Music

Album review: Wu-Tang Clan’s ‘A Better Tomorrow’

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Max Plenke

Two and a half stars

Wu-Tang Clan A Better Tomorrow

Do we still like Wu-Tang Clan because it’s hip-hop heresy not to? Have the Marvel Avengers of rap actually released nothing but heat, or did they hit hero status during the Clinton administration and are heretofore tenured in the short list of rap fan favorites, regardless of everything after The W? Does it even matter if they’re too well-fed to be lyrically hungry anymore? These are all questions you’ll ask listening to 2014’s A Better Tomorrow. What’s weird is, the album isn’t even bad. Opener “Ruckus in B Minor” and “Necklace” have enough fire to keep the album spinning until the end—and would have been solid singles for lesser groups. But it became more obvious as the track numbers rose: 2014 Wu isn’t 1993 Wu. It isn’t even 1997 or 2000 Wu. The second-to-last song on the record is called, “Never Let Go.” In the interest of some members’ successful solo careers, maybe it’s time to follow new advice.

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