The Wu Tang Clan - The Saga Continues

The Wu Tang Clan
The Saga Continues
2017
Spotify

In recent years there has been a bit of a resurgence of "classic" New York hip hop. Action Bronson and Joey Badass are two of the most popular artists employing this homage to the greatest of New York, yet still employ some of the DIY soundcloud elements. For this reason the new Wu Tang album arrives with a bit more fanfare than usual. When they made only one copy of their last album which was scooped up by pharma-bro and now prisoner Martin Shkreli for upwards of a million dollars even more intrigue enveloped the Wu. With this albums from older acts it's always tempting to try and relive former glory, keep the production the same and alter as little as possible to keep die hard fans happy. However with Mathematics handling the production this album He avoids using too many DIY techniques. The rappers' voices sound clearly than usual allowing their personalities to really shine. When a record has too much album fuzz it's hard to even get past it. It portrays a vibe, but a vibe that doesn't even exist anymore so it often falls flat. The album also benefits from the Wu opening their ranks a bit. Usually Wu tang albums have very few features who aren't full Wu tang member but on The Saga Continues folks like Redman, Chris Rivers and Sean Price all get plenty of time on the mic. Stalwarts Method Man and Ghostface Killah however shine on their tracks with "If Time Is Money (Fly)" being one of the better tracks on the record.

As the record progresses however you begin to notice that those changes and those shifts in style are so slight that the whole thing starts to sound the same. Mathematics elevates RZA's production, but only just, and hangs so tight to his original style that it just gets boring. You've heard this before, and it seems like you are going to keep hearing it from The Wu Tang Clan because they just don't evolve. The lyrics are exactly the same as they have always been; robberies, lyrical skill, the streets and a dose of Kung Fu could describe each and every Wu Tang song. If you love what they do you are bound to love The Saga Continues but if you are looking for anything new, it just isn't here. Mathematics makes use of the skits more to display sampled beats and some audio from Kung Fu movies which is better than some half assed comedy bit, but still doesn't make much sense. Some songs still bang like "People Say" but with just a touch of modernism you feel like this could be so much better, plus it's just too damn long. The Wu Tang Clan shouldn't constrain themselves to the dad rap genre, even though sometimes here the really fall into it. IN the end it's just another Wu Tang album, for better or worse.

6.2 out of 10