By now it is pretty obvious that hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan are one of, if not the most influential crews in the genre, so a tribute album to the legends comes as no surprise. However, the Wrecking Crew’s Wu Tang Pulp mixtape is not your average “tribute” album.
Wrecking Crew is made up of lifetime students of the killa-bees – Philly emcee/producer Has-Lo, emcee/producer Zilla Rocca and emcee Curly Castro. Like any great Wu-Tang project, Pulp has a long list of featured emcees to give the feel of the Wu’s nine-man posse. The mixtape’s full roster includes My Man Shafe, Floodwatch, Al Mighty, Disco Vietnam, Small Professor, BLKHRTS, Son Raw, Gee Dubs, Ethel Cee, Y?ARCKA, Deal the Villain, Castle, Alaina Nelson, Random, and Boogieman Dela.
Pulp is comprised of original reconfigurations of selected tracks from the Wu’s extensive back catalog of group and solo efforts and the track’s original samples. The way the team of producers on the tape add new samples and arrangements on the original Wu-Tang songs brings a fresh and original perspective to the legendary outfit’s material. The mixtape is a stimulating listen for the most die-hard Wu-Tang fans trying to pick up all the references to the Wu, as well as enjoyable listen for people who aren’t really familiar with the 90s hip-hop icons.
The tape’s highlights include re-workings of tracks from Method Man’s Tical, Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Ol’ Dirty’s Return to the 36 Chambers and the group’s legendary debut LP, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). The most interesting thing about the Wrecking Crew’s choice of songs is that they avoided the “classics.” For example, instead of “All I Need” off Tical, they go with an interpretation of “Bring the Pain” called “Pain Bringer,” and instead of ODB bangers like “Brooklyn Zoo” and “Shimmy Shimmy Ya,” the collective goes with “The Stomp” reworked as “FCK YR LF.”
Other standout tracks are “Dedicated to the Winners and the Losers” (“Can It Be All So Simple”) from Enter the Wu-Tang and “Mystery Inside” (“Rainy Dayz”) from Only Built 4 Cuban Linx.
Fans can stream the full album and download it on a name your price scale HERE. See how many references you can pick up and comment below with your favorites. – Dan Brightcliffe