On June 3, 1997, New York’s Wu-Tang Clan released its second album, “Wu-Tang Forever.” The release, which has since earned platinum certification four times over, signaled a shift of power and prominence in the music industry that would influence the genre’s landscape indefinitely.
After achieving widespread commercial success with its debut record, “Enter Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)” in ’93, the Wu-Tang Clan took an extended hiatus. The group’s members used this time to write and release several solo projects. Wu members RZA, Method Man, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Ghostface Killah, GZA and Raekwon each released a solo album.
Four years after Wu-Tang emphatically entered the hip-hop scene, group leader and producer RZA called the clan back together to make another record. This time, however, the time spent working on their individual projects had instilled a new confidence in each member’s ability. They had all grown into their own.
The group returned with “Wu-Tang Forever,” a double LP that allowed its members to have an opportunity to showcase their newly-honed lyrical skills. This new confidence is heard on the the record with standout performances from every member. While the record featured memorable verses from Inspectah Deck, GZA and Method Man, Ghostface Killah’s verse on the track “Impossible” stood above the rest. His verse, which describes the traumatic event of his friend Jamie dying in his arms, won hip-hop magazine The Source’s Rap of the Year award.
Most of the record incorporated a lyrical approach often referred to as “free association,” where rappers form the narrative of their lyrics around a strain of conscious thought. The Wu’s were the first to popularize this rapping method.
This form of rapping is widespread in contemporary hip-hop. In the mid 2000s, Lil Wayne used this style to record many of his records. He even stopped writing down his lyrics altogether at a later point in his career. Young Thug — the face of the new subgenre known as “mumble rap” — also refrains from writing his lyrics. Instead, Thug draws pictures to remember his rhymes. The current face of rap himself, Drake, wrote a song with the same title as the Wu’s sophomore release. 

Watch the video for “Triumph” below:

Along with its style and flow,  the subject matter of “Wu-Tang Forever” has heavily influenced the last two decades of rap. Unlike “Enter Wu-Tang,” the group’s second record dealt with serious issues of violence and poverty that the members had experienced while living in New York City. These were not new issues discussed in rap music, but the Wu’s continued the lyrical tradition by depicting their world perspective on the group’s sophomore record.
As impressive as “Wu-Tang Forever’s” lyricism is, its production makes it one of the most important hip-hop albums ever released. RZA, who produced the Wu’s entire first album and handled almost all of the production on the group’s second album, is the one to thank for this.
On the album, RZA implores many of the techniques he tested on the Wu members’ solo projects in previous years. Contrary to anything on the group’s debut record, RZA used an array of instrumentation with layered strings accompanied by a multitude of synthesizers. The most innovative production technique is the use of sped-up samples from old R&B and soul hits, which creates a high pitched sound. Famed producers such as Kanye West and Nas have since included this technique in their recording arsenals.
Through impressive lyricism and innovative production, Wu-Tang Clan’s sophomore album influenced the last two decades of hip-hop music more than any other record. From recording and writing processes of contemporary artists to the production styles of the genre’s legends, the influence of the celebrated record is comprehensive — making the title “Wu-Tang Forever” accurate.
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