Leaked: Wu-Tang Clan’s ‘8 Diagrams’ Doesn’t Disappoint

Wu-Tang Clan, 8 Diagrams

Official release date: December 11

We think: Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)–good, 8 Diagrams sounds like the soundtrack to a spaghetti Western directed by the Wachowski brothers. Touching on typical Wu-Tang subjects like samurais, prostitutes, coke, chess, and comic books, it’s everything fans want and features all of the group’s living emcees (especially Method Man) at their best. Though Raekwon recently said he hates RZA’s beats on the album, we think they’re great! The first three tracks, “Campfire,” “Take It Back,” and “Get Them Out Ya Way Pa,” are slow burners, with the music stopping for minutes at a time for movie dialogue. Other highlights include the ODB tribute “Life Changes” and “The Heart Gently Weeps.” Ghostface singing “That bitch is crazy, and she brought her baby” over a George Harrison riff is pretty much worth the price of admission. —Ben Westhoff