I just had a whole post typed up but fucked up and lost it lol.
7.5/10
I just had a whole post typed up but fucked up and lost it lol.
7.5/10
This is an average Math beat. The clan needs to get back to rhyming over “banging” production.
id like to see that listQuote:
Originally Posted by Shaolinmonk
theres like 4-5 joints from that album on, that compare to this. They may have better lyrics but not a better beat/fun track.
to me im just happy i have a song that has the same flow throughout. This coulda been stitched together way worse and cap atleast kept the flow of the other members. Comes off as he went on last and was guven a short time to add a verse. Im just happy its on vibe cuz wu songs could be 8 verses going 8 diff ways like the 2000s, they all going in same direction herr. Im not expecting cap to throw in 95-97 punchlines 30 years later. He played his part imo for the type of track it is which is upbeat party style.
im not judging any new wu shit whether OUATIS or This, versus origibal run stuff its a totally diff time , comparing 20 year olds to 50-60 year olds, and the game is not the same. As a complete product, this works on a level way higher than most of their output has been.
Im not go discuss caps weight, lol. dudes a literal monster of a man. Didnt realize how big he was when i saw him at ringz lil session. Not just big. But Intimidating big.. while also being a damn near great grandfather status soon if not already. Not gon rip a legend up for getting old. Cmon bro. I saw some of yall talking about weight/flow of these guys like really? but then complain when they say something out of school for modern day (even tho they always rapped about it in that same way) because times changed and they shouldnt talk like that anymore... yet yall still judging them based on what they were capable in their prime…
Cant have it both ways. By old standards this song should not even exist. Show me the 50-60 year olds with a banger at their age. Imo its Be happy ya got wu with blue rasp in 2025 with a math/rza track is howbi see it. Cuz we coulda had nothing and yall would then say “wu needs to drop more”.
they could have ABT’d it up and keep watched us with a rando rnb in modern style and we got blue rasp. Win.
I can rip any joint up if i want and see everything as mid if i really wanted to and choose to be negative on any song n say its not up to par. But ima just enjoy this one for what it is not what it isnt or what could be cuz cap messed up a flow on a bar. Noones confusing this for wu forever. But this is a good joint.
For a single, today, great wu track. Real wu track. Best single they had in years. But if ya not feelin ya not feelin just think it dont take away from the track at all. He coulda gave a better take, but he least caught the flow to finish off.
This is a banger. Beat is fire, and the members came correct. Deck and Meth really stood out and I like Blue Raspberry’s vocals on it.
I have a good feeling about this album.
Before I lost my post, I said I think this beat is just "hard" enough but not too "chill" at the same time. My gripe with The Saga Continues is the beats - I feel they aren't hard/banging enough (I liked a few tracks like Hood Go Bang but most of the album felt too mellow or something).Quote:
Originally Posted by TommySuits
I personally feel like Mandingo quality-wise could fit on The W or Iron Flag
https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/...49/977/aba.gifQuote:
Originally Posted by ta12113
Damn, they really know how to downgrade shit. Generic cover with reeks of AI. The W in Claudine just looks like a cheap MS Paint job, plus notice how 'starring' is misspelled. Saving money on every single fucking corner. Wack. Just pay an artist FFS, cheap bastards
https://youtu.be/y31s2neFGaA
WTF up with Rae's voice being so low volume? Could have used U-God and GZA, and maybe Ghost. Great to hear Blue again. (Btw, who the fuck decided on that picture for the backcover of her Chambermusik album?)
Feels like Meth's verse got cut short.
So they are now using AI for creating samples to fit the song. Always thought the strength was in finding fitting existing samples, so there was something else to discover. Not a fan of these uninspired fillers.
I think it’s very 8 Diagrams like and is a bit too safe for me, but you are right it’s in between the hard and chill and imo could’ve gone a little harder to make it a banger.Quote:
Originally Posted by hiphopjunky
Yeah Rae is too low and definitely could’ve used one of the deeper, heavier voices like U-God or GZA instead of Cappa. 100% with you on the AI fake movie parts.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jet Set
Wu tracks SINCE Saga Continues, not on the actual album. The whole Cappa thing is just a personal thing maybe, but I just cannot listen to a guy who can barely make out words due to his condition and age. Especially when lyrically he doesn’t bring it. But that’s just me. You are right on the whole “wu needs to drop more” in case we wouldn’t have gotten something, but I just hold Wu to a high standard and still gave it a 7 so it’s definitely a good one. I will enjoy it, just have to be honest about some things feeling off. Mathematics can definitely do better than this. In general the whole AI nonsense, from the music video to the cover to the movie parts also brings the whole thing down. There were also high expectations after so many years of an “official” Wu track.Quote:
Originally Posted by ForensikZ
P.S. What’s everyone’s beef with ‘Keep Watch’? Easily one of the best tracks off of ABT. That beat definitely beats this one.
Didn’t even know that Blue Rasperry album existed (or I forgot about it maybe). Is any of it worth checking out?Quote:
Originally Posted by Jet Set
This post has a lot of great points.Quote:
Originally Posted by ForensikZ
I’ll add; It’s Math. It’s Wu members. It’s a Wu affiliated singer. It’s 2025. It’s a “kickoff the album” cut. It’s an energy/fun track. It builds interest/anticipation for the album. It’s serving a purpose. It’s not filler. It’s a good song to me.
Not a fan of the art direction. I don’t know much about AI to comment on it, but I guarantee there’s people out there who do like it. Lots of them.
lol At people clowning his weight and trying to use ageism against Cap. Same ones who cry about Ghost “language” and situation with his kid. Body shaming, gay rights activists; The “contradiction kings”. lol. I agree Caps delivery was the weakest on this song overall. Maybe cuz he was too blunted, but not cuz he was too bloated. lol
i get it, tbh i think they all are kinda phoning it in tbh if ima really break it down. Decks verse is nothing special lyrically but he nails the flow. All flow. Meth comes the best. Rae just has this thing about being decent to great on anything no matter what. Decks amazon line reminds me of 8d tupperware stuff. Thats what i mean by not judging it on that level. Its a surface level wi track for casuals. On that level. I thini its well done. Not an all timer or anything but i enjoy it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shaolinmonk
and i gwt the ai stuff. Shouldnt be doing that but saves them money. Its reality now.
i like keep watch but the 2010 generic singer nathan or whatever was on a fee tracks and it was like dexter wiggles all ovet. Keep watch is a good joint. But i like this one better. Blue rasp and better beat vs bad singer snd better lyrics. I say this is better.
As far as saga i liked 1/3 of it a lot. Not legendary wu status but atleast a good album at worst tho no ugod until a remix was a travesty. Glad to see hell be on here as well as gza. Street would be nice as well.
I think there is a reason people do not talk about it a lot, it is not bad bad. Just there. She also released an EP about 5 years ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by mrvaughn
https://www.discogs.com/release/9398...ut-Of-The-Blue
Had to chip in on this. Because I have no problem with the use of AI, if done properly. This is poor use of AI, clearly done to cut costs, with even more costs saved by not having anybody flesh it out. The cover is like an grphic artist submitting an unmastered unmixed music track as final because it sounds dope to them. Sure people will love it, in the long run it will turn out like 3D in 90's movies like Anaconda. Poorly done, laughable, and gimmicky.Quote:
Originally Posted by ForensikZ
The faux-movie samples might work now, but they lack inspiration. The question why has not been answered for me, other than some of the guys thinking 'Ýeah, cool!'
For me I dont think they put that much energy on album covers anymore. In todays day and age I would say wu tang still makes music for the fans and not to sell alot of units. Their last album was proof of that.
Its a new era where artists like kendrick lamar drake and so on took over the torch.
As said Im going to buy the black samson on vinyl cause it feels rza had more input in it then the saga continues. I do also agree with previous post that production on the saga was a little bit on and off.
Most songs just didnt give me any reason to go back to them.
If anyone in europe wants a copy let me know so if I find more then one copy Ill be willing to ship that to you. Of course you have to pay for the record and postage though. Where Im from I know a store that probably will have it after rsd if Im not going myself to pick them up.
The song Im still mostly hyped for is lion pit though..
If it was just a digital release, I get it. It is small, and people often do not see it past the size of their mobile device. But this is a vinyl. This is the kicker though, they know they are a legacy act. Which means you got old heads with money copping tickets, and some new ones. But those old heads also have the money and will to buy the vinyls. What is one of the selling points of a vinyl, the big cover. The people I know, like it also due to that. Why not invest in it, if your selling point on top of that, is heaving unique covers.Quote:
Originally Posted by jaydee3
People in Europe should check out HHV, they might carry it. Noticed they carried the RZA EP couple years ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by jaydee3
Yeah there is no excuse on phoning it in on those covers, it’s quite disrespectful to ask fans for quite some money and then offer nothing substantial in return. Knowing people will just pay for it regardless is exactly the reason why they did and that’s an insult. “Unique” cover is such an oxymoron when it’s all AI generated crap that anyone could “create”. It’s a shame, just like the OATIS under that crypto company, where I would put serious money down if they actually offered something that’s worth it. But it’s just mishandled and I have zero issues with downloading this and not paying a single penny for it.
It’s also a big reason I don’t see this as an official album, but just a mixtape or typical Mathematics compilation.
Looks like people on Reddit are too fond of all the AI use either:
https://www.reddit.com/r/wutang/comm..._just_dropped/
https://www.reddit.com/r/wutang/comm...wu_tang_track/
Just watched the video. As much as they tried, it is uneven crap. This should have never been released.
I get it though, Danny Hastings has been pushing AI since the start. He has also infused the the tour with all his AI generated images. But he should have known it is not there, and this needed a lot more work. My guess is, all the work by Wu will be heavily supplemented by AI at this point. Just look at the visuals used on the tour, the cover of the album, now the samples in this track, and the teaser announcement for the new tour. They saving money and making money.
Thing is, if you're trying to get engagement through a video and the members aren't supporting, what are you supposed to do? Think of the Heart Gently Weeps video where RZA only had himself and a bunch of actors available because no one else would play their part and Math doesn't have the budget for the shoot RZA had.
While I'd prefer another route for the videos and album art, I understand Math trying to do what he can to push this release that, despite the Wu billing, is 100% on him.
Rae's House Of Flying Daggers was a good example.Quote:
Originally Posted by Buddah_MAC
Sometimes, one has to invest their imagination.
The vinyl is 5000 copies only worldwide. Thats why I said if anyone wants a copy tell me and Ill see if I can pick up that for the person intressted. Yes HHV will probably have a few copies. But 5000 copies spread out worldwide the best bet would be from discogs then.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jet Set
I get your point hhv is a good place to buy music but even they have their limits on this release. The record store im going to buy from is smaller and has a better chance to have copies over for sale.
My offer still stands if you want a copy drop me a shout on this link and if I find an extra copy Ill send it to you.
Basically go the House of Flying Daggers route and not make something that looks fake AF. And you could’ve found a way to portray the rappers in a different way. And I doubt they wouldn’t be up to do one take on a random street, in the studio, or wherever.Quote:
Originally Posted by Buddah_MAC
Quote:
Originally Posted by SL33
maybe could have tried this route. haha
https://youtu.be/lgSvGfkUmTk?si=-57eh-4jsILy0VtA
Had another mystery surge, this time it was 16,328 at 1:19 p.m. on March eleventh. Was thinking it might have been that situation with Method Man getting into a fight, but that was weeks ago..
This is a good point. Because if you take a step back, there is only RZA doing promo last week for the tour, with a few mentions of this album. Next to that, this is a limited release with an AI gimmick for cover. To me, it sounds like a cheap way to produce some covers, and maybe get some money in due to the promo for the technique/company/production method they are using. So we can determine there is little to no budget and a heavy reliance on AI. In that light it makes sense.Quote:
Originally Posted by Buddah_MAC
Now, as people have pointed out, you approach just from a budget & quality point of view, and take into account the involvement of members, a shoot would be hard to pull off. Now you could pay people to do a recut of Bastards Swordsman, and have the original quotes, or go for a Chemical Brothers edit with another story. This would take time and dedication to work, which translates to budget.
Another option would be animation. It would need no involvement of members like the previous option, and could slash costs a lot. One of the biggest pro's is, you can do almost anything in animation, and it can look really good. But most of all, it looks coherent. Just get the right people, and throw some money at it. Animation has become very accessible nowadays. Even 3D renders.
To me, the only justification is going forward with the AI gimmick, and being easily impressed. While not assesing, with budget available, what else could be possible. As it is, this video needs cleaning, a lot. That whole budget could probably be dedicated to a complete video. A flipbook by Math would have been cheaper, and easily done on a PC nowadays.
So are any other members promoting this album? I think Masta and maybe Rae have done some repost in IG, Meth might have too.
Doesn’t animation cost more than AI though? If he’s sticking to a strict budget, I can see why he went the AI route. But even in AI the video could have been better. Not really a fan of reading words trying to follow the story line of the video while trying to catch the bars in the song at the same time. It just felt “messy”.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jet Set
Good question. They would both take the same kind of prep. After the prep you either go to work with for example a pen and paper. Or you start writing prompts, and wait for the video to render on a huge as farm of computers. (Wu-Tang might be for the children, but it would be the children without a hospitable place to live on.) After a render of every scene, you have to check it. Go for the next one. Now if you just keep it at that, throw everything together, you might be off cheaper. Hmmm, might as well have happened here based upon this result.Quote:
Originally Posted by Teejay
Like I said, normally you would go back and check for inregularities. In this case, the whole fucking video is one big irregularity. They did not feed the video model any proper model to work with. Hell, there are MEME videos with a better character result in multiple scenes. As one said, this is facebook boomer AI slop. And I have to agree with that. Sorry Math, but you dropped the ball on this video.
Anyway, I digress. What i wanted to say that in order to make this actually work, a whole lot of extra work would need to be done. That would probably put the price over a normal animation. In this case, you are right, animation would have costed more than this.
EDIT:
Seems the whole thing was generated with Google's DeepMind Veo 2, directed by Jason Zada. Going by this price point, they went with a very low budget.
People all over are noticing it as pointed out in this article. I ain't trying to be hatefull, but this video is the equivalent of somebody in the early 2000's clicking on a few buttons in Fruityloops and saying they got a song.Quote:
Google’s new AI video model Veo 2 will cost 50 cents per secondGoogle has quietly revealed the pricing of Veo 2, the video-generating AI model that it unveiled in December.
According to the company’s pricing page, using Veo 2 will cost 50 cents per second of video, which adds up to $30 per minute or $1,800 per hour. Google DeepMind researcher Jon Barron contrasted this pricing with the blockbuster Marvel movie “Avengers: Endgame,” which had a reported production budget of $356 million — or around $32,000 per second.
Of course, customers aren’t necessarily going to use every second of Veo-generated video that they pay for, nor is Veo 2 likely to generate three-hour “Avengers” epics anytime soon (Google’s announcement highlighted Veo 2’s ability to create clips that are two minutes or more).
Another price to compare: OpenAI recently made its Sora video generation model available to subscribers paying $200 a month for a ChatGPT Pro subscription.
https://futurism.com/wu-tang-clan-video-ai
RZA played Warriors Two (Cooley High) off Maths album on his Wu Wednesday radio show today. The Meth and Benny joint.
Did you hear it? Review? Rating? Tease us Bro...Quote:
Originally Posted by Teejay
Saw a comment on Reddit discussing the album claiming Mathematics denied the use of AI for the covers lol. Don’t know how true it is or if it’s just hearsay but a response thinks he got scammed or is lying if that’s the case. Another comment said they asked their local record store and apparently the album was gonna be sold at 75$ a copy although maybe it depends on the store
Edit: I just went and checked and it’s on his instagram. Someone commented it was sad his use of AI and he denied it tagging the artist he used saying it was sad he didn’t do the knowledge before checking, with some other replies backing it up that the covers appear more hand done in person. Interesting
Haha yeah I said, glad he stayed respectful and I could convey the sentiment of fans that it looks like AI still. It’s a hot mess, there’s too much going on and at the same time it doesn’t seem to tell a story.Quote:
Originally Posted by bluntedmecha
I’m personally not the biggest Benny fan, but he sounded good over this beat. It’s not a banger of a track or anything, but it fits the feel of what we heard from the album so far. Great flow from Meth, lots of memorable bars in there, as alway, nice shout out to King Just….and Ringz. Meth ain’t ever gonna let that go. lolQuote:
Originally Posted by Chrism70
My bad. Replied to this too late, didn’t see someone else started a separate thread for the track. Someone should merge them, if possible Thanks.
I did see that M80 got copy 1 of 5,000 yesterday and posted a pic of the front cover and back. I’m no expert on AI/real art comparisons or whatever, but I thought it just looked….bad. lol Looking forward to the music tho. Excited for Lions Pit, Dolomite, and hopefully original Rap Burglars version cleaned up a little.Quote:
Originally Posted by bluntedmecha
"Who made their millions off one letter"...do we think that's a reference to "I", or this probably just means W?Quote:
Originally Posted by Teejay
On first listen from my phone speakers this bangs hard AF
Probably the W.Quote:
Originally Posted by hiphopjunky
This beat is dope tho. Lookin to be a solid album.
same.........Quote:
Originally Posted by ta12113
Yeah I think you're right. My brain was on a 40mg edible last night and I was overanalyzing it lol.Quote:
Originally Posted by Teejay
Anyone pick up the vinyl and listen yet? Any thoughts? There is actually a cd coming also - I might pick that version up
I think its releasing tomorow onQuote:
Originally Posted by hiphopjunky
Rsd. Ill buy my copy on monday.
Its already out apparently…
https://youtu.be/HYzfjnDv9VM?si=jZBBbScFjShXlJeD
Now we await for a review or a leak I guess?
And heres Shaolin vs Lama plus the Executioners from Shaolin tracks
https://youtu.be/jSwk0TwEYSs?si=w8gg1IjK7fEb3ZaX