meth was the first star. won a grammy. crossover.

everyone in the clan wouldn't hesitate...the answer is gza. why do you think he always goes last.

rae made THAT album. don't act like you didn't put him in the conversation with nas, biggie, prodigy, etc. in the mid 90s. and don't act like ob4cl was 100% rza.

ghost has the most die-hard following. i've seen dudes cry at his shows. he also made ob4cl what is was. and he saved the wu in 2000.

fuck that rza should be in the conversation with "sunshower" and "12 jewelz". those two songs summed up the entire wu in 2 verses.

deck was ON POINT on all the posse cuts.

nobody ever will be like ODB. and the wu isn't the same without him.

masta killah?

u-god?

Poll question: let's FINALLY settle it...best WU-TANG mc

Poll result (99 votes) gza (27 votes) Vote ghost (40 votes) Vote rae (7 votes) Vote meth (16 votes) Vote deck (6 votes) Vote other (3 votes) Vote

Meth and Masta Killa are dope as well.

The rest of them, I don't care about them outside of the group (OB4CL excluded).

Rae all day. Nobody is messin' with his slang. Sometimes ghost is too direct, I like that rae's verses sometimes seem like he's speaking in code. Gza's flow was a bit esoteric at times buy not really because he made his own slang it was just that its full of obscure 5% stuff. Not to say gza isn't dope. Rae's lines have a unique phraseology that reminds me of poetry, plus the rhymes is dope so its a win win.

But you could make a strong case for any of them dudes.

gza no question. smoothest of the bunch. pleasure to listen to.

-----------------------------
http://www.shenzhenphotos.com

Otherwise....hard call. I like Method the most, but Raekwon obviously has the best solo, with Ghost coming in second.

murks everyone elses whole catalogue

Sometimes the wild card is Trump.

you are the only one who got it right! wow... all these others lost. smdh.

If afterwards your answer isn't GZA, sit down & listen again.

I guarantee no one in the Clan has ever reached that level of pure skill.

It was an MC clinic. He literally took the baton from Rakim by making an album of dense lyricism where every word connected and it made sense. *He* couldn't even repeat it.

All that being said, OBFCL is the best album out of the Clan, but GZA is the best out the clan whether he's your favorite or not.

Liquid Swords is my favorite album from the entire Clan and I agree GZA put on a clinic that is up there with the best of them.

And Deck doesn't even have a great solo to his name�but this dude just has unbelievable verses.

Like everything he is on he absolutely destroys.

MCing wise�Deck, GZA, and Meth are the best with Rae in a very close 4th.

Ghost and Rae have the best catalogues though so I would put them as 1 & 2 as far as artists go.

.

i can't really speak to how strong he is LYRICALLY
in comparrison to the rest,

but overall, ghost releases the best material overall.

the production, the emotion of his words,
the humor, the total package...

his albums are just better than the rest of them.

.

One thing I'm certain of though is that Wu is the best collective of mc's that ever came together.. By far!!!

versatility... light shit, dark shit, serious shit, comedic shit, stories, pop, r&b, etc. etc.

lyrical dexterity... has some of the more dense material i've ever heard... i still marvel at shit like verse #2 on "One".. rhyme schemes are super complex too..

best (or 2nd best) solo album of the bunch... for me personally, Supreme Clientele is a top 7 rap album

innovation.. dude's storytelling ability is off the charts.. and not even just in a straight up, linear format... dude switches POV, includes Tarantino-esque asides and detail.. the actual content of the stories is generally such that GFK is the ONLY person who could rap shit like that..

personality... granted, he's topped by ODB and RZA in this category, imo.. not Meth, even though most ppl would argue that.. i think Meth's style is easier to swallow, but Ghost has the more interesting personality.. i've mentioned this here before, but the way he sounds serious as hell and at the same time, tongue-in-cheek.. i dunno, i think it's pretty damn impressive.. it creates a pretty interesting on-wax persona (i think DOOM does this to an extent too)

consistency/longevity... kinda self-explanatory..

if i had more time, i could go on and on... but as an artist and as an MC, i think very very very few ppl are seeing Ghostface

RZA, ODB, Masta, Golden Arms

...GZA is the best MC, followed by Ghost who has released the best LP's from the Clan...so imo...

1.GZA
2. Ghost
3. Rae
4. Meth
5. Deck
...then the others...

gza and meth would be close i think. deck is very underrated.

Ghost/Most versatile out of the collective

but

gza is w/o doubt my fav and the best imo out of the Wu...his wordplay is incredible

Meth/most versatile
Ghost/most charismatic
Gza/best lyricist
______________________________________________________________________________

"There's a fine line between persistence and foolishness..."
-unknown

"To Each His Reach"
-George Clinton

if GZA had the emotion and mic presence of Ghost it wouldn't even be a discussion.

Its crazy because I almost see Ghost having a ball while recording but with GZA it feels like he would be on some buddha monk, chessboard and candles serious shit.

Technically GZA is the best but he lacks charisma.

You mean lyrically right? As far as rap-technical skills (flow, breath control, voice control, rhyme structure etc) Both Deck and Meth run circles around GZA. But they can't fuck with his lyrics..

My favourite is Ghost btw. His charisma has no parrallel in hiphop, and he's a solid MC in terms of lyrics and technical skills as well. Definitely the most well-rounded MC in the clan, and the one with the best discography.

.

Out of GZA, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, Method Man, & Ghostface I can't really choose cause those five kats each got their own chamber that makes them so likeable as a Wu-Tang member.

GZA is always the most intelligent and on point lyrically but when it comes to solo songs & albums he's lacking.

Raekwon is definitely entertaining and can go on for days on that gambino shit but sometimes he goes in circles on subjects, he can hold his own song for song but not an entire album, he needs guest appearances to spice up his albums.

Inspectah Deck, is 2nd when it comes to line for line lyrics with GZA and has a better flow than him as well, he will definitely out do others when it's not a solo joint but when he's solo he either picks beats that don't fit him, and sometimes his albums are monotonous.

Method Man has the flow, personality, and is great for hooks & choruses no doubt, but he's not the best at lyrics at times but when you're in a group of great emcees not everyone will be the best but Method Man is no slouch, he's more the party & bullshit kat who will throw a few punchlines here and there each verse but nothing great just comical.

Ghostface Killah got his own lingo only Raekwon comes slightly close to it but Ghostface is still in a league of his own lingo-wise, he's the one kat I can listen to a lot more than any of the other Wu-Tang members overall as well; but to me he's not great in the subject department, he raps about the same topics a lot (but I do like kats like Mobb Deep and they rap about the same ol' shit every song too) so it's not like it's a negative just about how much you can keep it refreshing which I will admit Ghostface does 75% of the time. Also when it comes to solo songs & albums he's #1 in holding his own for sure.

Also RZA got his own lingo but to me listening to him is like listening to someone rap about puzzle pieces in slang; Ol Dirty Bastard was the most entertaining one in the group too...R.I.P., his first album got much rotation from me more than OBFCL did but his later albums was a big let down; Masta Killah 1st solo album was dope as well only cause he made sure every Wu-Tang member was present on his album and they all fit and the beats were on point and was his lyrics; U-God & Cappadonna what can we say about them other than they are apart of the Wu.

When all is said and done, I still can't choose who is the best member of the Wu-Tang inner circle.

He's almost never off point lyrically - but half the time it's lost on your ears because he's got The Nas Problem where he'll be spittin', but it goes over your head if the beat ain't hittin'.

Over GZA, you guys aren't serious..
Ghost is good fine, but GZA is clearly that better skilled emcee lyrically

To me, Ghost is the best at choosing beats but not the top lyricist. GZA to me has always been top Wu MC.

Here's why:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI78ICPgU6M

of course, "sunshower" and "12 jewelz" are classic untouchable rza shit.

but on the other side of the spectrum, you ever been at a wu-show when they do "wu-tang clan ain't nuthin to f' with"??? mosh pit shit. that opening intro and verse incite riots.

he did ghost's over-emotional/crying style before ghost on "tearz".

his guest verses on the solo albums from 94-96 are sharp: "the grand exquisite imperial wizard oh is it the rza-rector come to pay your ass a visit"

his verses on "forever" were also solid. he fuckin kills "hellz wind staff" and "impossible" (just outshadowed by ghost on the latter). but overall he kinda got lost in the shuffle after deck's verses and THAT verse from ghost.

no one was calling rza wack until bobby digital came around. we all wanted "the cure". but i can understand after all the "feed a baby steak" lyrics above how he'd want a release. ignorant b-boy shit. the other side of the rza coin, but done with a twist, and a backstory. and really, after all the dense overwhelming stuff above, it's kinda refreshing hearing something like "unspoken word" and old school shit like "bob n i"

and in the middle of all the digi stuff, he can still do "the grain". "the rza" still exists in there somewhere.

Rza was fast rappin and shit...
He's up there with the best of the Wu MCs for sure...

totally un-bone-thugs-like.

>of course, "sunshower" and "12 jewelz" are classic
>untouchable rza shit.
>
>but on the other side of the spectrum, you ever been at a
>wu-show when they do "wu-tang clan ain't nuthin to f' with"???
> mosh pit shit. that opening intro and verse incite riots.
>
>he did ghost's over-emotional/crying style before ghost on
>"tearz".
>
>his guest verses on the solo albums from 94-96 are sharp: "the
>grand exquisite imperial wizard oh is it the rza-rector come
>to pay your ass a visit"
>
>his verses on "forever" were also solid. he fuckin kills
>"hellz wind staff" and "impossible" (just outshadowed by ghost
>on the latter). but overall he kinda got lost in the shuffle
>after deck's verses and THAT verse from ghost.
>
>no one was calling rza wack until bobby digital came around.
>we all wanted "the cure". but i can understand after all the
>"feed a baby steak" lyrics above how he'd want a release.
>ignorant b-boy shit. the other side of the rza coin, but done
>with a twist, and a backstory. and really, after all the
>dense overwhelming stuff above, it's kinda refreshing hearing
>something like "unspoken word" and old school shit like "bob n
>i"
>
>and in the middle of all the digi stuff, he can still do "the
>grain". "the rza" still exists in there somewhere.
>
>
>

______________________________________________________________________________

"There's a fine line between persistence and foolishness..."
-unknown

"To Each His Reach"
-George Clinton

Notable mention to Rae and Mef, tho.

Because excepting a few off albums Raekwon is THE nicest in the WU followed possibly by GZA.

OB4CL is a classic, but not because of Rae.

Who is messin' with Rae's slang, and don't give me that nonsense rap but I'm gonna call it slang anyway stuff that ghost does sometimes. He isn't just sayin' words he's weaving a beautify image with rhymes.

>OB4CL is a classic, but not because of Rae.

since its clearly between GZA and Ghostface.

Ghostface's output is the virtue and the flaw of his career

and maybe GZA's lack of output is as well (although he could use another great solo).

Ghostface is obviously amazing and has been a favorite of dare I say "real"
Hip-Hop heads for last decade plus. Giving us quality shit during pretty lame times.
But I stopped keeping up when it seemed like quantity took away from the quality.

Now Ghost is Ghost, so even lukewarm Ghost is still pretty dope and usually fun.
But when a rapper keeps putting shit out it takes away from the magic of the
great stuff. I know this isn't about albums, its about MCing, but bare with me,
because this is the point of why ultimately I think GZA is the better MC.

We know GZA has one classic solo and then some pretty good to altogether boring
LP's. If only he had one more classic solo then the argument would be better
on his side. If you look at Liquid Swords & Ironman as equals, then GZA has
nothing to compete with Supreme Clientele, not to mention Fishscale or Pretty
Toney. But I digress!

If it comes down to verses on Wu-Tang albums I'd have to go with GZA.
He's one you're always waiting for, the closer, putting it all in perspective.
Every member has their role, and Ghost's is the most fiery , at times outrageous,
and memorable, but GZA is the one you go to when you find yourself asking
"Wait? What the hell is this song about?" He's an MC's MC. Lucid, confident,
intelligent and veracious. And, unlike Ghostface, he knows when to be sparse
for the betterment of a verse or a track. Maybe he only throws one pitch,
but its a damn good pitch.
To me he's like the Mariano Rivera of Wu-Tang,
and they ain't winning without him. Ghost is great, but he's better solo than
he is in the clan I think, although that's not easy to confess. And if there's
one knock on Ghost (this is only in the MC discussion) its questioning his
esoteric slang word conjunction. What I mean is- yes his word play,
while at times seems incoherent, is exactly what makes him his own
type of genius, IF YOU BUY IN! I buy it and I know that most of us buy it.
But GZA? dude is NA TU RALE MC (in my Bunk Morland Natural Police
accent). No translation guide necessary. No interpretation necessary.
Just natural neck breaking rap shit, straight up and crystal clear.
As far as the MC question goes, I think GZA can go with the best of 'em.
Now if the question is "Who is a better artist?" That's a whole different
way of judging, and Ghostface probably wins that bout. But again,
better MC? GZA

>We know GZA has one classic solo and then some pretty good to
>altogether boring
>LP's. If only he had one more classic solo then the argument
>would be better
>on his side. If you look at Liquid Swords & Ironman as equals,
>then GZA has
>nothing to compete with Supreme Clientele, not to mention
>Fishscale or Pretty
>Toney. But I digress!

GM and LS vs. ironman and SC.

his verses are CRAFTED. he'll take two weeks to write a verse, trying different lines and moving shit around.

i too drink the GFK/supreme clientele koolaid, and that style blows my mind.

but the fact that gza takes that kinda time and energy to put together his verses shows.

that's what puts him over the top for me.

for this week...

"I move bravely, travelling on a horse"

"Key contributor, well known major factor
Rhyme distributor, the driver of a tractor"

First he says he's on a horse, now all of a sudden he's driving a tractor. Then in the video he's driving neither, he's in some kind of truck.

or

"The significance was not the vocal applause of entrance
but the felling that exits, completion of my sentence"

It's for this reason I can't put him right at the top

He's still the man tho. Wu Tang Forever

But for me it's RZA - see 12 Jewels for instance. He's getting geeky but he's actually saying something

>"I move bravely, travelling on a horse"
>
>"Key contributor, well known major factor
>Rhyme distributor, the driver of a tractor"
>
>First he says he's on a horse, now all of a sudden he's
>driving a tractor. Then in the video he's driving neither,
>he's in some kind of truck.
>
>or
>
>"The significance was not the vocal applause of entrance
>but the felling that exits, completion of my sentence"
>
>It's for this reason I can't put him right at the top



HAHAHAHAHA... this is hilarious because its so true.. but when I listen to the track, those lines still seem deeper than the mind of minolta reguardless..

he showed how he is still ill...he came back form the wackness off tical 0 and killed it.

and he also killed blackout 2.

and those verses on OB4CL 2 are insane!

Just watch him go to work so effortlessly on Westwood:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS7sZ1qUqnA

Yeah....Ghost by a landslide


Rae tooks years....years to make an impressive offering since Cuban Linx.

Meth - I don't care what you say, all his albums sucked

Gza - he is impressive lyrically but doesn't seem to know how to convert that to an interesting offering that showcases that but also entertains. I would throw Public Enemy in here and say they knew how to do this, why can't he?

Masta Killah - yeah....ok.

U-God - The fuck outta here.

Rza - No. His only solo offering that he did that made folks salivate was the song he did for the Rhyme N Reason soundtrack. He either went too eclectic, or thug persona to actually make a cohesive offering. Bobby Digital was all over the place. His beats slipped drastically and he wasn't able to capture the attention of the masses with his music.

Cappadonna - seriously?

Deck? He had ONE moment of shine when he did his verse on Forever. Folks still quote that to this day. Dude did a hell of a verse on Above The Clouds. After that.....nothing. His albums were terrible. That verse they took off the Tupac song should have been took off of there, it wasn't impressive at all.

NONE of them have been able to do what Ghost has done. When Meth was at the height of his fame he didn't even do what Ghost did. Ghost controls a crowd and Ghost controls the mic like none of them can. He personally SAVED the Wu. If the Wu needed saving, know full well that means these other champions yall appointing failed the Wu.

But even in his shine on that album, his luster wasn't enough to illuminate the Wu. Ghost controlled the crowd from a fucking STUDIO. Fuck a stage.....an ALBUM. Supreme Clientele. From that point he BECAME the Wu.

>Deck? He had ONE moment of shine when he did his verse on
>Forever. Folks still quote that to this day. Dude did a hell
>of a verse on Above The Clouds. After that.....nothing. His
>albums were terrible. That verse they took off the Tupac song
>should have been took off of there, it wasn't impressive at
>all.
>

This is absurd. Have you listened to Wu at all?

~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

His albums are kinda hot and miss, but they bring out the best in him on the group's albums.

I think the GZA is a lil' more cerebral, but I think Meth is just as good with his wordplay.

Ghost might be my favorite, but I don't know that he is the best. He has the humor and energy that most of them lack.

Rae can ride the hell out of a track and his style is dope, but he hasn't made a lot of songs by himself that move me.

ghost comes closest, but i'll take peak rae over peak ghost.

But Rae might pass him soon

he was never the best in the Wu, but he kept the clan balanced

I'm going off discographies, not any one achievement or run. Ghost at his weakest has never been as weak as the others (and they don't get any credit for taking risks when they got bad, they just got bad), Rae's low point was relatively short lived (it was a long period of time, but he himself wasn't bad on those two albums most of the time and he remained a viable feature) and he had the most verses on 36 Chambers (going by a rule that having a verse on 75% of the songs on a group album qualifies the album for your discography, only Raekwon passes for 36 Chambers), GZA is still the most steadying presence on their post-prime group albums and (arguably?) survived the early 2000s drought that hit the rest of the group, Deck is arguably the most engaging member of the group currently and Method Man has the Blackout! era and Tical.


If I had to do the rest it's probably RZA, Masta Killa, ODB, U-God/Cappadonna.


~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

He's always been my favorite out of the clan. He has the star power and he gets busy. Ghost has that also but the way Meth dances on a track is second to none. Album wise Meth quickly leaves the conversation but on the group albums and when it comes to a show he's amazing.

But the fact that this is such a debate is why the Wu is my favorite rap group of all time.

Ghost always was my favorite but after fishscale he's been unlistenable. Supreme Clientele is arguably his best work but I'm not fully convinced that he wrote that shit, the Suberb argument is believable because everything after that was dumbed down and completely different.

No one in the Clan had an album as hard as Cuban Linx and Liquid Swords

.

but after seeing them live recently.... and while Deck was flawless...


GZA spit some shit I had never heard... and its was crazy dope and impressive.... breath control, lyrics... all dat.

So Imma have to go with GZA

werd.

Such a disappointment imo I thought he woulda at least made three good albums. I’m not even sure if he has any decent guest spots in the last 15 years. Just curious I could be wrong

the cadence is gone, the once superior lyricism is almost nonexistent, that distinguished aura is no more, etc.. the nigga just rambles on endlessly to no avail

GZA is apparently what an mc approaching dementia sounds like

that shit is dope. Dj Muggs


werd.

Ghost is my favorite, but there's almost nobody in that crew that bores me now.
Even U-God.

Recently i had a strange epiphany that Rza might actually be my second favorite now. Im talking on the mic. Crazy right?

plus his body of work is unmatched

He’s still one of the finest live performers in the game.

yep

For me they are like 1a and 1aa, but its definitely hard to pick because all of them had hella high moments at some point.

I get gza, but ghost? On some pure mc stuff? Nah. If we're talking discogs yeah ghost all day.

I do wonder how much cats have listened to post-Forever. Hell, even pre. Whomever thinks Deck's only great verse was Triumph, they really haven't listened to much Wu. And whomever thinks Ghost ain't done shit since Supreme Clientele?? LOL "Stolen Script" is just one I'll mention.

I admittedly haven't listened to another Masta Killa album after No Said Date (which was solid), but it was also a function of new priorities (parenthood and time commitments) and how little fanfare accompanied releases.

GZA was my favorite for the longest time. But over time, it should be obvious to all that Ghost is without a doubt the most consistent member of them all. He has the best solo album output, has delivered a host of memorable verses on non Wu tracks, as well as guest appearances within Wu. GZA is the best lyricist but Ghost has much more charisma to go along with lyrics and mic presence, which makes him a better MC. He doesn't just speak through the mic, he grabs that shit and rides it like a fucking pony.

Tony all day

I keep thinking 'there's people with better albums, catalogs, hits, impact, and influence'.

But I also keep thinking 'there's not anyone who is can body a Meth verse on the same song'. He's openly impressive in this way..even now when he jumps on something.

IE: You're Gonna Love Me RMX. He's the king of that one too. He still sounds..shit, I dunno...'fresh'. And his rhymes always come together cool as hell.

I wish he could get his album thing together. But he's the ultimate rapper's rapper to me. Always has been. Still is even now. So I'll take him.

>meth was the first star. won a grammy. crossover.
>
>everyone in the clan wouldn't hesitate...the answer is gza.
>why do you think he always goes last.
>
>rae made THAT album. don't act like you didn't put him in the
>conversation with nas, biggie, prodigy, etc. in the mid 90s.
>and don't act like ob4cl was 100% rza.
>
>ghost has the most die-hard following. i've seen dudes cry at
>his shows. he also made ob4cl what is was. and he saved the
>wu in 2000.
>
>fuck that rza should be in the conversation with "sunshower"
>and "12 jewelz". those two songs summed up the entire wu in 2
>verses.
>
>deck was ON POINT on all the posse cuts.
>
>nobody ever will be like ODB. and the wu isn't the same
>without him.
>
>masta killah?
>
>u-god?

I originally said GZA or Deck but as I continue to think about it, Meth covers the most bases.

People saying Ghost must be going off of discography because he is probably the 5th best MC behind Meth, Deck, GZA, and Rae.

He has just managed to have more consistent output than the others which to me means he’s a much better executive producer than the others.

Meth is the Vince Carter of Hip-Hop.

Flow is flawless.

Has to have a Top 3 voice ever...even though that is subjective.

Completely has his own style.

One of the only few to rock with Big and Pac while they were alive...I know that’s not worth much but a cool fact. Maybe Bone and Too-Short are the only other two?

He can do grimy joints to love joints and never sound out of place and more importantly never sound like he isn’t doing a Meth record.

I believe Tical was a let down at the time but it still is classic material.

T2 got unfairly hated on and does have excessive skits but is a dope ass album.

4:21 is overlooked as they come.

Blackout! Is a classic to me.

Guest spots are crazy!

Constantly KILLS Wu tracks and probably only Deck holds their own on an MC tip with him but is not nearly as versatile.

GZA is more lyrical but again, not as versatile and has not had the consistent presence that Meth has had on the mic.

Raekwon is also up there but he is a bit too one-dimensional. Although I will admit, every time I hear a ill ass beat I think “Raekwon would sound dope on this” lol

If I need a guest verse, its Meth all day, but Deck has some classics there.


But albums are about consistency, and Meth's albums have been consistently underwhelming. Period.

who else in the group is still adding to his legacy at the rate Deck is right now? Ghost stays with progression, but the way Deck has revitalized his career in his 3rd decade in the game is crazy

CZARFACE X GHOSTFACE got me wayyyyyy too excited