Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang
Encyclopedia
Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang is the fifth studio album
by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan
-member Raekwon
, released March 7, 2011, on Ice H20 and EMI Records
. Guests for the album include Black Thought
, Busta Rhymes
, Ghostface Killah
, GZA
, Inspectah Deck
, Lloyd Banks
, Method Man
, Nas
, and Rick Ross
, among others.
The album debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard 200
chart, selling 29,000 copies in its first week. It produced two singles, "Butter Knives" and the title track. Upon its release, Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang received positive reviews from most music critics, who complimented Raekwon's performance and commended him for his musical direction.
. Raekwon later revealed that it would instead be his fifth studio album, and as originally intended, would not feature contributions from RZA. In regards to this decision, Raekwon clarified in an interview with Vibe "RZA doesn’t have to be on every album. I wanted to give some other producers a chance. It’s not about beef."
When Raekwon was asked about the album in an interview with Entertainment Weekly
, he explained "It’s not nothing derogatory towards Wu. It’s just that Shaolin (i.e. Staten Island
) is the place, Wu-Tang is the crew that came from that place. It’s like me just going back to my history of being an emcee first, before I actually became part of Wu-Tang. I always give RZA that support as far as saying he brought Wu-Tang to the table. It was his philosophy. He picked certain dudes to be part of this group, and he said, 'This is what it’s going to be called'. Before that, I was on the block. I was living in Shaolin. So this album just shows the street side of me, challenging the great side of Wu-Tang. Which is almost like how T.I.
did T.I. vs. T.I.P.
You’re going to get sounds that relate to Wu-Tang. You’re going to get sounds that relate to great Rae at his best shit, too. You’re going to get a lot of animation as far as the skits are concerned. It’s going to be a hot one. Everyone’s going to love it."
, Havoc, Black Thought
, Lloyd Banks
, Rick Ross
, Raheem DeVaughn
, and Estelle
. In regards to their collaboration, Lloyd Banks explained in an interview with Vibe magazine how he had Raekwon as a guest on his song "Sooner Or Later" (from the H.F.M. 2
album), stating "I had the beat for a minute, just rocking, vibing with it. I wrote about three verses to it and the sample, the beat—everything just reminded me of the Wu-Tang sound… So I was like, it’s gotta be somebody from the Wu. And I really respect what Rae’s been doing recently. He killed it." Soon after this collaboration, Raekwon offered Banks a spot on the Scram Jones produced track "Last Trip to Scotland". Banks explained "Soon as I heard Raekwon's verse it was on some storytelling shit, so I already knew what I had to do with it. Rae is one of the best at that, so his verse opened up my mind. It wasn’t like I had a blank beat to go off of."
Although a number of artists such as Scoop DeVille, Pete Rock
, and Kanye West
were reported to have worked on the album at one time or another, their contributions did not surface on the final version. In spite of Erick Sermon
being inaccurately credited for production on the track "Every Soldier in the Hood", Oh No was later reported to be the song's producer.
, on March 8 in the United States and on March 7, 2011 in the United Kingdom. The album's first single, "Butter Knives", was produced by Bronze Nazareth and released on December 8, 2010. The album's title track was released as the second single on January 11, 2011. In March 2011, Raekwon promoted the album with a five-date concert tour in the United Kingdom.
chart, with first-week sales of 29,000 copies in the United States. It also charted at number three on Billboard
s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
and at number two on its Rap Albums
chart. In its second week, it sold 9,400 copies and dropped to number 45 on the Billboard 200. As of April 10, 2011 the album has sold 52,000 copies in the United States. In the United Kingdom, it entered at number 21 on the Top RnB Albums
chart.
, which assigns a normalized
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
score of 74, based on 18 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Los Angeles Times
writer Jeff Weiss commended its producers for "faithfully re-creat[ing] the RZA’s sword-swinging and bell-ringing aesthetic" and dubbed it Raekwon's "successful quest to return to the days when it was simple, blessed with the wisdom to know which philosophies work". John Kennedy of Vibe wrote that his "dense storytelling veers from Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2s powder-white
tales", concluding that "RZA's dark instrumentals are missed, but copious kung fu paraphernalia provide enough hard kicks and sample chops". Rolling Stone
writer Jody Rosen
commented that he "sounds at ease — as loquacious as ever, unfurling martial-arts-movie allusions and street-crime narratives in a weave of internal rhyme
s". BBC Online's Mike Diver praised his "typically dense and detailed wordplay", adding that "the sinister string samples and mystical talk of fantastical warriors is as good here as it’s been on any previous Raekwon album".
However, Miguel Cullen of Clash
expressed a mixed response towards its production and called it "patchy with flashes of killer bee sting". Ailbhe Malone of NME
panned it as a "cringe worthy attempt at old school revival". Slant Magazine
's Jesse Cataldo commented that Raekwon "sets out to co-opt and ape the signature Wu-Tang sound, a chop-socky blend of martial arts sound clips, gang-feud lyricism, and materialist nihilism", but viewed that "the scattershot collection of new names and old hands inevitably has mixed results" and concluded, "by attempting to break free from his group's guru, Raekwon inevitably only proves how vital RZA has been to nearly everything its members have produced, and how Raekwon has been unable to break free from his influence". Despite noting "some really awful bits, particularly 'Rock n’ Roll'", David Morris of Tiny Mix Tapes
gave it three-and-a-half out of five stars and complimented its "paranoid and high-tension" beats, as well as Raekwon's performance. Drowned in Sound
's Kyle Ellison gave it a seven out of 10 rating and also viewed that it "is by no means perfect [...] ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ leaves me a little cold despite strong production, but the hits easily outweigh the misses".
Despite noting that "nothing quite comes close after 'Every Soldier'", Sputnikmusic
's Sobhi Abdul-Rakhman gave the album four out of five stars and wrote that its guest rappers "all lend some of their best bars in recent history [...] these featured artists and nearly all of Raekwon's performances emphasize the lyrical focus of the record". Steve Juon of RapReviews praised the album's collaborations and commended Raekwon for "assembl[ing] talent for a Wu related album". Pitchfork Media
's David Drake called it "a reverent record created for Wu fans, with all the requisite cinema samples and minor-key melodies", writing that "there is enough variation in the production and craft-conscious rhyme construction to make it a worthwhile project, one that unexpectedly stands out in Raekwon's catalog". David Amidon of PopMatters
criticized its "DOOM
-like arrangement", but praised Raekwon's "blunted, effortless delivery" and stated "Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang might not be an album that sinks its teeth in, but it’s definitely breezy, entertaining and another worthy addition to Wu-Tang’s ever-strengthening third or fourth wind".
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
The Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
-member Raekwon
Raekwon
Corey Woods , better known by the stage name Raekwon, is an American rapper and a member of the Wu-Tang Clan. He released his solo debut, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... in 1995, and has since recorded four solo albums, as well as work with Wu-Tang and an extensive amount of guest contributions with...
, released March 7, 2011, on Ice H20 and EMI Records
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
. Guests for the album include Black Thought
Black Thought
Tariq Trotter , better known as Black Thought, is an American hip-hop artist who is the lead MC of the Philadelphia-based hip hop group The Roots and occasional actor...
, Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
, Ghostface Killah
Ghostface Killah
Dennis Coles , better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and prominent member of the Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of Enter the Wu-Tang , the members went on to pursue solo careers to varying levels of success...
, GZA
GZA
Gary Grice , better known by his stage names GZA and The Genius, is an American hip hop artist and founding member of the seminal hip hop group the Wu-Tang Clan. He has also appeared on his fellow clan members' solo projects and has maintained a successful solo career...
, Inspectah Deck
Inspectah Deck
Jason Hunter, better known by his stage name Inspectah Deck, is an American rapper, producer, and member of the Wu-Tang Clan...
, Lloyd Banks
Lloyd Banks
Christopher Charles Lloyd , better known by his stage name Lloyd Banks, is an American rapper and member of the rap group G-Unit. Raised in South Jamaica, Queens, he dropped out of high school in 1998. G-Unit released two albums, Beg for Mercy in 2003 and T.O.S. in 2008...
, Method Man
Method Man
Clifford Smith , better known by his stage name Method Man is an American hip hop artist, record producer, actor and member of the hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He took his stage name from the 1979 film The Fearless Young Boxer, also known as Method Man. He is one half of the rap duo Method Man...
, Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
, and Rick Ross
Rick Ross (rapper)
William Leonard Roberts II , better known by his stage name Rick Ross, is an American rapper. He derived his stage name from the drug trafficker "Freeway" Ricky Ross, to whom he has no connection...
, among others.
The album debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, selling 29,000 copies in its first week. It produced two singles, "Butter Knives" and the title track. Upon its release, Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang received positive reviews from most music critics, who complimented Raekwon's performance and commended him for his musical direction.
Background
Due to the 8 Diagrams controversy, which took place in late 2007, Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang was initially planned to be a Wu-Tang Clan group album, minus production from RZARZA
Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, better known by his stage name RZA , is an American Grammy-winning music producer, multi-instrumentalist, author, emcee, and occasional actor, director, and screenwriter. A prominent figure in Hip Hop, RZA is the de facto leader of the Wu-Tang Clan. He has produced almost...
. Raekwon later revealed that it would instead be his fifth studio album, and as originally intended, would not feature contributions from RZA. In regards to this decision, Raekwon clarified in an interview with Vibe "RZA doesn’t have to be on every album. I wanted to give some other producers a chance. It’s not about beef."
When Raekwon was asked about the album in an interview with Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, he explained "It’s not nothing derogatory towards Wu. It’s just that Shaolin (i.e. Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
) is the place, Wu-Tang is the crew that came from that place. It’s like me just going back to my history of being an emcee first, before I actually became part of Wu-Tang. I always give RZA that support as far as saying he brought Wu-Tang to the table. It was his philosophy. He picked certain dudes to be part of this group, and he said, 'This is what it’s going to be called'. Before that, I was on the block. I was living in Shaolin. So this album just shows the street side of me, challenging the great side of Wu-Tang. Which is almost like how T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
did T.I. vs. T.I.P.
T.I. vs. T.I.P.
T.I. vs. T.I.P. is the fifth studio album by American rapper T.I., released on July 3, 2007 through Grand Hustle Records and Atlantic Records. Recording sessions for the album only took a year in a half to record towards earliy-2007, T.I. stated and confirmed in an interview with MTV News...
You’re going to get sounds that relate to Wu-Tang. You’re going to get sounds that relate to great Rae at his best shit, too. You’re going to get a lot of animation as far as the skits are concerned. It’s going to be a hot one. Everyone’s going to love it."
Recording
Writing and recording for Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang began in early 2010, and finished later that year, with the album's completion being announced on December 7, 2010, on the Shade 45 Morning Show. Unlike Raekwon's previous album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II, Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang contains more collaborations from non Wu-Tang members, such as NasNas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
, Havoc, Black Thought
Black Thought
Tariq Trotter , better known as Black Thought, is an American hip-hop artist who is the lead MC of the Philadelphia-based hip hop group The Roots and occasional actor...
, Lloyd Banks
Lloyd Banks
Christopher Charles Lloyd , better known by his stage name Lloyd Banks, is an American rapper and member of the rap group G-Unit. Raised in South Jamaica, Queens, he dropped out of high school in 1998. G-Unit released two albums, Beg for Mercy in 2003 and T.O.S. in 2008...
, Rick Ross
Rick Ross (rapper)
William Leonard Roberts II , better known by his stage name Rick Ross, is an American rapper. He derived his stage name from the drug trafficker "Freeway" Ricky Ross, to whom he has no connection...
, Raheem DeVaughn
Raheem DeVaughn
Raheem DeVaughn is an American singer and songwriter. His debut album, The Love Experience , reached No. 46 on the Billboard 200 album chart. It featured the singles "Guess Who Loves You More" and "You". His second album Love Behind the Melody was released in January 2008...
, and Estelle
Estelle (musician)
Estelle Fanta Swaray commonly known as Estelle, and formerly as Est'elle, is an English R&B singer-songwriter, rapper and record producer.-Early Life:Estelle was born 18 January 1980 in Hammersmith, London, England...
. In regards to their collaboration, Lloyd Banks explained in an interview with Vibe magazine how he had Raekwon as a guest on his song "Sooner Or Later" (from the H.F.M. 2
H.F.M. 2 (Hunger for More 2)
H.F.M. 2 is the third studio album by American hip-hop artist Lloyd Banks, released on November 22, 2010 through G-Unit Records and EMI.-Background:...
album), stating "I had the beat for a minute, just rocking, vibing with it. I wrote about three verses to it and the sample, the beat—everything just reminded me of the Wu-Tang sound… So I was like, it’s gotta be somebody from the Wu. And I really respect what Rae’s been doing recently. He killed it." Soon after this collaboration, Raekwon offered Banks a spot on the Scram Jones produced track "Last Trip to Scotland". Banks explained "Soon as I heard Raekwon's verse it was on some storytelling shit, so I already knew what I had to do with it. Rae is one of the best at that, so his verse opened up my mind. It wasn’t like I had a blank beat to go off of."
Although a number of artists such as Scoop DeVille, Pete Rock
Pete Rock
Peter Phillips , better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapper. He rose to prominence in the early 1990s as one half of the critically acclaimed group Pete Rock & CL Smooth...
, and Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
were reported to have worked on the album at one time or another, their contributions did not surface on the final version. In spite of Erick Sermon
Erick Sermon
Erick Sermon , in Bay Shore, New York is an American rapper, musician, and producer.Sermon is best known as half of late-1980s/1990s hip hop group EPMD and for production work. He currently resides in Islandia, New York.- Career :...
being inaccurately credited for production on the track "Every Soldier in the Hood", Oh No was later reported to be the song's producer.
Release and promotion
In November 2010, Raekwon confirmed the album's March 8, 2011 release date. On December 7, 2010, Raekwon announced on the Shade 45 Morning Show that Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang is completed. Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang was released by Raekwon's Ice H20 imprint label and distributed through EMIEMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, on March 8 in the United States and on March 7, 2011 in the United Kingdom. The album's first single, "Butter Knives", was produced by Bronze Nazareth and released on December 8, 2010. The album's title track was released as the second single on January 11, 2011. In March 2011, Raekwon promoted the album with a five-date concert tour in the United Kingdom.
Commercial performance
The album debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, with first-week sales of 29,000 copies in the United States. It also charted at number three on Billboard
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
and at number two on its Rap Albums
Top Rap Albums
Top Rap Albums is a record chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks Rap and hip-hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart began publication for the week of November 13, 2004....
chart. In its second week, it sold 9,400 copies and dropped to number 45 on the Billboard 200. As of April 10, 2011 the album has sold 52,000 copies in the United States. In the United Kingdom, it entered at number 21 on the Top RnB Albums
UK R&B Chart
The Official UK R&B Chart is a forty-position R&B/Hip-Hop chart compiled by The Official UK Charts Company. Although the chart does not receive any airplay, its compilation is viewed on BBC Radio 1's website and publications such as ChartsPlus and Music Week...
chart.
Critical response
Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang received positive reviews from most music critics. At MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 74, based on 18 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
writer Jeff Weiss commended its producers for "faithfully re-creat[ing] the RZA’s sword-swinging and bell-ringing aesthetic" and dubbed it Raekwon's "successful quest to return to the days when it was simple, blessed with the wisdom to know which philosophies work". John Kennedy of Vibe wrote that his "dense storytelling veers from Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2s powder-white
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
tales", concluding that "RZA's dark instrumentals are missed, but copious kung fu paraphernalia provide enough hard kicks and sample chops". Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
writer Jody Rosen
Jody Rosen
Jody Rosen is an American journalist and author. He is the music critic for the online magazine Slate, and the author of White Christmas: The Story of an American Song....
commented that he "sounds at ease — as loquacious as ever, unfurling martial-arts-movie allusions and street-crime narratives in a weave of internal rhyme
Internal rhyme
In poetry, internal rhyme, or middle rhyme, is rhyme that occurs in a single line of verse.Internal rhyme occurs in the middle of a line, as exemplified by Coleridge, "In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud" or "Whiles all the night through fog-smoke white," in "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." ...
s". BBC Online's Mike Diver praised his "typically dense and detailed wordplay", adding that "the sinister string samples and mystical talk of fantastical warriors is as good here as it’s been on any previous Raekwon album".
However, Miguel Cullen of Clash
Clash (magazine)
Clash is a popular music and fashion magazine based in the United Kingdom. Its magazine title is published 12 times a year. It has a circulation of around 40,000....
expressed a mixed response towards its production and called it "patchy with flashes of killer bee sting". Ailbhe Malone of NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
panned it as a "cringe worthy attempt at old school revival". Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
's Jesse Cataldo commented that Raekwon "sets out to co-opt and ape the signature Wu-Tang sound, a chop-socky blend of martial arts sound clips, gang-feud lyricism, and materialist nihilism", but viewed that "the scattershot collection of new names and old hands inevitably has mixed results" and concluded, "by attempting to break free from his group's guru, Raekwon inevitably only proves how vital RZA has been to nearly everything its members have produced, and how Raekwon has been unable to break free from his influence". Despite noting "some really awful bits, particularly 'Rock n’ Roll'", David Morris of Tiny Mix Tapes
Tiny Mix Tapes
Tiny Mix Tapes is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, as well as its mix tapes generator.-History:Originally called Tiny Mixtapes Gone to Heaven and...
gave it three-and-a-half out of five stars and complimented its "paranoid and high-tension" beats, as well as Raekwon's performance. Drowned in Sound
Drowned in Sound
DrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...
's Kyle Ellison gave it a seven out of 10 rating and also viewed that it "is by no means perfect [...] ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ leaves me a little cold despite strong production, but the hits easily outweigh the misses".
Despite noting that "nothing quite comes close after 'Every Soldier'", Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic, or simply Sputnik, is a music website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites...
's Sobhi Abdul-Rakhman gave the album four out of five stars and wrote that its guest rappers "all lend some of their best bars in recent history [...] these featured artists and nearly all of Raekwon's performances emphasize the lyrical focus of the record". Steve Juon of RapReviews praised the album's collaborations and commended Raekwon for "assembl[ing] talent for a Wu related album". Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
's David Drake called it "a reverent record created for Wu fans, with all the requisite cinema samples and minor-key melodies", writing that "there is enough variation in the production and craft-conscious rhyme construction to make it a worthwhile project, one that unexpectedly stands out in Raekwon's catalog". David Amidon of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
criticized its "DOOM
MF Doom
Daniel Dumile is a hip hop artist who has taken on several stage names in his career, most notably MF DOOM, where the "MF" stands for metal face, and for tracks he has produced, metal fingers...
-like arrangement", but praised Raekwon's "blunted, effortless delivery" and stated "Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang might not be an album that sinks its teeth in, but it’s definitely breezy, entertaining and another worthy addition to Wu-Tang’s ever-strengthening third or fourth wind".
Track listing
Sample credits- "Ferry Boat Killaz" contains a sample of "I Comme Icare" by Ennio MorriconeEnnio MorriconeEnnio Morricone, Grand Officer OMRI, , is an Italian composer and conductor, who wrote music to more than 500 motion pictures and television series, in a career lasting over 50 years. His scores have been included in over 20 award-winning films as well as several symphonic and choral pieces...
- "Dart School" contains a sample of "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" by Curtis MayfieldCurtis MayfieldCurtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer.He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield is highly...
- "Molasses" contains a sample of "Troubles, Heartaches & Sadness" by Ann PeeblesAnn PeeblesAnn Peebles is an African American singer-songwriter who gained celebrity for her Memphis soul albums of the 1970s on the Hi Records label...
- "The Scroll" contains a sample of "Apache" by The Incredible Bongo Band
- "Crane Style" contains a sample of "Shaft In Africa" by Johnny PateJohnny PateJohnny Pate is a jazz bassist who late became a music arranger/producer, and a leading figure in Chicago soul as well as pop/R&B music....
- "Snake Pond" contains a sample of "Breakthrough" by Isaac HayesIsaac HayesIsaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
- "Masters Of Our Fate" contains a sample of "Man With A Harmonica" by Ennio MorriconeEnnio MorriconeEnnio Morricone, Grand Officer OMRI, , is an Italian composer and conductor, who wrote music to more than 500 motion pictures and television series, in a career lasting over 50 years. His scores have been included in over 20 award-winning films as well as several symphonic and choral pieces...
Personnel
Credits for Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang adapted from Allmusic.- The Alchemist – producer
- Blue Rocks – producer
- Bronze Nazareth – producer
- Mel Carter – executive producer
- Cilvaringz – producer
- Dave Darlington – mixing
- Raheem DeVaughn – mixing
- DJ Khalil – producer
- DJ Mathematics – producer
- Havoc - producer
- Kenny Dope – producer
- Sean Frigot – layout
- Ed "Wolverine" Goldson – bass
- Brian Herman – engineer
- Yas Inoue – engineer
- Scram Jones – executive producer, producer
- Chris Nipz – graphic design, layout
- Raekwon – executive producer, quotation author
- Selasi – producer
- Oh No – producer
- Doug Wilson – mixing
- Donperrion Woods – A&R
- Kareem "Kay" Woods – executive producer
- Xtreme Beats – producer
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK R&B Albums UK R&B Chart The Official UK R&B Chart is a forty-position R&B/Hip-Hop chart compiled by The Official UK Charts Company. Although the chart does not receive any airplay, its compilation is viewed on BBC Radio 1's website and publications such as ChartsPlus and Music Week... |
21 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
12 |
| US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
3 |
| US Billboard Rap Albums Top Rap Albums Top Rap Albums is a record chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks Rap and hip-hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart began publication for the week of November 13, 2004.... |
2 |
External links
- Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...