Wu-Tang Clan

The Wu's quadruple-LP follow-up Forever is decidedly less raw than their debut, though it's still pretty amazing. Their lyrics have evolved, with many songs addressing society's various ills. Some fans thought the Wu were getting too ambitious, while the group accused critics of wanting easily digestible "baby food." Features "Triumph," "Reunited," and "The M.G.M."

As hip-hop enters its 20s, the music's influence is everywhere, from the rap metal of Rage
Against the Machine to the revved-up break beats of the Chemical Brothers. The irony is
that rap itself has never been more inward looking. Rappers agonize like earnest folkies
over how "pure" their music is. More than ever, they are sampling from one another's work
rather than from outside sources. For the last few years, hip-hop – a genre built... More >

The five per cent nation of Oscar aspirations ("The M.G.M.," "For Heavens Sake") (Grade - **)