The Wrecking Crew consists of Philly emcees Curly Castro, Has-Lo, and Zilla Rocca. Has-Lo and Zilla Rocca go RAGU on the videos of the Wu-Tang Clan in the early 2000’s. You can download their highly acclaimed 2012 album Wu-Tang Pulp at your own price
Zilla Rocca: I woke up this morning to the worst run of Wu-Tang videos known to man on MTV Jams for #WuWednesday. I want to erase this video/song from the world forever.It didn’t know it existed until 7:30am today. It’s called “Doe Rae Wu” off one of the Killa Beez compilations that I didn’t look out for. From 2001-2009, outside of Ghost and Masta Killa, it’s better to forget almost all Wu releases.
Has-Lo: This is the weirdest video. Wow….just…wow
ZR: Then they played GZA’s “Knock Knock”, a video with Ghost and Meth in it for no reason. I probably haven’t seen this since Rap City played it once in like 2002.
Then they decided to play Raekwon’s “100 rounds”, where Rae sounds exactly the same then as he does now. I love Rae with all of my being but I don’t even remember this video nor The Lex Diamond Story.
I felt bad for them during that decade. They were so out of place, except Ghost, cause Ghost just made his type of shit and was chilling. GZA could never survive that era. Being heady and lyrical was not the look during the reign of Roc-a-fella and Dipset.
HL: He could have survived with his core fans if he’d been making records even close to what people wanted from him. Ghost stuck to his guns. None of his beats were corny and he didn’t pander. That seems to have made him stand out. Literally every other Wu member tried to be more radio friendly with horrible results. Even down the line when Ghost did it, it went horribly wrong. The only albums from any of them that anyone cares about don’t follow any hip hop tropes that were popular for the time. If they weren’t trying to be radio friendly, they were putting out their corny demos for some reason. i.e.- “Doe Rae Wu”
ZR: It might be the worst song and video in their entire history. It’s crazy how dope No Said Date was just cause Masta Killa did some straight up Wu shit in ’04.
HL: Now see? No Said Date was on some Wu shit in that era and what happened? It was heralded. Revered. Ghost? Revered as a classic. They still got caught up in the tidal season where records just weren’t selling and they didn’t GET it. It made them all feel like they were on their way out I guess.
ZR: I think Tical 0 dropped the same year as No Said Date and those 2 records couldn’t be anymore different. If it was titled anything but “Tical 0”, I would’ve accept it better. Then he made the video with Busta where they remade “Bring The Pain” complete with Meth fighting a bunch of models on a bed in his white ankle socks. This happened.
HL: For a song that was no where near as gritty.
HL: It was a stellar failure of an album. And he doesn’t seem to get why.
ZR: It’s a beautiful trainwreck. At least “The Turn” with Rae and RZA and “The Afterparty” with Ghostface still knock to this day.
HL: You don’t remember Deck’s video, “The Movement”?
ZR: Nah, I’ve never seen it.
HL: Aw man! It had these green screens with disembodied rims spinning!
ZR: There are so many edits. There are a million edits to hide the fact that there’s nothing going on in this video. He could’ve been so dope making that Peter Parker thing his persona. There are so many ill Spiderman cartoons and shit like that.
HL: Yeah true. I don’t know why he didn’t.
ZR: There he goes with those Rockwilder ass sounds. This beat wouldn’t be so bad without those 2 sounds.
HL: The drum machine ass sounds.
ZR: A couple years ago he did the champion joint with Alchemist, “The Champion”, that was CRAZY. I say this as someone who bit and stole Inspectah Deck’s whole rap style in 1997 when I first started out rhyming.
HL: Me too, my friend. Me too. Not as bad as Power 99 FM playing the Bobby Digital joint “La Rhumba” from that time live on the air, then turning up the mics to let us hear them throw the actual CD into the trash. At least shorties in the video could get it.
Dom Pachino was in that video too! He was everywhere. He was outchea!
ZR: I really wanted to be all about this album, but I never could get into it. This video was hot though, but the song never felt right.
HL: I didn’t think “La Rhumba” was THAT bad. I used to hate this album but for some reason it clicked recently. Look at this. The bum dude has a bottle full of naked spanish ladies and he drops it. Doesn’t he feel like an ass. He had the key to success in his hands!
ZR: And of course, there are naked women on the terrace in broad daylight.
HL: That’s right, it’s New York, Baby!
ZR: That woman is gorgeous. How were these guys married in the 90’s and 2000’s? They had so many gorgeous women around them at all times.
HL: Oh! The bum got the bottle back! Wait, why can’t he get inside the bottle? Rza touched it and was instantly transported into the ill Wu-brothel. The bum dude only gets to listen from the curbside. He gets to 2-step to Mef’s rhymes.
ZR: He was not outchea. Beretta 9 is on this song. He makes me really uncomfortable, talking about jizzing inside people. This video is some live BET Uncut shit though. I think that’s why it has close to 10 million views on YouTube. Wu Wednesdays are for the children!
