FINAL CUT ROUND 2: WU-TANG vs OUTKAST!
February 21, 2010
I'm back for more. The first "Final Cut" post pitted The Fugees versus A Tribe Called Quest. Read it HERE.
Bam. Listen up, here's the scenario. You're riding the Metro Bus somewhere in California. You just got done seeing a massive white man who is most likely a World War II veteran absolutely demolish a younger black man in an exchange of fists. After fighting this man, he runs up to you on the sidewalk and demands that you give him one classic hip hop group to listen to for the rest of his remaining human life. Well, you're not going to tell this guy anything but hell yes but here's the problem.
You've got a backpack full of albums from only two groups. Outkast and the Wu-Tang Clan. Which album do you pass? The duo from Atlanta or the mob from New York City?
You tell me, it's Final Cut Round 2, Wu-Tang vs. Outkast.
The Wu-Tang Clan.
What to say about the mighty Wu that hasn't already been said? No one does grime better than the Wu-Tang Clan. (Not even the blokes who invented the musical genre.) You have to respect the reign and movement that Wu-Tang stood at the forefront of during the early 90's. Their brand of Staten Island street symphony not only lead to an almost decade long rampage across the charts, but a massive and dedicated following who to this day are probably still wearing Timberland boots and Wu-Wear jackets.
There is something about listening to Wu-Tang. It's this strange goosebump feeling that overcomes the body as flying daggers and swishing blades begin arcing across the room courtesy of your speakers. I think it's the reason there is still an enormous contingency of Wu fans across the world who will proudly wear their Wu-Tang logo t-shirts to every single concert they attend (Wu-Tang concerts or any other, trust me-you know at least one of these people.) and may or may not have Inspectah Deck's infamous first verse from Triumph tattooed across their entire back. For whatever reason, Wu-Tang allows you to forget that you're a one-hundred-forty pound suburban kid from Idaho and instead embody the savage, half crazed antics of O.D.B. or Method Man for the five minutes that the RZA's glorious musical production takes place inside your head.
That to me is why you can't put anyone above the Clan. They bring about a feeling that no other group in the history of rap comes close to matching. They didn't just create great fans, they created a following of people who to this day will probably try to end your life-or mine for that matter for this article, if you suggest that any other group reigns supreme above the Clan's "shitty moral combat sounds." Clan in the front, respect given.
Outkast.
Three Stacks and Sir Lucius Left Foot. The two word smiths have been warping and contorting ATL-drenched verbals since their Southernplayalistc debut and literally have never looked back sense. There is no duo in the history of Hip-Hop more prolific, diverse, or consistent.
You have to respect a group that can go from producing "Players Ball" in 1993 and then exactly ten years later win a grammy for writing and performing "Hey Ya!", and still having the respect of hip-hop fans everywhere. I guess that's not too hard to imagine since we've all grown use to Dre and Big Boi absolutely ripping anything they touch, whether it happened in '95 or 2005. Big Boi's Shine Blockas with Gucci Mane was easily one of 2009's stand out rap songs in my opinion and if Andrew 3000 put out any music in 2009 I must have missed it. But all we have to do is look back to"International Players Anthem" to shake our heads at the lyrical mastery that comes from that bloke.
Outkast has always been able to produce these strange, warped R&B soundscape tracks that somehow manage to keep our attention on every album. I'm talking about those songs like Funky Ride, where all you can do is sort of sit back, nod your head, and wonder what the hell they were on in the studio when they made this. (Much less decide to put it on the finished album.) Outkast has delivered hit after hit after hit, and if god willing they decided to bless us with at least a few more albums before they retire from the musical spotlight then the world would be a better place for it. Da Art of Storytelling is a top 10 best hip-hop songs of all time. I just needed to add that in to the equation. Two Dope Boys in a Cadillac-respect given.
But now the final question? WHO reigns supreme? This is your chance, my part is done. I laid the gauntlet, set the table, arrange the silverware and plates it's now your turn to come to the banquet table and dine. Hit that comment button now and let your argument be known. If you could only have one group for the rest of your life, who do you walk away with? Wu-Tang or Outkast?
Oh my opinion you ask? At the end of the day I have to run with the duo from Atlanta. I once played nothing but Southernplayalistic in my Jeep for an entire month and I consider my life drastically improved for the experience. I love the Wu-Tang Clan, and I love mobbing around my dorm room like a Shaolin warrior, but if it came down to it at the end of the day I'd have to walk away with the diverse and extraordinarily funky discography of Outkast.
Looking forward to hearing these responses!
Stay Safe-Phil.
Easily Wu is my choice:/ without hesitation. Just favorable personally.