Wu-Tang Clan

With 8 Diagrams, Wu-Tang Clan brings an old school authenticity that is-amid current rap's preoccupation with sheen and surface-surprisingly fresh. Their street cred is undeniable and their game on tracks like "Unpredictable" is aggressive, with lines such as "Half y'all talk about it/But you don't walk walk/See my wolves eat the bones then we still want more/ We be foaming at the mouth even." Rather than playing world-weary old men, Wu-Tang come off as young and hungry. It suits them well.

The first song, "Campfire," pulls no punches, name-checking Timbaland, Talib Kweli and Justin Timberlake. The vibe is strikingly harsh but well-produced, intricate but not overdone. Rapping in a machine-gun staccato, the Wu-Tang Clan won't be confused with MCs like Common or Kanye. They have something to say, but they don't care if you listen or not.

"Take It Back" recalls vintage Tribe and aptly reminds the listener of Wu-Tang's place at the beginning of rap as we know it today.

A few of the songs initially sound like ghost towns, with distressed vocals sampled from some Orson Welles-era radio address. This proves to be one of their critical flaws, as they often take sampling too far. Their songs are built around the samples as opposed to the other way around.

They leave nothing to the imagination as other rappers often do. Ghostface Killah goes into full detail on how, "I left my chick for cheating on me, now that b- is miserable/ Popping bottles, painting hella Wallos on my physical/We gon' have a ball, might as well pick a testicle."

Call it crass, call it endearing, call them Wu-Tang Clan.

-Alex Fankuchen