Indie Culture Gets Wu'd
By Chris Rolls | more stories by this author
October 14, 2005 at 06:00:00 PM
Dreddy Kruger merges the Wu-Tang with indie microphone masters, producing one of this year's most important releases.
The Internet is abuzz with the latest Wu-Tang-affiliated release, Dreddy Kruger Presents...Think Differently Music: Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture. Such compilations have historically proven either mediocre or just plain terrible, but Dreddy Kruger has seen his vision through with astounding success. Let there be no confusion, Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture is not a Wu-Tang album per se, but rather, it's a melding of the signature Wu core sound and extended Wu family members' sounds with independent microphone virtuosos, including MF Doom, Ras Kass, Aesop Rock, Del tha Funky Homosapien, Casual, Sean Price, J-Live, C-Rayz Walz, Planet Asia, R.A. the Rugged Man, Littles, Cannibal Ox, Timbo King, Prodigal Sunn, Solomon Child, and Tragedy Khadafi. If those MCs don't get you jumping, then the appearance of RZA, GZA, and U-God should.
Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture will introduce many to Brooklyn native Dreddy Kruger, who conceptualized the album and saw it through to fruition. Kruger's been down with the Wu since its infancy. Originally a dancer for GZA during his Cold Chillin' Records days, Kruger went on to become an artist signed to RZA's Wu-Tang Records label.
Amassing Wu beats over the past decade-plus armed Kruger with enough vintage Wu material for this compilation. The effect of mixing contemporary MCs with an antiquated Wu-Tang aesthetic is mesmerizing. Hearing the likes of Hieroglyphics' ringleader Del tha Funky Homosapien, or Ras Kass, over Wu beats is enough to make any rap fiend cry "Hallelujah!" The collaboration that really has kids goin' nuts is between RZA and MF Doom (aka Bobby Digital and Metal Fingers). The track is called "Biochemical Equation," and it's the lead single from Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture--for obvious reasons.
Track Listing:
1. Introduction
2. GZA & Ras Kass - Lyrical Swords
3. Vast Aire, Timbo King, Prodigal Sunn & Byata - Slow Blues
4. Sean Price, U-God, C-Rayz Walz, & Prodigal Sunn - Still Grimey
5. Skit
6. Casual, Rock Marciano, Vordul Mega & Tragedy Khadafi - Think Differently
7. Infomercial #1
8. RZA & MF Doom - Biochemical Equation
9. O.D.B. Tribute
10. Del tha Funkee Homosapien - Fragments
11. Intermission
12. Bronze Nazareth, Solomon Childs & Byata - Street Corners
13. Littles, Khalid & Planet Asia - Listen
14. Infomercial #2
15. La The Darkman, Scaramanga Shallah, Ras Kass & GZA - Verses
16. Aesop Rock & Del Tha Funkee Homosapien - Preservation
17. C.C.F. Division - Cars On The Interstate...
18. J-Live & RA The Rugged Man - Give It Up
19. Bronze Nazareth - Black Dawn