Wu-Tang Clan

Last Night: Rock the Bells @ Red Rocks

Beyond Playlist: Charles Mingus and More

Top Music Turkeys and Other Assorted Goodies

Friday Rap-Up

Q&A With The RZA

What the blood clot?! Method Man among early celeb sightings

Critic's Choice

Still Bringing the Ruckus

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

Friday Rap-Up: Catch Lungs, The Roots, 50 Cent

LOCALS ONLY Colorado rapper Catch Lungs started get his name buzzed about in the local scene when he started working with producers SP Double and Flawless as part of the Boostwell Crew last year. After separating from Boostwell this summer, he began working on his own mixtape, Food for the Famishe ... 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 >>

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 >>

Wu-Tang Clan

8 Diagrams
Loud/SRC/Universal

GZA

Saturday, August 30, Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom, 303-297-1772.

Mini Reviews

Saturday, August 30, Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom, 303-297-1772.

GZA

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

Critics' Picks for 2007

Backbeat scribes sound off on their favorite releases of the past year.

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.

Déjà Wu

What's up with the Wu-Tang Clan paying homage to Stapleton and Park Hill?

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)

On the Records

Backbeat contributors reflect on the releases that helped them survive the year 2000.

Playlist

Ol' Dirty Bastard, Richmond Fontaine, Basement Jaxx, Barbra Streisand

Playlist

Ol' Dirty Bastard, Richmond Fontaine, Basement Jaxx, Barbra Streisand

Playlist

Ol' Dirty Bastard, Richmond Fontaine, Basement Jaxx, Barbra Streisand

Thrills for the week

Ol' Dirty Bastard, Richmond Fontaine, Basement Jaxx, Barbra Streisand

PLAYLIST

Ol' Dirty Bastard, Richmond Fontaine, Basement Jaxx, Barbra Streisand

Q&A with Krispy Kream of the Knux

​Don't let the tight jeans and thick-rimmed glasses fool you. The brothers who make up The Knux were raised about as far away from the suburbs as you can get: New Orleans' Ninth Ward. Still, Krispy Kream and Rah Almillio (aka Kentrell and Alvin Lindsey) found their sound by listening to just a ... 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 >>

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 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 >>

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 >>

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 Weekend Show Down: All Westword, all the time

​ We all know that every single weekend in Denver is like a confectionery of delicious shows: Too many choices, too little time. But if you have a hard time with that status quo, you're going to be ripping your hair out with indecision this weekend, because it's finally here, the Westword Mus ... More >>

Ghostface at Summit Music Hall, 11/06/10

Aaron ThackerayGhostface​ GHOSTFACE With Sheek Louch • Frank Dukes • Black Pegasus • Liquid Assassin 11.06.10 | Summit Music Hall Ghostface swooped through Denver over the weekend for a performance at Summit Music Hall with Sheek Louch, Black Pegasus and Liquid Assassin. The venue, wit ... 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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

Ill discount or Illest discount? Free breakfast for the Wu-Tang members at Cafe Europa

I'll take my coffee with CREAM! (dolla dolla bill y'all). Cafe Europa employees: Serious Wu-Tang fans.​Cafe Europa's general manager, Adam Azeris, is bringing a little piece of Brooklyn right here into Denver. The coffee shop at Penn and Bayaud has been respectfully dubbed "Wu-Ropa," in honor ... More >>

Slim Cessna, A. Tom Collins, Serious Moonlight and DJ MU$A 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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

Is Raekwon of the Wu-Tang Clan a beer nerd?

Raekwon (foreground) and Ghostface Killah (background)​Last week, we wrote that Wu-Tang Clan member and solo rapper Ghostface Killah made a sort-of surprising move by okaying the use of his name on a beer made by Boulder-based Twisted Pine Brewing. Ghost just asked that Twisted Pine sent him a ... More >>

Odd Future

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

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

The Lady Wu-Tang on Saturday night at City Hall. More photos from the Lady Wu-Tang show at City Hall.The Lady Wu-Tang, a group of Denver-area female MC's 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 ... More >>