November 20th marks the day when 15 years ago legendary NYC hip hop crew Wu-Tang Clan dropped their third full length album, The W.
By the turn of the century, Wu-Tang was following up their 1997 album Wu-Tang Forever as well as a series of solo albums by individual members.
When The W hit shelves, fans of the Wu went in, buying 301,000 copies in the first week.
Less than a month later, the album was certified platinum by the RIAA with over 1 million sold.
Though released with minimal fanfare,The W achieved acclaim due to the amount of amazing guests they managed to feature, including Isaac Hayes, Redman, Snoop Dogg, Nas, and Busta Rhymes.
Moreover, Ol' Dirty Bastard famously escaped rehab, while on probation, to perform at the record release show.
Check out the latest unreleased ODB track, "Obey Me (Shash'U Remix)," recently dropped by his estate and Boombotix.
Maybe the most memorable track on the record is "Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off)," which was the lead-off single for the album, released October 17th of that year, about a month before the album dropped.
"Gravel Pit" and "Careful (Click, Click)" also gained a lot of attention, and tons of play.
Compared to other Wu records, The W is notably less smooth. It has more of a foreboding sound on the whole, achieving the mythic, devious effect shrouded in mystery that Wu-Tang is known for.
The record spent 17 weeks on the Billboard 200 list, opening at the 5th spot. However, it hit number 1 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums and stayed on the chart for 19 weeks.
Check out the full album playlist on YouTube below.
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[via Wu-Tang Corp] [Feature Image Courtesy Genius.com]