Track: Do The Same As My Brother Do
