Artist:  Wu-Tang
Title:  Iron Flag
File Under:  NY Rap.
Grade:  9
As cool as the fucking Wu-Tang Clan of course.

The Wu returned to NY to record this album for the first time since their 1993 debut, and it shows. The raw hard beats from 36 Chambers are back showing the RZA is still on top of his game. Ol' Dirty Bastard remains incarcerated (though there's a new album from him due in March) , Cappadonna appears removed from the family but that doesn't seem to take away from this album. Flavor Flav is a brilliant substitute for the incarcerated O.D.B. shouting with his usual inane genius on 'Soul Power (Urban Jungle)'. The drum rolls and off-kilter horns of "Uzi (Pinky Ring)" remind me why I got with the Wu in the first place. 'Iron Flag' lasts an hour and gets a bit slow towards the end but, there is no filler unlike the last two Wu albums and it ends with a classic kung-fu sample. What more could you want?

says:  Buy it.