While the reaction to Wu-Tang Clan's last proper full-length, 2007's 8 Diagrams, wasn't bad per se, it wasn't great, either—even among the people who performed on it. Wu-Tang's Raekwon infamously called RZA a "hip-hop hippie" in his criticism of the group's new direction.
But the new "Laced Cheeba" bodes well for the upcoming Legendary Weapons, due out July 26. It's Ghostface's show, but Sean Price and Trife Diesel put in strong performances (the "Everybody got AIDS" line is a little weird) against a smooth, almost trip-hop beat and the Kung Fu samples that are Wu-Tang staple.
Wu-Tang Clan – Laced Cheeba by TheAVClub
Like 2009's Chamber Music, Legendary Weapons isn't quite a full-blown Wu-Tang album, though. As Prefix reported last month, the album features a ton of guest spots, with the core of the Wu-Tang providing a sort of framework. That core's missing GZA, according to Prefix's tracklist—maybe he's too busy working on his sequel to Liquid Swords, supposedly due out this year.