Some of that old pharmaceutical majesty

Do we need the Wu-Tang Clan? In August, Clan sensei RZA begged the question with a self-justifying statement promising that the Wu's fifth studio album, 8 Diagrams, would "revive the spirit and the economics and bring in a wave of energy that has lately disappeared," thus saving hip-hop. Provocatively, he also asked a question that gave 8 Diagrams a heavy burden to bear: "How could hip-hop be dead if Wu Tang is forever?"

You can find the rest of my review of Wu-Tang Clan's 8 Diagrams at Slant Magazine.