Ayo, the Wu is back. That’s right, after a seven-year absence, the Wu-Tang Clan is back with “Keep Watch,” the lead single off their upcoming sixth LP, A Better Tomorrow.
The track, which features Method Man, Inspectah Deck, Cappadonna and GZA, dropped unexpectedly Tuesday (March 18) night.
Right away, producer DJ Mathematics sets the tone of the song with a classic ’90s-era beat reminiscent of the Staten Island collective’s signature gritty production from their seminal debut, Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers.
First up to bat is the Ticallion Stallion, who lays down his gruff vocals, managing to pay homage to Lil Cease, Trouble T-Roy, Notorious B.I.G. and Redman while cleverly references Star Trek’s Leonard Nimoy. Second in line is the Inspectah, who weaves metaphors like a master, with lines like, “Code name Sensei, I live what my pen say/game hall of fame, flow is MJ.”
The hook, sang by the soulful singer-songwriter Nathaniel, keeps it all so simple: “Keep watch, lights out when the beat drops/keepin’ the streets locked, I’m callin’ all G’s from each block.”
Cappadonna steps up to the plate third, offering up grimy bars like, “Foul ass police, crooked ass friends/I don’t give a f–k, yo the drama never ends/I’m a project n—a, I don’t care about the Benz.”
Running anchor leg is GZA, who drops his usual science-related couplets as if he’d never put down the mic since the group’s last offering, 8 Diagrams.
The song is available for purchase on the Wu Tang Music Group site. A Better Tomorrow, which coincides with Wu-Tang’s 20th anniversary, is reportedly almost ready to ship, despite Raekwon’s absence from the project thus far.
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