Wu-Tang Clan

The fifty greatest rap groups of all time

There's something great about a hip-hop group. From the beginning, it was never intended to be a solo endeavor; rap began in cyphers at block parties, and the first established rappers were components of a collective centered around the more important DJ. Even now that the rapper is the star, it's n ... More >>

Raekwon's thoughts on storytelling in hip-hop

This Friday, Raekwon of the Wu-Tang Clan is teaming up with DJ Premier to celebrate 4/20 with the legendary DJ Premier at the 420 Extravaganja this Friday, April 19, at HoodLab. This show marks the first time Raekwon and DJ Premier share a bill. We spoke with Raekwon about the prospect of performing ... More >>

The ten best concerts in Denver this week

LOW @ LARIMER LOUNGE | FRI, 3/29/13 Since its inception in 1993, Low has created a body of work characterized by a fragile intensity. Although often lumped in under the banner of "slowcore" with a group of bands of similar sonic leanings, like Red House Painters, Galaxie 500, Tarnation and Codeine, ... More >>

The 50 worst rap lyrics: The complete list

We've finally arrived: The The best of the worst. The creme de la crap. The unholy of unholies. If you thought 50-11 were bad, you ain't seen nothin' yet. These are the lyrics that can turn a good album sour, and make a bad album laughable. Included are quotes from Eminem, Lil B, J. Cole, 2 Chainz, ... More >>

The 50 worst rap lyrics of all time: 40-31

Okay, just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, and it does. Yesterday, I ran down some of the lamest lines, the worst rap lyrics from 50-41, and today we inch ever closer to the top of the bottom. Spoiler alert: Lil' Wayne makes the cut (again), as does Jay-Z (twice), as well as Eminem, Atmo ... More >>

The ten best hip-hop shows this month

The hip-hop, as you know, doesn't stop. It's a new month, which means there's another fresh batch of dope shows for you. And trust: March has plenty of freshness on tap, from revered elder statesmen like De La Soul, Naughty By Nature and GZA to newer cats like Tech N9ne, French Montana and Kendrick ... More >>

Ten acts that helped make hip-hop more accessible to mainstream audiences

Hip-hop is a world unto itself. Its rich tradition of spoken word poetry, self-referential subject matter and electronic and sample-based production make it, in many ways, a difficult musical form to adapt to, especially if you come from a more traditional background. These ten acts helped make rap ... More >>

Alex Maas of the Black Angels on Phosphene Dream and the band's evolving sound

In recent years, the Black Angels have deservedly been a prominent band in the psychedelic rock world. Though the act had the rare distinction of being the backing band for one of the pioneers of psychedelic rock, Roky Erickson of the 13th Floor Elevators, the music created by the Austin-based act i ... More >>

9th Wonder on how hip-hop is like pills in the applesauce, a gateway to knowledge and history

A revered hip-hop producer who got his start with Phonte and Big Pooh in the North Carolina-based group Little Brother, 9th Wonder has worked an array of top shelf artists from Jay-Z and Destiny's Child to Mary J. Blige and Ludacris, among many others. Known as one of the best samplers in hip-hop, w ... More >>

The ten best movies featuring rappers

Wu-Tang has been immersed in kung-fu for so long, it was inevitable that one member of the Clan would make a major appearance in a martial arts movie at some point. The RZA appeared briefly in Ghost Dog in 1999, but only for a passing moment, though he did produce the soundtrack. In The Man with the ... More >>

GZA and Killer Mike at Summit, 9/22/12

GZA @ SUMMIT MUSIC HALL | 9/22/12 "I don't have a hypeman, so you're my hype man," Killer Mike tells the crowd two songs into his set. "So get hype, motherfuckers." The crowd is more than happy to comply. Opening with the first three songs from his new album, the emcee emits a raw energy on stage t ... More >>

Datsik

Thursday, August 30, Ogden Theatre, 888-929-7849.

The Wu-Tang Clan forever changed the game

Heavily inspired by mob movies and king-fu cinema, Wu-tang Clan began in Staten Island, the brainchild of the brilliantly sharp RZA, who brought his brothers and their talents together to form a hip-hop conglomerate whose rhymes are as much based on the science of everything in life as they are abou ... More >>

Suzi Q. Smith: Watch our cover poet perform with Lady Wu-Tang, Denver's raw and rowdy female tribute

Image via​When we wrote on this week's cover that local slammer Suzi Q. Smith is "poetry in motion," we weren't kidding. In addition to owning one of the boldest voices in Denver's prolific poetry scene, Smith and her poet peers have also breached the world of music. In local tribute band Lady ... More >>

Photos: The Lady Wu-Tang at City Hall, 1/28/12

The Lady Wu-Tang, a group of Denver-area female MCs who formed to put on tribute shows to the Wu-Tang Clan, played its one-year anniversary show on Saturday night at City Hall. Photos from the show are below.

Odd Future

Saturday, October 8, Fox Theatre, Boulder, 303-443-3399; Sunday, October 9, Ogden Theatre, www.axs.com

Q&A with Raekwon on the passing of ODB and Wu-Tang's influence on the world

As one of the nine original members of Wu-Tang Clan, Raekwon (due tonight at Summit Music Hall with BLKHRTS and Remo) helped make the renowned New York City hip-hop collective a permanent part of rap history. After branching out on his own in 1995, the Chef continues to spit out solo efforts left an ... More >>

Ghostface Killah signs off on Colorado's Ghost Face Killah, the hottest beer in the world

​When news about the hottest beer in the world, Ghost Face Killah, went national, the staff at Boulder's Twisted Pine Brewing was a little nervous. After all, they'd named the beer, which is made with ghost peppers, after rapper Ghostface Killah from the Wu-Tang Clan without asking for his per ... More >>

Ex-members of Makeout Point reform as Bizarre Learning Center

​Backbeat approved post-punk band Makeout Point broke up a couple months ago. A sad day for Denver music fans, but several of its members are brewing up another project: Bizarre Learning Center. So far it's a tumblr and the promise of demos, but there's plenty to start getting excited about. " ... More >>

Village Voice Media and Frank 151 throw down at SxSW with Wu-Tang Clan and Yelawolf

​WU-hah! If you're going to SXSW this year, be sure to mark Thursday, March 17 on your calendar with a big fat red circle. Austin Music Hall is the place to be from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. for our annual Village Voice Showdown, being co-produced by Frank 151. This year, Wu-Tang Clan is headlining the ... More >>

BLKHRTS, Wu-Tang top our weekly playlists

​As people who think about, talk about, listen to and make music, the most common question we encounter is, "What are you listening to right now?" Whether you're looking for recommendations, trying to get a feel for our individual sensibilities, or are just curious, we've compiled a list of al ... More >>

All-female Wu-Tang Clan cover group sells out Walnut Room, 1/22/11

Stephanie Auld​ The first edition of Hip-Hop Covers, an all-female Wu-Tang tribute, was way beyond sold out. By the time the nine local MCs, poets and singers took the stage, the Walnut Room was at capacity, and there was a crowd of people waiting outside the door. It didn't matter if you wer ... More >>

Hip-Hop Covers: The Wu-Tang Clan tribute at the Walnut Room

You're familiar with the Wu Tang Clan, we presume? Yeah? Meet the Ru Tang clan. Okay, that's not the name these ladies are going by, but it seems like a fitting enough handle seeing as how our own Ru Johnson is helping put together this very special show at the Walnut Room this Saturday, January 2 ... More >>

Geeks Who Drink and Westword team up for Westword Music Knowcase: The all-music quiz

​Do you know way too much about who slept with whom in Fleetwood Mac? Do you long for others to witness your disturbingly thorough knowledge of 80s hair-metal drum solos? Do you know jack shit about music but sort of feel like getting hammered in the presence of a bunch of music nerds, on the ... More >>

The Chain Gang of 1974, Jónsi, Wire Faces and more top our weekly playlists

​As people who think about, talk about, listen to and make music, the most common question we encounter is, "What are you listening to right now?" So whether you're looking for recommendations, trying to get a feel for our individual sensibilities, or are just curious, we've compiled a list of ... More >>

Heavy Rotation, our top spins for the week of December 1, 2009

​As music critics -- and people who generally think about, talk about, listen to and make music -- the most common question we get asked (and ask each other, for that matter) is, "What are you listening to right now?" The pervasiveness of this query is precisely what inspired Heavy Rotation. For t ... More >>

Heavy Rotation, our top spins for the week of September 14, 2009

​As music critics, the most common question we get asked (and ask each other, for that matter) is, "What are you listening to?" The pervasiveness of this query is precisely what inspired Heavy Rotation, our latest feature. For the benefit of those who happen to be curious, we've compiled a list of ... More >>

Heavy Rotation, our top spins for the week of August 31, 2009

​As music critics, the most common question we get asked (and ask each other, for that matter) is, "What are you listening to?" The pervasiveness of this query is precisely what inspired Heavy Rotation, our latest feature. For the benefit of those who happen to be curious, we've compiled a list of ... More >>

Denver greats pay tribute to hip-hop's greats at Get Down Wednesdays

Gotta love Denver, man. At the risk of sounding like a homer, the creativity here is invigorating. It seems cats are constantly striving to come up with compelling ways to put on shows, Stand By Your Band at the hi-dive, Denver Does Denver and now Hip-Hop Bites Back, an idea whose time has truly com ... More >>

Twelve Things Every Wu-Tang Fan Should Own

The Wu-Tang Clan plays the Ogden tonight. You should go -- but you should also know that Wu fans are pretty rabid, and would like to know that you are as rabid as they are. So, here, a handy guide to making yourself look like you deserve entrance into the 36 chambers. Good luck. -- Joe Tone

The Westword.com blog shortcut, December 10 edition

It's beginning to feel a lot like blog roundup time. Today in Backbeat Online: • Twelve things every Wu-Tang Clan fan should own. • Mile High Makeout: Dreaming of me. • An extremely entertaining Q&A with Ryan Hendrix of Colourmusic. • Rap Up: Whygee and Sunken State unite for a free EP. â ... More >>

Mini Reviews

Q&A With The RZA

GZA

Tuesday, April 29, Bluebird Theater, 303-830-8497; Wednesday, April 30, Fox Theatre, Boulder, 303-443-3399.

Wu-Tang Clan

8 Diagrams
Loud/SRC/Universal

Top Music Turkeys and Other Assorted Goodies

Beyond Playlist: Charles Mingus and More

Last Night: Rock the Bells @ Red Rocks

Supernatural Speaks His Mind

Words are a weapon for hip-hop's reigning freestyle king.

Rap Sheet

Comeback kids, rhymin' Limeys and songs about partying defined Hip-Hop Nation in 2006.

Ghostface

Friday, March 17, Gothic Theatre, 866-468-7621.

ODB

A Son Unique (Def Jam)

Dirt Nap

We'll miss the Ol' Dirty Bastard.

Ghostface

The Pretty Toney Album (Def Jam/Universal)

Still Bringing the Ruckus

Raekwon and Ghostface Killah stay tied to the Wu-Tang Clan as they invent their own legacy.

Critic's Choice

Playlist

Playlist

Thrills for the week

PLAYLIST