An introduction to da ruckus

It was about 11 years ago that nine New York City rappers put together one of the most consistent, hard-hitting and raw hip-hop albums ever created. 1993's Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers introduced the world to all the personalities of the Wu, but, unfortunately, it was its high water mark as well -- none of its releases maintained the same standard of quality as its first. It's no wonder that Legends features eight of Enter the Wu-Tang's 12 tracks, although the classic "Method Man" has been given a shoddy remix.\nThis is a great introduction for listeners unfamiliar with the Wu's body of work -- it has the stellar early tracks, the epic "Triumph" from 1997's oversized Wu-Tang Forever and the downright confusing "Gravel Pit" from The W, which were honestly the only reasons to buy those two respective albums. Of course, were it up to me I would have included "6th Chamber," "In the Hood" or "A Better Tomorrow."\nTruth be told, the Wu has released some quality material since its debut that might necessitate this CD. However, the best way to discover its talents is still to buy Enter the Wu-Tang -- none of the subsequent albums (despite their merits) measure up, and save for a time machine bringing the Clan of 1993 into the present, I don't think any new material will either.