Wu-Tang Clan “Watch Your Mouth” 8 Diagrams SRC 2007

It feels good to be excited about the new Wu-Tang Clan album, 8 Diagrams (2007), scheduled for release in November. I’ve been wanting to be enthusiastic about a new hip hop release this year, but Graduation (2007) did little for me, None Shall Pass (2007) generated a polite indifference, and the less said about Finding Forever (2007), the better. It would be convenient to assume that 8 Diagrams would essentially be Iron Flag (2001) v2.0, with an exhumed Ol’ Dirty Bastard hook (recorded through a telephone, no less), a verse or two by a disinterested Ghostface, and pointless cameos from washed-up rappers on nearly every cut. Then I heard “Watch Your Mouth” last week, and that long-dormant spark of anticipation suddenly ignited in the pit of my stomach. Not exactly at “Bring Da Ruckus” levels, of course, but a refreshing step in the right direction.

“Watch Your Mouth” opens with a lethargic fanfare, as if wanting to triumphantly herald the return of the Wu but can’t muster the energy. The drum track follows suit, a heavy, chunky beat accompanied only by an ominous string quartet playing a series of descending intervals. Curiously, Rae opens the track and sounds absolutely menacing, growling over the bars and lacing his verse with gems like, “I’m from a boulevard where niggas get jacked, then peed on.” Masta Killa’s firearm-talk actually lasts longer than three bars, and both Meth and Ghost deliver a solid eight each. By the time Deck enters at 2:34 the strings have taken on an air of hypnotic doom, which only helps to fuel his urgent delivery – and thank the powers that be that he’s figured out how to best utilize his new gravelly tone. U-God’s gutteral baritone follows, and the sequence of MCs begins to make perfect sense, with RZA and GZA holding up the rear before the track concludes abruptly on the latter’s final line. It’s the Wu boiled down to the essentials, in the vein of “Triumph” and “Protect Ya Neck”: no corny hooks, no dim-witted group choruses, and no glossy production tricks, just advanced, raw lyricism clouded in their signature mystique. Is it too early to begin counting down the days until the release date?

“Watch Your Mouth” – Wu-Tang Clan 4:01 (8 Diagrams, SRC 2007)