Legendary Weapons (Deluxe Edition)

In 2011, with the 20th anniversary of the release of Enter the Wu-Tang only a few years in the offing, few would have the temerity to question the extent of the Wu-Tang Clan’s artistic legacy. While Clan mainstays like Ghostface and Raekwon have both released critically and commercially successful solo albums in the past few years, feuds amongst Clan members have dimmed prospects for the timely release of a new Wu-Tang full-length. While the absence of key Clan members like Masta Killa and Gza effectively prevents Legendary Weapons from being considered a proper follow-up to 2007’s divisive but intriguing 8 Diagrams, it is nonetheless a fine collection of cutting, street tempered hip-hop. This is at least partly due to the bare-bones production work of Fizzy Womack, who brings a healthy dose of the head crushing relentlessness of his work for Brownsville’s infamous street-rap duo M.O.P. to album standouts like the claustrophobic posse cut “Laced Cheeba” and the soul-drenched Ghostface feature “Meteor Hammer.”