Raekwon Details Why He Doesn't Consider 'Wu-Tang Forever' a Classic (Part 13)

[Big Mel]

People were absolutely split on this album. It's mad dense and lacked the surefire hits of 36 Chambers. But it aged well and there's so much to unpack that it rewards you whenever you revisit. But yeah they lost the casuals and girls to Puff when Forever dropped. And some cats just thought the beats were weird. I love the album personally outside of like 5 songs.

 

[TheDarceKnight]

Raekwon said the issue not everyone was there and on the same page like 36 chambers. If everyone was tuned in like they were on 36 chambers it would've sounded more complete. GZA was only on handful of songs which I hate.

yeah GZA's presence was missed on most of Forever

 

[-Quikness-]

WTF is Vlad talking about?

“a lot of people didn’t like that album. A lot of people thought half of it was trash”

he’s just making that shyt up. I’ve seen almost every bad take in the world and I don’t think I’ve heard that one. That’s not even how haters of that Forever hate on it.

IMO Wu Tang Forever didn’t live up to the greatness of 36 chambers tho, dude. I swear in recent years it’s become more celebrated. Almost fashionable to love it. But besides some tracks, it wasn’t no 36 chambers. I still love the album tho

 

[Mr. Negative]

I been saying that shyt for years Wu-forever is like a decent compilation

nikkas was expecting cuban link + liquid swords + ironman + 36 chambers pt2 and got some other shyt that was half phoned in

RZA was experimenting when he should have been solidifying

Wu-forever is a album you do 5 albums in from interviews over the years like half the clan don't really fukk with that album like that

if the album was what it should have been Wu would be a lot bigger today (musically)

yeah you can listen to it the first time and tell it's an incredibly solid album in there. I've always felt Bobby just had an idea to stick a double CD at the end of his 5 year plan and forced that double CD instead of leaving well enough alone.


But then again, you also got the difference in the first album, where they were all just excited to make music, and 5 years to Forever, you got some cats ain't hungry, some cats can't really be bothered, some cats don't like certain songs just cause they aint on it, dont like songs just cause YOU on it, etc

prolly was impossible to nail down a semi-cohesive sounding joint

 

[TrifeGod]

i actually agree with Rae

 

[Robbie3000]

Rae is a fukking hater. A talented hater. But a hater nonetheless.


Wu-Tang Forever is incredible. If I was a member of Wu i’d be singing that album’s praises until the day Allah calls from me from this earth

You just can’t shyt on your products cause you are mad at RZA. Don’t they realize how off-putting that is for the consumer? That shyt kept me from checking out the last few Wu albums.

 

[Mike the Executioner]

Didn't Method Man say something similar to this? That he feels like this is the period where egos took over and it wasn't as fun as before?

And then RZA said the reason it ended up that way is because he stopped running Wu-Tang like a dictatorship and started running it like a democracy? This was also the end of the five-year plan so by then, he had already loosened the reins.

I just feel like this is something inevitable. Groups start losing that hunger over time and the fame gets to them. EPMD had money issues, Dallas Austin said Boyz II Men turned into a$$holes after the first album, New Edition's reunion in 1996 was mostly about the money and the tour was a disaster. And in Wu-Tang's case, you can't keep eight or nine other grown men under your thumb for so long. Rich, successful, platinum-selling grown men. RZA knew that which is why he stepped back.

 

[flatlinerz]

Forever one of my favorite albums, I always revisit forever over 36 chambers, also 4th disciple beats were incredible, wish GZA was on more songs, wish more Wu affiliates were on the album like Killarmy and Shyheim

 

[ShaDynasty]

Artists are not always the best judge of their own work. They're too close to it to be objective.

 

[dappadonna]

This sit down with Vlad has been weird imo . 80% been talking about GFK . If I was Ghost , I'd be feeling away about that

 

[Hostile]

It's not.

 

[ℒℴѵℯJay ELECTUA]

if you paid real closely the rza was interviewed in the source (I'm sure it was the source) and he blatantly says he was disappointed with his brothers apart from method man ..they didn't perform how they really could..they were lazy.

 

[Rhyme 4 Rhyme]

Rae's wrong. Albums beyond classic.

I play that album more than 36 Chambers, RZA expanded their sound. But yes 36 Chambers is what Wu-Tang is and is the definitive classic, even though Wu-Tang Forever is them at their zenith from a production standpoint and a popularity.

Zenith lyrically as well. Deck & Ghost at their peak.

Rae is a fukking hater. A talented hater. But a hater nonetheless.


Wu-Tang Forever is incredible. If I was a member of Wu i’d be singing that album’s praises until the day Allah calls from me from this earth

Can understand why RZA gets frustrated with the 8 of them at times.

 

[GeeEffKay]

Not that a crazy take honestly, considering just how monumental 36 chambers is. The bar was set ridiculously high.

 

[King Sun]

People were absolutely split on this album. It's mad dense and lacked the surefire hits of 36 Chambers. But it aged well and there's so much to unpack that it rewards you whenever you revisit. But yeah they lost the casuals and girls to Puff when Forever dropped. And some cats just thought the beats were weird. I love the album personally outside of like 5 songs.

People were split but it was mostly people that expected it to sound like 36. Wu Tang Forever imo is a superior album to 36 they elevated lyrically and musically and it took me years to see that. Rza was trying to bring big clear sounds to grimy street music and succeeded at the end of the day. Rza was chasing Dre.