An irreplaceable attribute of good music is its ability to relate to an audience; to a degree, a listener must identify with any work of art to enjoy it. The true masters stand out, however, when they deliver quality material with absolutely no semblance of a connection to the majority of society. Wu-Block, a group effort between members of New York-based rap groups Wu-Tang Clan and D-Block, does exactly this on its self-titled collaborative album.
The themes presented on Wu-Block are by no means surprising given the participating members, headed by Ghostface Killah of Wu-Tang and Sheek Louch of D-Block. Album opener “Crack Spot Stories” serves as the perfect launching point for the LP, spitting effortless lines detailing sex with Asian women, various locations to obtain cocaine, and enumerated euphemisms for genitalia over smooth R&B backing vocals and kicks.
Though unique for each track, these beats and harmonies contribute little to Wu-Block’s success as a whole. The album is instead crafted by startlingly clever and at times borderline intellectual wordplay starkly contrasted with bawdy themes. “Comin’ For Ya Head,” for instance, directly references Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, superimposing an existentialist commentary on verses describing cocked guns and death threats.
“Different Time Zones,” a tribute to a lifestyle of throwing cash at trips from New York to Paris to Brazil while carrying “a briefcase of Euros and Indian money,” approaches lyrical composition from a different angle. Numerous glosses on the narrative and various asides keep the listener engaged while cruising over the “ooh”s and rhythms. “I should make a documentary on what race can give the best head,” Ghostface muses, while examining white women laying in his bed.
Over the course of the album, some topics become redundant. Toward the middle, “Cocaine Central” at last desensitizes the listener to drug references, leaving only eye-rolls as reactions to the theme.
Still, various sexual escapades and reckless abandon inundating Wu-Block are entertaining for all, not just the target audience of the collaboration. With complete disregard for standards of conduct and an abandonment of morals, Wu-Block tramples social mores while demonstrating linguistic and sampling mastery. Unoriginal, but entertaining.
